Page 27 of Bubblegum Pop

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I shot up the moment my eyes opened, heaving a gasp, tears falling down my cheeks as fucking panic beat through my veins.

It always took me a while to come back after a nightmare, especially the darker ones.

But, as soon as my mind cleared, I realised I couldn’t sense her.

Even though there were sweet blooms of bubblegum wafting around our bedroom, she was gone. I could feel Apollo in the kitchen, smell bacon and eggs, but I couldn’t sense her aura in the room.

If we’d bitten her, I’d be able to find her straight away. I’d know where she was, what she was doing, how she was feeling. But without a bite, there was an empty space where she should be, just like my dream.

My gaze dropped, and a rush of air and fear left me when I found my brother still beside me in the dark, his chest rising and falling in his sleep.

I rubbed my eyes, getting rid of my fucking weak-ass tears before I reached out and grabbed Odin’s arm, shaking him furiously until he let out a grunt, his eye shooting open.

“What?” he growled, lifting himself up on his elbow and twisting to glare at me.

“She’s gone,” I said on a desperate breath, dread still hanging around from my nightmare kicking me into overdrive.

By the time Apollo and I had come around in the hospital, Odin was somehow awake with no memories of what had happened. Michael was gone, leaving a business card with the promise he would be in touch. We had no idea what Michael really did to him, but we’d pledged ourselves to him, and I didn’t give a shit if we were royally fucking everything up by claiming Candy. We’d been through too much together to let our scent match go.

Odin softened immediately at the pulse of worry between us. Apollo picked it up and sent soothing waves to us in return.

A stupid smile traced my lips as I felt him inside me, instantly easing me. It had been twelve years since we met, and I was still crazy about him. But I needed her, too.

I quickly rolled over, slamming my hand against the wall, switching on the lights.

Naked, Odin flung himself out of bed, leaning down to grab his boxers. The moment he rose, the bathroom door opened, and Candy revealed herself in all her glory.

The bathroom light lit her like an angel. The steam billowing from the room became her heavenly cloud as the crack in the door widened and she walked towards us, perfuming every step of the way.

Draped in one of my thick shirts, her nipples pert beneath the fabric, every creamy inch of her legs was on display. With her damp hair fluffed around her, her cheeks pink from the shower, she looked like a dream. I already knew her skin was going to be warm and wet and ready for my lips.

Chin held high, shoulders back, Candy cleared the space between us. She opened her mouth to speak, and whatever words swam on the tip of her tongue were ripped away as she stumbled forward.

At the end of the bed, Odin was closer to her. He shot out a hand and grabbed her, pulling her to him. A rush of softness flowed through him the instant she was in his arms.

I just caught her smirk as she pushed her feet against the floor. Catching Odin off guard, they both fell, and Odin thumped onto the mattress, his boxers flying out of his hand as Candy landed on top of his chest.

Lust pounded through me at the sight of her breasts bouncing forward under my shirt. She adjusted herself on her knees, lifting up above Odin, catching him with a wicked smile that went straight to my cock. She was so fucking tiny compared to us, and I already knew our omega was going to rule us.

Her wicked grin shifted as she saw his tattoos for the first time.

Even in the half light, he was stunning, and she bit her lip as her fingers traced the huge raven that spread across his chest. “What’s this?” she said quietly.

I edged forward, wanting to see their faces. He only got his tattoos after Michael found us, after he lost his eye because of me.

He gently wrapped his hand around her wrist, guiding her. The wings reached out to the tips of his shoulders; the head perched under his collarbone, but it was the intense gleam in the raven’s single eye I loved the most.

“This wing is to remember,” he said, the darkness we all carried with us showing as he brushed her fingers along the feathers of the right wing. “To remember that everything can vanish in a second, and to treasure what we have.”

I sighed as I stepped in, my hand joining theirs as I pressed into her right side.

“And the other wing?” she asked quietly.

Odin’s eye slowly closed as his other hand moved to her hip.

I didn’t need to sense the pain pulsing from him. It was shared. It had been so long, and we could never forget. “The other wing is for what we’ve lost,” he said, his one eye landing on me.