We stared at each other for a long moment. Without speaking a word, I rode upward on his cock. I squeezed my thighs together to hold onto him tighter as I moved. He cried out, the muscles in his neck visibly clenching. I smiled. Jarret was holding on by a thin thread. I moved faster. I wanted to be there with him, and it was just going to take a little bit more to get there. The friction was fantastic, and I bit down on my lip. I wanted this and I was close. I knew I could get there. Jarret would bring it to me, and I would make him feel great in return.
My gums burned, and I knew by now what that meant. I was going to bite him; I was going to claim him. He was mine.
He arched his back, and I could see his own fangs. As pleasure rushed through me, I bent over, finding the place right on his neck that I’d be able to see just on his shirt line. If he moved, I’d get glimpses of my mark on him. I bit down.
* * *
The house was a lot farther away on two feet than when we’d been running on four. The sun still hadn’t come up, but a light from the house beckoned us home.
“You know what?” Jarret spoke for the first time in a while, squeezing my hand. “Now that you’ve been found and you’re the Omega, if we can get the Council to get rid of the Accords, we could build this area back up for werewolves. I could do the houses. People could come back.”
I liked that idea. We could put my family next door. The thought stuttered in my mind. Maybe a few doors down. I loved them, but I didn’t want my brothers visiting unannounced at really inopportune times. I liked thinking about them like that, made me believe such a thing was possible. They’d be saved.
Rainer leaned against the door, watching us approach. I smelled him before I saw him. Alpha. My senses were really heightened after a shift. It was even more intense than usual. The bite on my neck burned, but it didn’t bother me, just reminded me of the new one there. Maybe that was why the scents were so intense. I had all of my mates now and the biting made it all… official. I was complete in a way I’d never been before.
Rainer stepped forward. He had two bathrobes in his hands, and Jarret and I each took one. I smiled at my robe-holding Alpha. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t sense any issues. Did you have any out there?”
I shook my head. “Not a thing.”
Jarret kissed my cheek. “I’m going to go get a shower. I have dirt in some pretty uncomfortable places.”
I should have been blushing from the implication, but the memory was too fresh, and I loved it. I wasn’t embarrassed we’d had sex on the ground. Not even a little bit.
We walked inside together just in time to see Preston jump to his feet. “I’ve confirmed their address. It took all night with this shitty Internet, but I confirmed it. They still live in Louisiana. Just outside of New Orleans. We could go there tomorrow after work.”
Anton nodded at his brother. He must have thought it was a good idea. He had a beer in his hand that he passed to me.
Jarret spoke as he ran up the stairs. “After I get eight hours of sleep, I’ll go wherever you want. Assuming we think it’s safe to take her out of here.”
“I think if we keep her in the car, and maybe with her head down, it’s safe enough.” Rainer sighed. “I mean, we killed the three Hunters. At some point we have to be able to let her out of this little sphere of life. I’d feel better if we had her family back, but here to there and back again? Sure. I think it’s probably okay. We’ll pick you up from work and go from there.”
Preston shut his computer. “Got it. That’ll work. I’ll take a boat to work, and I can leave it there overnight.”
“Guys.” I hated to interrupt their planning, and I actually loved the normalcy of it. Who was picking up who and how it was going to go. “Do you think we could all sleep together for whatever is left of the night?”
Rainer touched the side of my cheek. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Great, I’m going to shower, and I’ll meet you guys on the mattresses.”
Jarret scratched his head. “I think that we should probably figure out how to make one of the bedrooms upstairs work for all of us to share. That way we can seriously live like we’re slightly civilized instead of like we just rolled in out of the swamp.”
This must have tickled Anton’s funny bone because he threw his head back like he was laughing. I loved this life.
* * *
We woke up like a pile of puppies. I was half on top of Jarret who had his arm slung over his head. Rainer was curled up on me, his head on my stomach, his legs sort of hanging off the bed. Preston had his hands in my hair where he lay on his back next to Rainer. Anton was in a similar position on the other side of Jarret, his hand on my temple. They’d all managed to figure out how to touch me while I’d slept.
I couldn’t remember ever feeling better. Light streamed in, and Preston groaned. “What was I thinking starting a business that was open seven days a week?”
I smiled at him even as Rainer elbowed him. “The rest of us don’t have to be up. You could keep it down.”
“Yes, I’m fully aware that only Anton and I are working right now, and he gets to do it from his own computer whenever he wants to.”
Anton smirked and rolled over. That was his body language equivalent of telling him that yes, he knew he was lucky, and Preston could shove it. Rainer lifted his head. “I’ve already been considering this problem. I’m going to get a job cooking again. If I can find someone who’ll hire an ex-con.”
Anton rolled back and then shot Rainer a look before lifting his eyebrows. Rainer shook his head. “I don’t want to take money from my brothers.”
“But we’d like to do it,” Preston said. “I’d set Jarret up too doing houses if this works out.”
They bickered back and forth, and I zoned out. Their talk made my stomach twist. They all at least had some semblance of a plan for their lives. I didn’t have a clue and much as I loved this moment, lying between all of them, this wasn’t what I could do with my life. I wasn’t going to just be an Omega, hanging around enjoying her mates with no job. I had to have some kind of purpose on my own.
What did I want to do? I didn’t know any more today than I had the week before.
Rainer got off the mattress. “I’m going to make us all breakfast so Pres can go to work with his blood sugar intact and not accidentally eat someone’s head in his wolf form.”
Preston laughed and rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, that only almost happened once.” He paused. “I’m kidding, Mac. That didn’t happen.”
Breakfast sounded like a good idea. I needed coffee if I was going to consider big life decisions today. Maybe a lot of it.
* * *
I helped Jarret strip the paint in the study that was Anton’s office. This only seemed to annoy Anton a little bit before he took his computer and went somewhere else to write. Jarret had started in the study; he seemed bound and determined to fix up this room before he went into any other rooms. Anton must have understood this.
“What do you think I should do with myself?” I stepped back to look at the mess we’d made. It was hard to picture what this was going to look like, but Jarret had a vision, and what was more, he was excited every step of the way.
He turned to me. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t have a clue.” I stretched my hands over my head, letting my arms work out the kinks from the day’s work. “I’m sort of… without ideas.”
He put his arm around my shoulder. “You’ll figure it out. I just suddenly knew, and actually, I credit you and your super Omega powers for helping me get some clarity. I wish I could do the same for you.”
Had Omegas had support groups? If there was another one, could we get together and help support each other? Give each other clarity?
Could I have gone to see an Omega and have her suddenly show me my path in life? And how did I do that anyway? I didn’t set out to show Jarret what he should do for a living. I didn’t have any idea how that happened.
/>
“I didn’t do that.”
Jarret turned to look at me full on. “Sorry, what?”
“I didn’t tell you or help you with what to do with your life. I think you’re giving me too much credit there. I removed your bullet, Jarret. I didn’t fix things.”
He tugged me to him even closer until we were so close he could kiss me on the forehead. “I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit. The thing about you… that you have to understand above all things… is that we were lost. We were here, and I guess it was you who needed rescue… but you saved us. I can’t even remember a day I was happy before we found you. Our Omega. Our mate. You did give me direction because you made it okay to be me, the one I always wanted to be. And fuck, maybe I won’t be good at this. I’ll find something else then. But when you’re really ready, you’ll figure it out and we’ll help you. There’s no rush for it. Everything is in upheaval. There is no need for you to announce how you see your world. Just know that even though this all was so unexpected… you are ours.”
I wiped away my tears. “I’m… It’s going to take a little bit of getting used to.”
Chapter 13
We pulled up to Preston’s work after following a long road that had a bunch of arrows with the words Lejeune Swamp Tours displayed on signs about every hundred feet. There weren’t any turn offs so it was likely that a person turning down the road had meant to get to the swamp tours, but maybe it was just for effect.
The small highway we’d taken to get here had been modern, but the second we’d turned down the street it was as though we’d stepped into some kind of Cajun heaven. Pictures of alligators—both the real kind and the cartoon version—displayed along the road. I guessed it was something like branding, like setting the mood for the tour.
My sense of us being alone fled when we got to the parking lot. It was packed; vans with all kinds of hotel names and tour operators on the sides, as well as smaller cars and SUVs lined the area.
“Wow,” I spoke aloud. “Busy.”
Anton nodded, a grin on his face. I loved how he always seemed proud of Preston.
“He was really smart when he set this up. Well,” Rainer laughed, “never mind. This is Pres. Despite his saying otherwise, he’s always been very smart. Drove every teacher he ever had nuts. When you know you’ve got a kid with a gifted IQ but they won’t do their homework? Yeah… drove them nuts. But, give him his own project? Yes, this is what happens. He’s also pretty good with people. Managed to charm most of the hotels in New Orleans and Baton Rouge to send their guests here for this. I don’t even know most of what he did.”
I looked around. There was a cabin with the words Office displayed on a sign over it. It seemed like I’d have to walk through the cabin to get to wherever the swamp tours happened. “Can we go look? Is it safe?”
Rainer shook his head. “Sorry. Too many people here. I want to make sure that we’re nice and safe for several days before we do full on public. Baby steps. I’m not going to let you get taken again.”
I sat back in my seat and dropped my eyes to stare at my feet. Disappointment was a real thing, but I wasn’t a child. I could see the smartness of his words, even if I hated the need for them. My family was still missing, and any time that I forgot that I should have it pointed back out to me. We weren’t safe. Period.
Being out here, even in the car, was a risk. A Loup could show up, drawn to me, and hurt people. Or expose us.
Rainer took my hand in his. “I hate when you drop your gaze. I get it. But I want you to know that I always want your eyes on me. And that doesn’t stop when we’re wolves either. I want you to meet my gaze then, too.”
I forced my gaze up. “Sorry. I… I can’t seem to help it. There is part of you that is always going to be Alpha and make me want to look down when I’m nervous or if I’ve disappointed you.”
He shook his head. “Always is a long time. We’re new to this. You never need to be worried about disappointing me. No such thing from me when it comes to you.” He smirked, looking over his shoulder at his younger brothers. “Now those two? Yeah… they could disappoint.”
Jarret groaned, and Anton nudged Rainer in the shoulder. They never seemed to be particularly intimidated by him, even if they did seem to do what he wanted. Maybe I would eventually get over the eye thing.
Cars started pulling out of the parking lot, and Rainer sighed. “Preston is going to be a hot minute. They have to close up and deal with the money. Looks like they’re running late. These people should have all been gone a long time ago.”
Anton leaned forward and kissed me on the neck. I sucked in my breath. He held my gaze for a second before he leaned back and closed his eyes like he was going to nap, head pushed against the window.
Jarret had brought a notebook and was sketching something on one of the pages. I looked at Rainer. “If I were home, I’d have my phone to read on. I always had something to read.”
My Alpha scrunched up his face. “We need to get you a phone.” He sighed. “Do you want to go back to Colorado?”
I blinked. “Ah… I don’t know. I love Colorado. I haven’t spent that much time here yet… but you’re all here and there is something about the swamp that calls to me, as though we’re meant to be here. I don’t know if that makes sense. Sometimes, I already think of this place as home. And then a second later, Colorado is home. I’m…” I sucked in a long breath. “Rainer, I am stuck between existences until it’s safe. Right now I just have to do what I’m told and be careful. How can I possibly know what I do and don’t want? Where I’m supposed to be.”
He leaned over and kissed the end of my nose. “I can’t argue with most of what you said. I’d do anything to snap my fingers and make you safe. But if you wanted Colorado, that is where we’d go. You’re our mate. We’d go anywhere in the world to make you happy.”
“That is so sweet of you.” I kissed his cheek. “Look where we are. Not so easy for Preston to just uproot himself.”
As though I’d conjured him, Preston walked fast from the cabin-slash-office and made his way over to us. He swung open the back door. Anton lifted his head, rubbing his eyes as the disturbance woke him from his nap. Jarret scooted over, making room. The guys were all a little bit big for the backseat but none of them were complaining, at least not so far. Preston shut the door and looked around at the rest of us.
“Hi there. I smell intensity in this car. One of these days we all have to learn how to be easygoing and relaxed.”
Rainer put the car in drive. “When we have the time for relaxation and easy-goingness, I’m sure we will all be that way. Should you still be in there?”
“I delegated. If anything gets screwed up, I’ll fix it tomorrow. It’s pretty easy, and my staff knows what they’re doing. Let’s do this thing. Let’s go find these women and see if they can teach us anything.” He grinned at all of us and stopped on Jarret. “Hey, that looks really good.”
Jarret lifted his gaze to Preston’s. “Don’t fuck with it.”
“I’m not going to. Why do you always assume I’m here to mess with you?”
I had to turn around. If I kept staring backward in the car, I was going to get nauseated. I had to face forward. “How long is this going to take? How long am I sprung from hiding?”
“They live just outside of New Orleans, so about three hours. We may need to spend the night somewhere if it gets too late. Traditionally, werewolves offer each other shelter, but it’s been a long time since any of us have lived like werewolves, and they aren’t expecting us.”
This was news to me. “You didn’t contact them, Preston? When you found them?”
“And let them tell us no? I prefer to show up unexpectedly.” He shrugged. “Worse comes to worst they shut the door in our face. But I doubt that. I can charm my way in most places.”
Anton shook his head and mimed knocking then nothing. I nodded. “What if they’re not there at all?”
“Then I guess we got you out of the ho
use for a little road trip, Mac.”
I watched the scenery change on the road as we went from a small two-lane highway to a much bigger one. The billboards disappeared and instead we were surrounded by trucks and cars, all of them racing somewhere at speeds over seventy miles per hour. I chewed on my lip. The guys were quiet. Even the sound of Jarret’s sketching had stopped.
I looked at them through the rear view mirror. “Are you fine? One of you want to switch with me? I can sit in the back. Should have offered that to begin with.”
Rainer shook his head. “I want you up here with me. Not just because I happen to like being this close to your scent, MacKenzie, but because I can keep you safer next to me. Or at least I like to think that I can. I’m not sure which part of the car is actually safest. It doesn’t matter. We’re not stopping unless it’s an emergency. No one gets near you.”
I lifted my eyebrow. “What if I had to pee?”
He side-eyed me. “Do you?”
“Well no, but what if?”
Rainer shook his head. “Then we’ll stop somewhere, but I’d rather not if that is possible.”
“Doing fine. Don’t have to pee just yet, but I’ll let you know.”
We rode the rest of the way in relative silence, breaking it to discuss the radio here and there or whether or not Anton was deliberately infringing on Jarret’s leg space. All of it seemed very normal. This was what it would be like if we took trips together in the car. I smiled at the thought.
Anton elbowed Jarret, and he grinned. “I smell it, too. She just got happy. First time in a bit. Was it the bumper sticker showing stick figures on the back of that semi or something else?”
“I was thinking about how much I liked this, the ease of it, the normalcy.”
Hidden: The Swamp Page 15