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I nodded. “There’s a lot to tell, and it’s one hell of a story, but we’re all tired. The unconscious alpha was being kept in a cell under the Palace, but I don’t want to put him back in there. He was alert for a while and he saved Cary and me from some of the Palace alphas. I was thinking we could put him in the VIP suite. It’s away from everyone else in case he poses any problems, and we can stay in the other rooms to monitor him tonight. Do you think that would be okay?”
“Have at it,” Emma shrugged, as if it didn’t concern her. But I could tell she was curious from the way she leaned slightly forward to see out to the PMV better. Cary reached River, who turned and signaled in the moonlight. Two figures appeared out of the shadows beneath the treeline and headed towards Ryder at the rear of the PMV. They moved swiftly and silently, but were strangely misshapen. They brought to mind mythical yetis. But neither Ryder nor River appeared concerned. They had a brief conversation before heading up the steps. When they got closer, I could see the two newcomers were wearing camouflage suits covered in some kind of fabric that mimicked moss and leaves, which explained their strange shape in the shadows.
River’s rigid posture relaxed as he got closer to me, coming up right alongside me as if he needed to be near me. “My name’s River. This is Ryder, Nick, Miles, and Owen. We’re going to sweep the Palace. Is there anyone else here that you know about?” He addressed all the girls to start, but turned to Emma as he finished talking. Her gaze flitted between the alphas and she stammered a little, appearing flustered as his gaze rested on her.
“Uh, huh. Yes. There are two dozen omegas in the ballroom. It’s down the hallway behind us. They had the door barricaded with mattresses. It’s another set of big double doors. You can’t miss it.”
“Okay. Thank you, Emma.” Alphas had excellent hearing. In the night’s stillness, River must have heard us address her from outside. That burning sensation in my chest came back full force, and I tried to swallow a growl. River shot me a dark look before he turned back to Emma again. “If you could come with Ryder and me, we’ll get you to reassure the other girls that everything is fine, but they need to stay put for a little while.”
“Oh, sure. I can do that.” Emma brightened and looked entirely too eager to follow River and Ryder for my liking.
River didn’t seem to notice as he turned away from her, but it had me on edge. “Cary, Nick, can you both stay here? I need you to guard the front door and watch the PMV and these omegas until we get back.”
“Maybe you should take all the girls to the ballroom and keep them together? This place is enormous and it might take a while to search. They can get some sleep in there,” I suggested, as I avoided eye contact by looking slightly over River’s shoulder. Angel let out an enormous yawn as I spoke. “I’ll stay here with Cary and Nick.”
I really didn’t want to examine my reluctance to have River, Ryder, and Emma alone together in a dark hallway. Besides, my explanation sounded entirely reasonable.
River tilted his head and shot me a look I couldn’t decipher. “Sure, I was going to minimize movement by only taking Emma, but we can do that.” I sensed there was more he wanted to say, but he pursed his lips and turned to the alphas hanging back. “We’ll take this east wing, if you guys pair up and take the central common areas, the west wing, and the two wings upstairs.”
“Roger,” came the unified reply, as the alphas River had brought inside moved off in pairs. The two guys from Sam’s team who had been watching the Palace had stripped off their camouflage suits while I wasn’t paying attention. They now moved quickly into the large formal living room across from us. Their guns were raised and flashlights shined to illuminate the gilt furniture in their path. I watched, fascinated, for a moment as they moved through the room with controlled, precise movements, checking it thoroughly.
River hustled the huddled omegas in the other direction, as Ryder reached down to pick up a sleepy Angel. She wrapped her arms around his neck as if she trusted him implicitly and promptly fell asleep on his shoulder. River shot me a lingering look as he left, full of unspoken words, but the hot, angry gaze Ryder raked over me singed me in two. Despite the glare, the sight of a little blond girl being carried so carefully in Ryder’s arms had me swallowing hard. I felt like someone had smacked me in the face with a future that no longer belonged to me. One I’d dreamed about so often. The ache that had tormented me for over a decade almost tore me in two now that the twins were in front of me, yet were still so far away.
I watched the twins until they were out of sight, unable to tear my eyes away as I shoved down a sudden panic that they might not come back. When they disappeared into the darkness, I turned back to Cary and Nick, who had taken up positions by the open front door.
“Are you okay?” Nick asked. His face had tightened with concern and he looked like he wanted to reach for me, as his hand twitched at his side. I’d thought I was, but the pounding in my head intensified as the adrenaline I’d been running on all night burned out.
“My head hurts a little,” I said as I winced. The beam of the torches suddenly piercing my brain. The world tilted as I swayed on my feet and Cary was there in an instant.
“We’ve got you,” he whispered as he pulled me close. I suddenly understood how Angel felt as I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him. His body was warm and solid, and his hug was everything I’d been yearning for, for the longest time. I wanted to curl up and live right here, with his arms banded tightly around me and his vanilla ice cream scent filling my senses.
“Nick, can you grab one of the big armchairs and drag it so we can see it in the corner there, but it’s out of the draft from the door?” He pointed, and I watched through half-lidded eyes as Nick darted into the room and spotted a massive arm chair sitting on a circular rug by itself. He yanked the rug and maneuvered the chair quietly into the corner, where they could see it easily from the front doors.
Cary picked me up briefly before he settled me down into it, as Nick reappeared with a cushion and a throw blanket he handed to Cary. I was immensely grateful, as my body suddenly felt too heavy to move.
Cary settled the cushion under my head before he tucked the blanket around me, while Nick carefully took off my shoes. It had been a long time since I’d felt as cared for as I did in that moment. My eyes slipped close, almost without my consent, as a hand gently slid a few loose strands of hair out of my face, brushing tender fingers across my chilled skin. I leaned my head into the feeling, letting the touch ease my headache, and I heard a soft sigh. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was mine or someone else’s.
I was back at the Palace, but everything had changed. I had a feeling things were going to change even more. And they were going to get messy.
Everything I wanted was within my reach, but I didn’t know if any of it was mine anymore. Or if I deserved it.
four
Iwokeslowly,snuggledinto a comfy bed with a soft pillow under my head. The pine soap scent of the sheets was familiar, but there was an added hint of vanilla ice cream that had me licking my lips and moaning softly. I felt tempted to curl up further under the cozy weight of the comforter, but I was too hot. I kicked it off as I turned onto my back and stretched my arms up over my head while I yawned.
I blinked my eyes open slowly, but a feeling of being watched had me stilling mid stretch. I lifted my head slightly to see the giant alpha from last night curled uncomfortably into a high-backed chair in the corner. His eyes were closed, though, and he seemed to be asleep. A barrage of powerful emotions hit me. They had me shifting my eyes to the side to see Ryder sitting on the floor by my bed. The bare skin of my stomach had trapped his heated, conflicted gaze. Someone had removed my hoodie before they tucked me into bed in my black t-shirt and jeans, and my top had ridden up while I stretched.
I felt frozen in place, not knowing whether to cover myself or finish my stretch as he stared. A wave of need hit me that mirrored my own, making me arch my back slightly on a whimper. His gaze shot away before he got up hurriedly. Unfurling himself from the floor in one swift, fluid motion. I wanted to make him stay, but I didn’t have the words. The unspoken ones that had been crowding me last night suddenly evaporated.
I hadn’t told the whole truth when I’d said we were unbonded last night. Unclaimed would be more accurate. A fragile bond had sprung up between us when we were teenagers, that had fractured when I left for the Palace without them. It had been a raw wound I’d carried with me ever since. It had never healed, or even scabbed over, despite the decade we’d spent apart.
“If you’re awake, I’ll get River,” Ryder said in a gruff voice that felt layered with even more emotion than his gaze.
I pulled my shirt back down and dropped my hands back to my sides, feeling that wound burn as if it was hot and fresh. A comforting hand grabbed mine, and I smiled as the subtle vanilla ice cream scent intensified. I glanced to my side and saw Cary, fully dressed, lying on top of the comforter, with a throw blanket twisted around his legs. He was watching me intently, and my heart skipped a beat. That bubble around us had well and truly popped last night, and I was thrilled. I was quickly becoming addicted to his bold touches.
Neither of us said a word about the hand holding. We both knew instinctively it had been a long time coming. I’d never doubted my connection to Cary, only the timing and the inherent danger in it while living at the Palace.
“No need, I’m right here,” came a deep voice from the doorway. River was there, looking tired and rumpled in the same clothes from last night, too. His gaze locked to where Cary’s hand had intertwined with mine, as Ryder slipped past him out of the room.
