Chapter Fourteen
Alrick
I stared at the being under me, our bodies still locked together, with abject horror as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. I didn't know where I was and I wasn't sure how I had gotten there, but there was no doubt in my mind who I was with or what we were doing. I ran my hands over his body as gently as possible, checking for injuries but he seemed fine.
Sebastian arched his back into my hands, a huff of warm breath dancing over my chest. Not only was he uninjured, Sebastian didn't seem at all distressed to be plastered against me, to have me deep inside his body.
"Are you okay?" I finally asked.
"Mmmmm," he sighed contentedly. "Never better, Alpha." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Are you freaking out?"
"A little," I answered honestly. Sebastian laughed and I felt a twinge of annoyance. Seriously, was I supposed to lie to him at such an intimate moment? "Did I..force you?"
"Not even a little," Sebastian assured me, his fingers tracing a pattern in the hair on my chest. "You were in a bad way, and Vlad said the only real solution – other than waiting it out – was to get you laid." His slender shoulders shrugged, rubbing his chest against mine. "It seemed like a no-brainer."
Vlad? I thought to myself, unable to place the name.
"Sebastian," I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "I don't remember much after we left the cave the first night."
"Oh," Sebastian said with a sigh. "I didn't realize that." He paused for a deep breath and then began talking.
When he finally finished, choosing to gloss over the details of our sexual encounter, ending, instead, with his having crawled into bed with me after the turkey shifter from Terena de Dragoni had gone in search of his mate. Finished, he lay quietly, still tracing his finger over my skin as I tried to process the story.
He waited several long moments before speaking again.
"Was I wrong?" he asked in a small voice. "Should we have just waited?"
I shook my head. "No, of course not. I'm sorry you had to make that sacrifice, though."
The words were barely out of my mouth when a suspicious huff of breath broke through Sebastian's lips. Then another. And another.
"Are you laughing at me?" I asked, outraged.
"I'm sorry," Sebastian gasped, giving up on holding back and dissolving into a fit of laughter. "I really am, but you just apologized for the best sex of my life." He reached up to dash a tear from his eye. "I don't even know what to say."
As my Omega continued to laugh, my irritation subsided and I felt my lips curve up.
"I'm glad it wasn't too much of a trial," I teased him before turning back to the serious issue that needed to be addressed, "but, honestly, I am sorry that I put you in that position."
When Sebastian's giggles intensified, I gave up and buried my face in his soft hair. Maybe I'd be able to have a serious conversation with my orgasm-fuzzy Omega after my knot went down.
***
By the time I could physically separate my body from the tight haven of Sebastian's, he was out cold. I cleaned us up with a warm washcloth and pulled the comforter back over Sebastian. Then, dressing in the borrowed clothes that I'd found folded on the chair by the bed, I settled in to wait for him to wake.
"Alpha?" Sebastian's uncertain voice wafted over from the bed a few hours later.
"Yeah, I'm here."
Sebastian pushed himself up to sit against the headboard, the covers pooling in his lap.
"Is..is something wrong?"
"No," I said slowly, noticing that, once again, his stutter was back. "Are you okay?"
He nodded but didn't speak and I saw the wrinkle of concern on his forehead.
"Seb, something's bothering you. Please tell me what." When he still didn't answer, I walked over to sit beside him on the bed, resting my palm on his shoulder. "C'mon, don't make me use the voice." I lowered my voice dramatically for the last bit and it brought a smile to Sebastian's face. A small one, but a smile nonetheless.
"It's nothing," he finally offered. "I just didn't expect you to be up." He gestured to the empty space beside him in the queen bed.
"I wasn't sure you'd want me crowding you after everything you already did for me," I told him honestly, removing my hand from his body and dropping it in my lap.
"I..I see."
The stutter returned, confirming my hypothesis. I had no idea why, but Sebastian only stuttered when I was nearby but not touching him. I had no idea what that could even mean.
Before the conversation could progress, there was a light rap at the door. I scented the air and found wolf and…turkey. I shook my head and opened it to admit the two shifters.
The wolf stepped forward, his distress palpable, and stepped right into my face.
"Can you fight?" he demanded.
"What?" Sebastian gasped from the bed. "Jackal?"
"Get up and get dressed," Jackal shot back, his eyes never leaving mine. "We need to get the fuck out of here now." His eyes narrowed. "I need to know who is in charge here, Alpha." He almost swallowed the growl that slipped out. "What is your status?"
"Stand down." From the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian dressing as instructed and the turkey hovering nearby, literally biting his lip. "What's the situation?"
The Beta relaxed ever so slightly at my response.
"Thank the Gods," he growled. "I know why there aren't any shifters in this Godforsaken town," he ground out. "It’s a clan town."
"Clan?" I raised a brow at him. "You mean hunters?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "And I think they're onto us."
"Onto us, how?" I demanded, recalling as much as I could about the humans who lived in large groups to hunt shifters. "Don't leave anything out."
Jackal inhaled sharply. "There's a watch posted in the square across from the motel," he started. "Vlad and I noticed them when we left, but it didn't seem odd." He shrugged. "But now I've seen three different duos rotate through. They've all stood in the same place, and they've all had had their eyes glued to this door."
I nodded. That was a pretty good sign that we were being observed but didn't scream hunters. "There's more?"
"We found a clearing in the woods," he said, shaking his head. "A small farm, I guess. Large crops of wolfsbane, garlic, castor beans, hemlock, nightshade, and oleander."
"Fuck," I said, and the wolf nodded. "So, no fruit, vegetables, just poison?"
I bit back another oath when he nodded. I could curse after I'd gotten this group of civilians to safety.
"How are we set for transportation?"
"My Harley is out front, but it can only carry two," he said. "Rafe can arrange transport from the next town over, but we have to get there, first."
"Rafe?"
"My Alpha," Jackal explained. "Blood River pack."
"How far to the next town?"
"Three hours south and east on foot, two if we can push it."
"But we have to get out of this room without being seen."
Jackal nodded.
I looked over my companions, inspecting them carefully. The Beta in front of me was fit, strong and capable. He looked like he could be a force to be reckoned with, Beta or not. The turkey -Vlad, I reminded myself – was a little softer around the edges and, as a turkey, he wasn't going to be able to move very fast in either form. Then there was Sebastian. His wolf was small but strong and fast. Unfortunately, I had no way to gauge how well-healed his internal injuries were. I couldn't leave the Omega unguarded and I wouldn't let him out of my sight. I ran through the options again in my head and made the obvious decision.
"The moon hasn't risen yet, and it'll be fully dark soon." I glanced casually out the window, confirming that we were still under observation. "For whatever reason, they're comfortable with you coming and going."
Jackal nodded.
"Take Vlad with you on the bike," I instructed the Beta. "Stop on the main drag and start an argument. You want them watching you, but don't let them get close. As soon as you start, Seb and I will take off out the back window. If you can, give us five minutes before you hit the road. If it looks like they're moving on you, gun it. We'll be fine." I grabbed the backpack and tossed it to Jackal. "I'd appreciate it if you could take this."
Jackal nodded silently and held his hand out toward his mate. Vlad looked worriedly at Sebastian before moving slowly across the room.
I followed his gaze over to where Sebastian had paused in the act of buttoning up his shirt and reached for the button on my pants.
"Time to get naked again, Seb."