Chapter 44
FORTY-FOUR
THISTLE
I had the afternoon free, and Bambi was still nesting, so I needed to keep busy. Knox took me shopping, and I bought some badass outfits, accessories, and nail polish.
Ace had sworn up and down that Bella would be dealt with, so I had to start planning for the future.
And step one was my nest.
“You sure this was enough for you, Doll?” Knox asked as he dropped it all onto the couch in Rogue’s old basement living room. He was looking at the huge piles of bags sarcastically.
“For me ?” I asked. “Uh, this was for you guys.”
“You want us to dress up?” Rogue asked as he picked up the nail polish.
“I thought it was nesting stuff?” Knox asked.
“Uh, yeh. I want cool selfies for my nest.”
“What are—?” Rogue cut off as he reached into a bag where Ace’s gift was half-visible. I grabbed it, cheeks going bright pink. “That’s uh… that’s a surprise but I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Maybe one day soon?
Ace had sworn he had a way to get Knox in—which had to involve killing Bella, right?
I took my time arranging all the new toys.
First there was what we’d bought today, then there was the golden metal skull mask Ace had arrived in—one I’d put on him back in the City when I was worried about people recognising him.
It was scuffed from the trek in the desert, but I still loved how it looked.
Then there were the muzzles of all different colours, and the assortment of weapons stashed around the basement.
I’d picked out the hefty bat for my first superhero, then I got to work.
Rogue was my first target, and he seemed all too happy to let me do my thing. There was a happily-ever-after waiting, and that meant I needed pictures for my nest. The coolest, most badass pictures anyone had ever seen.
I spent a long time picking an outfit, and damn, that was—“Perfect!”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Rogue as I blew on his black nails. I looked back up at him, my breath tangling up in my chest like it was shy. Well, of course it was.
“That…” I whispered. “Should be illegal .”
“What?” he asked.
“Being that hot.”
He probably grinned. I didn’t know because he had a hood mask on—a balaclava with no eye holes, and I’d shoved a bat in his hand.
He was topless—which showed all of his epic scars and my nesting marks. He looked so badass I was shaking with excitement.
“Selfie, oh—wait!” I said. “Can you take it?”
Knox had returned with his laptop, eyeing us like we were up to trouble as I held Rogue’s phone out to him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.
“You’re Daddy, and he’s ShadowRogue?—”
“ Shut up. ” Knox snorted as he set the laptop down and took the phone. “You can’t call him ShadowRogue.”
“I can.”
Rogue chuckled. “It was that or RogueBane. Take your pick.”
“I still don’t know…” I mused.
“I take it back.” Knox choked out a laugh. “ShadowRogue is fine.”
“You two are too good at pretending when it comes to hating each other.” I was sure of it. More so by the day.
“Pretend?” Rogue asked.
“Well… Rogue claimed you. Then you could have killed him or got rid of him for years but you didn’t.”
“I was getting revenge,” Knox muttered.
I giggled. “Ace gets revenge on Alphas by making them drink their own vomit and electrocuting them to death. He doesn’t lock them up in the basement and hang out with them for years.”
“Who did he do that to?” Rogue asked.
I frowned. “You know, I don’t remember. All I know is that if I was Bella, I’d be scared with a capital ‘S’.”
Rogue snorted as I propped myself up in his lap, and Knox got the camera ready. But then, before taking the shot, he sighed loud enough for me to hear, and finally went to the kitchen to grab something.
He tossed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter to Rogue who caught it—which meant he could see (that was a good thing too, since I never wanted him to take the mask off).
“How am I going to smoke this with this mask on?”
“Just light the damn thing, ShadowRogue ,” Knox snorted. “You’re a prop. We don’t do things by halves in this pack.” He almost tripped over the last word, and I saw a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. “Alright.” He straightened, clearing his throat and angling the phone. “Get into character.”
I had to stifle my grin since Rogue, now with a lit cigarette, looked so many more levels of cool than me (even with my fishnets and ripped shirt) I tried to make up for it by putting my pencil into my mouth to match his cigarette.
I squealed when I saw the photo.
I needed it printed. I needed ones like it all over my nest. I was gonna sketch them.
Knox plucked the golden mask out of the array of accessories as he rummaged around—obviously he wanted a turn next. “Did you put this on him? Or did feral Ace discover some strange style choices?”
“I put it on him. He was too recognisable. It was all I could find.”
“Did he break out by himself?”
“Yeh. After I got caught. Must have been too long away from me while he was feral. I could feel him getting closer sometimes.” I just hadn’t wanted to hope too hard. The heat bond seemed too good to be true.
Knox rummaged through the props a bit longer, as I dug around in Bunny for my sketchbook. I had so much inspiration with that picture?—
“Omega.” I froze at the voice, glancing up to see Ace was standing in the doorway.
Oh.
“Yes?”
“I’m feeling up to company. In my room.”
He was inviting me into his room?
Without threats?
I opened my lips in shock. Then I jumped to my feet, straightening my shirt and picking up my sketchbook and Bunny, buzzing with excitement.
“Doll.” Knox’s words drew me up. “I have work to do in my office.” He was getting up from the other couch, pointedly looking at me and not Ace. “You’ll join me.”
“Uh…”
Oh shit.
I glanced down at Bunny.
Help!
What do we do?
Knox was perfect, but then Ace never wanted me around…
I looked back to ShadowRogue. He’d gone stiff, head shifting comically between the two other Alphas. “Your choice, Kitten,” he said.
No. He was supposed to be the hero I needed, but that answer was trash.
Choice?
Oh god.
Test.
This was a test.
I’d never been good at tests. Always failed them.
I couldn’t fail this one—it was an Omega test. I’d never had an Omega test before.
I didn’t know how I got there, but I was shrouded in darkness, and everything around me was soft.
Better.
The world was gone?—
“Doll.”
Damn.
I stuck my head out of the blanket on the couch.
“Yes Daddy?”
“Come here.”
I almost tripped as I stumbled from the couch, bringing the world-silencer with me like a protective cloud as I hurried over to him. It swished across the floor behind me.
I couldn’t help but glance over at Ace. He was leaning against the doorframe, eyes on me, absolutely still.
Oh fuck.
My gaze snapped back to Knox as his knuckle brushed my chin. “Do we have to start from square one with your obedience, Doll?”
“I… no. But uh…” I dropped my voice. “Could I talk to him, maybe I can go to his for a bit and join you later…?”
I trailed off at the look on Knox’s face.
That was a big fat no.
They were having an Alpha pissing contest, and I wasn’t getting around it.
“ShadowRogue,” I whispered, backing toward him for help. He got to his feet, propping the bat behind his shoulder as if on alert for threats, and shit was he mighty threatening.
“What, Kitten?”
I looked up, eyes wide. “Save me.”
He cocked his head as he looked around at the other two. “No,” he said after a pause.
“No?” I hugged the blanket around me, lip wobbling. “But you’re supposed to be my superhero.”
He chuckled, swinging the bat down and resting it on the floor as he leaned close. “You got me wrong, Kitten. ShadowRogue isn’t a hero—he’s a villain. You have ten seconds to run.”