Chapter 18
brYLEE
Only after my fingers and toes are raisiny enough to be included in cereal, only after I’ve stolen every drop of hot water the hospital has, do I emerge from the shower.
The steam floats in the air like a warm fog, and I can’t see Colter through it for a second.
But then I spot him leaning against the sink counter, a towel waiting in his hand. I take it and dry myself off, trying not to notice the self-conscious goose bumps on my arms.
He’s seen me naked.
Seen me sobbing, which is worse.
Roughly swiping off the last drops of water, I don’t make eye contact as my gaze sweeps the floor, looking for my dirty dress. I’m not eager to put that thing back on, but it’s all I have.
Except it’s not there.
Colter finally makes a noise. A slow, guttural throat-clearing.
I glance up at him, trying to read his expression through the skull mask. But his face remains carefully neutral as he holds up a giant, alpha-male sized gray sweatshirt in one hand and a plain white undershirt in the other.
“Guys got you something in the gift shop. That was all they had—no pants, so they got something large. Or…” The white shirt swings up a bit. “Kylian volunteered to go shirtless, in case you needed a comforting smell.”
Kylian’s not mad at me?
My lips press together and twist to the side as shaky breaths saw in and out. That shirt feels a lot like forgiveness.
Fuck. I swipe my fingers beneath my eyes to swab away the new set of tears threatening to unleash. That’s the last thing I need right now.
Alpha mode, Brylee.
Alpha, not omega.
Forcing out a deep exhale, I quickly swipe Kylian’s shirt from Colter and slide the material down my body. It falls to mid-thigh, but it’s definitely not thick enough to hide the fact that I don’t have any panties.
The sweatshirt goes on over it, though my nose crinkles in distaste at the antiseptic new-clothes smell.
Colter tilts his head and studies me for a second. I could be mistaken, but I think a smile might be playing at the edges of his lips.
Then he grabs a brush off the counter behind him and holds that out too. “Here. Also from the gift shop.”
Attending to my tangled strands, I give him a nod of thanks, which he doesn’t acknowledge. Instead, he points to a brand-new tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. Then he goes to the door and exits.
I almost call after him, tell him to come back, that I’m not ready to do things on my own.
But he doesn’t shut the door. He simply stands a few feet past it, facing Ridge so that I can see his profile and not be in the way.
It’s not exactly like there’s a ton of space in here, I suppose.
If I take over his spot at the counter, he’d have to go stand on the wet floor where I showered.
So, he’s giving me space to do what I need. Space, but not too much.
Is that man psychic?
If so, he should charge. He’d make bank.
A wry grin lifts my cheeks, and I’m relieved to feel more like myself again, at least enough back to normal to make quippy little statements in my head.
After my hair and teeth are finished, I’ve managed to scrape together enough courage to step out of the bathroom and enough humility to say, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I already told Luka his cologne made you run,” Kylian says from his seat at the tiny round table across the room, which now holds five very full trays of food.
His smile is warm and inviting and helps dissipate the nervous energy trampolining around my stomach.
Of course, his bare chest and tattooed arms send it right back into a frenzy of an entirely different sort.
In his pants and boots, with those abs on full display, he looks like he’s ready to go pose for a firefighter calendar.
“It was your crazy eyes, not me,” Luka counters from a seat on the opposite side of the table just before he takes a bite of an oversized burger.
I measure his expression because I unintentionally rejected him too.
But he gives me an easy grin as he chews.
A lump forms in my throat.
They’re going to let me off that easily?
Really?
I glance over at Ridge, and he pats the side of his bed, inviting me to come and sit.
“How good are you at trivia?” he asks.
My brow furrows as I shuffle forward on bare feet, very aware of how cold the tile is and how quickly my heart is beating. As if my body is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Terrible. Why?”
“Perfect. We’re about to watch Jeopardy. One rule: wrong answers only.”
A tiny chuckle escapes from me as I slide two fingers over a wire running from him to his machines before I carefully perch next to him. “Shouldn’t we…talk?”
My brows rise, and I can’t help the nervous twang that thickens my tone.
His expression softens, and he gives me a look that I’m aware is quite rare for him. “We’ll talk after. Promise.” He dips his head down and lets his eyes narrow. “But this is important.” Ridge’s tone is so utterly mock serious that I can’t help but be suspicious. “And we need your help.”
“Why?” I ask hesitantly.
“Because it pisses Luka off,” Kylian calls out from where he’s sprawled in his chair, legs spread wide. His naughty grin would melt my panties if I were wearing any. “He’s the only one who’s good at this Jeopardy shit, so we made up a version he can’t win.”
The rest of Alpha Team X chuckles as I glance over to see how Luka likes this game. The alpha rolls his eyes.
“Har-har,” he comments, but there’s amusement in his expression, and I get the feeling he might actually enjoy this razzing.
Turning back to Ridge’s warm blue gaze, I say, “Wrong answers. I think I can do that.”
“Excellent. Colter, get this woman a bowl of gelatin cubes.”
“What?” I blink.
But the show comes on, and I’m handed a bowl of jiggling orange squares before Colter stomps over to a chair beneath the window, carrying his own bowl of bright-red cubes.
Kylian turns up the volume and says, “Our mate gets to pick which category she wants.”
“Category?”
Ridge takes over the explanation. “We are each in charge of a category. Kind of like reading a card in that game Apples to Apples where you pick a winner. Well, when your category gets picked and the TV host reads the clue, everyone shouts their wrong answer. Then you get to decide which answer you like best. Just like Apples to Apples. And then…”
He launches a yellow cube into the air. Kylian swoops forward and catches it with his mouth.
“Toss a cube to the winner,” Ridge finishes.
“Ta-da!” the wild alpha exclaims before gulping down the treat.
I have to catch it with my mouth?
“I have reservations—” I declare, but I’m cut off.
“We’ve got you. Don’t worry.” Ridge reaches down and gives my forearm a small, reassuring squeeze. “Now, pick your category, Princess.”
Turning back to the TV, a tiny smile on my face, I watch the category blocks get announced. The very first one makes me cringe. Science Class.
“Not it,” I state.
The guys chuckle, and Luka says, “Fine, I’ll take that one.”
Next up is sports.
They all look expectantly at me.
I vehemently shake my head.
“Wouldn’t be able to tell a good answer from a bad one,” I tell them truthfully.
Not without Teddie in my ear, anyway, I think.
My heart gives a twinge, but I shove the discomfort away, reminding myself that he’s probably just on his way back from the safe house.
Finally, a decent category is announced. I Scream.
“Mine!”
Luka chuckles and asks, “Do you like horror movies?”
“Ummm…” I shrug. “Better than sports.”
They all laugh then and keep claiming categories until we’ve each got one. There’s an extra category left, Before and After, which no one takes.
But then the real fun begins. On screen, the contestant picks Science Class for two hundred. In our room, we all listen to the answer.
“This type of fault is formed by compression, when the hanging wall moves up over the footwall.”
I press my lips together, expectation bouncing in my chest as I wait to see how the guys play.
“My fault!” Kylian shouts, shooting to his feet.
At the same time, Colter yells, “Kylian’s fault.”
Boom.
The room explodes.
Laughter billows in hot bursts, and as I giggle, I drink in the different ways each man laughs.
Ridge’s chuckles are low and restrained, and I don’t quite know if that’s because the alpha’s always thinking two steps ahead, so only half his mind is on the present moment—or if it's because of his bandages. I’ll have to make him laugh again once he’s out of here so I can see.
Luka’s nearly silent, but his shoulders shake. In contrast, Kylian’s laugh blasts out, his mouth wide open as he points a finger that’s either amused or accusatory over at Colter. Maybe both.
Colter wore a smaller mask today, and a full smile stretches wide across his cheeks. His laugh ends with a contented sigh.
I’m so distracted that I almost forget the gelatin cubes until a blue one goes sailing across the room. Colter dives expertly for it, hand flying out to catch himself before he hits the ground. He gulps down his prize.
“Hey! I said it was my fault,” Kylian pouts.
“Yeah, but it was funnier that he blamed you too,” Luka responds with a shrug. “I liked that better.”
Kylian’s middle finger flies up, but the next category gets picked, and there’s no more time for arguing.
“I Scream,” the woman in the middle calls out. “Let’s go with four hundred.”
The host reads, “In Scream, one of the rules to survive is to ensure you never say these four words.”
“Live long and prosper,” Luka quips immediately.
“No guts, no glory,” Colter calls.
“You talkin’ to me?” Kylian includes the full-on accent with his line.
Ridge counters with, “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.”
“That’s two words!” Luka argues.
I collapse in fluttering giggles, clutching my bowl to my stomach. They are so intensely serious and ridiculous at the same time.
Who knew Alpha Team X could be this way? When I walked into Eros, I certainly didn’t. A sugary warmth spreads through my chest at the fact that I get to witness this moment. That they invited me to join their game.
They’re revealing a side of themselves that very few people get to see. The soft underbelly of the beast.
There’s something magically vulnerable about being silly.
My eyes start to prick with tears again.
Dammit! I need sleep.
Clearing my throat, I pluck a cube from my bowl and hold it up until all their eyes shine with anticipation. I swivel my gaze from man to man, teasing just a little, giving each alpha a moment to think he’s going to be the one.
Then I turn and press my orange cube to Ridge’s lips.
The alpha’s eyes burn through me as he opens his mouth. I glide the cube in, and he leans forward at the same time, lips closing around my fingers just past the cube. Hot warmth surrounds me as he lingers for a second, his expression screaming all the things he wants to do to me once he’s healed.
My lower belly heats, and I start to perfume a little.
Another category is chosen on screen, but I don’t hear it as Ridge’s tongue traces a slow retreat toward my fingertips.
A hot blush stamps my cheeks red, and I glance down at the sheets as Kylian says, “God, you smell even better than normal.”
“It’s because she doesn’t have panties,” Colter replies, his voice monotone, almost as if he’s in a trance.
“Mmm.” Luka has a dreamy expression on his face.
But Ridge leans up in bed, grimacing and grabbing at his side.
Hissing through his teeth, pain keeping him more clear-headed than the others, he growls, “Why don’t you have panties, Brylee?”
Oh shit.
“I guess it’s time to talk?” I say weakly.
The TV flicks off.
Taking that as my cue, I hesitantly tell the guys about my escape. When I reach the part where I put my panties into the vent, Ridge’s hand shoots out and clamps down on mine.
My eyebrows fly up, and my story falters.
He shakes his head. “No. Keep going. I’m just going to have to kill every fucking bastard there who—”
“Oh, you don’t have to. I already did,” I chirp lightly. “Problem solved.”
Kylian leans forward in his seat, his brow furrowed. “Excuse me. You killed a warehouse full of alphas?”
“Yeah.”
Luka scrubs a hand down his face. “I’m freaking out imagining this, so please just tell us in excruciating detail everything that happened from the second you were taken.”
The second I was taken…
“Oh.” I sit up straighter in bed, hand flying up to cover Colter’s. “Shit! So much has happened that I forgot to tell you. Sam did it. That beta? Sam’s the one who sold me out to the Noths.”
All the air in the room compresses as my four enraged alphas exchange charged looks.
I know what follows looks like those.
Violence.
Lots of it.