The tension ratchets up around the table, Bones’s growl growing louder by the second. I freeze, not sure what to do. Running seems like a decent idea, but Joker’s arm around my waist holds me tight to his chest. I want to lean into the affection, my heart flipping in my chest as I swallow a whimper.
“That was the best damn breakfast I’ve had in my life, luv,” Joker mutters into my ear.
My eyes water in an effort to keep them open and not react to the praise, even if I want to so fucking bad.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice thin even to my own ear.
“What else can you cook? I want to make sure we get you what you need,” Joker says, a little chuckle in his voice that I don’t quite understand.
“I can…I can cook a lot of things. But whatever you want, I can make. I don’t need—”
I cut myself off as Siren scoffs, a sharp pang in my chest at their dismissal. Joker chuckles and holds me closer, playing with the end of a strand of my hair. It’s so hard to stop myself from melting into him, like I did when we were in the facility. Touch starved doesn’t even begin to cover what I am, but I don’t dare show any signs of enjoying this attention.
“If you want to make a list or something of the meals you want, I can make a list of ingredients. But you don’t have to. I can make whatever work,” I ramble, my throat dry.
“We can do that for you, darlin’. And if what you make is half as good as that breakfast…” Phantom says, trailing off as he leans over and puts a hand on my knee.
I can feel the heat of his touch through the thin material of my sweatpants, and this time, I can’t help the little omega whimper that slips free before I can stop it. Phantom’s fingers curl to grip my knee at the sound, and Joker chuckles, nuzzling my neck again.
“That was such a pretty sound, little wisp,” he breathes into my ear, sending goosebumps across my skin.
“Omega…” Bones says, trailing off in a warning growl.
I squeak and pull myself out of Joker’s arms, moving across the room to be as far away from Bones as I can be, my hands clasped at my waist and my head nearly parallel with the floor.
“I—I don’t need anything. I’m—whatever you want to get. I can—it’s fine,” I stutter, heart in my throat.
“No, that—” Bones starts, cutting himself off with an irritated sigh.
I swallow again, trying to hold back the words, desperately trying to claw their way out of my throat. Anything to turn his attention away from me, and onto something else. Anyone else. My instincts are screaming to find a protector, someone to shield me from his wrath.
An image flashes behind my eyes as I blink. I’m no longer in this cabin, but another one. The one my pack built for us. The scents of cedar and my mates circle around me. But they aren’t here to protect me from him. The man who terrorized me behind closed doors. The man whose words always cut the deepest. The man who…
“Delilah, go out to the barn for me, okay? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Cross’s voice cuts through the flashback, pulling me back from the brink. I suck in a sharp breath, his violets and cherrywood pushing out the other scents my mind conjured from my memories. I look up to find him standing above me, his figure blocking out the rest of the room so all I can see is him. His jade green eyes are soft, his full lips pulled down into the barest hint of a concerned frown. I nod, and scurry away toward the back door, and I can feel the other four pairs of eyes in the room following me, each one like a hot poker on my skin.
Chapter twenty-three
Whenthedoorclosesbehind Delilah, Joker immediately jumps to his feet and tries to throw a punch at Bones’s face. I say tries because Bones dodges with remarkable reflexes, growling at his omega.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Joker snaps, panting hard with his hands still raised.
“It was directed at you, not her!” Bones exclaims, not quite shouting but close.
“She’s just sensitive. If she couldn’t handle it—”
“She’s traumatized, Rin! Fucking hell, all of you are so fucking thick,” Joker shouts, raising his voice over Siren’s snarky remark, his accent getting more intensein his anger.
Siren doesn’t answer, which is for the best, especially with the way Phantom is glaring at them. Bones is uncharacteristically silent, and I give him a searching look. It’s hard to get a read on his expression behind the mask, but there’s a crease to his brow that almost reads as concerned, or maybe even remorseful.
“I’m going out to the med bay. I’ll send her back in when I’m done,” I say into the tense silence.
“I’m coming—”
“No, Joker. This isn’t something I want anyone else in the room for. She’s liable to shut down, and I need to ask her tough questions,” I interrupt.
Thankfully, the most fight Joker puts up is a huff and an eyeroll. The rest of my pack nods, which is good enough for me. I stride out of the room to change into something other than my sleep clothes, settling on a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, a black hoodie pulled over it. I pause before I leave the room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and one of my spare blanket hoodies to bring with me. I’ve never seen an omega in more desperate need of comfort items in my life and, hopefully, these will help her feel safe enough to talk to me.
