Geo takes up position near the door, his back against the wall, gun across his lap. Sentinel mode as always. Nikolai remains where he is, the moonlight reflected in his tinted glasses as he stares out at the passing landscape.
I'm surrounded by alphas, but I've never felt safer.
Chapter 12
GEO
The train rattlesalong the ancient tracks, each metallic clack against the rails like the ticking of a giant clock counting down to whatever shitstorm waits for us across the Surhiiran border. I shift against the wall, adjusting my position for the hundredth time in the past few hours. My ass is numb, my back aches, and the coffee I drank earlier has gone cold in the mug beside me.
But I don't move. Not yet.
Even with that extravagant lock Raven installed on the door, I don't trust the staff not to get curious about what kind of passengers are worth the small fortune he paid.
People get greedy. And greedy people get stupid.
The lanterns have burned low, the golden glow making everything in the cabin look softer than it is. Including the strange scene in front of me.
Cosima lies nestled in the pile of cushions Raven arranged into that makeshift nest. During the night, she's shifted position,curling into Raven's side with her head tucked against his chest. His arm drapes protectively over her waist, fingers tangled in her silver hair even in sleep. And on her other side, Knight's massive arm forms a protective barrier around her. Even in sleep, his metal claws aren't fully relaxed, as if some part of him remains vigilant.
An omega and her alphas. Fucking fairy tale bullshit right there.
But it's been so long since I've seen anything resembling peace in this godforsaken wasteland. Even longer since I've felt it myself.
I tell myself that's theonlyreason it's getting a reaction out of me.
Across from me, Nikolai sits on one of the built-in benches, his back against the wall, one knee drawn up to his chest. He's barely moved in the last hour, his eye fixed on the trio in the nest with an intensity that would be unsettling if I didn't understand it.
"Even the beast sleeps," he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear over the train's rhythm.
I grunt in acknowledgment. "Doubt he's sleeping deep. One wrong move and we're both missing more body parts."
Nikolai's mouth quirks up at the corner, but his eye never leaves the nest. "She's something else, isn't she?"
I don't need to ask who he means.
"She is that," I reply, the honesty surprising even me. Must be the late hour. Or the rhythm of the train. Or the fact that we're all headed into a deathtrap together.
Nikolai finally tears his gaze away to look at me. "You really think this plan of Raven's has a chance in hell of working?"
I consider my answer, watching the moonlight flicker across the interior of the car as we pass through a stretch of dead forest. "No," I admit. "But it's not the worst plan I've heard. And it's not like we had better options."
"We could have stayed put," Nikolai points out.
I snort. "You don't know her if you think that was an option."
He gives a grunt of acknowledgment.
"Besides, miss the chance to watch her turn this asshole's world upside down? Not a fucking chance."
Nikolai's brow creases slightly, a flash of understanding in his expression that passes quickly enough I could be seeing things. "You're not just going along with this for Raven. It's for her, too."
It's not a question. I bristle anyway, my eye narrowing. "Guess we're both whipped."
Nikolai's lips press into a hard line. "At least I'm honest about it."
"Right," I scoff. "Like you've told her she's your mate."
His face darkens. "That's different."
