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I tried not to let the nerves show on my face. “Did they arrest him?”
“No, they didn’t.”
My body wilted. I couldn’t help it. There would have been some comfort in knowing that he’d been held, even if it was overnight. Gabriel turned me over, Jace’s kisses now peppering along my spine. “There are guards outside the house,” he said. “They’ll be there until this is resolved one way or another.”
Relief spread through me. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “No protesting or telling me no?”
“No. It makes me feel better.”
“Maybe I should take one away from your spanking count for being a good girl.”
Behind me, Ash laughed softly. “I don’t think she actually wants that.”
My face flamed red, but it was only a reflex. I couldn’t be embarrassed with them. Not about anything. And lying in the middle of my Alphaswasthe perfect way to wake up.
Slowly, I dragged myself onto Gabriel’s chest. High up enough to speak into his ear. This needed to be him and me. “Thank you for keeping me safe, Alpha.”
The fierceness of his purr matched the way his arms came around me, crushing us together. “You’re welcome, little one.”
“I realized last night you’re the only one I haven’t told, and I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“What’s that?”
My breath shook. “I love you.”
Fisting his hand in my hair, he brought my mouth to his, his response written in every movement of lips and tongue. He kept me close, pressing his cheek to mine. “Saying that scares you a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you for saying it. I love you so much it hurts to breathe when you’re not in the same room with me. The thought of you hurt makes me want to burn this city to the fucking ground. I’m not going to let anybody touch you, okay, little one?” There was no space between us. Only the two of us in this moment. “I love you.”
A meow interrupted my thoughts, Mango coming into the room. I swore his little face looked relieved to find us all in one place. “Hi there.”
He leapt for the bed and nearly missed. Ash caught him and lifted him the rest of the way. “You’re going to be jumping on top of the fridge in no time.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“He’s an orange cat,” Ash deadpanned. “He only has one brain cell and he doesn’t need any encouragement to do random shit.”
I reached over and pulled Mango over next to me. “Don’t listen to him, Mango. You definitely have more than one brain cell.”
He flopped on the bed and curled into a circle upside down, stretching like he was trying to prove me wrong. I didn’t resist leaning in and kissing the fluffy, exposed belly. He purred too. Little tiny orange Alpha.
“Roman,” Ash said. I looked over in time to see him tap his ears, telling him to take out his earbuds.
Gabriel sat us up together before shifting me to sit against the headboard, and Roman joined us on the bed. I squirmed under the covers again, sinking down until I was covered nearly to my neck. Mango crawled onto my chest and curled up in a classic cat loaf.
“Cold, baby girl?” Jace took his place again, lying over my legs.
“Not anymore.”
“Good. Remember what we said we’d talk about?”
“No.” I cuddled down even more, content to go back to sleep surrounded by all of them.
Gabriel stood off the bed. His glasses were on, and he still had his pants on from last night without the shirt. I enjoyed watching him walk over to Asher’s bookshelf. It looked like he was examining the books there, but I didn’t think he was. “Jace called me last night after you guys got home. Let me know what you said in the car.”
