Page 118 of Daisy
He reaches for the blanket that got tangled at the foot of the bed, pulling it up to wrap around my shoulders. The gesture is so caring, so protective, it makes my chest tight with emotion.
I press my palm flat against his chest, feeling his heartbeat strong and steady beneath my hand. He immediately covers my hand with his, then wraps his other arm around me, holding me close.
"Better?" he asks, nuzzling into my hair.
"Perfect," I say, meaning it completely. The cramping that's been plaguing me all morning has eased some. But I can still feel the underlying tension in my body. The restless energy that had me unable to sit still has calmed slightly. But it's still there. Simmering under my skin. The bonding helps. But my heat is still coming whether I'm bonded or not.
For a moment, everything is peaceful. Just us, wrapped in each other's arms, learning what it means to be bonded. I think I could stay like this forever.
Heavy footsteps echo through the cabin. Multiple sets. Coming closer.
Then the bedroom door slams open.
Three very big alphas are standing there looking very angry. Dante's ice-blue eyes are blazing. Cassian looks murderous. Hawk's fists are clenched at his sides.
August comes between them, his eyes immediately going to my throat. Then he looks at Gunner, his hazel eyes wide with shock and something like betrayal.
"What did you do?"
Chapter 31
Hawk
"Battery life on these things is supposed to be six months." I hold up the trail camera, checking the indicator light. "But out here? With how little sun we get this time of year? Maybe four."
Dante nods, methodical as always. He's crouching down by the base of a massive pine tree, adjusting the camera angle and testing the solar panel positioning. "Better to check them monthly anyway."
We're a full two miles from the cabin. Two miles down this winding dirt road that barely deserves the name. The main access road—if you can call two tire tracks through the woods a road—is another mile past this tree line.
Anyone coming for us will have to come this way. And now we'll know about it with enough time to grab Daisy and run.
"You think I'm paranoid," Dante says. Not a question.
"I think you're thorough." I adjust the camera angle, making sure it covers the approach from both directions. "There's a difference. Besides, with your level of security planning, we could probably spot a squirrel with ill intentions from here."
The corner of his mouth twitches. Actual progress. Who knew Mr. Stone Face has a sense of humor buried under all that tactical gear?
"Squirrels can be dangerous," he says, deadpan. "Especially the ones with tiny acorns and big attitudes."
"Holy shit, did Dante just make a joke?" I grin at him. "Someone alert the media. Better yet, don't—we're supposed to be hiding."
He actually huffs out a laugh. "Don't get used to it."
"Too late. I'm already planning to tell everyone back at the cabin that you have a personality under all that brooding."
We work steadily for a few minutes. His hands are steady, precise. Everything about his approach screams military training, but there's something else there too. A carefulness that goes beyond protocol.
"Can I ask you something?" I say, testing the motion sensor's range.
"Shoot."
"When you were guarding events at the Omega House, did you ever think about what those omegas were going through?"
Dante's hands still on the camera. For a moment, I think he won't answer.
"Every damn day," he says quietly. "Especially with Daisy. She was so young when she started attending events. Fifteen, maybe sixteen. And she'd get this look..." He shakes his head. "Like she was drowning and nobody could see it."
"But you saw it."
