Page 131 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“Okay. I will have dinner with you, then I will let the others come play.”

I hold out my hand, waiting, letting her make a choice. She reaches out, and I thread my fingers through hers.

She pulls me to a stop and steps into me, wrapping her arms around me and just hugging me for a long moment.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Ever. I want to get to know you, too. Especially after today.”

When she steps back, I tilt her head back and touch my lips to hers.

“I am so very, very pleased to meet you.”

Raven

Sneaking out of their bunker and cabin is ridiculously easy. I almost feel bad for them, but I have things I need to do.

I disable their cars and steal the only motorbike. With the engine purring between my legs and putting miles between me and the alphas, I begin to relax. This is almost fun.

It takes me five hours to get to where I need to go. The cash I stole goes towards petrol, but when I get to the resort, it’s barely dawn. They’ll be awake and hunting me soon. Poor babies.

My footsteps are loud and confident as I march across marble floors of a place such as I’ve never set foot before. The beta at the reception desk watches me with eyes that grow ever wider.

“Hey, I’m here to see Pix O’Connell.”

The bleary-eyed woman at the counter blinks at me. “I can’t give that information out.”

Ah, I love it when people try to do the right thing, it’s so cute.

I nod my head, then lunge forward and twist her arm sharply. “I’m not asking. Where is my omega?”

Her eyes get wide, and her face turns white. She stutters, her bottom lip shaking.

“R-rr-room three thirty.”

“Thank you,” I say sweetly and release her. “Now, be a good girl and call up and let him know I’m coming.”

“Okay! I will. Right now!”

I jog across the empire blue carpet runner with its gold monochromatic patterns and hit the button for the lift. It slides open as if it were waiting for me. For a moment, I hesitate, wondering again if this is the right move.

I huff and get in, refusing to look in the mirror. When I look in the mirror, I see vulnerable Merle, fury-filled Raptor, Kestrel’s pain, Jay’s grief. I see it all, but I see the purpose in my eyes and the fact that I will put us all last to get this done. They have no idea the lengths I have gone to and how much further I will take this.

I will sacrifice us all if I have to.

My alters don’t like me a lot of the time, and that’s fine with me. I don’t need to be liked, I need to win.

The doors slide open, and I find room three thirty right in front of me. I don’t bother knocking, instead, I use the master card I palmed off the reception desk when I attacked the woman.

I don’t open the door slowly or cautiously. There’s no point.

Pix is waiting for me with a gun aimed at my chest when I walk in. I close the door and raise my hands, trying to indicate that I am harmless, but he doesn’t let up. Instead, he stares at me even more suspiciously.

“You all told me to go. Here I am, gone. Here you are, back.” The words come out almost amused, but I can see the cold, hard rage written all over his hurt omega feelings.

“Yeah, I need you.” I say the words with a grin, loving this game.

“You’re not Merle, Kestrel, or anyone else I have met yet.”