Page 6 of Into the Fire: Before

“Such a good omega,” I cooed as I lowered myself first to one knee, then the other. My fingers raked softly along her inner thigh, and she mewled with glee. “Always so sweet to me.”

“Please, Alpha.”

“And so polite too.” I teased her with a single flick of my tongue against her swollen clit, making her whole body twitch.

We’d come up against more than a few homophobes convinced that I couldn’t take care of my omega, that she must be so forlorn and dejected and needy without a regular knotting. Idiots who didn’t realize that while female alphas didn’t have knotted cocks, our saliva and slick possessed a unique enzyme just for omegas.

I swiped my tongue slowly, solidly through her soaked folds, relishing the tremble that wracked her body and the broken keen that filled my ears.

Certainly didn’tsoundlike she was wishing for a knot.

My fingers clenched around her thighs as I settled into position. We were both going to enjoy this.

Taryntracedgentleshapesover my stomach while I ran my fingers through her hair. My own post-sex euphoriamelded with hers in the bond, making us both more than a little love drunk. This was almost a better feeling than the orgasms themselves—this blissful state of perfect union, my happiness fueling hers and hers fueling mine.

A pinprick of agitation poked in the bond before disappearing, and I turned my body more toward hers. “What’s on your mind, Teacup?”

She huffed, scooting closer and rolling her eyes. “Nothing important.”

“Taryn…”

She sighed, lazily circling a finger around my nipple. “It’s stupid.”

“No it’s not.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“Don’t have to.” I anchored my gaze to hers, my hand soothing through her dark hair. “I know it’s not.”

Her throat bobbed with a nervous swallow. “I was just…wondering if we should book a heat clinic room after all. We’d still have time if we did it in the next week or so.”

“What?” I sat up and propped my head on my hand. “Why?”

Our one-bedroom apartment was currently set up like a studio, with our bed in the back right corner of the living space and our tiny sofa and chairs in the left. The single bedroom, we’d planned to spend the six weeks until Taryn’s next heat outfitting into her dream nest. All things soft and cozy and warm, of course. As well as sound- and scent-proofing so the neighbors wouldn’t petition to evict us once a quarter. Already, we’d stashed in there various cushions and pillows and blankets, drawings and sketches and plans scattered about. We’d tackle it bit by bit over the coming weeks, for our sanity as much as our finances.

A nest of her very own had been one of the biggest excitements of finally settling into one place long-term. Since we leftPockston, it had been rented rooms and makeshift nests. Never a place that was truly hers, truly built for her comfort and enjoyment, that existedjustfor her.

Why would she second-guess that?

As Taryn shared her encounter with our new landlord earlier in the day, all feelings of contentment and bliss evaporated like water from a pan.

“I don’t know,” she finished quietly. Her finger never stropped its tracing of my breast, as though that little motion kept her from tipping over emotionally. “We want tostayhere. I don’t want to cause us problems.”

“Hey,” I said. “This isourhome. Omegas have nests in their homes. Asshole landlord doesn’t like it? Tough shit.”

“Brea—”

“Nope.” I plopped back down on the pillows.

“What if he raises our rent? Or, I don’t know, charges us a de-scenting fee for ruining the neighbor’s carpet or something?”

“Then we’ll manage,” I answer. She opened her mouth to pose more ridiculous questions, I was sure, but I planted a single finger over her lips to silence them. “Besides, your heat scent is far from ruinous, love. If anything, he shouldpayusto infuse this stupid building with your delectable”—I kissed her lips—“intoxicating”—her nose—“exquisite”—her forehead—“scent.”

She bit her lip to hide her smile. “Oh yeah?”

I hummed as I kissed down the column of her neck. “He’s not worthy of such a prize,” I murmured against her skin.

Her scent bloomed, her arousal rising again as I made my way down her body. All the while, my anger bled slowly away as I focused on making my omega come apart beneath my lips.

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