Page 68 of Dodging Bullets

Llew

Iheard the crunch of gravel, and nerves fluttered in my stomach as I went through the final preparations. It was rushed, but I was proud of it. We could tweak things later, however August wanted it.

Wiping my hands on my pants, I dusted plaster from my shirt and set the robotic vacuum to go and hopefully collect the last of the dirt and dust I’d missed. While the last details had been a flurry of activity, this had been something I’d been working on slowly, in the hope that August would join us.

I smelled the heady combination of my Omegas’ scents before I even heard their voices. It wafted down the hall like the most delicious perfume. I doubted I’d scent anything this amazing ever again.

Except maybe the combined scents of us all during the heat. That had been… really something.

“We got three. How were we meant to say no?” Polly asked indignantly, and given where they’d just come from, I noted that I should probably build a catio in the backyard too.

Max met my eyes and shrugged. Yeah, I wouldn’t have been able to tell her no either. Following his gaze, Polly saw me, andher face lit up like she couldn’t imagine anything better than ending the day in my arms.

That look healed something inside me.Shehealed something inside me.

“Llew,” she breathed, moving toward me, dragging August along with her. He was flushed, and when I pulled him tightly into my arms, he felt hot.

I tilted his head up to look at me. His eyes were glassy, and his scent was so strong, my cock was like stone. “My perfect Omega, has your heat arrived?”

He groaned even as he tried to swallow it down. “Definitely a heat spike. Not long now,” he whispered, and I purred, rubbing my face over his. Marking him as mine. My Omega. Then I rubbed my cheek over Polly’s too.

How did I get this lucky?

She reached up and kissed my cheek. “Take care of our Omega, Llew. He needs his Alpha,” she whispered. I wasn’t sure if it was August or myself who made a pained noise, but she skipped away with a grin on her face.

My Sweet Thing was learning her true power, and I was here for it. She had us all wrapped around her dainty little finger. But she was right; August needed me. His skin was so hot, I knew he’d need relief soon.

“May I kiss you, Omega?” I murmured, and his wide eyes, so filled with trust, healed another wound.

I kissed him softly at first, a promise.

I stroked my tongue over his full bottom lip, a taste.

I pulled him tight against my body and plundered his mouth with mine, a pleasure.

I lifted him into my arms, and he let out a blissful little sigh. Yeah, August was strong. He could shoulder anything life threw at him. But he didn’t have to anymore.

“We will love you so fiercely, August O’Hare. The sun will rise and set with your happiness. We will be your lovers, partners, a place to hone your strengths, and a place to protect your weaknesses. Do you believe me?” I whispered against his lips, moving him further into the house. He was heavy; he wasn’t a small Omega. But I was big. I could carry both him and Polly in my arms, right where they belonged.

The guest room had once sat beside the office that none of us ever used. We hadn’t had guests in a year or more, and while that might change, our Omega needed his own space more. His own nest.

I stepped into the refurbished second Omega suite and held my breath. What if he hated it? I shook away the doubt. If he hated it, we’d change it. We’d keep changing it, until he was so in love with the space, he’d never think of leaving.

I could feel the rest of my Pack behind me. “It’s just a start,” I whispered in August’s ear before lowering him to the ground and spinning him. “You can change whatever you want.”

The main bedroom was recreated as close to his apartment as we could, with a similar color palette, including the lush greenery that he seemed to enjoy. Muted, relaxing tones and clean furniture lines. I’d relied on Rio’s memory of the apartment to have something to work from. There were bookshelves running around the top of the walls on all four sides, because Rio had said that he had stacks of books everywhere in his apartment.

“Wow,” August breathed, moving further into the room. “I love it. When did youdoall this?”

I beamed at him. “Last night and most of today. We didn’t have time to paint, but if you want to change anything, we absolutely can. This is your space now, if you want it to be,” I hedged. I didn’t want him to feel pressured. “But that’s not all.”

The guest room had an ensuite, but we hadn’t really styled that, so I left it out of the tour. No, the next part was the important part.

Stepping up to the normal-looking bookcase, I slid it across recessed tracks to reveal the nest. I heard his gasp of wonder, and I grinned over my shoulder at him. Who didn’t love a hidden door?

But beyond the door was what really made me nervous. I held my breath as he stepped forward into his nest. It wasn’t incredibly fancy; we’d done what we could, but from what I’d read, a nest was an intensely personal thing. I didn’t want to assume what he’d like.

However, I’d added things with our scents in here, as well as generic Omega bedding. Soft mattresses and furnishings. Dimmable light sconces. So many pillows. There was a little fridge to the side for snacks and hydration, in case we struggled to get out of the nest for sustenance.

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