I gulp and take a step inside. Then another until I’m fully in the room.
The door slams behind me, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I whirl around and find Viper standing there with his hand flat against the door. He shoots me a grin that’s a little too sharp and pleased. A predator that has caught his prey.
"Go sit by the fire,” he says as he helps me out of my damp outer layers. “Get warm."
I nod and shuffle over to the couch.
Four pairs of eyes track my every step.
The couch dips as I sit on the surprisingly plush couch, and it envelops me.
I’m suddenly exhausted.
I've been running on adrenaline for days, first from enduring the horrors of Rheamont and then from avoiding the Pack, and it’s finally run out. I’m more than just tired. My nervous system is shot, and I’m completely drained.
I sag, leaning back into the soft pillows.
Viper kneels before me and takes off my boots, his big hands working at the laces with careful precision. I watch, dazed, as he pulls them off one by one, cups my chilled heels, and rubs slow, steady circles into the arches of my feet. Warmth spreads upward and settles in my belly. My defenses are low and I want to sink into the feeling. Let Viper comfort my poor, overwrought Omega… but I can’t.
Knox is watching.
He’s leaning against the wall beside the fireplace, arms crossed tight across his chest. He’s not saying anything, but he’sstaring so intently at me I feel pinned in place. The Prime has that same pleased, sharp look Viper has.
I meet his burgundy eyes and they flare bright red. Something wickedly satisfied swirls low in my belly because, no matter how many times it happens, it’s still a rush to know I can make a Prime Alpha react so strongly.
My eyelids droop, and I slide lower on the comfortable cushion.
“Thank you, Alpha,” I mumble to Viper as he pulls away, tucking my feet underneath a blanket to keep them toasty warm.
Knox huffs, as if calling Viper my Alpha is a personal affront to him.
‘Don’t mind him. He’s just jealous.’Viper sounds amused, the corner of his plush lips kicking up and his eyes dancing.
The couch jolts beneath me, and I let out a startled squeak. A weight settles into the cushions beside me.
Shade reaches over his head in a languid stretch, his shirt riding up to bare a sliver of tanned skin as he groans loudly in relief.
The sound shoots straight to my core and I squirm. My panties suddenly damper as my tired body refuses to control itself.
Rut-damn, and frack me sideways.
I remember this torment well. Being in close quarters with soldiers I’m insanely attracted to is both a pleasure and absolute agony. I’ve spent months feeling dead from the waist down, other than in my dreams, and now I’m very much awake down there.
“Welcome to our den, baby girl,” Shade declares as his gaze sweeps from my sock-clad feet to my fuzzy, snow-damp hair.
Blaze appears out of nowhere, landing on the arm of the couch like a damn jungle cat. One second the space is empty, the next, he’s perched above me, crouched like he’s sizing up prey. Hiseyes gleam as he leans in, his mouth curling into something that might’ve been a smile in another lifetime.
“I’ve missed playing with you, Sparkles,” he purrs. “We’re going to have so much fun, aren’t we?”
The words alone aren’t threatening. Once, they might’ve made me laugh. Might’ve been paired with a wink or a flirty nudge. But now? The way he says it… it makes my skin prickle. Like he’s testing how close he can get before I bolt.
I can’t stop my hand from lifting, fingers brushing the now-healed cut on my cheek. A phantom throb pulses there, memory slicing sharper than any blade.
“Sergeant, get down," Knox barks and Viper snags the back of Blaze's collar. He rips him down from his perch on the couch and away from me.
The deranged soldier lands on his feet, scoffs, and retreats into the shadows. I can’t see him, but I can feel the scorching heat of his gaze.
I miss the fun-loving version of Blaze, the one who laughed and called me Sparkles without a cruel, mocking tone.
