AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t say any of that though because, contrary to my actions just now, I am not owned by my instincts, so I just hum. Swift laughs and brushes a kiss on my forehead as I loop an arm around his neck. Over his shoulder I see Maddox and Ethan still standing where we had been. Maddox has his phone pressed to his ear and is snapping angrily at whoever is on the other side, while Ethan is typing away at his screen.
“Did you get all of them?” I ask quietly. I don’t want to say the word kill, but that’s really my question. A week ago, I might have been horrified at such a casual mention of death, but that was before some assholes shot at me, before they hurt Luca. Now I just feel the need for vicious revenge.
Swift tightens his grip on me. “Yeah, Cherrybomb we did. Even got one alive so we can figure out who’s behind this attack.” Gold eyes peer down at me. “You wanna help me interrogate them?”
I shudder and shake my head, pressing my forehead into his neck. “No. I’m not quite ready for blood and torture, even if I am-” I bite off the thought. Even if I am the Falcone Pack omega.
Look, I know I’ve already been bitten into this pack. I know that technically I am their omega, but it still feels too fucking soon to say out loud.
Far too fucking soon to be admitting that.
I’m the girl that, up until I let Luca and Ethan take me into the back room at The Market, only had one-night stands. Never anything more than a quick tumble in the sheets and an airy goodbye after.
If Swift is bothered by my cagey attitude, he doesn’t show it, just hefts me higher as he carries me to the car. “Don’t worry about it, Cherrybomb. We’ll get you basking in the blood of your enemies in no time.”
I bury my face in his neck and snort out a laugh as he pulls open the car door.
By the time we make it back to the penthouse, I’ve calmed down a lot. Not all the way. I think that won’t happen until Luca is clean, stitched up, and bandaged. Until I’m snuggled with him on the couch under a blanket. Until all of my pack is circled around me with their scents in my nose and their body heat soothing the tension from my muscles. I hope they’re okay with that. Because it’s going to happen.
I hurry Luca up the stairs and into his room, then into the adjoining bathroom. He follows along with me, a small smirk on his lips that tells me he’s loving this attention, loving that I’m worried about him.
Under normal circumstances, I might give him a hard time about it, but as it is, I need to take care of him, to see with my own eyes that he really is fine. So I strip him with hurried movements, hands trembling with leftover fear and adrenaline. It’s my shaking that helps Luca realize just how fucked up I actually am from what just happened.
When my fingers go to the button of his black jeans, he curls his much larger hand around both of mine, stilling my movements, while he uses his other to tip my chin up, making me meet his gaze. “Hey, vixen.” His voice is low and smooth. “I’m okay. Promise I’m okay. I’ve had much worse.”
My cheeks puff out with the force of my breath. “That doesn’t really make it better, Luca.”
My gaze trails over the scars on his chest, pale and puckered skin. Fuck, he really has had worse. I never really let myself consider what his scars mean, what all of their scars mean. But now I can’t stop thinking about it.
My pack has been through battle after battle. They’ve been bruised and stabbed and shot. They’ll probably continue to be.
Hell, by being their omega, I’ll be in the line of fire, too. I suddenly realize why they didn’t want me to go out alone, why they preferred if I stayed in the penthouse safe and sound. You’d think it would be the almost kidnapping that happened, but not it’s this, the years of violence written on my bonded mate’s skin.
Luca tugs me closer, until I’m pressed against his bare body. He wraps his arms around me and presses my head to him, right over his chest, so I can hear his heartbeat, steady and strong behind his ribs. “See?” He whispers. “I’m fine. Still alive and here with you.”
I swallow a choked sob and pull away from him. “I know that.”
He gives me a soft smile. “Good. Now let’s get in the shower and wash off the blood and mud so we can get to the cuddling part of the evening.”
I catch sight of myself in the mirror, and my eyes widen. I look worse off than Luca does. There are twigs and grass in my hair, mud and blood smeared on my face.
He chuckles at my expression and helps me undress. I protest and try to do it myself, but he won’t let me.
Under the hot spray of water, we wash each other and by the time we’re done, I know Luca is going to be just fine. The stiff cock that keeps poking me in the stomach, hip and ass is a pretty good indicator of that.
When we head back downstairs hand in hand, it’s to find the rest of the pack there, also freshly showered and dressed in lounge clothes. They’re in the middle of situating two mattresses side by side in front of the couch, which is covered with pillows and blankets. The lights are turned low, creating a cozy atmosphere.
I freeze at the sight, my inner omega eyeing the soft goods and the makeshift nest. Not a nest, my omega scoffs. It’s too large of a space to really be a nest, but the couch is a U shape and with the mattresses between the arms, it creates a cove of soft goodness that makes my fingers itch to arrange.
I’ve never once felt like I needed to build a nest. Unless you count the urge, I had to steal the pack's clothes when I first got here. But now I’m shifting from one foot to the other, waiting for permission to do exactly that.
Maddox looks up at me, a soft smile on his face. “We know you aren’t ready for the nest upstairs, trouble, but we thought maybe you’d be okay with this? We all want to be near you after what happened this afternoon.”
I look from him back to the pile of blankets. “Can I- Can I set it up?”
He grins at me. “Of course you can, baby.”
I let out a little squeal of excitement that takes even me by surprise and dive over the couch to land in the pile of blankets, effectively sending them tumbling onto the mattresses. I arrange everything just how I like, following an instinct that doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense, but who cares?
