Page 58 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 1

Oscar tucked me behind him and I could see his arms moving as he talked to Marius. I’d known coming back up front was going to make him mad but Oscar seemed sure it was going to be fine. Tears started to prick at my eyes, hating that I’d ruined the whole day because I couldn’t do as I was told. Mom had always said I had a stubborn streak that was going to get me in trouble if I wasn’t careful. Seems she was right once again, I just couldn’t do things right.

“What the hell, Marius?” Bodhi demanded. “Why are you barking at her like that? She wants to help, tell me what is wrong with that?”

“Don’t argue with me, not on this, not when it comes to her safety,” Marius growled, making me flinch even more. “Savo, could you please take Cambrie inside with you and ensure she stays there.”

“Who the fuck is the brick wall and why the hell is he going anywhere with our Omega?” Bodhi challenged.

“Calm down Bodhi, I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all this right, Marius?” Rafael intervened.

“That will be addressed once Cambrie is inside the house,” Marius ordered, his tone one that I imagine he used being one of the leaders of our government.

“Come on Keksík, show me where to bring these bags,” Savo encouraged, herding me into the house.

I led him up the stairs to the third floor and pushed open my bedroom door. “This is my room.”

Wandering in I looked around the space but it didn’t seem as warm and inviting anymore. It seemed I might have to say goodbye to it now that I had made Marius so incredibly angry with me. I knew he told me to stay in the house and I didn’t listen so there is no one to blame but me.

“Where do you want to put these things, looks like most of it is shoes and some stuff for the bathroom,” Savo inquired.

Was there a point in unpacking any of it? If they weren’t going to keep me, then it should all be returned. Marius and Nixon bought this for their Omega and I wasn’t sure that’s what I was anymore. Tears burned my eyes as I tried to hold them back but since they’d been freed I couldn’t seem to stem the flow.

“Keksík, don’t cry,” Savo rumbled in his deep voice. “Hey, I’m sure he’s not as upset as you think.” He knelt in front of me so we were closer to eye level.

Hesitantly he reached out and tried to wipe away my tears with his thumb but that just made me cry harder because he was being so sweet. Seeing his plan wasn’t working he shrugged off his leather coat, exposing the T-shirt underneath and revealing his tattoo covered arms.

“Can I hug you Cambrie?” Savo asked, his voice as soft and gentle as he could make it, being so deep. I nodded and reached out my arms to him, needing someone to hold me as the world I was starting to build was crumbling around me.

Savo didn’t just hug me— he scooped me up in his giant arms like I was a child and tucked me against his chest. He walked over to the bed and I heard it groan as he sat. For how large and strong he was, every touch was incredibly delicate as he handled me. I fisted his shirt and hid my face in the crook of his neck letting the silent tears soak into the material.

As he held me he started to sing in a language I didn’t know but sounded soothing if a little sad. “Sivé ocká, co placete? Však vy moje nebudete. Budete iného šuhajícka švárneho.”

When he finished the song he stopped rocking almost as if he hadn’t realized he’d been doing it. “Sorry, I used to sing that to my malá sestra, little sister, when she was upset.”

“You have a little sister?” I asked, lifting my head to look into his dark green eyes that were filled with sadness. “I’m sorry for your loss. You must miss her a lot. I know I miss my Mom every day, I try to be the woman she always taught me to be. But as you saw today I just keep messing it up because I’m far too stubborn.”

“Stubbornness is a good trait, Keksík. It will keep you alive no matter what happens to you,” Savo ran a finger down my arm. “Seems like you might already know that, though.”

An odd growling sound started and I shifted to see Oscar setting down a bag and marching over to me. He pulled me out of Savo’s grasp and tucked me against him, flipping Savo the bird as he marched out of the room.

“Oscar?” Bodhi asked as we stormed past him.

Oscar stopped long enough to point to my room before heading for his. When we entered it was almost as if I was in the sky. Everything was white, with soft blues and grays making the space seem so comforting. If I didn’t already like how my room was coming together I would have moved in here with Oscar. He finally came to a halt at the unmade bed but smelled so strongly of him I wanted to dive into it. Which apparently Oscar agreed with since he plopped me into the middle of it and built up pillows and blankets around me until I was cocooned. He took a step back, looked at his work, and signaled for me not to move and to go to sleep.

Satisfied with what he’d accomplished, he left the room, closing the door leaving me to take a nap, apparently.

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