I shake my head as I check his tag. “It’s nice to meet you, Cy. I guess I should probably thank you, too?”
My eyes stay focused on the dog who’s looking up at me like he’s loved me his entire life, but I can see the man hesitantly stop just beyond the doorway.
Too far to see much aside from his massive silhouette but close enough for that orchid and spice to hit my nose.
That scent.
I swear I know it from somewhere.
Not the warehouse. I smelled it there, too, but it wasn’t the first time. I recognize that scent somehow.
I don’t just know it, Ifeelit.
“They bother you, tell me.”
Holy shit, that voice. I felt that too, every raspy word echoing inside my mind, each deep syllable fluttering inside my chest. I’ve never heard it before, but my god, it’s so familiar I almost ache with the feeling.
“They’re fine,” I say softly as I look up at him, straining to see his face in the low light. “Our heroes could never bother me.”
The man nods, the acknowledgment almost imperceptible as he goes to walk away but that is not fucking happening.
“Thank you.” He pauses as the words rush from my lips. “For saving us. For bringing us here and taking care of us.”
Another nod over his shoulder.
“I’m…” I debate briefly on telling him my real name and decide it’s the least I can do after everything he’s done for us. “I’m Liv. And this is Niko.”
“Rune,” he grunts. “You should sleep.”
I yawn as he finishes his sentence, almost like he knew I was tired before I did and that’s probably why I don’t argue.
I have a ton of questions for this hulking man, so many I’m having trouble sorting through them, but they’ll have to wait. Exhaustion is setting in and something is telling me I’d lose any fight I put up against Rune.
That’s exactly why I just close my eyes and don’t even bother.
RUNE
Stupid.
So fucking stupid.
We were almost too late.Iwas almost too late.
I’ve been searching for her for fifteen goddamn years, I finally find her and the one time I leave, both of my omegas are taken.
Taken.
Violated.
Almost killed.
Sharpening my knife a little faster, each strike of the blade against the stone makes me angrier and I scowl at that thought.
I should have done more, I should have acted faster.
I should have just hot wired that fucking truck the second night at that campground while they were sleeping and taken my omegas far away.
I wouldn’t ruin Olive’s plans, I’d never do that, but I’d take her and Nikolai to a more secure place, somewhere no one knows so they’d be safer. Where no one could fucking take them away and do terrible things to their perfect bodies. Where not one living thing could even try to crush their beautiful spirits.
