30. Jasmine

As soon as Erik's bite settles on my throat, I expect my heat to fade like a summer breeze. I've got my necklace of bites, and the bond is humming in my chest, a perfect symphony of connection. But I quickly realize this is just the beginning, and as Peter forewarned, my heat is intense.

I grow less and less aware of my surroundings as the hours pass. I can only gauge time by how often the bedding in the nest is changed, although the guys never touch their clothes. I spend endless hours on my knees, my pussy in the air and my face mashed against Erik's sweaty tactical vest. The guys try to wash my body, but I hurl the offending cloths out of the nest, forcing them to lick up our fluids instead. Not that it's much of a hardship, since my alphas have all slipped into a rut. It means we do more than cross swords, and I watch with lazy fascination the first time Casper rides Xavier's cock. If I thought he was beautiful before, the view as his back arches and he paints cum over Xavi's chest is breathtaking. They cuddle, kissing until they're both hard, and then we switch around again.

It"s an endless carousel of cocks and tongues and slick-thickened cum.

"You need to eat," Xavier growls when I wake up to what I think is my third night. I'm already reaching for his knot when he says, "Swallow this strawberry, sweetheart."

"Try dipping it in the chocolate sauce," Casper chirps when I duck my head in annoyance. He spends the most time snoozing in the nest, but he always seems to wake with a sparkle in his eyes. "It's delicious," he coos. "Kelly used vanilla pods, just how you like it."

But I push Xavier's hand away, climbing back into his lap. I'm not really sure why I chose him – he's wearing his stern face, like he's going to start bossing me around again. "One strawberry for every knot," I bargain, licking a stripe up his neck. He tastes like we all do – like we've been riding a three-day heatwave – but it still makes me crave more. I balance one hand on his shoulder as I work to fit his cock between my thighs. There's the right amount of slick and cum to glide down it like a pole, but the angle isn't working for me. Especially when I have to dodge all the granola bars being waved in my face.

"You're tired because you aren't eating," Erik tells me, rubbing my back and trying to pop a piece of banana in my mouth.

"Water, fruit, a granola bar, then dick," Casper chants.

"Water, a strawberry, then a knot and a dick," I counter. "Two dicks, I mean. At the same time."

Casper's brows shoot up. "You might have a chance of taking both me and Dec, but double uber penetration is right at the end of our sex plan. You're jumping some important steps, sweetheart."

"Double penetration?" My gaze snaps down to Erik's groin, and he rubs a hand over his face. "Casper, don't put ideas in her head."

But I hum, wondering how much fruit salad I'll have to choke down before they let me try that.

Although, as delicious as it sounds, and as hazy as I am with heat, I still have a vague notion of my limits. "I mean an alpha, and then you," I clarify, pulling Casper in for a kiss. I twirl one of his bedraggled curls around my finger, biting at the swollen pillows of his lips. "I think I'm addicted to your dick, Omega."

"Aw, you really know how to make your alphas feel special," he chuffs, preening at my affection.

"They know I love them all. They can feel it." I tap my chest, where the bonds are buzzing away. "But I want you under my skin as well. We should plan your mating bites."

Casper makes a choking sound. "Great idea. But maybe we should wait until the guys have had a chance to recover."

I look around again, taking in my alphas' faces. They do look a little washed out.

Which is why I don't have long to wait until they're asleep, and I can crawl out of the nest.

"Sweetheart…" Erik's hand comes down on my ankle, anchoring me to the bed. "What do you need?"

I kick him off, stopping to nibble his lips in apology, then pad over to the door. It's not long before he joins me in the hall, a grin already splitting his tired face. "He's on the terrace."

I cock a brow. "Am I that obvious?"

He gives a lazy shrug, leaning back against the wall. "Your heat is fading, and your mind is asserting itself. I'm guessing you want to check in with everyone you care about."

I pause to see if he's right, and when I rub my chest bone, he nods. "Plus, I saw your reaction when you finished making your nest. You realized there was still a piece missing, right?"

Of course Erik noticed. His powers of observation would scare me if I had any secrets left to hide. "Do you mind? I know it's hard letting outsiders in."

But he just shakes his head. "I trust your judgment." And then a slow smile spreads across his face. "And you don't smell half-bad together, either."

After some hasty negotiation, Erik agrees to stay in the gym while I go find Patrick on the terrace. I've been vaguely aware of him checking in during my heat, sticking to the hallway and delivering his reports straight to Xavier. I've had to settle for a few brief glimpses of his face, and some teasing whiffs of his scent. But now I'm ready for a whole lot more.

When I reach the terrace, I find him standing on the strip of lawn with Chewie snoozing at his feet. His head is tipped back, and for a moment I think he's about to howl at the moon. It's turned his hair into a bright copper crown, and my eyes drink him in hungrily as I move to join him.

"Jesus," he breathes, his quicksilver eyes dancing over me. "I once thought you looked like a Valkyrie, but in the moonlight, you could be the Goddess Clíodhna of the Tuatha de Danann."

I raise my brows. "Is that a good thing?"

"Aye, but fairies are tricky creatures. We should probably cover you up."

He drags his shirt off, exposing the patch of gauze on his shoulder. I wince at the reminder, then bury my face in his faded blue hoodie. I'm not really a fan of clothes right now, but his scent clings enticingly to the fabric.

"You know what you smell like to me?" I ask as I pull it on and snuggle into the thick folds. "Salty walks on a stormy beach."

"Ha," he says, folding his arms across his bare chest and rocking back on his heels. "Then I guess I'm the salt and you're the caramel." He casts me a sideways glance, a nervous gleam in his eyes. "Would you be willing to try something with me?"

I'd be thrilled to try everything with him. But I just nod my head and he leads me over to the greenhouse. I look at him in surprise as he takes the key from its hiding spot and ushers me inside. There's electricity, but he lights an old-fashioned lantern, the flame dancing over the glass walls. When he's done, he looms over me, his eyes fixed on my face. "Have you ever heard of scent therapy?"

"Have you been hanging out with Grace?" I laugh. "She's a scent witch."

He gives me a serious nod. "I talked to both her and Richard about our issue. He did a whole program on scent stimulation for his anosmia." I vaguely recall Grace saying her mate lost his sense of smell due to a childhood trauma. "She told me to try this."

He clears his throat and gestures to a small silver tray I've seen Kelly use in the kitchen. Laid out on it are herbs I recognize, and a few I don't. As he waves each one under my nose, I quickly identify mint, rosemary, lavender, and garlic. But then he moves on to the less familiar ones, listing each one off as I try them. "Dandelion, burdock, and this is comfrey." He holds up a dull green weed with a little pink flower.

I jerk back. "Shit! That smells like rotting flesh."

"Aye, it's a stinker," he laughs. "It's Lus na gcnámh mbriste, the plant for broken bones."

"Ugh. I think I've had enough stimulation…"

I sneeze, and then a delicious scent teases my nose.

This is us, I realize. Something sweet and something salty, like caramel ice cream with a little crunch. It's both potent and elusive and I sway forward, seeking more. Patrick has gone still, but he shoves the tray aside just in time to catch me in his arms. I claw at his back, burrowing into his neck, sucking him in. Oh, God! This is my scent-mate, and even with my muddled hormones, my body knows him. This is the last piece of our pack puzzle.

"I can smell us," I whisper, my eyes clinging to him. "We're delicious."

"We are!" he laughs, squeezing me tighter. "We're salt and caramel magic."

But I'm already dropping to my knees, barely aware of the soil beneath me as I tear at his jeans. He sucks in a huge breath, staring down at me in disbelief. "Here?"

"Moonlight, fairies, and stinky dead flesh herbs…" I mutter, yanking down his zipper. That's the essence of romance, isn't it?"

"Aye, in Ireland," he snorts, but then sobers quickly, nudging me back. "You're still in heat, Jasmine." His hands clutch my face, his gaze searching. "Are you sure?"

I press my hands on his thighs, staring up at him. "Please, Patrick. I need you."

His pupils blow wide and he pants, "Jesus wept, you can't beg for my cock, woman!"

But it sounds like he thinks it's an awesome idea, and I give him a stern look. "If you were in my nest, I wouldn't have to beg," I remind him. "I'd roll over and swallow you down any time I want."

"Oh, fuck." He rubs a hand down his face. "What else do you want, mo chroí?"

"Your heart, beating next to mine." And in case that's not clear enough, I add, "I want you to claim me, Patrick, and join my pack."

His amber irises glint like quicksilver. "I should court you. I should talk to your alphas…"

It's my turn to snort. "Get inside me, Patrick."

His nostrils flare, vivid color staining his high cheekbones, and then he's dragging me to my feet. "Mo chroí," he says in a ragged tone, "put your hands on that table and present for your alpha."

None of the other guys put it quite like that, but I realize it's exactly what I want. Soil is still clinging to my knees as I grip the edge of the little planting table and thrust my ass into the air. Patrick makes a choking sound, then yanks his hoodie up and runs his hand over the pale globes of my butt. He's muttering something in Irish, so reverent it sounds like a prayer.

But I don't have to beg again, because he's suddenly sliding into me, a thick wedge of flesh that catches on my walls. His cock feels unusually thick, and I'm sad I didn't get to taste it. Except he's promised to knot me, and claim me, and then court me. And top of the list will be regular blowjobs in the greenhouse where I can worship his cock any way I want.

Because it hits so deep. And he's not careful with it, either, using the last of my heat to pound his mark into me. The table is rattling, plant pots and old gardening tools dancing with each thrust.

"Things might get a little wild sometimes," he gasps as he pumps into my throbbing pussy. "I wasn't raised right, you know?"

"Neither was I," I murmur, biting down on my lip so I don't scream, shattering the glass roof and slicing us to ribbons. "Oh, God, Patrick! Fuck me harder."

He growls as he complies, bending his knees to thrust up inside me. The last tendrils of my heat are fading, and I'm skirting the pleasure-pain divide. But I wouldn't give up this moment for anything, and maybe that means I'm as wild as he is.

"I hunted you down, didn't I?" I demand, a gloating note in my voice. "Even after the doctor told me to keep you from exerting yourself." I grind back against him, although I'm still careful not to put pressure on his wounded shoulder. "I couldn't help myself. I had to have you. Because you're mine."

I growl the last word and he gasps, thrusting into me so hard we both slide to our knees. But the soil is soft, the air is fresh, and the moon is pouring through the glass roof. His knot isn't even all the way inside me when I claw at his shoulder, biting down hard. "Claim me, Alpha!"

He grunts as he rolls me onto my back, his hands cupping my face. "I don't deserve you, mo chroí, but I'll never let you know it."

My heart cracks at the fear, and guilt, and adoration in his eyes.

I lean up and kiss him, soft and breathlessly deep. It's a different kind of passion, because we're now huddled in the eye of the storm. Two broken, patched-up hearts in our glass cocoon.

"Then bite me, Patrick, and I'll bite you back, and it will be our secret."