Chapter 49
Compromised
Olivia
We spend the next few hours snuggled in bed. Alex falls asleep with his head on my chest while Theo cuddles me from behind. After kissing my temple, Rhys retreats to his office, no doubt wanting to plan more for the upcoming attack. It’s warm, cosy and I quickly find myself dozing off.
The sun has long sunk beneath the horizon when there’s a knock on the front door. The sound jerks me and Alex awake, both of us blearily looking around the room.
“What time is it?” Alex asks, his voice rough with sleep as we hear Rhys’s footsteps heading towards the door.
“Not sure. Probably seven or eight. You guys have been sleeping for at least an hour.” Theo shifts behind me. “Apparently you getting tied up tired you both out,” he teases as he presses his lips to the top of my head.
I flush, my body warming at the reminder. Although I don’t think a repeat will be on the cards, not with the ache between my legs.
Alex’s lips curve into a smile. “It’s fantastic. You should try it sometime.”
I’m not sure if he’s saying that to me or Theo.
“Not my thing,” Theo says. “But I’ll be very open to our girl here being tied up and at our mercy.” His voice turns low and husky as his lips find the sensitive skin of my neck.
Alex’s gaze darkens as his eyes meet mine, sending a shiver racing down my spine. “Definitely.”
A hand—Theo’s?—slides down my stomach towards my pussy, but I grab it before it can get too close. “Nope, that’s not happening right now. I’m far too sore for that.”
The hand moves away to settle on my hip.
Alex smirks. “Hm, my cock has that effect on people,” he says with far too much satisfaction.
“Show off,” Theo mutters before grabbing my shoulder and practically wrenching me over until I’m facing him. “You love my dick, too, don’t you, princess?”
Alex snorts behind me as I reach out and pat his head. “Yes, dear. Your dick is just as good.”
Amusement sparkles in Theo’s silver eyes. “Maybe later, when you’re not sore, I can remind you how much.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Not until you’re cleared by the doc,” Alex orders from behind me.
“You really are the biggest cockblock,” Theo mutters, throwing a glare at the other man.
“With the biggest cock.”
“You’re suck a prick.” He shoves Alex, causing the other man to curse.
“Excuse me for not wanting you to rip open your stitches and get your ass infected.”
“Ass and thigh, Alex. It wasn’t just my bum that got shot while I was defending Haven like the hero I am.”
“Maybe you’d be a bigger hero if you didn’t attack the enemy ass first.”
My chest fills with warmth, and I can’t help but grin at their antics.
Footsteps echo from the stairs. “You three need to get up and get dressed,” Rhys says as he strides into the room. “Anthony was just at the door, apparently Andy’s finally awake.”
My eyes widen and I scramble from between my two men and towards him, not caring that I’m still naked. “He’s awake?”
Rhys cups the side of my face as his eyes sweep across my body.
“He is, and apparently he’s got some shit to tell us.
So hurry and put some clothes on. I may be fine with sharing you with my best friends, but no one else gets to see you like this, princess.
” He leans down and delivers a brutal kiss to my lips before striding out of the room.
I gape after him, my brain struggling to come back online, much to Alex and Theo’s amusement.
“First time you’ve seen Rhys possessive, huh?” Theo chuckles.
I nod in a daze before shaking myself. Holy shit. Andy’s finally awake and talking! After two weeks of fearing that he wouldn’t survive, he’s getting better.
I hurry towards the bathroom as Alex helps Theo off the bed and throw myself into the shower. Alex joins me a few minutes later, and between the two of us, we’re clean, dried and dressed in record time.
Tobias, Rachel and Tamsin are already waiting at the medical centre when the four of us get there.
Rachel is practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes alight with joy as she bounces on the balls of her feet.
Tamsin has an arm over her shoulder, no doubt to keep the other woman grounded as she watches her with an indulgent smile.
Even Tobias looks lighter than he has since we arrived back at Haven nearly five days ago. There are still dark circles around his eyes, and his face is lined with more wrinkles than it was before the Scourge kidnapped him, but he’s almost smiling.
“What took you so long?” Rachel demands as we step into the waiting area of the medical centre. “Actually, never mind. I know exactly why, and you’re giving me details later.” She shoots me a knowing look.
Tobias wrinkles his nose. “Make sure I’m out of earshot when you do. I’ve already seen and know too much.” He shudders dramatically.
Theo snorts beside me. “Come on, man. It wasn’t that bad.” He pauses, his eyes sparkling, and I just know that none of us want to hear what’s about to come out of his mouth.
Alex clamps a hand over his mouth before he can say whatever inappropriate thing he was about to say. “No one wants or needs to hear whatever filth you were about to spew.”
Theo’s eyes narrow at him, and he pouts beneath Alex’s hand. And then he does something that causes Alex to yelp and snatch his hand away.
“What the hell, Theo? You bit me!”
“Maybe next time you’ll think twice before gagging me,” Theo says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“That wasn’t gagging,” Alex shoots back. “There wasn’t anything in your mouth.”
The two quickly descend into an argument on what counts as gagging, much to everyone’s amusement. Even Rhys chuckles as he shakes his head in exasperation at his two best friends when they try to drag him into the argument.
The atmosphere is light and joyous. Something that has been missing for far too long.
The doctor emerges from one of the many doors that lead off the waiting area, a warm smile on his lips as he catches sight of our group. “Glad to see you all made it here. Andy’s very excited to see you.”
That immediately stops the argument, and the group of us follow the doctor to the back area of the centre where the patient wards are.
The rooms are painted in warm, bright colours with pictures and paintings hanging from the walls.
Comfortable sofas and chairs line the edges of the room and flank the various comfortable-looking beds.
It’s a stark difference from the barren isolation room.
This place is warm and welcoming, giving patients the perfect place to get better.
A few of the beds are occupied, mostly by older people who need a little extra care during their recovery.
Most of them are asleep, although one or who wave and smile in greeting before going back to whatever activity they were doing before.
The last bed at the end of the hall is where we find Andy.
He looks smaller than he did before the bite, having lost some of his mass from lying in bed for over two weeks. His cheeks are gaunt and his face is pale, but that doesn’t detract from the huge smile on his lips as he spots us coming towards him.
“You came,” he says, his voice a little scratchy.
“Of course we did, Dad,” Rachel says before gently throwing herself at him. The two of them embrace and murmur quiet words to one another, tears shining in their eyes. The rest of us hang back, giving them some space until they finally separate.
Tamsin greets him next, and he hugs her like he did his own daughter while thanking her for looking after Rachel. After letting her go, Tobias steps up next, and the two shake hands.
“It’s good to see you’re awake,” he says, patting the older man on the shoulder.
“It’s good to be awake, although I can’t wait to get out of this damn bed.”
The two part, and then it’s my turn.
“Come here,” Andy says as he opens his arms and draws me into a hug.
Tears prick my eyes as I hug him back, hating how much thinner he feels compared to the last time I hugged him.
“It’s good to see you happy,” he murmurs, his arms tightening. “Although I hope you haven’t been stabbing people with arrows while I’ve been gone.”
I snort out a laugh. “I’m never living that down, am I?”
He grins. “Not as long as I’m alive.”
His words are a stark reminder of how close to death he actually came. If the zombie had bitten him harder, or if Theo and Alex weren’t there to stop that nurse, we would have lost him. My arms tighten around him for a second before the two of us part.
My three guys all shake his hand and pat his shoulder, telling him they’re glad he’s making a full recovery. But all too soon, the light atmosphere darkens as Rhys asks the question we’ve all been wondering.
“What made Elsa want to kill you?”
Andy blows out a breath. “At first, I couldn’t remember. The infection and coma has fried my brain a little, but it’s coming back to me. I overheard some things I shouldn’t have as I was getting set up in the isolation ward.”
Everyone’s eyebrows jump up at that, but no one interrupts, our curiosity keeping us silent.
“She and the idiot who opened the gate to let that horde in were in the isolation room next to mine. I guess they didn’t expect anyone to use this part of the ward because the shit I heard…
” He trails off as he shakes his head. “She’s been selling people to the Scourge for a couple of months, and that whole thing with the horde was supposed to be a distraction so she could hand some more people over.
Of course, the guy actually opened the gate instead of pretending to, and she ended up losing her shit on him because he endangered or killed some people on the security team that she’s been wanting to sell. ”
“Motherfucking bitch,” Rhys snarls as his hands flex into fists at his sides.
Andy nods in agreement. “It gets worse. Apparently she’s been wanting to thin out the security herd so she can implant her own people onto it to gain more control over you guys.”