Page 169 of Unhinged Omega

And what the fuck am I, then? As much inconvenience as it causes me, I have a bond with Raven. A bond that feels like it's tightening around me by the minute.

Goddammit.

As we enter the opulent guest suite, Cosima's steps quicken. Her bare feet make no sound on the thick carpeting. The silk robe Raven lent her ripples like water against her lush curves with each graceful movement.

I catch myself watching the hypnotic sway of her wide hips and force my gaze elsewhere.

Focus, you fucking fool.

"Just be careful. He's weakened, but don't piss him off," she says when we reach the ornate door leading to where she left the Knight. Even from the hall, I can hear him growling softly with nearly every breath, like a dozing beast.

Careful isn't exactly my strong suit. "Weak or not, he's still dangerous. Stay behind me."

I draw my sidearm before pushing the door open. The hinges whisper silently. I keep everything well-maintained down here. Can't have squeaky doors giving shit away.

The Knight lies sprawled across the king-sized bed, his massive frame making the furniture look almost comically small. His broad chest rises and falls in slow breaths. The silver mask Cosima found for him is still firmly in place, his choppy white hair spilling onto the bed like a halo.

With the mask and all the blood washed out of his hair and off his muscled body, he looks less like a wasteland monster and more like a scarred war god.

A war god that's awake.

And watching us.

His feral blue gaze flicks to Cosima, then to me again. A lower, deeper growl that makes my teeth ache rumbles in his chest.

"Quite the house guest you've brought me," I mutter, keeping my gun trained on him. Even asleep, he radiates menace.

"Put your gun down," Cosima mutters. She moves past me before I can stop her, approaching the bed with no apparent fear.

I tighten my grip on the gun. "You sure about that, princess?"

She ignores me, perching delicately on the edge of the bed. One small hand reaches out to rest on the Knight's human arm. The growling cuts off abruptly.

"See?" She glances back at me. "He's perfectly safe."

As if to prove her wrong, the Knight suddenly lunges upright with shocking speed. Those razor-sharp talons lash out.

Not at Cosima, but at me.

I barely manage to dodge backward, his metal claws whistling past my face close enough to stir the air. My back hits the wall hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.

"Fuck!" The curse explodes from me as I level my gun at the Knight's head. My finger tightens on the trigger...

"No!" Cosima's voice cracks like a whip. She places herself between us, one hand still resting on the Knight's arm. "He's just protecting me. Put. The. Gun. Down."

The Knight has gone completely still, but that deadly hand remains extended toward me. Ready to strike the moment I make a wrong move.

For a long moment, nobody moves. The only sound is our ragged breathing.

Finally, slowly, I lower the gun.

But I don't holster it.

I'm notthattrusting.

"That'swhat you call perfectly safe?" I growl.

"He thought you were going to hurt me," she says calmly. "He's... protective."

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