Page 23 of Cause Of Death

I guess I’ll just have to keep telling myself that until it sinks in.

It’s wellpast midnight by the time I pull into the drive of the corner lot that houses our safe house. It’s a newer purchase, one made in the aftermath of Disa’s induction into the Guild.

We’ve each always had our own spaces, houses or apartments we bought after we left the orphanage. Even though we hadn’t been neglected or abused while there, the damage ofbeing abandoned by our families at such young and vulnerable ages has always run deep. None of us ever want to find ourselves in the position of being alone, defenseless, and without any prospects to assist us, so we pooled our finances together to purchase a number of domiciles. While not all of them will fit the five of us, we all have keys to each other’s houses. Disa and Kimmy live in the one with their names on the deed, which is also the largest of them all. Leslie has a three-bedroom condo in Los Angeles. Steve has one half of a neat little two-bed duplex in Sacramento, while I have the other.

The moment Disa metaphorically signed on the dotted line with theFemme Fatale Freakshow, the five of us decided to pool our resources once again and purchase a couple of safe houses, large enough to comfortably fit us all. Not just that, but they’ve all been retrofitted to survive a zombie apocalypse. You know, just in case. You can’t be too careful when it comes to dealing with the dregs of society, especially if you’re the one preventing them from further polluting the gene pool.

Leslie had found a suitable five bed, three bath home in San Diego while they were in the city for a job, while the house in Redding had been discovered by Steve when he was taking a break between bounties. He’d really lucked out with that one.

It’s a brick-built ranch with high ceilings and a lifted roof. The master suite had originally included a walk-in closet large enough that we’d converted it into a roomy—albeit currentlyempty—nest. So that in the eventuality that Disa finally experiences a proper heat, we were prepared. The other three original bedrooms are spacious and share two full-sized bathrooms. The covered porch at the rear of the house has been enclosed and converted into another large bedroom and bathroom, and the attic space has been modified into two long rooms with a heavy-duty HVAC installed. When we first bought the house, Kimberly and Leslie called dibs on the attic roomsand plotted out how to best set up their multitude of servers and other machines in the larger one. They decided the other, smaller room would suffice for their gaming systems—especially since they decided to install an overhead projector and drop-down screen for their gaming pleasure instead of just using a large flat-screen television.

I maneuver the car to the double garage attached yet offset at the side of the house. There’s another, single garage at the end, perfect for storage, but it currently sits empty. The double doors of the main garage space open, thanks to the sensor stuck to the windshield behind the rear-view mirror. The lights inside flicker on as soon as the motion sensors register the SUV entering the space. We all sit in silence as the door quietly closes behind us, shutting us all in.

“Okay, gang. Let’s get this beast unloaded, and then those of us that got some shut-eye on the trip can unpack and keep an eye out, while the rest of us get some rest. I don’t think we’re in any danger as yet, but I’m happy to keep watch until morning, all the same.” Steve’s voice is soft, but his quiet authority is there, nonetheless.

“What about Kieran? He’s still out of it, Hen, and I’m worried,” Disa pipes up, and she’s not wrong. While the omega’s colorhasimproved, we don’t know yet if he’ll need additional care. From what she’s told us about his condition, he requires medication we simply don’t have to ensure his ongoing health.

“I’ll carry him into the master suite, and you and I will tend to him, little Wisp. He knows you, trusts you, so I’m happy to follow your lead. If what you said in the car about this Adam guy is true, then we’ll see if we can get him to join us over the next day or two, and perhaps get him to bring along whatever meds Kieran needs.” My statement is met with a round of relieved smiles and nods.

The mass exodus from the vehicle only takes a couple of minutes, with Steve and Leslie traipsing back and forth between the house and the garage to unload the car’s cargo area. I have no doubt that Kimmy is closeted away somewhere out of the way with Gizmo, setting up her workstation and bringing all our security measures online. I also wouldn’t be surprised if she’s placing an online grocery order with expedited shipping so that there’s food and other necessities for us all by morning.

As soon as Steve and Leslie have cleared enough of the SUV, I step forward. My hands are gentle as I tug Kieran from his seat and into my arms, his weight almost negligible. Disa hovers around me like a bee buzzing around a flower as I carry him inside, following the voices through the main living area and into the section of the house where the bedrooms are all situated.

The bed in the master suite has been completely stripped of all bedding. I’m not surprised. Injured or ill omegas tend to prefer recovering in their nest, and while this one doesn’t have the same familiar smells and textures of Kieran’s own nest, it’s better than leaving him exposed to the world.

I grin as Disa hurries forward to snatch several blankets out of Leslie’s hands, clutching them to her.

“No, we’ll need these to make a blanket fort. I don’t know if you’ve got any hooks on hand, but if not, we’ll improvise until we can get some. We’ll also need to buy candles, fairy lights, and squishmallows tomorrow.” Disa turns and tosses a blanket at Steve as he rounds the doorway, the unexpected projectile hitting him in the face before he has a chance to catch or deflect it.

“Here you go, Paul Bunyon. Put your enormous height to good use and hang those up for me, won’t you?” Disa sasses while Steve simply does as ordered.

Whoever thought that alphas were the bosses of a pack has never seen a cherished omega in their element. We are slaves totheir whims and happiness, and while an alpha’s bark may be effective for short-term control, an omega’s joy and playfulness has the ability to securely leash us.

Thanks to Steve’s ingenuous use of safety pins and books, Leslie’s creativity and flair, and Disa’s steady supply of suggestions and constructive criticism, it doesn’t take long before the empty ex-closet is now a snug and inviting blanket fort. While Disa shoos the others out of the master suite, I gently kneel down and set Kieran in the middle of a towel that’s been laid on top of the mound of blankets, pillows, and whatever soft furnishings have been hauled inside.

I remove his shoes but leave the rest of his clothing as is, not wanting to overstep and possibly cause the guy any further trauma. Judging by the battered state of him, the dude has suffered enough.

“Hey, Hen? Can I get you to help me clean Kieran up? I don’t know that I’ll feel comfortable undressing him or doing it all by myself.”

I grimace. I don’t know what would be worse for Kieran—a strange woman undressing him, or a strange alpha. Either way, we can’t leave him in the state he’s in, and not just because it can’t be comfortable for him. We also need to check him thoroughly for injuries, and make sure nothing has transferred from the abandoned ruin to the nest we’ve just set up beneath him.

Hence the towel.

I mentally brace myself for the potential fallout when Kieran wakes up, but there’s no other choice. Not just because it’s the right thing to do to make sure he hasn’t sustained any hidden injuries, but also because my alpha nature won’t let me leave an omega in this state, even if they’re not mine.

I just hope he forgives me.

Amuffled groan jerks me awake, not that the restless dozing I’ve been doing could be considered remotely close to sleeping. I immediately check on Kieran, frowning at the heat pumping from his body. His skin glistens with perspiration, yet he is neither pale nor flushed. In fact, he looks more like he did yesterday while in his apartment—that is, healthy.

Kieran’s breathing is deep and even, his eyes closed and his mouth slack with sleep as he softly snores. My gaze roves over his form, undressed except for a pair of incredibly soft—and therefore incredibly expensive—lounge pants that I nabbed from Leslie last night.

Henley and I had given the unconscious omega a sponge bath, taking care of his wounds and making sure there was no leftover debris that could irritate his skin further. We had both balked at stripping his boxer briefs from his body, but as we also didn’t feel right leaving him wearing day-old underwear, we’d draped a towel over his hips, working together to strip them offand wipe him down. It wasn’t the best job, but it was better than nothing, and the moment we tugged those bamboo lounge pants back over Kieran’s hips, Hen and I had breathed a sigh of relief.

My eyes catch on the rather impressive tenting at Kieran’s groin, and I blush as I silently berate myself for ogling the poor guy. He’s unconscious, injured, and isWAAAAAYout of his normal comfort zone. The last thing the guy needs is another horny omega perving on him while he’s sleeping.

Wait, what?

I mentally shake myself at my own thoughts.Anotherhorny omega? Why the fuck did I think that? What the hell is going on with me?

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