Page 24 of Cause Of Death

And most important of all,why the FUCK am I so aroused right now?

I stare down in horror at the spreading wetness seeping from between my thighs, my mind refusing to believe the evidence before my very eyes.I don’t get this horny or produce this much slick outside of a heat!

Closing my eyes, I take several deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself. Instead, I get a lungful of cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange blending deliciously with beeswax, lemongrass, and freshly cut wood. Another muffled groan has my eyes flying open and glancing over to Henley.

Oh.

Fuck.

Me.

Please?

Henley’s still asleep, and from the scene unraveling before me, it’s deep enough to have him dreaming.

One arm is flung out from his body, his massive hand gripping the blankets covering the mattress. His burnt umber skin glistens beneath the gaping tank that doesn’t really cover his massive chest, with the side ripped enough to expose hisoblique and serratus muscles, as well as the dark disc of his nipple. His lower body is clothed in a pair of old sweats that are torn off at the knees, his other hand buried beneath the waistband. The enormous tent his erection has pitched in his pants isn’t going to go away soon, not if the rhythmic movement of his hand is any indication.

I watch, enthralled, my breath locked inside my chest as I don’t dare risk disturbing the unconscious yet erotic performance. The angelic Wisp on my shoulder whispers that I should really look away, because this is a violation of Hen’s privacy. The lustful, horny omega Wisp on the other side, though? Nope, she’sallfor this show, and is even urging me to either tug down Henley’s shorts for a better view, or perhaps finally take him up on his offer and ride the monster trouser python he has until we’re branded on each other’s souls for all eternity.

I don’t get the chance to decide. With a louder, strangled moan Henley erupts, the dark and swollen, plum-shaped head of his cock clearing his waistband as he thrusts up into his fist. Creamy spurts of cum flow over his hand and drip down onto his abdomen, saturating the air with his concentrated lemongrass scent. He shifts his hand down to grip his knot, and as he does, three things simultaneously occur:

Henley’s eyes snap open and stare into mine with heated desire and longing.

My skin tightens and burns, my belly cramps with arousal, and a flood of slick pours from between my thighs in a gush.

Kieran speaks.

“Holy shit, that is fuckinghot!Dude, I don’t know who you are, or where I am, but if I promise to be a good boy, will you let me lick you clean?”

I swear,you can almost cut the tension and awkwardness with a knife right now. Leslie, Kimberly, and Steve are all smirking at one another, I’m flipping them off while trying to organize breakfast, Henley is studiously ignoring Kieran and pretending nothing is out of the ordinary, and Kieran is doing his best to needle Henley and me about the mess in the nest.

Kieran’s outburst prompted Henley to bolt out of the blanket fort like his dick was on fire, almost pulling the entire thing down on top of us all in his haste to escape. I was tempted to “Wisp out,” but decided to pull up my metaphorical big girl panties instead. I led Kieran to the bathroom so we could both take care of business—and take a cold shower, in my case—before hauling him through the house and into the combined kitchen/dining room. Steve was already there, so I’d asked him quietly to help me sort out the soiled bedding, because up to this point in my life, Steve has been my steady, reliable support.

Apparently, that’s no longer the case.

“I still don’t understand why you needed to rope Leslie and Kimberly in to help, Steve,” I grumble as I roughly stab at the bacon sizzling in the pan on the stove top. Steve’s beside me, flipping pancakes like a pro between sly smirks and pointed jabs with the other traitors in our family.

“Because we don’t hide things from each other, short-stack. You know that.”

I continue to wordlessly grumble, dissatisfied with his logical response. The only reason I don’t kick him in the shins is because Gizmo is winding his way around Steve’s and my legs, hoping we’ll drop a morsel for him to gobble up.

Plus, an omega could break her toes on the concrete pillars otherwise known as Steve’s shins. No thanks. Not today, Satan.

“Dee,” Kimberly scolds, scooting around the bench to where I’m standing and snuggles into my side, “you can’t really blame Steve for telling us. I know your predicted heat schedule probably better than you do, as does Leslie. You shouldn’t be showing signs of its approach this early. You’re not due for an increase in body temperature or extra production of your natural lubricant for atleastanother month at the earliest. Yet here you are flooding out the nest, your temperature is spiking, and you have stomach cramps and excessive perfume.” My sister-of-my-heart pulls back, the concern blanketing her face giving me pause.

“I also know when your next heat suppressant injection is due, because I was with you when you had your last one, Disa. This shouldn’t be happening yet, and neither Leslie nor I are able to figure out why it is. Worst of all, we can’t get our hands on a round of emergency suppressants without painting a target on our backs, and we never thought to pack any, either.”

“Uh, you don’t haveanysuppressants at all? Like, not even some generic, over-the-counter ones?” Kieran butts in, and the fear in his tone cuts through everything else. To my surprise, Henley strides over to him and pulls him into his chest, emitting a sound I never thought I’d hear him make for anyone outside of our family—a low, rumbling purr meant to soothe an omega to their very bones.

“It’ll be okay, Kieran. We know you need medication for your condition, and Leslie’s been working on that. However, with everything that’s going on, it might be best if we contact someone youknowis trustworthy, and perhaps they can bring whatever meds you need along with them. Do you think you can hold out until then?”

Bitter orange floods the room with Kieran’s distress, and with it Steve and Leslie both join Henley and Kieran’s huddle. My own stomach twists itself in knots, a whine of distress fighting to escape my throat. I swallow it down and turn back to the stove, switching the knobs off so the food doesn’t burn. I’m not the one who needs to be comforted right now, and I’m not about to pull anyone away from Kieran, either.

“I’m on Polar,” Kieran whimpers, and I freeze. So do Kimberly and Leslie. Steve and Henley look to us, perplexed.

Kimberly is the one who explains just how deep in the shit we now are.

“Polar is a very specialized omega suppressant. It’s also incredibly difficult to obtain, andobscenelyexpensive. We can’t just go and pick up a box of it at the local Walmart pharmacy. Polar not only suppresses an omega’s heat, it actually blocks them from experiencing them at all. It’s part of the reason why it’s so selective. Generally, omegas are prescribed it long-term, in cases where it’s best if their heat is blocked. These cases may include early-onset puberty, experiencing heats more often than usual, or if the omega has a medical condition where going through their heat could exacerbate their symptoms or illness. It’s also used if an omega is undergoing other intensive medical treatments.” Kimberly releases me to walk over to Henley, shoving Leslie and Steve out of the way and cuddling up to Kieran as much as Henley’s arms will allow, nuzzling along the omega’s shoulders and spine.

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