Irritation flashes in his good eye, muted by lingering drowsiness. "I don't know, you seemed pretty worked up in the control tower."
My face heats up with more irritation than embarrassment and it takes all my self-restraint not to lob the nearest object at his head. The nearest object happens to be a lamp. The only thing that really stops me is not wanting to hear Geo bitch about whatever elaborate origin story the guy who sold him the damn thing gave him.
Instead, I strut past him toward the closet where the majority of Raven's gifts are hanging.
"Come on, you insolent brute," Raven mutters, grabbing Nikolai by the back of the head. "Let's give her some privacy."
"Ow! Fuck off," Nikolai snarls all the way out into the hall like an alley cat raging for a fight.
I ignore their bickering, rifling through the clothes until I find something suitable—a pair of soft black leggings and an oversized sweater in a shade of deep blue. Gathering them in myarms, I retreat behind the dressing screen in the corner of the room.
Knight growls softly at me once they're gone, as if to ask if he should leave, too. It's a surprisingly gentlemanly gesture for someone who eats other alphas, but he's seemed different lately. More… aware. Less like he's just living in a dissociative state of rage and primal hunger.
"You've seen more than that, big guy," I say, giving him a wink.
It's impossible to see anyone blush behind a mask, but his eyes averting in what's clearly an awkward expression is close enough.
"You know," I call out to the hall as I drop the towel and begin to dress, checking first to make sure the others are gone. It's a small test, but one they pass. Not that it's necessary, considering I don't hear the sounds of flesh being torn from bone. "I never figured you two for the sleepover type."
There's a moment of silence, and I can almost feel the tension in the air.
"Knight was guarding you," Raven finally replies, his voice carefully neutral. "And I was guarding Knight."
"And I was guarding Raven," Nikolai adds, a hint of mockery in his tone.
"I was guardingallyour sorry asses," Geo's voice interjects as he re-enters the room. "None of you has a lick of sense when a pretty omega's around, apparently."
I step out from behind the screen, fully dressed, running my fingers through my damp hair in an attempt to tame it. Geo stands in the doorway, holding what looks like a glass of murky,greenish liquid that makes my stomach turn just from looking at it.
"What the hell is that?" I ask, eyeing the concoction with suspicion.
"Hangover bomb," Geo says, holding it out to me. "Fair warning—it tastes like an unholy combination of ass water and battery acid, but it'll fix you right up."
I wrinkle my nose. "What the hell is ass water?"
"Just drink."
I take the glass gingerly, bringing it closer to my face for inspection. The smell that wafts up is enough to make my eyes water. "Are you sure this isn't just poison to put me out of my misery?"
Geo's lip twitches. "No, but hold your nose when you drink it. Trust me."
I look at the others for confirmation. Raven nods encouragingly, while Nikolai's smile has a hint of sadistic anticipation, as if he's looking forward to my reaction.
Taking a deep breath, I pinch my nose closed and take a tentative sip. The taste is... indescribable. Like someone distilled the essence of every bitter herb known to mankind, added a dash of rubbing alcohol, and then let it ferment in an old boot. I nearly cough it back up immediately.
Now I get where the ass water thing comes from. It's as accurate a description as any.
Geo lets out a belly laugh at my expression, and Nikolai snickers openly. Knight growls in concern, taking a step toward me, while Raven shoots Nikolai a glare and kicks him in the shin.
"What the fuck?" Nikolai snarls at him.
Raven ignores him, turning to me with sympathy in his eyes. "It helps to just chug it all at once. Like ripping off a bandage."
I look down at the vile concoction, then back at his earnest expression. I suppose if the first sip didn't kill me…
With a grimace, I tilt my head back and down the entire glass in one go, fighting my body's natural instinct to reject the poison I'm willingly ingesting.
For a moment, I think I've made a terrible mistake.
