“Well, tying you up will convince him not to stab you, for now. You trust us, we trust you, that type of thing.” I shrug.
“If you wanted to tie me up, you could've asked while we were in bed, Dream,” Hudson murmurs, baiting the other two Alphas, who growl. Beau simply snorts.
“I’m trying to keep you alive. Stop trying to make it harder for me to succeed. Now, can I tie you up, or not?” I cross my arms over my chest, tapping my foot to make him think I’m losing my patience.
“Fine. Yes. Fuck, Omega. But if he stabs me, I’m going to be really upset.” Hudson sighs heavily.
Perfect. I just need to know one last thing. No rope needed if he answers correctly.
“Good boy.” I wink. “You know, I would be willing to skip tying you up altogether if you tell us what really happened between you and Priscilla. Maybe where she is now, someone's surely looking for her?” I offer, and even though I can’t see Thor’s face, I can just imagine the confusion there. Obviously, I know where she is, but Hudson doesn't know that.
“I’m not telling you shit about Priscilla, Dream. Not now, not ever. Tie me up,” Hudson snaps, jaw clenching as he glares, offering up his wrists.
“Very good boy.” My purr shocks him so good his jaw pops open. Cute.
He’s still protecting Priscilla even in the face of possible maiming and dismemberment. He could've easily told us the real story to avoid putting himself in a very vulnerable position in an already dangerous situation. He put her safety over his own, and that was the last thing I needed to know.
“Good.” Turning my back on him, I face Apollo. “We are not killing him,” I tell the violent, wild-eyed man that rushed in hereto rescue me. I might not have needed it, but the thought is still sweet.
“Not we, just me.” Apollo smiles like he’s already made up his mind.
“No. Not you, not Thor, not me. Nobody is killing him. Hudson isn’t going to be a problem, and I can prove it,” I say, but he doesn’t seem any more inclined to keep his blades to himself. “I want him alive, and I want him to help us. If he’s dead, he can’t do that.”
“He’s an Alpha,” Apollo hisses.
“I know, Apollo, but so are you, and look how sweet you are.” He glares like I just insulted him deeply. “And I’m not asking you to trust him. I’m asking you not to kill him.” I pause, hoping he’s at least considering my request. “Please. Pretty, pretty please?”
“I don’t like that I want to give you what you want, even though I would prefer to kill him,” Apollo grunts before taking a deep breath and pointing his blade at Hudson. “If you hurt her, I will kill you, and if she asks me to, I will also kill you.”
“Okay?” Hudson lifts his hands in the air and then drops them at his sides. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to take any of this.”
“It’s a threat. You should take it as a threat, obviously.” Apollo looks annoyed that he has to explain that to the other Alpha, scoffing. Beau and I giggle at his sass before I move in front of him, waiting patiently for him to meet my eyes.
“Thank you,” I murmur, pressing the tips of my fingers to my lips. I blow him a kiss. He frowns, reaching for me, pulling me into him. I grunt as he holds me tightly, our eyes still on each other.
“I don’t want fake air kisses, Dream,” Apollo murmurs, shocking the hell out of me with the contact. Beau’s soft gasp beside me is not helping me keep a clear head.
“You want real kisses?” I’m feeling more than a little off-center. I thought maybe he was warming up to me, but this is unexpected. “I didn’t think… I mean, this isn’t what I thought…” I trail off, not even sure what I’m trying to say right now.
“Now she’s flustered?” Hudson grunts, but we ignore him.
“I want you to touch me without holding back. I can tell you want to, but you stop yourself because it’s me. Because you think I’m broken,” he says gently, breaking our eye contact to stare at the way our bodies are pressed together.
“I don’t think you’re broken, Apollo. I think you have different boundaries than I do, and I want to respect them. I’m free with my affection, and you guard yours. That's okay. It doesn’t mean either of us is broken; it just means we feel different things.” I reach up slowly, cupping his cheek. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you with how touchy I can be, that's all, but if you’re saying you want me to, then I will.” I shrug. “You can tell me if I do something you don’t like.”
“I like when you touch me. It feels good to be touched when I want it.” His words are so soft.
I won’t make him carry the burden of my sorrow, so I say nothing while I swallow it down.
“I like touching you,” I whisper, moving slowly as I lift onto my tippy toes and kiss his cheek. My instincts to soothe this Alpha make it feel so natural. I can’t help but say a silent thank you to my nature.
I like making people feel good. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so good at my job, but this moment feels like something more. Something special that only belongs to me and this sweet, unhinged Alpha. Maybe he is a little wounded and a little broken. If he knew my story, he’d see that we aren’t so different.
When he releases me and takes Beau’s hand in his, we both stare at their joined hands. Beau practically shakes from the contact, eyes rimmed red.
“How sure are you that you want him alive, Sweet Dream?” Apollo ruins the sweetness of the moment by glaring at Hudson, but he doesn’t release Beau’s hand.
“Positive, so please keep the pointy end of your knives to yourself.” I shake my finger at him, turning to Hawthorne, who has been very quiet for the last few minutes.
