Page 68 of Queen of Diamonds

After we were done, I washed my dish, trying and failing to fight my instincts. Carefully, I snuck it into my room and tucked it inside the cupboard in the bathroom.

Knight had given me that bowl and spoon. And made me food. I stared at the objects for a long time, pleading with myself to just take it back to the fucking kitchen like a normal person. Instead, when I picked it up to do just that, I found myself nuzzling it with a scent mark instead.

Fuck me.

I had to close the door on it after that. No choice. But if they went looking, then they’d find it, and then what?

They’d make fun of me.

My lip trembled. I didn’t know if I could handle that. But I was nearing heat, and my nesting instincts were getting out of hand, so I shut it away, my heart settling as I returned to the living room.

They’d given me a collar. Twisted as that was, it was a claim, and it was making me possessive over this place.

That was all.

Nothing else.

Over the next few hours I slipped one of Kyan’s bracelets off his wrist without him noticing, and snuck into Zed’s room to grab a ring from his drawer. He loved his rings so much.

I placed them beneath the sink in the bathroom with the bowl, something loosening in my chest as I closed the door on them once more.

It was balanced and even. All of them were in there. Safe and mine.

24

KYAN

Zed was a genius.

The collar meant we could keep her. Like—properly, actually keep her as we should. Locking her in a room was doing none of us any good.

After dinner, I had to go up to my room to make sure we were still safe. I had a pretty good grip on Brotherhood movements, but I had a few blind spots.

Ace hadn’t been on my radar until Glade had chosen him, but ever since I’d watched closely. Taking the lead of the Brotherhood had shown a side of him I’d never seen before, and for so long, I’d believed it had been what drew Glade to him.

She was an Omega; it was in her nature to select a partner that could protect her. If she’d seen, before we had, the Alpha he’d revealed himself to be after he became head of the Brotherhood, it wasn’t inconceivable that she’d chosen him. Scent match or not, he was one of the most predatory Alphas I had ever witnessed, and she had been raised the same way we had.

Merciless and cruel were the traits we were taught, and that Omegas were taught to seek. When we’d fallen for her, we’d shown a softer side to us than we’d ever shown anyone, and for a long time, I’d grappled with if it was the right choice.

I knew I was drawn to her far more than I should be, but I was never normal… I’d convinced myself it meant more to me than it had to her.

When I’d gone through my list of checks, satisfied we were safe, I reappeared to find she’d fallen asleep on the couch. Naturally, I went to find her blankets from all of our rooms so she could sleep in our scents—as she should.

Knight caught me and tried to refuse, which made him more of a fool. I waited until he was asleep, then snuck into his room with the blanket she’d been buried in (after swapping them for mine and Zed’s), and held it near his face.

Even deep asleep, he frowned, reaching out and drawing it close. I only meant to get him to hold it for a while, but a rare purr had rumbled to life in his chest, and the next thing I knew, he’d scent-marked it.

Ha.

And the idiot thought we were going to be able to get rid of her? Not a goddamned chance. I hadn’t heard Knight purr since she’d left.

I was rewarded by the most beautiful smile on Glade’s face when I tucked her in with the last of the three blankets.

“What are you doing?” Zed’s voice drew me up, right as I was lifting my foot to clamber in behind her.

He was staring at us both.

“Tucking her in,” I said, like that was obvious.

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