Page 18 of The Hive

“I should probably go smooth this over,” he whispered and left me to my bath. The smack of knuckles on flesh and a yowl of pain from Ghost came from the outer chamber as soon as he was through the door. “Ow, fucker, that hurt!”

I heard another smack of skin on skin and a yelp from Ghost again.

Shadow barked a retort. “That’s the point.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. They shared a deep bond of friendship that I envied. I wished there was a place in the universe that I fit as well as these alphas fit together. Maybe one day I would find that place, but I doubted I would get the chance unless I escaped my gilded prison.

Chapter Eighteen

Saphyra

By the time I was ready to call it quits, I shook so hard I thought my teeth might break. The freezing temperature against my skin was unbearable, so I quickly washed myself in the scent neutralizing soap and rinsed off with cold water. The noises outside the door had escalated into a full-scale battle, complete with grunting and the crash of furniture clattering across the ground. With no time to spare, I grabbed my towel and dried off. That’s when I noticed I had forgotten to bring in a change of clothes.

The alphas sounded distracted, so I wrapped myself securely in the length of terry cloth and stepped out of the bathing room to find my decoys wrestling on the floor. Consumed by their antics, neither seemed to notice me as they tried to gain an advantage over one another.

I had no interest in drawing attention to myself in my less-than-clothed state, so I darted into the wardrobe as silently as my bare feet would carry me. My mandated options were slim, and with each set of pajamas I wore, the amount of fabric used got smaller and covered less skin. There were no more pants of any kind, only panties. The tops were all tiny dresses that barely reached the top of my thighs, many of them see-through, mesh, or lace. I grabbed the largest pair of underthings, a sort of stretchy shorts style that rode low on my hips and only covered half of my bottom cheeks, paired with a silk babydoll dress. At least it wasn’t translucent like most of the others. Barely covered, but as modest as I was going to get without having to suffer through another punishment, I made my way into the bedroom.

Ghost and Shadow halted their tussle in a tangle of flailing limbs. Both dark and light eyes raked over my exposed flesh with deliberate slowness. I was chilled from the bath, but the look stamped on both their faces did a good job warming me up. “It was the most conservative thing left in the closet, unless I wanted to try sleeping in my uniform again.” I shrugged, hoping that explanation was enough.

Ghost untangled himself first and stood up. “It’s fine, princess. We have to play by the rules.” The heat in his eyes proved it was more than fine with him, and that his restraint was wearing thin. “When you’re ready for bed, we have an idea.”

I flushed pink at the thought of ideas regarding the sleeping situation. “I’m ready.”

Shadow got up off the ground and straightened his twisted T-shirt before motioning me to the nest. Doing my best to stall without making it obvious, I fluffed a few pillows and rearranged a blanket. It felt right to ensure everything was perfect before I entered or invited anyone else in. It wasn’t as comforting as the safe cocoon it had been when I’d first lain in it, but it was somewhat improved. Maybe with work and some trust, the warm embrace would soothe me like it had the first time.

There was something different about tonight. Ghost and Shadow stood on the outside of the draperies, watching as I made myself comfortable in the center of perfectly placed blankets and pillows, but they stayed right where they were.

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

As if they had been waiting for the invitation, they finally crawled in with me between them. Rather than how it was the night before, Shadow arranged himself close to my side and Ghost nuzzled into my neck. A flare of something hot and filled with promise flickered in my chest. I liked the way they felt resting against me, and I arched into them, hoping for more.

The warm huff of Ghost’s quiet laughter brushed across my skin. “As much as I would love to do every naughty thing I’m imagining right now, that’s not on the menu for tonight.” He pressed a kiss just below my ear that sent my pulse racing and whispered, “I need to look at the nest. You said there is a cover that closes over it, and I want to see how it works. But we can’t have the camera spying. Shadow will block the view on his side, but it needs to look like we are taking our decoy duties seriously while I find the control panel. All you have to do is follow my lead.”

Ghost rose to his knees, tugged his shirt off over his pristine abs, and then nudged my legs apart, settling his hips between them. His heavy weight hovering over me felt amazing, and my tummy clenched in anticipation. He smiled down at me and brushed my damp hair back from my face. “Don’t worry, princess, I’ll be as fast as I can.” The sparkle in his eyes matched the self-deprecating smile on his lips. “Never thought I’d say those words while nestled between a pretty omega’s thighs.”

Shadow sat up, moving to sit near my head, his shoulder propped against the wall behind us and his body turned toward me so his torso shielded Ghost’s hands and my face. He growled. “Stop fucking around and get it done.”

He was always so grumpy. I shifted to stare at him and got an eye full of the tent in his pants. I understood now. To the camera, it would seem like I was performing fellatio on him. If that was the case, I’d hope he would be in a better mood. That thought made me smile, and I coughed to cover a laugh.

Ghost reached up past me toward where the nest met the wall, his eyes intent on his task, but he heard my poorly covered reaction to Shadow’s barb and rocked his hips against the apex of my thighs. “What’s so funny, princess?”

Whatever had been funny dissolved, and I gasped as he rubbed his solid length against my core. The thin barrier of his sleeping pants and my panties did little to dampen the friction or heat pressing against my center. Shadow grumbled, but from where I was lying, I could see his concealed thickness twitch and swell.

If I was going to be stuck like this for a while, I might as well enjoy myself. In moderation, anyway. I could tease them as long as I didn’t get too worked up myself. My grumpy decoy deserved a bit of a hard time after the shitty attitude he always had.

Squirming under Ghost’s weight, I settled my head on Shadow’s thigh, dangerously close to what he was hiding under his soft, loose pants. My cheek nestled against his leg. I looked up at him through my lashes. The pulsing tick in his jaw was enough to prove my teasing was affecting him even without witnessing the ever-growing bulge ill-concealed by his clothes. I curled my legs up and around Ghost’s waist, and he grunted as I heard something bang against the wall.

“Saphyra, you gotta behave, baby. I can’t concentrate with you wiggling under me like that.” He glanced at me from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the now open panel along the top of the nest. Guilt settled over me, knowing all our lives potentially hinged on him figuring this out, but it felt so nice to be pressed between two warm bodies.

Shadow’s leg was tense under my cheek, and he stared down at me like he wished he could stab me with his eyes alone. But, he wasn’t the one working on a delicate circuit board right now. He had no excuse to avoid my teasing.

I nuzzled my face against his thigh, edging closer to the treasure hidden behind the fabric encasing that firm ridge that was extended up toward his waistband. Much to both of our surprise, my hands snaked out from under Ghost to caress Shadow’s thighs. “May as well make it look believable, right?” I asked before nudging closer.

The low growl from Shadow’s throat was far from a glowing endorsement, but it wasn’t a no either. My curious fingers continued up his corded muscles to brush against the bulge hidden by his pants. As soon as the featherlight touch fluttered over his firm length, he flinched and sucked in a breath. “You shouldn’t do that, little omega.”

“And why is that, decoy? Are you afraid you might like it?” My words were breathy and laced with a deep wantonness that I wasn’t expecting. I reminded myself I was only supposed to be teasing him, not getting myself worked up.

Shadow’s growl was deeper than before when he asked, “Are you almost done?”

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