Despite trying to seem like he isn't worried, Geo looks like he's going to pass out from relief when Raven finally pops out from the door, his smile bright even in the encroaching darkness. "All set," he calls softly, beckoning us forward. "Our chariot awaits."
I breathe a sigh of relief of my own. "What did you do, bribe the conductor?" I ask, joining him.
"Better," he says with a wink. "I own the conductor. Or rather, I own the information that would send him to a Reinmichian prison, which is effectively the same thing."
Knight follows with obvious hesitation as we slip through the side entrance. The loading area is dimly lit, most of the bulbs long shattered or burned out. The ancient train sits there like a massive metal serpent, its windows dark except for a single car near the center that glows with warm light.
"This way," Raven murmurs, leading us along the platform. "Move fast. The train departs in fifteen minutes, and the fewer eyes that see Knight, the better."
Knight's heavy footsteps are loud despite his attempts at stealth. He's simply too massive to move silently, and it's worse when we have to cross a few metal grates haphazardly covering ruined tile. But the platform is deserted, and we reach the illuminated car without incident.
"After you, goddess," Raven says, sliding open the door with a flourish.
I take the alpha's offered hand and he lifts me effortlessly into the waiting car. I step inside and freeze, momentarily stunned by what I see.
The car has been transformed. Instead of the rows of hard metal seats I expected from a train like this, the space is open and inviting. Plush rugs cover the floor, heavy curtains frame the windows, and an assortment of cushions and pillows forms what can only be described as a nest in one corner. Smokysandalwood rises from a bronze incense burner shaped like a swan on an end table.
"What is this?" I breathe, taking another step inside.
Raven comes in behind me. "I wanted us to travel in comfort," he says, sounding as anxious as he is pleased. "You specifically."
Knight ducks through the door behind him, his shoulders brushing the door frame. He glances around the car, his blue eyes wary behind his mask as they flick around like the luxurious items might bite him.
"That must have cost a fortune," I murmur, my eyes drawn to the nest-like arrangement of cushions. Something deeply—and weirdly—omega stirs inside me at the sight of it. Instincts I've had to suppress and bludgeon into submission to survive in the harshness of the Outer Reaches. The instinct to burrow in, to make it mine, to pull my alphas close and?—
Fuck.Myalphas? Where did that thought come from?
"It was nothing," Raven says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I know it's not a proper nest, but I hoped it would be comfortable enough for the time being. The journey to the border takes about two days, factoring in the cargo stops."
He looks so earnest, so eager to please, that my heart softens. Without thinking, I reach out and caress his golden hair. He freezes at my touch, his eyes widening with surprise.
"You don't need to try so hard," I tell him softly. "You'resolidlyin the second favorite spot."
He melts beneath my touch, his eyes fluttering shut briefly as he leans into my hand. The raw vulnerability in that simple gesture tugs at something deep inside me. This dangerous alpha,a man who has killed without hesitation because another alpha disrespected me, turns to putty at the slightest affection.
"Wait," Nikolai growls, his voice edged with indignation. Raven's eyes snap open at the sound of the other alpha's voice. "You have afavoriteslist?"
I stop stroking Raven's hair to roll my eyes at Nikolai's outburst. "Of course I do."
Geo snorts as he closes the door behind him and Nikolai with a solid thunk. "Got a list of my own, Vlakov. Guess whereyourank."
The train whistle blows once, signaling our impending departure. Knight moves to the nest of cushions, inspecting it cautiously before lowering himself onto the floor at the edge of it with a sighing growl.
"Who the hell is first on this list?" Nikolai persists, eyeing Raven with suspicion as he moves further into the car. He's pointedly ignoring Geo.
I laugh, the sound surprising even me. I don't laugh often. "Isn't it obvious?" I gesture toward Knight.
Knight stares at me.
Nikolai's face falls comically, and I can't help but laugh again. I cross to the nest and sink down beside Knight in the pillows. He shifts to make room for me, but I lean into his warm side without hesitation.
"So where do the rest of us stand, then?" Nikolai demands, crossing his arms over his chest.
I pause, pretending to consider carefully. In truth, I hadn't actually ranked them in my mind, but watching Nikolai squirm is too delicious to pass up.
"Well," I say slowly, "Geo is third."
Geo, who has been busying himself with checking the car's security, pauses and looks over his shoulder at me. "I didn't know I was even on the list." There's genuine surprise in his gruff voice.
