Page 70 of Queen of Diamonds

I dared tug the top blanket down a little as I cupped her neck and collar from behind, thumb stroking her jaw. She whined, arms circling my chest and drawing me closer. “Good girl,” I murmured. “You’re ours, Baby, we’re not letting you go.”

I thought, if Omegas could purr, she would have—I mean, it was stupid they couldn’t. It would be so cute. But her beautiful stormy scent hit the air like a lightning strike, and she nuzzled closer to me, a very out of character whine slipping from her chest.

I brushed a knuckle along her cheek, my own purr rumbling to life. With each breath, I inhaled fresh rain, cool billowing wind, and my skin on hers was a spark of electricity. “You want us, don’t you, Oasis?” I whispered. “You just don’t know how to say it.”

I was missing a piece of the puzzle, still. I thought… Well, I had believed she’d chosen to leave us behind, but that was making less and less sense by the day.

Something was wrong… I had to find out what it was.

“You’re fucking delusional.” Zed’s tight expression was offset by the fact that his snow santal scent was almost as thick as hers.

I just flipped him off, though that made Glade whine, because it meant taking my hand from her neck. I replaced it, then tugged the blankets back over us so my fool of a pack leader didn’t get any more visual gifts he was yet to deserve.

Tonight was ours.

My purr began again as she nuzzled her head beneath my chin, and I felt the way she melted against me.

“No nightmares tonight, beautiful,” I whispered, closing my eyes in the darkness of the blankets.

He was wrong, it wasn’t me. Not this time.

Zed was the delusional one.

25

GLADE

Kyan had packed me enough for a workout, which I appreciated, and the next morning, I found myself in the makeshift gym in the larger outer room of the warehouse.

I wrapped my hands with Knight’s hand wraps and tried not to huff the pear grove scent that lingered on them.

I did check to see how many he had and was pleased to find there were quite a few. They were a bit big to stuff in my bra, but I could come back later.

I lost myself in the workout. I’d had no nightmares in Kyan’s arms, waking instead to the scent of fresh storms, and for the first time in my life, I was trying to conjure my monsters back with every hit to the punching bag.

I was falling too hard.

To Kyan, but also Knight and Zed. I couldn’t stop myself, and with heat creeping up, my hormones were haywire. I needed to get them under control and find a way out of this.

The problem was, with every minute that passed, my will to fight this was waning, and every inch I crept closer to heat, logic died in the face of hormones.

I’d lost track of how long I’d been at it, throwing my fear at the bag relentlessly, when I noticed I wasn’t alone—aside from Lucy, who was curled up and napping in the coiled battle rope. But Zed was also leaning against the metal frame that most of the heavy-duty equipment was attached to, watching me with folded arms.

I dropped my fists, narrowing my eyes. “Do… you want something?”

He was silent for a long moment, and I wondered how long he’d been watching. I’d been so focused I’d barely looked around in a while.

“Come here,” he said mildly.

I bit my lip, debating whether it was worth arguing. He didn’t move, though, and I crossed toward him.

“What?” I asked.

He lifted a hand, flashing a small black box and miniature key. “Battery change.”

“Ah. Right. Wouldn’t want that to die. Then the Omega, who you don’t want and doesn’t want to be here, might get away.”

He snorted, stepping toward me and reaching up to my neck. I shut my eyes, ignoring the little leap of my heart as his skin touched mine, or how each breath I took was filled with snow santal.

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