Page 149 of Unhinged Omega

"Yes, tacky. Like those," I say, pointing at Nikolai's crimson leather boots just to shut him up. His laughter dries up immediately and he gives me a glare that could peel the polish off them.

"Perhaps it's time to redecorate," Raven says, his smile wavering.

I blink. "Don't tell meyou'rethe owner."

"Guilty," Raven says with a sigh. "And I'll happily raze it to the ground if you like, but it will always hold a special place in my heart for being the place where I first laid eyes on you."

I blink, realizing he's dead serious.

Aboutallof it.

The weary look on Geo's face is confirmation enough of that.

"I don't remember seeing you there," I say flatly. Then again, I tend to tune out when Monty is doing his bullshit. At least when a female alpha has him gagged and half choked to death, I don't have to listen to his incessant whining.

"You were unconscious," Raven says, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Those barbarians absconded with you before I could stop them."

"The Ghosts?" I ask. It seems like that all happened a lifetime ago. It might as well have. I'm not sure even Azarel would recognize me now. Traipsing around the Outer Reaches in secondhand clothing, covered in raider blood,unmoisturized.

How far I've fallen.

Then again, the blond alpha looks pretty put together. Maybe he has some actual shampoo I can use. Gods, what I would give for a hot bath.

"Yes, them," Raven says with a curl of his lip. "That's how I found out you were being held hostage by Nikolai."

"I wasn't holding her hostage. I was the middleman keeping her for ransom," Nikolai corrects him.

"Is there a difference?" Raven hisses. "The poor girl is probably traumatized all the same! You have no idea how to treat an omega."

"Yeah, got me there, considering you practicallyareone," Nikolai counters.

That makes the blond snap. He actually lunges and wraps his hands around Nikolai's neck with a snarl. The Knight tenses and steps in front of me with a heavy stomp that shakes the room, but Raven doesn't even seem to notice.

I watch with both irritation and amusement as Raven and Nikolai grapple. For all his delicate features and dramatic flair, Raven's clearly no stranger to fighting dirty. His knee comes up sharply, aiming for Nikolai's groin, but the larger alpha blocks it easily.

"Are they always like this?" I ask Geo, who looks about as done with this situation as I feel.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, his eye closed in obvious frustration. "More or less."

Beside me, the Knight shifts restlessly, another low growl building in his chest. I stroke his arm to try to calm him down, but honestly, I'm tempted to just let him loose.

It would certainly solve several of my problems at once.

"Enough!" Geo finally barks, though it isn't quite a full-blown alpha bark, striding forward to separate them. He grabs Raven by the back of his shirt and hauls him away from Nikolai with surprising ease. "You're the one who made me spare thisasshole's life, so what was the point if you're just going to strangle him now?"

Raven smooths down his rumpled clothes, shooting Nikolai a venomous glare. "Clearly, that was an error in judgment."

"Fuck off, princess," Nikolai snaps, rubbing his throat where Raven's fingers left red marks.

"I hate to interrupt whatever... this is," I say, gesturing vaguely at the testosterone-fueled drama unfolding before me, "but I really need to be going." I pause, considering. "Though I wouldn't say no to a shower first."

The reaction is immediate and almost comical. All three alphas tense, exchanging panicked looks.

"You can't leave," Nikolai says firmly.

"Absolutely not," Raven agrees. From the shocked look Geo gives him, it's probably the first and last time they'll ever be on the same page about anything.

"Look," I say with a tired sigh, crossing my arms. "I've been held captive more than enough for a hundred lifetimes, and I'm fucking done with it. So unless you want me to feed you to my large andverycarnivorous bodyguard—who's feeling quite peckish since I wouldn't let him eat the last few assholes who tried to take me against my will—I suggest you choose the easy way."

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