Page 181 of Beasts of Mine

“How did you do that?” I asked Luca, gesturing toward the completely undisturbed nest around him.

“Do what?” Luca asked, genuine confusion creasing his brow as he looked around.

“Sit down without ruining anything.” I told Luca, sweeping one hand toward the blankets and pillows he'd somehow avoided shifting by more than an inch.

“I think you may be taking this very seriously.” Tavian observed from near my legs, amusement creeping back into his voice as he propped himself on one elbow.

“I will throw you out.” I warned Tavian, pointing toward the doorway even though the smile pulling at my mouth weakened the threat.

“You invited me.” Tavian reminded me as he immediately moved closer to the center, apparently deciding proximity protected him from eviction.

“Invitations can be revoked.” I told Tavian, narrowing my eyes while he pressed one hand theatrically to his chest. His purr started before he could come up with a dramatic response, and Malek's followed a second later, deep and steady, with Luca's joining last. It should have been crowded. Malek alone took up an unreasonable amount of room, Tavian apparently had no understanding of keeping his limbs to himself, and Luca kept making tiny adjustments whenever anyone shifted, accommodating the rest of us so naturally that I barely noticed him doing it. Somehow, the press of three large Alpha bodies around me didn't make me want more space.

Malek settled behind me with one leg stretched along my side, his broad chest warm against my back when I leaned into him. Tavian stretched across the lower part of the nest and rested his head near my thigh, one hand drawing absent circles over my ankle. Luca stayed at my other side, close enough that sandalwood and herbs wrapped around me whenever I turned my head.

Malek's purr was the deepest, strong enough that I felt it through his chest and into my back. Luca's was quieter and steadier, while Tavian's came in stronger bursts that changed whenever someone touched him or he decided he wanted attention. My body loosened one muscle at a time, and I hadn't realized how much tension I'd carried from the station, the failed images, the hike, and the approaching end of the assignment until I finally stopped bracing against all of it.

Their scents settled around me without becoming suffocating—cedar, damp earth, faint smoke, citrus leaves, spice, sandalwood, herbs, and beneath all three, my own honey and jasmine warming enough that I could smell myself through the blockers. Malek's nose brushed my hair, Luca's hand rested lightly against my hip, and Tavian had somehow turned my ankle into a pillow.

I expected at least some part of me to feel crowded. Instead, my eyes started drifting shut. The alarm went off, and Tavian growled at it with such immediate offense that I almost laughed.

“No.” Tavian complained as the alarm chirped again from the worktable outside the room, tightening the arm he'd draped across both of my calves while his face disappeared briefly against the blanket.

“Yes.” I told Tavian as I pushed at his forearm and tried to sit up, already switching mentally from warm nest to six-o'clock check-in.

“We just got comfortable.” Tavian protested, lifting his head while his purr broke into an aggrieved rumble and his hand tightened around my ankle as though the radio had personally insulted him.

“Mara thinks I'm alive because I tell her I'm alive. Move.” I told Tavian as I shoved at his arm again, giving him a look that made it clear this wasn't something he could charm his way around. Malek immediately shifted aside, both hands leaving my waist without argument and creating an opening before I had to ask.

“Let her up.” Malek told Tavian, giving him a calm look even though amusement softened the sternness around his mouth.

“I am letting her up. Slowly.” Tavian argued as he reluctantly untangled his arm from my legs, drawing out the last word as though gradual cooperation deserved praise.

“You are making this significantly harder than it needs to be.” I told Tavian as I climbed over one of his knees and caught Malek's shoulder briefly when my foot snagged the edge of the blanket.

“I think you're exaggerating.” Tavian replied as he finally rolled far enough to let me pass, his grin returning now that he'd apparently decided the entire inconvenience had been entertaining.

Luca was already standing when I reached the edge of the bedding.

“Radio.” Luca said as he held the handset out to me, having retrieved it from exactly where I'd left it near the workstation while the rest of us had been arguing.

“Of course you know where it is.” I told Luca as I accepted the radio, shaking my head when his fingers briefly brushed mine.

“You put it in the same place twice.” Luca answered with a small smile, as though that was enough for him to decide I'd established a habit.

“So now it's officially the radio spot?” I asked Luca as I headed toward the courtyard, glancing back at him over my shoulder.

“It is to me.” Luca replied with a small shrug before lowering himself beside the nest again.

I stepped into the courtyard where reception was reliable and made the check-in on time. The fading light had turned the upper edges of the old walls gold while the courtyard below was already cooling into shadow. Mara answered, confirmed that I was safe and still following the overnight plan, then reminded me of the morning check-in and return time. I confirmed both before ending the transmission, and she didn't ask why I sounded faintly out of breath from climbing over three grown men to reach the radio.

I considered that professional courtesy.

When I returned, Tavian was lying exactly where I'd left him with both hands folded over his stomach like a man recovering from a major betrayal.

“You survived.” I told Tavian as I stepped back into the nest, carefully avoiding the blanket I'd spent too long positioning.

“Barely.” Tavian replied as he turned his head toward me, putting enough tragedy into his expression that anyone unfamiliar with him might have believed I'd abandoned him for days instead of making a radio call that lasted a few minutes.