Page 19 of Caging Fire
I turned my attention back to the space that, for now, I had to call home. A wooden dining table sat between the kitchen and living room with four matching chairs. There was alsoone odd one out, clearly borrowed from another set. Had they added that for me? A small thread of relief wove through my chest. At least they didn’t expect me to eat off the floor like some pet.
My thoughts drifted to the bedroom I’d woken up in. Compared to the stark common space, it was almost cozy. Someone had tried to make it inviting for me. The soft, scent-marked blankets and the mismatched chair spoke of a quiet attempt at comfort. A flicker of a smile brushed my lips as I pictured Cade wandering the military base in search of an extra seat for his new omega.
Maybe not all alphas were monsters. My father hadn’t been.
The door to the apartment creaked open, cutting my thoughts short... and a familiar face stepped inside.
Chapter 14: Ryker
Ihad six bags of takeout in my hands. Cade had ordered a crap-ton of Chinese food from the run-down place right outside of the barracks and sent me to pick it up after my checkpoint shift. I briefly wondered if it would be enough. After all, we could each devour at least two cartons of General Tso’s chicken. Hell, one time I ordered enough food for all of us, at least I thought it was enough. I left it on the counter while I took a quick shower, and came back to find that big bastard Killian had devoured every bite. Not a crumb left. Feeding him was bankrupting the entire unit.
I juggled the takeout, unlocked the door, and used my foot to push it open.
Fuck.The second I opened it, the most dick-swelling, mouth-watering, panty-wetting fragrance I had ever had the pleasure of scenting, hit me in the face.
Pretty little Rowan was standing wide awake in the living room. She smelled so fucking good now that the suppressants had worn off, such a contrast to the horrible floral odor that had nearly made me vomit at the checkpoint. Her almond, vanilla, and honey aroma had been seeping through the door to her bedroom, getting stronger and stronger each day that she slept.
The scent lingered throughout our dorm and invaded all our minds, putting everyone on edge. We fought physically every day, taking out our frustration on each other and our furniture; much of it we had broken and glued back together. It was driving us all mad to smell her and not be able to touch her. But now, being so close, and having her fragrance so strongly wrapped around my senses, it took everything in my power not to tackle and fuck her right in the living room. I wasn’t sure how Cade was maintaining his composure.
“You’re awake, Kitten! Daddy’s home with takeout!” I yelled while holding up the food, catching her attention as she turned to me with an expression of pure shock.
She definitely remembered me from the checkpoint.
Maybe my little omega had been dreaming about me all week. The recognition and shock in her expression didn’t last long. It morphed into something hotter, as her porcelain skin flushed a fiery red I liked way too much.
Yeah... she wasfurious. And fuck, it looked good on her.
“You!” She hissed at me like a feral little creature.
She tried to claw away from Cade so she could attack me, but he held her firmly in place by the column of her neck with one arm banding her waist. She writhed and struggled against him.
“Stop NOW!” he barked, forcing her body to go still, but it didn’t stop the verbal tirade she leveled at me.
“It was you! You’re the one who kidnapped me and reported me to Arca! Why couldn’t you have just left me alone and let me go!? Why did you trap me, sedate me, throw me in a truck, which by the way you suck at parking! You tore my life away from me! Fuck you, you assho-”
Before she could continue hurling insults at me, Cade threw her over his knee in a smooth and powerful motion. He turned Rowan onto her stomach, facedown and parallel to the floor. Flipping the hem of her oversized T-shirt up, Cade exposed her perky bare ass. She tried to squirm out of his hold, but he was like a boulder, completely immovable.
“Let me fucking go, Cade. I hate you too!” she screamed, red-faced with fury as tears ran down her cheeks.
“No one is to blame for your situation but you!” he boomed, his control and patience tested to the limit as he balanced Rowan on his knee.
I had tested that patience repeatedly, and it surprised me how close he was to losing his temper with her. I had never seen the self-control Cade prided himself on, so thin. It seemed he was not as unaffected by her as he had initially acted.
She was sobbing hysterically, triggered by the sight of me and overwhelmed by Cade’s tight control over her body and emotions. I knew she had been through a lot in the past few weeks, so I expected her breakdown.
We all knew we would have to take her apart before we could put her back together. She was completely out-of-touch with the real world and had been over-indulged for far too long. It was comical the way she had referred to her capture by Arca as akidnapping, as if we were the criminals, despite the reality that she was, having dodged mandatory enlistment for years.
Pointing at me, Cade continued to scold her. “Ryker is legally obligated to report all suspected deserters to his superior, which is me.Youare the one who dodged your mandatory conscription.Youare the one who manufactured illegal and dangerous suppressants, andyouare the one who got caught! There’s no one to blame for your situation butyourself. Apologize to Ryker now, or we will punish you for your ridiculous outburst.”
I really hoped she was going to make this difficult so Cade would let me spank her.
As much as I loved seeing her face turn red with anger, I would rather see her ass turn red under the strike of my hand as her pussy grew wet from the stinging pain.
I didn’t care that she blamed me specifically. Her blame would make it all the more fun to bring her to heel. I had grown accustomed to easy beta women who threw themselves at my star player. Rowan was a challenge that I happily accepted.
“Are you going to apologize to Ryker?” Cade questioned again, with a raised eyebrow, still firmly holding her in place over his knee.
“Please say no. Please say no,” I begged out-loud.
