Page 25 of Sweethearts and Savages
A flush climbed up her cheeks and I felt the urge to kiss her one more time, but I resisted. If I kept kissing her, we’d never get anything sorted. I stood and held out a hand. “We better go and find Bohdie and tell him the good news.”
The next fewweeks felt almost blissful. Bohdie and Stacey fell into something like camaraderie, though usually it was just Bohdie being playful and Stacey making quips. But he’d started inviting her on our picnics, or he’d laze on the grass as I’d take her through the medicinal gardens, pointing out plants used in traditional medicine. It was idyllic. Perfect.
We spent time separately too, me sneaking into Bohdie’s room late at night and making love until I gasped his name. Then we’d watch movies and cuddle. I spent whole days with Stacey down in her lab, helping with patients. Bohdie had come through with another Omega tutor for me: Dawn from the bear Sleuth near his home. Unfortunately, she couldn’t start until next semester, as she was down in Las Vegas for something. Bohdie wouldn’t say what, though I suspected he knew. There was something strange about the inhabitants of Black Mountain, Bohdie’s home territory. I just didn’t know what it was.
Thankfully, both my siblings were distracted, Carmen with her new beaus and Christopher with… whatever the fuck Christopher did. Though he still escorted me from our dorms to my first class every day. Then he was gone until the last class of the day, where he’d collect me from
outside my classroom. But that time in between? It was all mine.
Stacey, Bohdie and I ate our lunch at the pond, which was definitely our spot now. I even managed to lure the ducks over, along with the ducklings which were now in the tall gangly stage. Stacey sat on a rug beside me, our shoulders touching. I was introducing her to the idea of public displays of affection, or affection at all really. As much as her eyes mapped me every moment, she wasn’t huge on touch, and that was okay. But my wolf craved it sometimes, so we started small.
I threw pieces of chicken from my sandwich to the ducks, because I’d read bread was bad, but then I felt guilty feeding them their land-dwelling cousins. I made a note to buy some proper pellets so I could feed them and not feel guilty.
“One of the kids in my Alpha class said it was fight night,” Bohdie said, his eyes sparkling up at me from where his head rested in my lap. I stroked my fingers through his golden hair and he purred.
I rolled my eyes. “I hate fight night.”
Stacey snorted from beside me. “It keeps me busy. It's been too quiet down in the infirmary.”
Bohdie laughed. “Well, aren’t you the bloodthirsty one, Doc.” His amused eyes slid back to me. “I’d like to check it out, but you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
I folded in half to kiss his lips. “I usually go. It’s kind of an unwritten safeguard that if any of the Alphas go too far, I’m there to calm them.” I slid my eyes to Stacey. “Not that Micah ever suggested it.”
Micah was her father, in every way that mattered. We’d all bonded over our slightly shitty childhoods, but in my opinion, Stacey’s was the worst, though she wouldn’t think so. But to be kept in a cage for so long as an experiment? That shit was fucked up.
Actually, the fact we all had such shitty beginnings was proof that even though the world was an awful place, we didn’t have to be shaped in its image. We could be better people than my original Pack Alpha, or Bohdie’s grandfather, or the fucked up organization that had kidnapped Stacey.
“So we can go?” Bohdie said hopefully. I was getting the impression that being trapped here was grating on his Alpha instincts. If watching people thump each other made him happy, so be it.
Stacey stretched out in the sun. “I’m out. I’ll have to patch up the idiots.”
I smiled down at Bohdie. “We can go.” He whooped and I gripped his chin. “No fighting on my behalf. Got it?” There’d been enough violence in my name over the last few weeks.
Bohdie grinned. “Got it. I won’t even challenge anyone. Going purely for entertainment.”
I trusted Bohdie. But that grin? It was nothing but trouble, and not just on my ovaries.
12
Bohdie
The atmosphere at fight night was a beast of its own. I wouldn’t be surprised if people bayed for blood and howled at the moon. One of the Lycans who ran the school stood in the shadows, talking to a human. At least, I thought he was a human. He was huge and tattooed, and had eyes that told me he’d done some seriously bad shit.
I walked into the ring of firelight, hovering close to Enit. I saw her sister with her boyfriends, and directed Enit toward them. I could protect my Omega, but the atmosphere was so violent, I could almost taste the desire on the air to spill blood. I wouldn’t turn down a few extra protective eyes and fists in this situation, despite the fact that Enit seemed surprisingly comfortable right now.
Before we could make it there though, a hand snaked out from the crowd and grabbed her, drawing her away. I bared my teeth but was unsurprised to see it was Christopher. Ugh. I needed to sort shit out with that asshole, because if I had my way, one day we were going to be family. It wasn’t good if you wanted to beat the absolute fuck out of your family.
In a small gesture of peace, I didn’t reach out and tug her back into my arms. Instead, I threw her a meaningful look and she nodded slightly. I went over and stood next to Cara, kissing the top of her head in a gesture that was purely brotherly.
She was burning holes in the back of Christopher’s head, and that was a pastime I could get behind.
“You look completely smitten, Dee,” she said, bumping her shoulder against my ribs. “When are you bringing her around to meet the family?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “You guys have already met. Besides, you’ll just tell her lies about me.”
Cara slapped a hand over her chest, mock outrage on her face. “I would never!” She scoffed, even as she said it.
“How did that lie taste?”
