“Thanks for the ride,” I tossed at the young, petite omega in the front seat.
She gave me a single nod, waiting until we were at the front doors before pulling calmly away from the curb.
There were people in the building lobby, but with the guys surrounding Kiara, no one looked too hard. They could smell an omega in heat, and no one wanted to get on the bad side of her alphas.
In the elevator we were alone, and whenever it stopped on another floor, Ambrose stood in the doorway and shook his head. Then, we were in their apartment. The place was oddly… empty, but I didn’t have a chance to assess it.
Ambrose bundled Kiara and I into a bathroom, closing the door behind us.
“Both of you in the shower,” he commanded.
I lifted an eyebrow, even as the order sent a shiver down my spine. He turned pleading brown eyes on me, adding a soft, “Please.”
My response was to undo the zipper on my dress, sliding it down my body until it pooled on the floor. Kiara groaned, reaching out to touch me but stopping when I pinned her with a look. She was undressed in seconds, clothes discarded and her knife placed lovingly on the counter in its holster.
I took off my panties, then stepped under the warm spray Ambrose had gotten ready for us.
“I need you to clean and bandage that bite mark on her neck,” Ambrose said. “If it’s visible…”
He trailed off. I knew what he was getting at. If I didn’t already have a bondmark on her neck, I’d be tempted to bite her to make sure no one else could. The other alpha seemed to be struggling with similar impulses.
Not that I thought Kiara would be upset by a bite from him, but she’d been through a lot this heat. It might be best to keep the good memories away from the bad. Give her a chance to process almost being bonded against her will, too.
“Come here, dove,” I murmured, holding my arms out for Kiara.
She stepped into them, sighing when the torrent hit her. It washed away some of the evidence, blood-tinged water circling the drain. Her slick flesh slid against mine, and I was wet in more ways than one.
When Ambrose handed me a bottle of shampoo, I squirted some into my hand. The scentless shampoo sudsed up her hair, getting rid of all the blood in it. She hissed when the soap hit her injury, but I soothed her with a soft purr.
I washed the rest of her, Ambrose handing me products as I went. She went still when I paid special attention to the attempted claiming, whimpering. Her whimpers were for a different reason altogether when I moved soapy hands down to her breasts, playing with them gently.
“Leighton, I want a knot,” she murmured when I was almost done cleaning her up. “I’m scared it’s going to hurt again if I wait too long.”
I kissed her cheek, nodding. “All your alphas are going to fill you up, don’t worry. I’m going to dry your hair and bandage you up, and then we’ll be set for however long you need.”
“Forever. I need forever.”
I laughed, but she wasn’t kidding. The possessive omega was too intense to kid about forever.
Ambrose left the room for me to bandage her injuries. It was hard for me to do—and I was already bonded to her for life, plus as a female alpha my instincts were slightly less potent than his. I couldn’t imagine what he’d wanted to do to the alpha who bit Kiara.
I wanted to kill Cordian. Forced to do it or not, he was a fucking coward.
“Thank you,” Kiara murmured when I finished up.
The scent of her was thick in the air of this small room, her slick a puddle on the side of the tub where she sat. I ran my hands down her sides, over the faint bruises on her hips where Ambrose had grabbed her during sex, and along her outer thighs. She was stunning, her pale skin flushed with heat.
“Can I have a taste of you before I’ve got to share?” I asked.
She yelped when I spread her legs, bracing her hands on the edge of the tub. “Do you not want to share?” she asked.
I chuckled, gathering some of her slick on my fingers and bringing them to my mouth. “I’ll share you, but only with them. I’m just a little used to having you all to myself.”
She moaned, losing her grip on the edge of the tub and threatening to fall backward. I caught her around the waist, helping her keep her balance. It brought us close together, my breath mixing with hers.
“Dash stole another first while you were gone,” she whispered.
Our lips brushed. “Oh?”
