50. Chapter 50
Cruz
“It’s time to go,” Nico grumbled, brushing past us, and continued up the dirt driveway toward the house. Fucking asshole. I got that he was worried, but weren’t we all?
“Nico,” I growled out a warning, clenching my teeth, restraining myself from knocking that scowl off his face.
He kept walking, intent on hiding how bothered he was by all of this, but the anxiety buzzing in my chest showed it for the lie it was.
Oliver walked up behind Rosa, sandwiching her body between us. “All done. Jon’s gonna sanitize the wheelbarrows. Nico’s worried about his dad sending backup if he doesn’t hear from Marcel soon. Which, we all know, isn’t happening. So, we've gotta get going.”
She squirmed out from between us, and I found myself missing the warmth of her soft curves.
Oliver backed off, giving her a little space, but offered her his hand.
When she took it, he threaded his fingers through hers and started walking up the incline back toward the house.
It was nice seeing him so content instead of the standoffish brat he could sometimes be. He needed her more than I realized.
We all did.
She swam in the clothes Oliver loaned her, but the unconscious swish of her hips as she walked away dragged my eyes straight to her juicy ass.
She shuffled, almost tripping over those giant slides, and I stepped forward to catch her, but Oliver steadied her, pulling her to a stop and crouched down in front of her. “Get on.”
“I’m not gonna let you carry me around. I am perfectly capable of walking,” she said, but she was doing a piss-poor job at hiding the pleased grin overtaking her face.
“Sure, but what if I want to carry you around?” Oliver glanced over his shoulder at her with big puppy-dog eyes.
“Fuck. Fine!” she sighed dramatically, but looped her arms around his neck.
As he rose, he grabbed her thighs, hoisting them up around his hips.
“I knew you’d give in. You can’t say no to me,” Oliver said, laughing.
It was moments like these that made all the blood and brutality worth it. If it kept them safe, I’d gladly bury a dozen more bodies and wouldn’t even blink.
This was what I’d wanted, and if it wasn’t for the imminent doom looming over our heads, today would’ve been a pretty decent day.
Not counting the cleanup and body disposal.
Nothing’s perfect. Waking up with our smiling omegas was about as good as it got for someone like me.
I never expected to make it out of the fighting pits alive, let alone finding a pack.
A scent-match had never been on my radar, but now that I had it, I was going to fight for it.
I’d do whatever it took to keep them safe.
Rosa rested her chin on Oliver’s shoulder. “So, why don’t you guys just tell Francisco that Marcel never showed up?”
As much as I didn’t want to burden either of them with the truth, they deserved to know.
“Because Marcel texted him before we got back from picking you up from the Sheriff last night. Francisco knows where they are, and may already know they’re dead.
His omega is probably freaking out if she’s not dead or in a coma. ”
Rosa’s face paled. “What do you mean, dead? It was just those three alphas here last night, right?”
I was surprised that she questioned it. She should know better than most the connection between a bonded pack.
She’d be happier not knowing, and with her lips looking so fucking delicious I was half tempted to kiss that thought right out of her pretty little head.
But if she wasn’t sure, it was important that she understood, if the half-healed bite mark on her neck was any indication.
“When a bond is broken it causes unbearable pain, especially if it’s broken in a violent way.
It can send alphas into an adrenaline-fueled rage, or overwhelm them.
Their omega felt it when they died. It goes both ways, that’s why we only bite members into our pack that are strong enough to survive this life. People that we trust with our lives.”
There was a silent statement there, a reminder of what Nico had done.
How much deeper his bite went than just a moment of passion.
It was a statement and an acknowledgement that he trusted her more than he would say.
She may not realize what that meant, but I did. He was in love with her, and so was I.
Oliver’s steps slowed as she struggled to get down. Once her feet touched the ground, she stumbled back, her fingers flying to her neck. “I mean, I know that. But I guess I’m just surprised. I’ve seen people live when most of their pack died.”
Ollie held his hand out to her, but she looked at it as if it were a snake.
“You don’t have anything to worry about. If we die, you might feel a whisper of loss through the half-forged bond, but you’ll be fine. The bond isn’t complete. Nico initiated the connection, so he took on all of the burden. If anything happens to you, though…” He let his words hang in the air.
“That’s why you’re sending me away. Because Nico is afraid something is going to happen.”
I scooped her up in a bridal carry, and she squirmed, but I locked her against my chest. “No, that’s not why. Something is going to happen, and this is the best way to protect you from it. But, If we wait too long, nothing will be able to stop what’s coming.”
Rosalina
As much as I enjoyed my position snuggled up to Cruz’s chest, I fought my way out of his arms as soon as we were back in the house.
I kicked off Oliver’s slides and bolted up the stairs before either of them could stop me.
If what they said was true, the bite Nico gave me had a deeper meaning.
Even if he wouldn’t say it out loud, it meant that he thought I was his equal, worthy of his trust, and not just a fleeting moment of passion.
I was going to find Nico and straighten this out. There was no way they were sending me away now. Not after everything we’d been through.
When I got to the landing, I looked both ways.
Where had he gone? Nico’s clove and bourbon scent was stronger to the left the last time I’d gone exploring, so I took off down the hall.
The low rumble of words floated through the air, along with his delicious scent.
At the end of the hall, one of the doors stood ajar, and I caught a glimpse of movement behind it.
Bingo.
I pushed through the door, storming in like some kind of tropical cyclone, only to stop in my tracks at the sight. Nico stood buck-ass naked, drenched in tattoos and sunlight from a massive picture window, talking quietly on the phone.
“Yeah, we’ll see you tonight,” Nico said to the person on the other end of the call before hanging up.
Hearing the door slam against the wall, he turned slowly toward me, taking his time. His face was a thundercloud of emotion, his normally kissable lips pressed into a thin line. I rubbed my palm over the half-healed bite mark on my neck. “What is going on?”
“We’re taking you back to your father, Rosa,” Nico answered, his voice filled with gravel and a shadow of remorse.
“I know! But why?” I tried to temper my volume, but if I was being honest, it probably sounded like some kind of demented banshee. My heart had soared when I found out I was going home, but it immediately crashed straight back down to my toes when he confirmed what Cruz had said.
“I’m not sure if you noticed, but we killed some of the highest-ranking members of my father’s organization last night. Someone will need to answer for that. We’ve decided that it won’t be you.” He set his phone down on the dresser, completely ignoring the fact that he was just casually naked.
His being naked was not casual. It’d be like saying that you’re just casually browsing the Louvre. It was a struggle to keep my eyes on his face and off the rest of his chiseled, inked skin.
“They were going to rape me. Surely your father will see what you did was justified.” I took a step back to give myself some space to breathe. Nico sucked the air out of every room he entered. Lording over it as if he owned it.
Nico smirked, clocking my discomfort. “All he will see is the loss of three men he valued. To him, you’re a prisoner at best, a liability at worst. You’re a means to an end, and that end is revenge against Rafael Reyes.”
I resisted the urge to bolt. It would be so much easier to hide from this shit.
The door was open behind me, all I had to do was turn around and walk out, or run out, but I didn’t want to.
He smelled so fucking good and the way the morning light danced across his amber skin dickmatized me.
It held me in its grip, barely able to move.
I forced myself to take another small step back, keeping my eyes on his face. “You could just take me to your father. Blame everything on me.”
From beyond the open door and down the hall, I heard Oliver shout, “We decided we didn’t want him to kill you.”
I narrowed my eyes on Nico. “We, as in, Oliver convinced you. Or we, as in, you all wanted that.”
He took a step forward, closing the gap I’d been so carefully constructing, reached past my shoulder, and pushed the door shut, blocking my only means of escape.
He was so close I felt the warmth of my breath curl along his chest. My nipples peaked against the soft red T-shirt Ollie had loaned me this morning.
“I could do that. Take you to him. I should. To protect my pack, I would. But they don’t want that, and neither do I.” The muscle in his jaw flickered, and I had the rogue urge to kiss the tension away.