Page 13 of The Price of Ice

The next thing he knew, they’d arrived and Levy and he were the only guys left on the vehicle. He looked up and met his friend’s eyes, the soft hazel of them half taken up by his enlarged pupils. But it was kind of dark in the van, really.

“Should I...?” Levy asked. His voice was lower, raspier, like he’d— “Should I tell them?”

Kallen didn’t get a chance to answer before they were asked to get off the shuttle and then they were out into the crisp night air. He shivered at the contrast with his burning skin and standing on his own two feet again made him realise he wasn’t as steady as he’d thought. It wasn’t even a heartbeat later that he felt something bump his hand and saw Levy was shoving a hoodie at him. “Oh, thanks.” He took it, and his friend took Kallen’s bag off his hand so he could put it on.

It wasn’t until he had his head deep in it that it hit him—Levy’s scent, pure and unmitigated delight mixed with the sandalwood deodorant he favoured. Analpha’sscent.

It made him freeze for a moment, to be surrounded by that scent; his brain lighting up like the best rush of adrenaline after scoring. Only it wasn’t adrenaline, but a slow, soft sensation, the sun coming down when you were in bed, cosy and safe and knowing all you needed to do was close your eyes and rest.

He must have swayed a little because Levy reached out with both hands to take him by the elbows, eyes wide and alarmed when Kallen could finally see him again. “No, it’s...” He tried to explain, but words were becoming harder. What need was there for words? What else could he ask for than this?

“Let’s check in,” Levy decided. “Then you can relax in your room.”

Kallen would have probably gone along with much worse plans than that, so he followed as Levy dealt with the people at reception for him, most of his focus on not collapsing into the warmth of his friend’s body and just letting Levy hold him.

The first thing he noticed was that the room had two queen-sized beds. Some of their teammates shared hotel rooms, but of course as the team’s sole omega Kallen had never been asked to. Because he was supposed to sleep with his teammates, of course, but only when Management decided he should.

Levy had unlocked the door and stepped through it first, but he’d immediately turned to look at him. “Come in,” he told Kallen, pointing with his chin for emphasis.

Kallen smiled at him, stumbling inside and going straight for the nearest bed, sprawling on top of the covers and rolling over to grin up at him.

Even in his relaxed state, it was impossible to miss Levy was watching him with open wariness.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning a little. “You did good,” he thought to reassure. “You got me here.”

The alpha’s lips parted and there went his throat working visibly. Kallen wanted to lick the long column of it, which was probably weird for an omega, but you could just see all of Levy’s strength there—more subtle than in his arms or back, but still...

“Kallen?” His friend was waving a hand in front of his face. “You okay?”

Kallen nodded. “Yeah, I... I’m okay, but you...” He licked his lips, squirming until he could sit up. “You are not...” He glanced down, cutting himself off before the words could escape him.You are not touching me.

He had just enough sense to know it wasn’t the right thing to say, but not enough to figure out what was.

Levy huffed and Kallen felt him stepping away and raised his gaze to follow. His teammate had the room service phone to hisear, body turned away from Kallen. It hurt to see, something small inside him cringing at the implicit rejection. Levy had walked him to his room and taken care of sorting everything out, and now, of course, he understood, he wasstilldoing that. Heat was extremely physically demanding, and they’d need food.

The sound of the phone being hung up startled him out of his thoughts.

“Kallen,” Levy said, arms wrapped around himself, knuckles white where he was squeezing his forearms. “I gotta... You asked me to be here, but I gotta call them. I mean...” He glanced away, biting his lip. “You—” He shook his head. “I don’t want to, but I will do what you asked me anyway.”

The mind fog was so bad that it took him a minute to process what Levy even meant—the alpha’s anxiety was invading the room like poison and Kallen was wide open to it. Levy was already at the door when he managed, “Don’t.”

It came out whiny and pathetic, but Levy turned back to him anyway, eyes seeking his own.

Kallen had to close his own eyes to finish. “Don’t leave.”

“I’m not,” Levy said. “I just... I was gonna step outside to call the captain.”

Kallen shook his head, clutching at the bedding between his knees. His face was burning and his body felt lax, and he was terrified out of his mind because he wasn’t safe, and he couldn’t be alone. He knew, as clearly as he knew he needed air, that he wouldn’t survive alone.

“Okay,” the alpha agreed, voice going soft. “Just... Go get yourself some water from the mini fridge and drink it very slowly.” The words were still gentle but loaded with power.

It was like they’d activated Kallen’s body for him. He found himself moving without intending to. But it wasn’t scary like orders from alphas had been in the past, he could just do this for Levy because he knew Levy was looking outfor him. And itwas a task requiring enough of his attention that he only caught a few words of the whispered conversation his friend was having by the door.

Chapter 7

In a way, McKinley’s arrival was a relief. The captain had no doubts or mixed feelings about what was supposed to happen, and when he came up to the bed and took Kallen by the throat to guide him into a kiss, neither did Kallen.

Levy’s hoodie was pulled off his body, quickly followed by his shirt and then his shoes, trousers and underwear. It felt good, the captain’s strong hands soothing the rising heat under his skin, his scent a clear signal to his hindbrain that he’d get what he needed.

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