Page 62 of Ruin Me Knot
"I don’t trust you." My heart gives a stupid little flutter, but my tongue is thick and wooden, and a brittle taint mars my sweet rose.
"You trust us to take care of you. Or you’d be clawing to get out of my arms and this nest, and running a mile from us," Gabriel says.
His words land with a thud. The survival part of me wants to deny everything and pretend I haven’t quieted under the crush of their scents, their touches and their intent.
I roll my eyes, tipping my head back so I can see him out of my periphery. "There’s nowhere to run. The front door is locked, and you won’t tell me the code. You ever think of that, Alpha?" My voice wobbles somewhere between sassy and dangerous, but I can’t stop the curl at the corner of my mouth.
His arms tighten, a slow smile breaking out over his lips. "Oh, Sweetheart, you keep talking like that and I might let you out just so I have the pleasure of catching you."
Thunk. Another brick tumbles to dust as a thrill flutters in the pit of my stomach. Gabriel might come across as being lighthearted, but he’s all Alpha, and the Alphas in this nest are so, so dangerous. I can’t forget that.
"But I’ll only do that when you’re ready. For now, the only thing you’re ready for is food," he says.
Hunger gnaws at my belly and my mouth waters in a more visceral way at the aroma of all this food. I reach for a plate, eager to put as much in my stomach as I can, but Gabriel catches my wrist.
"Uh-uh. This is my pleasure." His voice turns those words into something molten.
I try to stifle the shiver that steals through me, but I might as well stop the sun from rising in the morning. "Do you have to?" I hate the way my voice is too breathy and not the force of indignation I want.
"Oh, it’s absolutely necessary." He shifts behind me, crooking my head back into the hollow of his shoulder as his palms stay firm and wide at my midriff,pinning me against muscles as wide as I am. His purr is an unfair advantage. I can do nothing but surrender to the way he holds me, the way their essences slip under my skin and loosen everything tight and hidden inside me.
Destroying me piece by piece.
"I’m not stupid. I know what you’re all doing." This is just another tactic. Another way to control me. Another way to…
"Love you?’ Ronan says.
The words ricochet around inside me, too big to land. There is no room to hide from the blaze in Ronan’s eyes. His gaze fuses me to the spot with hot nails. "Eat, Omega. Heal. Let us look after you. Stop fighting so hard."
Gabriel picks up a piece of fruit and lifts it to my lips. His fingertips graze my bottom lip and it’s too much, the care and the power in it. I open for him, and he slides the wedge against my tongue. I snap my jaw shut before he can remove his fingers.
He strokes my shoulder with his free hand. "Good girl."
I open my teeth, sucking in a sharp breath, but before I can say anything, he scoops something savory in a pinch of flatbread and holds it under my nose. My mouth opens without thought and flavors explode over my tongue while his gaze scorches my profile. He tears another piece of bread and scoops his own mouthful while I swallow.
His knuckles brush my collar bone and his cock throbs against my lower back as he feeds me. I tell myself that I let him but I’m too worn down to fight. If they want to hang out in the living area on these couches in a pile of towels and throw cushions, then let them.
We eat all the food, the Alphas finishing the plates when I can’t fit in another bite. Jax and Ronan begin to empty the nest.
I wrench my gaze off the easy, ridiculous grace of their uncovered bodies because want is just another pitfall, and I’m fully aware of what they’re doing. Attraction is the oldest trap in the book. I won’t fall for it, no matter how many times my heart stutters or how my belly tightens at the sight of all that smooth skin and those heavy cocks.
I turn toward the window, still in Gabriel’s arms since he still hasn’t let go of me, as the world spins on the road below. The moon is rising in a darkening sky and the street pulses with activity. Cars trickle past, brake lights flaring then winking out as drivers melt into the city’s evening hush. A jogger, ponytail slashing the air, passes beneath the streetlamp, her stride confident and sure, legs eating up the sidewalk as if she owns every inch of it. She’s alive. Free. She gets to choose where she runs, when she stops.
A dull ache flexes through my chest. I bite my bottom lip, hard.
Gabriel’s arm tightens around me. "Why are you sad, Sweetheart?"
I don’t sugarcoat it. I’m too worn out to lie. It’s clear they’re not going to give up their campaign to control me. "I’ve just swapped one set of bars for another, Gabriel. I’m an Omega and nothing will change the fact I’ll never be free. If you think that’s not true, you’re kidding yourselves."
His fingers stroke along my thigh, just light enough for goosebumps to break out over my skin. Enough to bring my attention back to his scent. The movement of muscle. The thump of his heart. "That’s not true, Leah."
"Then let me out there. Let me breathe fresh air…" I draw a stiff breath, attempting to outlast my crushing chest so I can hold myself together. It’s been years since I’ve felt fresh air on my face. Smelled grass. Flowers. Heard the rustle of leaves. Wanting that so badly causes another ache where there are already so many. "You’re deluding yourself thinking you’re protecting me."
"Leah."
I talk over him, voice flat and ragged at the edges. "At least the Alphas who locked me up were honest with their abuse. You want to call this care, but this is still a prison. I’m tired. I want to sleep."
I don’t wait for him to answer. I close my eyes, forcing my breath slow and deep, feigning sleep even as longing and loss tangle beneath my skin. Let them watch over me.
