Page 39 of Hell on Wheels
I giggle at Javi’s grumpy whisper, wiggling my toes as I stretch. That causes a chorus of groans and it only makes me smile wider. No one who knows me would ever believe that I allowed four dudes to sleep over and I’m enjoying the hell out of waking up in a pile of them.
Titania knows I barely believe it.
“What are we gonna do? You can’t just portal out to your rooms—he knows you aren’t there.” I wrinkle my nose, looking at the group for help. “And thanks to your insistence that this is a clothes free zone,Archie, you can’t beam to the front door.”
The lion shifter yawns and stretches his long limbs, giving me a sleepy grin. “This is how a pride is supposed to sleep, Wheels. Ask my mom.” His eyes widen for a second as he realizes what he said. “On second thought, don’t. I can’t imagine what horrific information she’ll share with you.”
“Samara will tell youeverything, Princess. Archie will be traumatized for life,” Angelo explains.
“Now Ihaveto ask her!” I clap my hands silently as I imagine Archie turning purple with embarrassment. “But how do we get Reb to fuck off so you can escape?”
“We could just tell him,” Damon mutters. “We won’t be able to keep it a secret forever. Maybe he’ll finally?—”
“Shhh!” Archie gives the hacker a smirk. “Let Mr. Oblivious handle his shit on his own.”
“Rogue Olive Kelly!I’m going to break this door down if you don’t get your ass over here and open it. Last night was the third fucking time I had to track you down and you know there areassassinsgunning for you!”
Full name. Yep, he’s losing it.
“Ocupado!” I reply, hoping to piss him off enough to start a rant that will distract him from destroying the door.
“We gotta go,” Javi says. “If he finds out like this, it’s gonna be a nightmare.”
Angelo grimaces and looks at his twin. “Do it, bro.” He watches him create an opening and leans down to kiss me roughly. “Don’t let him bully you; we’ll be back as soon as we get clothes.”
I nip his lip. “You better be. If I have to suffer his tantrums, you all do, too.”
The others take their turns marking their territory with kisses and bites, then they all slip into the swirling rip Damon created. I lie back for a minute, marveling at how fucking fast my life has flipped upside down like the Princess of Bel Air. After Mina betrayed me, I expected to crawl into a shell thicker than a dragon’s hide and stay there for a long time. My trust has never been easy to get, and no one has ever won it back once lost.
Yes, I’m aware I have ‘abandonment issues.’
The Society shrink made that very clear before I told her to get fucked.
~Goddamnit, Kiandra Ormanda, answer me! ~
Slapping my forehead with my palm, I groan and bury my face in the pillow. That fucking idiot has no idea he shared my true name with the rest of the guys. I’m never going to hear the end of this. “Fuck off, Reb! You arenotmy keeper. Why do you insist on being such a controlling dick all the time?”
The pounding stops, and he pauses. I use his brief halt to roll out of bed and walk over to my dresser. Pulling on a pair of shorts and a sports bra, I walk over to the door of my room, leaning my head against the wood. I can feel his frustration and worry through our bond, but I wait for him to speak.
“Rogue, I know I indulge Graciella and Odhran so they’ll lay off of you, and it bugs you. But I’m aware that the only people we have looking out for us are each other.”
That’s not entirely true anymore.
My chest aches a bit and I consider whether I should let him in and spill my guts. It’s unusual for him to be this expressive, and it has to be because of the hit. “Reb…”
“No, sis. The idea of someone hurting you sends me over the deep end, and I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if we hadn’t kept our secret. You might not have called me and…”
I sigh, pulling away from the door to unlock it. When I open it, he rushes in, grabbing me in his arms and hugging tightly enough that I grunt. “Air, Reb. I need air.”
When he finally lets go, I jerk my head at the bed, walking over to sit on the edge. I look up at him when he follows, chewing on my lip as I try to decide if I should give up the ghost or let this play out a little longer before I step on the landmine. My mental health has been in tatters for days, and I’m processing a lot of change very quickly.
Is it selfish to want some happiness before I have to engage in another battle? I don’t know.
I’m about to open my mouth when I see the guys coming down the hallway in a pack of sleepy looking, sweatpants covered hotness. Every cylinder in my body fires and my mouth goes dry—I’m not sure I can handle half-naked mates wearing their dick print pants while I’m trying to be serious. In fact, I’m not sure I can handle itperiodwithout a copious amount of drool.
You try watching a blond hockey god, twin tattooed gangsters, and deliciously cut purveyor of alcohol bounce around with smirks on their faces—see ifyoucan focus.
“I, uh…”