“Three,” he murmurs in my ear softly. I suck in a breath, closing my eyes. Tears fall without warning as I whimper, knowing he’s right.
Gage is right, too.
I can’t just go in there without a plan. Knowing Sneed, he did this on purpose.
He’s trying to lure me out, maybe? He must know they have me. He must know that if he took one of theirs—an eye for an eye—that they would come looking. Probably even banked on them leaving me, which makes kidnapping me much easier…
“That’s it.” Olly slides his fingers through my hair, his voice low and warm against my ear. I know the others can’t hear him. “That’s my good girl. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
My tears fall, hot and fast, and the sob comes. The ache in my belly, in my loins is still there, but it’s fading. I don’t want it to fade, though. I worry what that fade means…
“I need my mate,” I whine. “I need—”
“We all need him, princess,” Diego says, “but we must be smart about this.”
“Diego is right,” Gage says. “We need a plan.”
I glare up at Gage, my vision blurry. Olly rocks me against him, stroking my hair, whispering soft endearments against me. His grip is tight, and I realize, he too, is shaking.
Instinctively, I purr. Gage holds my gaze.
“Well, don’t just stand there, Gage,” I growl as Olly whines against me, burying his face in my hair. “Do something.” The words are not a request. They are a command, and Olly stiffens.
Diego murmurs something incoherent, and I watch the light darken in Gage’s eyes.
“Auryn—”
I break free of Olly’s grasp, standing up. Diego doesn’t move. I can feel Olly’s eyes on my back. I take two steps toward Gage.
Though I am much shorter than the rest of them, I feel much taller at the moment. I stare Gage in his eyes, holding my ground. “Because if you don’t, I will,” I say, and with that I give him my back and head down the hall to the kitchen because suddenly, I’m fucking starving.
I’m halfway through a protein bar when the kitchen door opens. I expect to see Gage, but that’s not who it is.
Olly gives me a half-hearted smile.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, hating how cold I sound. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to bristle at the tone, instead just slides his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.
“I thought perhaps we could run some…tests.”
Of course. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learned that Olly spends most of his time doing this. Researching. Compounding data. It makes sense, but I want action. I want to move, I—
“I thought perhaps it may give us some insight that would be helpful in finding Emmett,” he says plainly.
I blink as he leans against the doorframe. The light of the kitchen casts shadows on him and his naturally dark features.
Part of me wants to devour him right here. Like this. Press him against the door frame and claw at his trim chest, take him like a thief in the night. I bet he’d let me. I bet he wouldn’t even put up a fight, but I know he and Gage are right. We need to focus, we need a plan.
Not a distraction.
“What kind of tests?” I ask as I bite into my protein bar. I take two steps forward. “Where are Gage and Diego?” I ask.
Olly holds my gaze. “Standard. Some blood tests, but I won’t need to drain you.” He smirks. “Just a prick of your finger should do, and I’d like to ask you some questions.”
“And these questions…” I stand before him, looking up at his dark eyes. His gaze dips to my mouth for a moment before flashing to hold my gaze. “These questions will help us find Em?”
He nods. “I think so.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Take me to the lab.”
