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I huff out a laugh, though the shit isn’t funny. Especially not with Echo’s eyes shimmerin’ even glossier than they were. Her lower lip trembles.
“Don’t,” I bark louder than I needed to.
She flinches and looks at me and sniffles and says, “I’m not doing anything.”
“Y’are.”
She wipes her nose with her hand and her blanket wrap sinks. More of her chest becomes visible and I lurch forward, but she manages to grab it. I start to sweat. She’s got freckles on her chest, too. I haven’t had a chance to count ‘em yet. Lick ‘em. Taste ‘em.
She says, “What about Trash City?”
“Truck’s on its way now,” I tell her.
“Shouldn’t it be there by now?”
“Trouble on the road.”
She shudders, her pupils contracting. She looks like she’s gonna start shiverin’ any second. “What kind of trouble?”
“Y’don’t need to worry, Echo. Promise.”
“More dead army?”
“No,” I bellow, takin’ a step toward her. I just can’t help it. I reach out for her and put my hand on her shoulder, feelin’ the small, rounded bone and squeezin’ it. Fuck. Heat runs up my spine before racin’ down again. My tee shirt feels too tight and my jeans, way too fuckin’ tight.Just let go of her. I slide my palm up the smooth curve of her neck and wrap my hand around its delicate nape. Fuck.
“No dead army,” I growl low. “Just gangs.”
“Justgangs. Nothingjustabout gangs.”
“Know it. That’s why you’re not goin’ into Paradise Hole…”
“That’s not fair. You can’t keep me…” She gasps at the same time I grab her. She’s let go of her blanket again and her tits come into full view — or woulda, had I not crushed her against me. Good place for her, because I’d have to gouge out the eyes of any of my Six who saw her chest bare except formaybeBarbero, who’s theonlyAlpha in the room without an affinity for women. Maybe. Probably, though.
Biggest problem now is that with the way she’s wedged against me, I can’t see those magical tits, either. And she hasn’t shut up. “I saw something important. I know it. I feel like something’s coming. Something huge. And I know the man in the cave and the Omega in the woods can help. Please, Adam…” Fuck no. She can’t do this. So fuckin’ unfair.
I wrench her forward by the neck and bend down, bringing her forehead to meet mine. “Fuck you, Echo.” I rub my cheek against hers and make her a horrible vow. “Take you to do whatever the fuck you want. Just gotta do one thing for me first, baby.” She smells so good. Like a magical garden separated from me by only this one blanket, like a veil to the next world that I could so easily snatch away and cast aside.
Her eyelashes flutter. “What?” Her chin quivers. She’s holdin’ her breath.
Her want makes me ravenous. “Put on a damn shirt,” I grumble, voice thicker than it ought to be.
“I don’t have one. I-I still don’t have any clothes that fit me.”
I huff, like I didn’t do that shit on purpose. Her words give me an idea and I peel away from her, yank my tee shirt off over my head and quickly whip it down over hers. I thread her arms through the sleeves and carefully bunch the blanket around her hips. Oh no. This look is even worse. My shirt gobbles her up, the light grey makin’ her skin pop like she’s standin’ underneath a spotlight. And it’smineand so is she. I inhale fully, lungs a’ burstin’…and I exhale just as deeply.
“Really?” She blinks brightly, eyes so fuckin’ innocent it scares me. This can’t be my Omega who stabbed herself in the thigh.
“Really what?”
“You’ll take me back into Paradise Hole to find the man in the cave?”
“Maybe.”
She pouts, mouth twisting to the side. “As soon as my arm is better.”
“You tryna negotiate?”
She takes a step forward, the damn witch, and her hand — locked in the brace — reaches out and touches my chest. With the tips of her healing fingers, she traces the X the monsters of my youth carved over my heart. “No, I’m not. I’m not asking either. I’m going into Paradise Hole to find the man in the cave and I want you to come with me to investigatetogether, like we said we would.” And then she looks at me — really looks at me — and even though she’s blushin’ hard, her words release like artillery and every bullet finds its mark. “You’remyBerserker. It’s your job.”
