Chapter 17 Calliope
I was so worried about Penelope that my heat had all but disappeared. We would all pay for that later, but for the moment I was happy for the break. All I could think about was the sweet omega I had grown up with was in the hands of an absolute monster. I couldn’t stand just sitting there, so I stood and went to the door to the basement.
“Little Omega, what are you doing?” Ayden’s voice distracted me from what I was thinking.
“Going to prepare the basement nest for Penelope.”
“Why?”
It was a simple enough question, but for some reason it stunned me. “She’s going to want to feel safe, and I’m sure as hell not giving up my tower. So, basement it is.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He sighed, moving to my side, and brushing the hair off my face. “Because omegas don’t share.”
“That must be in some rule book I never got.”
His laugh made me shiver. I loved his laugh almost as much as I loved him. “I’m sure it’s written down somewhere.”
“Well, it’s not in anything that I’ve read.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. His long-sleeve shirt was rolled up until the cuffs sat above his elbows, leaving his forearms on display. I didn’t know what it was about a man’s bare forearms that made me wet. “You really expect me to believe that you don’t care about another omega being in your house? So close to your alpha, during your heat?”
I might just have two alphas that I could call my own. Not that I had any time to sort through the sudden intense feelings that I had for Dax. I must be crazy to not want him to leave me after two days. But just the thought of him leaving me made me want to curl into a ball and cry. But having Penelope in my house and close to them gave me no pause. I was sure that Cain and Ayden were mine, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. Dax was the wild card. Literally and figuratively. What he had said to me earlier sure sounded like devotion at the very least and flat-out love at best. I didn’t know how he would react to her. I knew that Cain wouldn’t let him do anything, but what would happen if no one was watching?
I decided to trust them at that moment, even if Dax failed us and destroyed my pack. “It should be okay. You forget, I grew up with Penelope and my twin.”
He nodded and followed me down into the basement. The nest was situated in a back corner of a full apartment that occupied the entire lower level. I never used this space, so it was scent-free for the most part. I thought about all the things that I had needed after my ordeal. Deciding to start with the bathroom, I did a thorough wipe down, replacing the hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with scent removing products. Moving into the nest, I tried to imagine what I was going to need here. Going to the large windows that opened to the backyard, I pushed them open, tugging on the screens until they locked in place. If someone were to try and get in, the window automatically slammed shut and locked.
Ayden was just starting to come into the room when I stopped him with a hand up. “Don’t come in here. The alpha scent might trigger her, and we can’t risk that.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You know those blankets we sent to the cleaners last week?”
“Yeah.”
“They removed the scents from them, right?”
“I believe so.”
“Good.” I nodded. “Go get me three of them, plus the extra pillows. Make sure everything stays in the plastic.”
He disappeared, and I went to grab the vacuum. Running it over the carpets quickly, I emptied the bag and moved onto the kitchen. The fridge wasn’t stocked, and I made a note to send one of the guys to the store. Checking the cabinets, I added coffee to that list. Maybe I could use the omega delivery service to get some stuff brought in. It wouldn’t be the first time I had helped another survivor. But it was the first for having one of them in my house. Penelope was family, it was that simple. I wasn’t about to hand her off to the alpha that ran the organization that housed survivors of domestic abuse. At least not until I killed the bastard that had abused her. Couldn’t risk him taking her back.
Ayden came down just as I was placing the order. His arms were full of what I had asked for. I left the plastic on them so Penelope could choose what she wanted, and so it wouldn’t have anyone’s scent but hers. That was all I could do until I could get to my phone. Ayden wasn’t paying attention as I slipped past him to get to the stairs up to the main house. Climbing those stairs, I went directly up to my nest. Going to the stash box in the corner, I pulled out the container filled with weed and a set of rolling papers.
I was coming down the stairs to the main floor when I heard them come in. Dax was the first one in the door, his presence making my heart stutter. He was so handsome covered in blood as he was. I just wished that blood had come from wounds I had made. I set my goodies down on the counter and went to him. His arms were open, and I slid into them. We fit like we were made for each other. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I told you I would come home to you.”
“Can you two get the fuck out of the way, so I can get Penelope inside?” Cain snapped.
Dax swept me into the kitchen, keeping me within arm’s reach while we watched Cain and Penelope come in. Penelope was small, barely coming up to Cain’s shoulder. She had raven hair that perfectly framed her hazel eyes that held a wounded look I knew wouldn’t heal easily.
I moved away from Dax, and ignoring his growl, I went to her. “I’ve got it from here.”
I started to guide Penelope through the kitchen to the stairs down to the basement. Cain stopped me with a hand on my arm. I turned to him, and he studied me for a moment. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“You aren’t off the hook. Grab the weed and meet me in the basement.” I turned and led Penelope down the stairs.
Guiding her to the couch she collapsed onto it, her eyes scanning the apartment. She looked like a deer in the headlights. Hyper aware, scared if the way she was shaking was any indication. “I won’t be here long.”
I could hear the doubt in her voice as she spoke to me. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you need. None of us use this apartment. There is a private entrance and a full kitchen and—”
“I can’t afford—”
I cut her off. “I don’t want to hear anything about paying me. This is my house, and I won’t have my sister being anywhere that isn’t safe.”
“Your sister, huh?” Cain said as he came down the stairs into the basement.
She relaxed seeing her brother. Not much, but enough that I spotted it. He came across the room, setting the weed and accessories on the table in front of me before going to sit next to Penelope. I reached down, opening the jar and grabbing the grinder in one movement. As I was twisting the top of the grinder I asked her, “You smoke?”
That made her look up at me. “I used to.”
“You want to roll, or do you want me to do it?”
“You can.”
I smiled at her warmly, pulling the grinder apart and tapping enough of the weed into a paper. Penelope watched every step of the process; I had expected as much, which is why I did it in front of her. She wouldn’t trust anyone easily after what happened to her, but I was sure that we could handle that. We smoked, got her in the shower and into bed before locking the door between that apartment and the main house. She could open it from inside, but I kept the key close.
As we climbed the stairs, I could hear Ayden and Dax arguing. I was glad the basement was soundproofed. The sound of them going at it might have triggered poor Penelope. Ayden was cooking something that smelled delicious making my stomach rumble. Dax was across the counter. Cain shook his head and moved past them to the stairs that led up to the nest.
I went to follow him, but Ayden’s arm pulling me to his side stopped me. “Where are you going, little Omega?”
“To my nest.” Leaning forward I inhaled his scent and I flooded the space with my perfume thinking about him.
“Fuck,” Dax groaned.