The airin the quiet room smelled of musk and peaches, spice and honey. When she had stopped screaming my name, we’d both rested, though I stayed inside her, my knot keeping my come from exiting. It had only just begun to loosen, and I fought the sensation, intent on staying inside her, keeping her tied to me.
If it were my choice, I would never leave her arms or her body. I smiled, wondering at how this little woman had turned the King’s Executioner into such a romantic.
Vali’s husky whisper broke the silence. “I want to make sure Mischief’s kittens are doing well, but I don’t think I can leave my nest, Axe.”
Leave the nest? Not happening.
I sighed and pulled myself free of her warm heat and gently rolled her so she could see my hands. “Rigol had you to himself for your first heat. And he still owes you for taking your cat away after you met. He would be the first to volunteer to watch over Mischief.” It was hard to keep a straight face when I signed that, but I managed. Rigol would punch me in the gut when he heard I had volunteered him for cat and kitten detail.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I’m sure he won’t mind.” Against my chest, she quieted.
But my Omega’s pupils were still blown. She required tending to again, soon. I wanted to lock the door and keep her to myself, but I’d loved Vali from the first time I’d seen her, and knew she needed more.
Her heart was too big for one Alpha.
“Would you like me to call your other mates to your nest, little one?” I let my eyes wander over her flushed face, her sweat-dampened curls. Had anything in the world ever been more exquisite?
“Yes,” she said, smiling through tears. “Then it would be a perfect nest.”
In the shadows at the far corner of the room, near the entrance to the hidden tunnels, I saw movement. “Vilkurn?” I signed. “Should have known you’d be watching. Tell the others. Make sure Rigol gets the cat some milk when he crawls home from the pub. He’s in charge of the beast while we take care of our girl.”
Vilkurn emerged from the darkness, his face wreathed with lust and amusement. “Rigol’s going to kill you, Axe.”
“It’ll be worth it. Get Tarn first, and take your time.” He rolled his eyes, then vanished. I knew Tarn and he would be back before long. Rigol would scent Vali as soon as he entered the castle gate and come running.
Or stumbling, if he really had followed through on his plan to get drunk after I left the pub.
It seemed only minutes before Tarn arrived at the door, dressed only in his robe, his face flushed from running and his golden curls a tangle around his ears. All of us had grown our hair longer after Vali casually remarked that she liked being able to pull Vilkurn’s hair. Now Tarn’s blond locks fell in messy curls around his bright blue eyes, eyes that narrowed like a hawk spying its prey as he greeted Vali.
“Peaches,” he purred, entering the room carrying a basket. “I smelled you all the way down by the kitchens.” I almost laughed; Tarn was obsessed with feeding Vali. I appreciated his efforts. Every mouthful of cake he managed to convince her to eat went right to her perfect tits and hips and gave me that much more to hold onto.
Tarn set the basket down on the side table and pulled out a small carafe of cider, another of water, and a double handful of cheese cubes, grapes, and flatbread. “I thought you might get hungry.”
“I’m not hungry for food,” Vali said, eyeing the tie on his robe.
“Omega,” Tarn admonished. “You know you need to eat and drink a bit if you’re going into your heat.” He carried a handful of deep purple grapes to the edge of the bed and lifted them to her lips one at a time. In between bites, he kissed her gently, telling her about his day. “I managed to steal a dagger from the second lieutenant of the King’s Guard this morning,” he boasted, “while he was chatting up one of Sorcha’s nieces.” His smile grew cold. “Axe, you should make sure his unit knows their officer’s distraction is the reason they’re pulling double shifts on watch this month.”
I nodded grimly. Tarn’s official title was diplomat, but he was also in charge of the castle guards, while I oversaw the King’s Guard. But everyone knew him as the King’s Thief, although now he mostly stole for practice.
“Show me the dagger,” Vali mumbled around a mouthful of cheese. “Is it a fancy one, with jewels?”
“No, love. But I’ll steal you a sparkly one if you like.” She giggled, and my eyes met Tarn’s over her curly head. “I left it on the officer’s pillow as a warning,” he said. “This is not the time to lose focus.” I agreed; all our troops needed to be on their guard right now.
Vali was growing restless, her hands moving over the sheets in repetitive strokes, absently tucking the edges of the shirts under the pillowed sides. Her breathing grew shallower, and her eyes more dilated. “Tarn, I need you.”
When she accepted the final grape, Tarn slid his fingers into her mouth as well, thrusting them gently in and out until Vali let her head fall back, her eyes half-closed. “May I enter your nest, Vali? Will you let me feed you?”
Her demand came out raspy and low. “Come here, Alpha. Come inside.” She slid back on the bed, her movements sensual and graceful. She arranged the cloth to make a space for him, her Omega nature fully ascendant. “I’m hungry.”
“For food, little thief?”
“For you.” Her eyes devoured him, and she licked her lips. “Feed me.”
In less than a minute, Tarn was naked and easing his cock into her mouth as she knelt on hands and knees, praising her as she suckled and opened wider. “There you go, Peaches,” he said, thrusting into her a bit more, then pulling out. His knees sunk into the soft blankets, and he put a gentle hand on the side of her head, stroking her curls almost reverently. “Can you take more?”
She nodded, and he smiled down at her, pushing his hips forward again. She was nowhere near his knot yet, but the fierce, hungry look on her face promised she would get there. “You’re such a good girl, my Omega,” Tarn said, “sucking me so sweetly. Open your lips a bit wider, I want to fuck your little throat. Can you do that, will you let my cock all the way inside?”
She made a muffled sound of assent, and he moved his hand to the back of her neck, the other holding his knot to keep it from bruising her lips. “Good girl,” he repeated. “Goddess, look at her, Axe. Look at our girl swallowing me down.”
