Chapter 4
After Shatter came down from the high of her orgasm, Umbra pulled her straight under his arm. She was so fucking cute, curled up next to him, a bush of half-messy, half-glossy curls tumbling down around her. By the little smile on her face, she was clearly very pleased with herself.
It also hadn’t gone over my head that she had definitely not been upset at the fight. I swear, when I had glanced up to see her staring at us from the foot of the bed, her eyes twinkled with delight, and down the bond she’d been a ball of thrill.
And the outcome? Well, thatwas worth fighting Umbra a hundred times over, even if I had scrapes down my back from rolling in the nest’s devastation. And I’d lost; I wasn’t too proud to admit that. My aura was pretty impressive, but Umbra was a beast.
Shatter was, hands down, the hottest creature on the planet. The siren sounds she’d made, golden eyes heady with lust as she took Umbra and Dusk like that… Then she’d reached for me like it wasn’t enough. Like she needed me for it to be complete…
Fuck…
Umbra stood, lifting her shaking frame (which was now wrapped around him with her face buried in his neck) to the bathroom.
I stared after them before looking back at Dusk.
He had tugged his sweatpants on and was also staring at the bathroom door as if not sure what to do with himself. His eyes slid to mine and I didn’t think I’d ever seen Dusk quite as stunned as he was right then. He glanced back around the room—the nest that was in pieces—with the faintest frown.
I understood. I didn’t understand how she could be so Shatter, even in the midst of this nightmare. After everything Umbra and Decebal had told her last night.
But that was how beautiful she was. The Lincoln pack thought they had stolen everything from us, but our omega could make a kingdom from rubble and dust. One I would happily live in if it meant nights and mornings like we’d just had. Even Umbra was back to being himself again. I’d woken in Roxy’s apartment in time to feel the tail end of that darkness from him in the bond.
I closed my eyes. The real world would catch up with us at some point. It had to, even if Shatter had suspended us in this little bubble of happiness.
I heard a low whine from the bathroom that had my back straight, sombre thoughts evaporating. Was Umbra trying to sneak Shatter time without us?
I hurried in to find them beneath the steaming water of the shower. The lust woven into her cool, nightshade scent hadn’t faded at all. Actually, the hot water was just lifting it into the air. Umbra held her hips at shoulder height, pinning her against the wall with her legs over his shoulders. I cocked my head, blood rushing to my cock again as I watch him press two fingers into her.
Well. That bubble hadn’t popped quite yet.
“Umbra!”Shatter was breathless as he dragged her closer. She tried to steady herself, eyes wide. “Hold up—Dusk finished in me too!” Her voice was made of half a giggle.
“Uh huh?” Umbra asked, dipping his fingers into her again before pressing his mouth to her centre. She moaned, teeth catching her lip.
Damn.
How likely was Umbra to punch me out again if I tried to get involved…?
Did I care?
Hmm… There wasn’t much room in the shower, though. Her legs tangled around his neck as she panted, a wild smile on her face as she met my eyes, her fingers laced in his hair with a death grip.
I could live with watching.
She was letting out cute little mewls by the time she came apart again, needing Umbra to help support her as he set her down and helped her wash her hair.
When they were done, he set her onto the counter like she was a doll and towelled her off, humming to himself, which got me grinning. I headed into her walk-in and found her a nightgown and a pair of slippers, since the mess outside was a walking hazard.
She looked dazed and happy as she hopped from the counter and pressed a kiss to my lips. I drew her close. “You are the most incredible omega in the world,” I told her, a low growl in my chest.
Her eyes shone, as she drew back, blinking at me like she wasn’t sure how to respond. Then her grin became cheeky. “I think you almost put me into heat again.”
Well, fuck. I felt the smile spread on my face. “Don’t make it a challenge, Little Reaper.”
Then her eyes drifted back to the room behind me. I turned, seeing Dusk straightening from where he’d been shifting aside a few of the larger pieces of debris.
She crossed to him next, going for an embrace, but he caught her chin, drawing her into a kiss. I heard her purr from here as he ran his fingers through her hair, circling her waist and pulling her closer.
I don’t think I would ever get tired of watching her with my pack. Umbra and Shatter—they flitted between cute and hot in the blink of an eye, but Dusk had a way with her that was captivating.
He was more in love with her than I thought it possible for someone to be. He was an alpha with sharp edges and I’d never seen anything else from him before I’d become sick. But now… I don’t know if she’d noticed yet, but his scent shifted when she entered the room, the richer coffee side to his scent peaking just the slightest bit. Possessive and attentive, as if he couldn’t exist in a space she was in without being aware of her.
He’d die for me or Umbra. I’d always known that. But for Shatter? He’d burn the whole world to the ground—and that was a real concern when it came to a man like him.
Dusk Varis might be the only alpha in the world arrogant enough to claim his mate before the universe had even caught up.
“We have to talk about all of this, don’t we?” Shatter asked, drawing back from the kiss.
“Only when you’re ready, Gem.”
“Well…” She peered around at the room. “I think we should. Do you think maybe we could sort out the nest a bit first?”
“Like… Clean up?” Dusk asked.
“No.” She frowned, wringing her hands together like she was nervous to admit something. “Well, not quite…”
As it turned out, the accurate omega translation of ‘sort it out’ meant building a massive pillow fort.
Dusk and I ended up as pillow suppliers, while Umbra—taking to the task far too easily—hurried out to the kitchen to make her tea just the way she liked it. When he finished (and the rest of the apartment had been thoroughly stripped of every pillow, cushion, and blanket) he followed us around as we built the stacks, ensuring every addition was angled differently.
It wasn’t until Shatter had finished perfecting the last of the stacks, and we were all huddled in a dim—admittedly cosy—fort that carried scents from each one of our rooms, that she nodded, satisfied with the work. Her nightshade scent hinted at a surprised delight as she burrowed herself beneath the duvets inside before poking her head out, picking up her cup of tea.
I clambered over to her while Umbra adjusted the tray on his lap, pouring a second cup before handing it to Dusk. To my relief, he seemed to enjoy her green tea. I watched Umbra eye her cautiously, but she seemed appreciative enough that Dusk had taken his serving that we appeared free from tea drinking obligations.
I was riveted by the contentment radiating from her through the bond. Her eyes darted up the chaotic walls of pillows, then to Umbra before sliding up to me. She smiled, hugging her mug close and edging further under my arm.
I could still feel her fear; it was a quiet undercurrent in the bond, but it didn’t hold the power it should—as if me, and Dusk, Umbra, and this madhouse we called a home were truly enough to make her whole.
I wanted to know how she did it. I needed to know.
I’d been wrong in my assessment before—she hadn’t just survived what the Lincoln pack had done to her.
She’d taken it and become more.
“So,” she said, clearly bracing, her determined gaze falling at last upon Dusk. “We need to make a plan.”