Page 182 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
“We brought your blanket,” he says gruffly.
“Yeah,” I agree readily, nodding with enthusiasm.
He licks his lips, and shyly looks at his boots as he says, “If you get cold, I can keep you warm.”
“Thanks,” I beam, happy he’s not shutting me out and I got a positive reaction from him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He nods and returns his attention to the makeshift bed, straightening a few stray branches before laying a canvas over the top. It’s not ideal, but it beats sleeping on the damp, rocky ground. With the canvas strung between two trees above the bed, we’ll be dry even if it rains.
Behind us, the campfire crackles and the flames cast the squad in dancing shadows as they chat and casually rib each other. Knox is boiling a pot filled with water.
Shade and Blaze are working in tandem stirring two pots bubbling on the ruby-red coals. The scent of stewing meat and vegetables fills the air, and my stomach rumbles.
Viper huffs in amusement, tossing his chin towards the fire. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”
“Okay, Alpha,” I agree and skip back towards the fire, glancing over my shoulder to see Viper’s reaction.
His eyes widen at the title, and he watches me for a moment. The way I said his designation was very different to how I say his military rank. It’s heavy with meaning.
He makes a soft rumbling sound of pleasure, and I smile to myself. Noted. He likes it when I call him Alpha.
With a determined look on his face, he follows after me.
We sit in a circle around the fire, and the two pots get passed around with a single spoon. We take turns eating, and it feels intimate in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Blaze’s penchant for feeding me is back in full force as he insists I take extra bites of the stewed vegetables, pressing the spoon to my lips until I refuse to open them and shake my head.
Being cared for and feeling like part of the team is an incredible feeling.
Before, it was me against them. Tonight, I’m one of them.There is a camaraderie and unity that exists here, and it’s infectious. After everyone has eaten their fill, Shade passes out small bags of nuts and berries for dessert.
The conversation flows as naturally as the waterfall rushing behind us.
Blaze regales us with stories of escapades from his earlier years. “Did I ever tell you how I took out an enemy with only my raw sexual energy?”
“No way,” Knox scoffs, shaking his head in denial.
“Way!” Blaze argues, a smirk firmly planted on his face.
“I don’t believe you,” I say, joining the fray.
“Oh, Sparkles. This is an indisputable truth.”
“Prove it!” Shade calls out.
“I can’t prove a story,” Blaze protests, waving the spoon in a random pattern. He’s taken control of it like it’s some kind of scepter. “But I can tell you it’s true. My team was sent to extract one of our operatives that had defected. It was a routine operation and nothing special about the target, except the factshe had stolen a lot of sensitive information that needed to be recovered. Like launch codes and shit.”
“Sounds important,” I say, pretending to be unimpressed. “Why’d they send you?”
The others laugh at each other over their travel mugs. I never expected to learn that the Prime Alpha had a chocolate addiction and always carried a packet of hot chocolate in his utility pack for ‘emergencies.’ The bucket Knox boiled was to purify the water from the waterfall. He added a chocolate powder to the hot warmth with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. Even weirder, because I didn’t have a travel mug of my own, he shared his with me.
“You’re just jealous ’cause you were not there to witness my epic-ness,” Blaze replies with a smirk.
“How come we’ve never heard this story before, Blaze?” Viper asks, the corners of his lips twitching.
“Well, ’cause you fuckers never asked. Sweet Sparkles here is the first person who actually wants to know me on a deeper level,” he says, fluttering his eyelashes and winking at me lewdly. “Also, it’s been sealed as a classified file up until last month.”
My eyes widen. I always forget just how highly skilled these guys are and the shady careers they’ve led up until now. The secrets they must all hold are fathomless.
