Page 37 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

Blaze is wearing a pair of light blue jeans that sit so low on his hips you can tell he isn’t wearing anything else. His hair falls over his face, and the wind lifts it, and I see his eyes watching me, glowing, hungry, assessing.

Stay or go. Run or fight.

Is there no other option?

Rolly stands up from a crouch, and my heart slams into my chest. His eyes are crystal, and his smile is gone. He looks like an entirely different person. He moves slowly, crossing the space and leaning down into me, his arms encircling me. His scent, that mysterious amber and clove, fills up my lungs until I’m struggling not to cough. Huge hands stroke down my back possessively, lazily.

“Omega.”

One word.

One single word that goes right through me, tears me up, shreds my intentions. I’m not Raven, I don’t hate this. But I’m not Merle either, throwing myself headfirst into a situation that could destroy us.

I lift my face, and before I can voice the question, his lips come down on mine, his tongue pressing into my mouth. Heat twists around me, like an ember that catches the wind, the tinder goes up. I’m kindling, dry and ready.

I wrap an arm around his neck and pull myself closer, kissing him until my lungs are burning, and I need to break away from him or pass out.

Sage pulls Rolly away from me and cups my cheek.

“Are you ready for this, Kestrel?”

Am I?

My mouth is dry, my skin feels too tight. My stomach hurts, and everything smells stronger. I don’t remember it feeling like this.

That was because it hurt so much.

I grab at my top, pulling it out and fanning myself, trying to cool down. Sage turns and walks away like he’s called, but I can’t hear anything. My abdomen clenches hard. A hollow need growing like an ache, a familiar one between my legs. Slick pools, and soon, my clothes are soaked in sweat and slick. I pull them off, intending to change, but the moment I get them off, my overheated skin cools.

I let out a whimper and look around. King is watching me from near a tree, but I can’t see Roseland.

Another scared whimper slips out, and the clearing turns deadly quiet. I crouch, tensing, ready to run, but from the tent in the middle of the clearing comes a tall, lithe form, covered from head to toe in tattoos. His hair’s a mess, and he reeks of jam.

He’s got a knife in each hand, and he’s looking around like he’s trying to decide who he’s going to kill.

“I thought you took his weapons off him?” Sage grumbles.

“I did. It’s not my fault. You didn’t tell me I needed to do cavity searches,” Rolly says back.

Pix turns, and his eyes land on me.

Omegas are territorial. They don’t share. That’s what he said. He’s got a knife in his hand. I stand up and back away. He throws the knife, and it embeds itself in the tree right in front of my face.

I whirl and hiss at him.

He cuts me off. I lash out, but he grabs my arm and hurls me towards the tent. I spring up, ready to run. He cuts me off again.

When Sage tries to interfere, a knife is thrown at him.

“All right, message heard,” he says, holding his hands up in the air.

I let out a noise that says what I think of their betrayal.

Pix continues to stalk and cut me off. He backs me up against the tent. I try to run, but he flips me onto the ground. I hit it hard, lying on my back, staring up at him as he straddles me. His cock is hard, and when I look down, I see swirls of black ink circling his length.

“If you don’t want me here, I can go,” I snarl. My words are short and puffed out of me as I try not to wriggle. His slick drips onto me. I can’t help the whine that I let go of. I want to see him rub it all into my skin, watch our alphas lap it off.

Just the thought has me clenching my thighs.