Faith & the Dead End Devils (Sweet Omegaverse, #8)(30)

My room—Bear's room—was silent as we approached, and I couldn't tell if the turning of my stomach was nerves left from eating, or excitement for my new nest, or apprehension at seeing Bear again.

"About what Bear said earlier," Chance said, interrupting our quiet, pausing halfway down the hall. "About your nest and…fitting in it."

He cleared his throat, moving nervously in front of me, and I found a slight smile curling up the corners of my lips.

"I've never had a heat before, and I've…I've never been with an alpha before," I whispered, for once relieved that I couldn't see clearly, that I could blush and avoid his gaze and the world wasn't focused enough for me to make out his expression. "I'm not…"

"I don't have to be there," Chance said, his voice flat, misreading my stumbling words.

"I want you there," I answered, my face flaming with warmth. "I want you with me. But maybe not…all at once? Right away. Umm…"

Chance leaned in, and I froze until his hands cupped my cheeks. His mouth landed against mine, as soft and thorough as earlier, and I sagged into his chest, relieved at the interruption.

"You say when, birdy," Chance rasped, soaking up my hum of agreement with another press of his lips.

A door opened at the end of the hall, but Chance ignored the sound, sipping on my mouth as I clutched at him, both of us aware of the eyes that watched. He pulled away, nipping at the corner of my jaw, and then turned me to face the doorway where Bear waited.

"Got a surprise for you," Bear called.

For the first time in hours, I reached for that little thread of him in my chest and found him. He was bright, kind of spiky, but it was excitement, not irritation, and it made my steps lighter as we approached.

"Is it a surprise if you woke us up with a drill and told us what you were doing?" Chance muttered.

"It is, yeah," Bear said, although I didn't think Chance had meant for him to hear the question.

He stepped back as we reached him, and the room was dark, but there was a soft orangey glow ahead that revealed the curves of his thick arms and narrow hips. And with his excitement mingling and my own tossed and turned emotions from the day, I gave up resisting and reached for him. His skin was warm and familiar under my hand, and he bent over me, kissing the top of my head, running a hand through my hair. The room smelled like lumber and a little metallic, and I wrinkled my nose, moving slowly forward.

A new, huge structure protruded from the closet, into the center of the room, with squared sides and a peaked roof. The bed was gone, and Bear's minimal furniture had been pushed to the far wall. Chance released my hand and I reached out, touching the new, strange wall to my left.

"Shit," Chance muttered. "You weren't kidding."

"It's just plywood and soundproof foam for now," Bear said as I squished my fingers into the dense foam.

For now, I thought.

I found the edge—which was carefully padded by what I was pretty sure was a foam pool noodle—and stepped around to the front, my lips parted on a gasp. The source of the dim glow was revealed, little opaque golden bulbs shimmering through a curtain of thin fabric. The peak of the nest's roof went up to the top of the closet, but even so, Bear would have to duck or crouch to get inside. I wouldn't, though.

I pushed the fabric aside, blinking at the glimmer of the lights strung up and down the peaks in a zigzag and around the sides of the nest. It gave the small space an all-over light that made it easier for me to make everything out. Bear had moved his bed frame out and pushed the boxspring and mattress into the nest, a perfect fit to either wall he'd added. Even with the mattress, the space was overflowing with pillows and blankets.

"There's a thicker curtain we can pull down over the opening," Bear said as I stood, still staring inside.

This was a nest. It was bigger than the tiny closet, that had felt secure and private, but still small enough for me. Especially once Bear or Chance joined me in it. A nest made for me.

My chest burned and my hands were clammy as I knelt, ducking under the curtain and sliding my knee onto the mattress. The walls inside of the nest were also padded, but these were wrapped in a golden yellow fabric. The bed was denser than I remembered Bear's being.

He'd taken apart his bed and moved it into the nest he'd built for me, dismantled his closet—although there hadn't been a whole lot in there. Still.

He did all this, and he wanted me to leave?

Or maybe he didn't want me to. Maybe King would make him, or maybe he believed it would be better for me.

What could be better than this?

I dove into the pillows at the head of the bed, wiping new tears away on the soft fabrics before either Chance or Bear could see them, rooting around in the blankets, grinning as I found my scent and Bear's and even hints of Chance's. The mattress was pushed into the closet, with little wooden tables stuffed into the corners on either side.

I twisted and rolled in the blankets, tangling myself with a relieved sigh, rearranging the pillows around me. Chance laughed softly, and I realized they were watching me fuss and nest.

"You like it?" Bear asked, surprisingly hopeful, uncertain.

I pushed my feelings in his direction as I nodded and blinked up at the lights.

"They dim," Bear said, and then just a moment later, their bright glow softened and I sighed again.