35. Orcus

Gods,Alina is stunning.

I sit in a nearby chair, watching my naked little Goddess roll all over the bed as she fiercely rearranges the pillows and sheets.

Flame and Reaper stand nearby with piles of clothes and linen at their feet, waiting to be commanded by our furious mate.

She's been working on this all morning, her growls going straight to my cock.

I'm hard, just like I've been for the last five days.

Reaper and Flame are aroused, too.

It doesn't matter that we've basically fucked Alina around the clock for days; our little sex Goddess has put us in a constant state of arousal.

I've taken every hole, claimed her in the most intimate of ways, and still, I want to possess every inch of her all over again. Bite her sweet tits and redden those luscious nipples.

My crescent-like mark on her breast catches my gaze, making my lips curl. Mine.

Reaper seems to be staring at the R above her mound as well, his expression rivaling my own.

Meanwhile, Flame is just gazing at her with hearts in his eyes. He and his inner beast are completely smitten.

Our mate certainly looks adorable right now, though, growling and arguing with blankets as she punches the bed. "Stay," she snaps, causing me to bite my lip to keep from chuckling.

I know better than to upset a working Omega.

She's trying to build a nest, one meant to house all of us and the life growing inside her. There's no heartbeat yet, just the flicker of a soul. I felt it this morning, just like Alina obviously had as well—hence her urgent need to perfect her safe haven.

Fortunately, we preemptively brought most of the items from our room in Monster City, thus providing her with the base for her nest.

She growls again, the sound erasing my humor and replacing it with need.

I palm my shaft and give it a stroke. Once my Omega finishes her task, I can fuck her. Hopefully in her nest.

She's slowly coming out of her heat, her mind seeming focused on her other needs at present. But she's not quite done with our rut.

Once she finishes that nest, she's going to want to mark it with her circle's scent.

And the best way to do that is to fuck inside of it.

Her eyes narrow as she looks at Flame, her nose twitching.

He remains utterly still as she prowls toward him and sniffs his chest. A little moan escapes her, the sound one of approval. "More," she demands.

After a few trial-and-error moments, he now knows what that means. With a swift shuffle through the fabric at his feet, he pulls out one of his shirts and hands it to her.

"Thank you," she says, kissing him on the cheek and crawling back across the bed.

Flame preens in response.

Meanwhile, Reaper narrows his gaze, clearly wanting to be thanked as well.

When Alina spins toward him, his glare melts into a hopeful expression. That expression morphs into pride when she scents him and issues the same command of "More."

But he doesn't hand her a shirt. Instead, he takes off the boxers he's wearing—boxers he literally only put on for her, as I know he prefers to go commando—and hands them to her.

She inhales deeply, her pupils dilating, and gives him a kiss on the mouth. There are no words spoken this time, but the kiss appears to be more than enough gratitude for Reaper because he's now beaming as well.

When Alina comes for me, I tilt my head and wait. She's already taken all the garments I have to offer her. There's only one item left I can give her, and that's my cock.

Or, more specifically, my cum.

Because that's what she said wants in her nest. A sensual marking of sorts to chase everyone else away.

My mates are intimidating, that scent will say. My mates are dangerous. My mates will do anything and everything in their power to protect me.

She studies me intently, her gaze going to the hand on my cock while I continue to give myself a few slow, thorough strokes.

"See something you need, little mate?" I ask her.

She hums, her tongue sneaking out to dampen her lower lip. "Soon."

Her attention returns to Flame as she bends to sort through his garment pile herself. She finds a towel that she quickly adds to her nest, then another shirt. The process is repeated with Reaper's stack of fabric, her hands pulling out a robe and a pair of jeans.

All of it is carefully folded into the edges of her creation, leaving a large open space in the middle.

After a few more rounds of sifting through clothes and linens, she returns to Flame and extends her hand.

He happily accepts it and allows her to pull him into her nest.

Reaper is next.

Then she faces me. "Alpha."

"Omega," I return, my tone reverent. "Are you ready to play in your nest?"

She swallows and nods. "Yes. Scent the nest, then find my sister."

My brow furrows. "What?"

"Serapina," she murmurs, her expression shifting from dreamy to confused. "Sera…"

There's some thought trying to pierce through her Omega fog, one that's important enough to interrupt her heat.

Reaper sits up, as does Flame, all of us intently focused on our mate.

"Tell me about your sister," I say, all thoughts of fucking in her nest disappearing in the wake of this reveal.

"She… she left me a note." She seems to be trying to remember, her estrus having clouded her mind. When Omegas go into heat, they only care about one thing—procreation.

We've done that.

Which made building her safe haven her next task.

But it seems her sister is a competing priority.

No. Not just her sister, but finding her sister.

"What kind of note, Alina?" Reaper asks, his serious side obviously engaged.

Her nose crinkles. "I…" She swallows and shakes her head, almost like she's trying to clear it.

"Come here," I tell her, holding out my hand.

She obeys because she's still on the edges of her estrus, her body moving before her mind can stop her.

The moment she's close enough, I pull her into my arms and purr, my goal to soothe her enough for her to think.

That way, even if she can't voice what she wants to say aloud, I can catch her thoughts.

She buries her head against my chest, her body instantly relaxing into my hold while Flame and Reaper watch intently.

They're obviously trying to discern the same information that I am.

"Tell us about Serapina," I say softly. "What note did she send you?"

Alina is quiet for a long moment, her eyes having fallen closed. But she's not sleeping. She's searching in her mind, swimming through the memories of the last few days and trying to find herself.

This is going to pull her out of her heat, but that's okay. This is clearly important.

Why didn't she mention her sister before?I wonder. Did she not trust us?

She must hear the question because it triggers a memory in her mind—a memory of her deciding to ask for our help in finding her.

As soon as Reaper returns, I'm telling them, she thought then.

This was after feeling a hint of guilt at not having told us about her sister yet, followed by a realization that she was holding herself back.

But she decided to no longer keep the secret and to share it.

Right before the first wave of her heat began.

"Chicago," she breathes now.

There's an Elite City,she recalls in her mind, the voice not hers but presumably her sisters. Because she appears to be recalling what the note said. Find an old map, Lina. Look for Chicago. I'll be waiting.

"Sera," Alina breathes, her eyelashes fluttering open as she looks at me. "My sister's in the Elite City."

"That's how you know about Chicago." It's not a question but a statement.

However, she nods anyway.

"Where did you find this note?" I ask, suspicious. Because from what Helia said, even humans in the Elite City are unaware of the former name.

So how does her sister know about Chicago?

And where would she have expected Alina to find an old map?

New York City no longer exists. The buildings of Monster City are new to this dimension, the technology and architecture inhuman. I highly doubt old maps exist.

And yet, the note told Alina to find one.

"In my room after last year's Day of the Choosing. Someone slid it under my door." She swallows. "I don't know how, but I know my sister's handwriting, and that note was written by my sister."

I nod. "I believe you, Alina."

Her eyes widen a fraction. "You do?"

"Of course I do." If she knows her sister wrote it, then her sister wrote it. The questions that remain are how she managed to slip the note into Alina's room and how Serapina knows about Chicago.

"You said she slipped you the note, and you're not sure how, so I'm guessing that means your sister no longer lives in your village," Flame says, his focus on our mate.

"She was an Offering two years ago," Alina replies, her expression turning distant as her mind pulls up the memory of the ceremony.

Her pain becomes my pain as she watches her sister walk down the aisle to her fate, knowing she'll never see her again.

"So maybe her mate or mates helped get that note to Alina," Reaper suggests, his focus on Flame and then me. "That would explain the mention of Chicago."

"As well as the comment about finding a map," I say, thinking it through. "Maybe her mate or mates know there are some in Monster City?"

"Possibly," Flame replies. "I didn't see any while we were there, though."

"Neither did I," Reaper admits. "But if Serapina and her mate or mates are living in the Elite City, then I imagine that Cain guy would know. He was very in charge during that massacre."

Alina stills. "Massacre?"

"Something to do with the Strigoi and their mate," I explain softly. "Reaper hasn't elaborated much."

The Death Fae shrugs. "Not my story to tell. Besides, I don't think it's relevant other than to say that if Serapina is in the Elite City, Cain can likely tell us where she is and who she's with."

I consider that for a long moment. "You think we can trust him?"

Reaper snorts. "Trust? No. But he has two of our Strigoi, and while they might be there willingly and happily, you're still a Mythos Fae from their home realm. That gives you political authority in this situation. Ergo, perhaps you can ask a favor in exchange for looking the other way."

"Not sure Morpheus will like that," I mutter.

However, Reaper has a point.

I could assert some dominance over the situation, demand a meeting, and request Serapina's whereabouts as a boon. In exchange, I would offer to not interfere with the Strigoi's choice to remain in this dimension.

As for Morpheus, I wouldn't be able to make any promises on his behalf.

The best I could do would be to not involve myself at all, which would include not dragging the Strigoi Princes back to the Morpheus Kingdom.

"I suppose you're right," I go on, looking at Reaper. "I could offer to look the other way in exchange for information about Alina's sister."

"You would do that?" my Omega asks, her gaze locked on me.

"Of course I would," I tell her. "I would do anything for you."

Her pretty eyes start to shimmer, the tears tugging at my heartstrings. "Thank you," she whispers.

"Don't thank me, Alina. You're a Goddess now." I palm her cheek. "It's my duty to serve you in all ways." And I mean it.

She's my heart.

My purpose.

My future.

"We'll find your sister," I promise her, my lips brushing over hers. Then I focus on Reaper. "Do you know how to find Cain?"

He considers it for a moment and nods. "I know a good place to start."

"Good enough." I look at Alina, her clear expression telling me that finding her sister has officially overtaken her need to finish her nest. "Would you like to go to the Elite City tonight?"

She gapes at me. "I'm going, too?"

"I assumed you wanted to go. Would you rather stay here?" I ask her, my thumb tracing her cheekbone.

"No, I want to go."

"Then we'll go together," I tell her. "And we'll go tonight."

Because I recognize the need inside my mate, a need she hasn't been able to fulfill since she found that note.

Tonight, we'll begin rectifying that need—by finding Serapina Everheart.