Page 28 of Scent of Sanctuary
“And you didn’t wake her up?”
Lyle sighs behind me, running his hands up and down my arms. Then he steps around me, kicking off his shoes. “Babe, I’m aware that you have a connection to her that most mates don’t facilitate until there is a physical bond. But, we’re all worried about her. You’re gonna have to dial it back from a ten to, like, a three. Deep breaths for me,” he purrs, forcing me to follow his command. “One, two, three, thank you. Now, go make sure she’s alright. I’ll be up soon.”
Lyle’s going to be right up here a few seconds after me but I dash up the stairs and into Callum’s room, finally able to breathe when I see her. She’s curled up in the back of his big ass closet, her head covered with one of his shirts.
I sit at the edge of the ring of clothes, reaching forward to drag my hand down her cheek, needing to feel her. A soft needy sound falls from her lips as she leans into my touch, nuzzling her face against my thigh. My purr starts and I let it flow, needing to soothe her. She opens her eyes, her blue gaze glazed with her preheat. I see she’s given herself over to her Omega instincts completely, our woman vulnerable to her designation. She throws me a small smile, a tremble wracking her small frame, before whispering, “Hi.”
“Hi, sweet girl. How you doing?”
“This place is too big and too bright. And Callum wasn’t there.” She pats the edge of her nest. “This is nice.”
“Fi, you can’t sleep in his closet,” I tease, “but we’ll find a place for you that’s safe, okay?”
She hesitates, her blue eyes searching mine, and then nods, still rubbing her cheek along my thigh, her wild berry scent marking me. She’s claiming me, her Omega weaving her scent into mine, a primal act that has my Alpha instincts roaring to claim her back.
Her voice breaks the silence, still so terrified. “Is he here?”
I frown, my hand pausing on her cheek. “Is who here?”
“I could smell him. He was there. I know it.”
Fucking hell.
I have to swallow back a growl, reminding her that no one else is here but us—the three men who have been in her space for the last few years. She slowly sits up and moves into my lap, her fingers curling into my shirt and her face nestled in the crook of my neck. Her tongue starts lapping at my scent gland, a soft, needy pull that sends my rum spice scent spiking.
She’s going to need us even more now and as much as I want to claim her, I also know that she will need our comfort first. My purr deepens as she starts nibbling on my neck, marking me as her own purr harmonizes with mine.
A heavy presence settles beside me, Lyle setting her bag beside us, the clinking drawing Seraphina’s attention. Her entire face lights up as she sees the bag. “They’re safe,” she whispers.
“Yeah, they are,” he purrs. “Why would you grab these? Ambrose could’ve always bought you more.”
She reaches for the bag and Lyle hands it to her, Seraphina twisting around just enough to unzip it and check the contents. “Because they aren’t just things. They’re memories. I don’t have any pictures and I’ve never seen the places Ambrose takes me. They’re all I have.” She pulls out a few and then a picture of her brother along with a family portrait that had to have been taken over fifteen years ago.
I make a mental note to start taking pictures and truly immortalizing the memories we make together. Her fingers continue to graze the different items, her mind lost in it until Lyle leans in to press a small kiss to her cheek. Her smile spreads wider, her Omega accepting his touch
“Baby, can you tell us what happened?” I can hear the strain in his voice, Lyle trying not to let his anger seep into his words.
Her entire body tenses as she pulls back a little, eyes wide with tears again. “I… I don’t know.”
Seraphina
Mycheeksburnwithembarrassment as my Omega gives back the reins just the slightest bit, my heart warring with the rational part that knows I’m exposed, vulnerable. But I’m too terrified to move. I need their comfort, their presence, their scents to make all of this okay.
I look around, needing the last of my three Alphas. “Where’s Callum?”
“He’s coming, baby.”
They’re still waiting for me to explain but my mind is a mess, only made more evident when Callum enters his room and I immediately scramble toward him, burying my face in his neck when he picks me up. He wraps his arms around me, his nose grazing the side of my head as he walks me back into the closet and sits in the middle of my makeshift nest. It should be comical to see these large men tucked in here but it just feels safe.
Perfect.
Mostly.
“I really don’t know what happened,” I push out, twisting around to look at the other two. “I smelled burning, and it was coming from my nest. I put it out, and then there was fire everywhere. One moment there was nothing, and then flames. I tried to get to the front door but…” I trail off because there’s no waythathappened, right?
Callum caresses my cheek, directing my attention back to him as he leans against the wall. “Sweetheart, what happened when you tried to get to the door?”
“The mudroom was locked but that’s not possible. No one touches that door. It used to close on its own but Lyle fixed that. Now, it stays open. I always make sure it stays open. But it was… that’s wrong, right? I was just…” Again, I trail off, unable to follow that line of thinking. There’s no way someone locked me into my apartment and started the fire, right?
