Page 80 of Knot All is Crystal
No.
No.
In my head, I’m screaming, willing Puck not to say the words that I know are coming next. The words that are going to ruin my fucking life.
The thing that Kieran swore would never happen.
“He’s going to give them you.”
TWENTY-NINE
After Puck droppedthe bombshell that Kieran would offer me on a silver platter if Puck didn’t manage to “procure” a male Omega, I couldn’t stand anymore. I was gently carried to the nest by Emmanuel, with Gage and Maverick trailing dutifully behind him.
They all cuddled up with me, and I found myself drifting off to sleep in the arms of my pack.
Gage sure did get thrown into the deep end with me. We’ve never even kissed, yet he’s learned I’m part of a criminal organization, and I’m just a few weeks away from being forced to -
I’m not even going to think about it.
Puck is going to figure out a way to get me out of this without offering up some other Omega to get abused.
He promised.
And for all his faults, for all the things he’s kept from me, I believe him.
“Hey, Crys, you awake?” I startle at the voice at my back before turning around to look into Gage’s pretty green eyes.
“You’re still here.”
“‘Course I am,” he chuckles. “I had to run back home last night and get Burger squared away for the night, but I came right back. I’m not going anywhere, ever.”
“Why? You don’t have to be a part of this mess.” My chest aches at the idea of him leaving me, but I need him to take the out and stay safe. “We barely know each other.”
“If you want to get technical, Crys, we’ve known each other for four years.”
“For two hours every three months. How can anyone know each other in that amount of time?”
He chuckles. “Every three months, for four years. Seventeen times. That’s thirty-four hours. Are you going to say that after talking for almost a day and a half, we don’t know each other?”
When he puts it that way, arguing that we don’t know each other feels silly.
But he continues, not waiting for me to answer. “Sure, we still have a lot to learn about one another. I’m sure you’re a psychopath and squeeze toothpaste from the middle of the tube.”
“How dare you! I wouldnever!” I shove him playfully.
“Or worse,” he places a hand on his chest, “you could hate pineapple on pizza.”
My mouth drops open. “Don’t tell me you put fruit on your pizza, Gage. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at you the same.”
He ruffles his auburn hair. “Are you kidding? Salty pepperoni, sweet pineapple, throw in some spicy jalapenos, and I’m the happiest Beta on the block.”
“What pizza place does gluten-free crusts?”
He snorts and rolls onto his back. “Some delicacies are worth the pain.”
I struggle to keep my laugh quiet, rolling onto my side and burying my face under his arm to keep from waking the others.
After a few quiet moments of cuddling, he whispers, “We owe it to ourselves to give this a chance. I’ve been drawn to you since the beginning. There had to be a reason you kept coming back to me, right?”
