Page 80 of Claimed

Gage passes me the glass of water, and I gratefully take a few sips before passing it back. He sets it on the table as we all turn to Chase.

He takes a deep breath and nods, then uncrumples the note he’s firmly gripping and holds it out as he reads, “The time has finally come. Be ready. Yours forever, Blaze.”

I frown at the note. “Does this nut bag think I actually want to go with him?” I ask in confusion as I grip my necklace, thankful it stayed in place through my shifting.

“It does sound that way,” Gage says as his lips press together in thought.

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Chase asks. “If he does show up, she can tell him to go to hell.”

Gage shakes his head. “No, this may be worse. If he truly believes she wants to be with him, he won’t understand anything else. He may have even painted a picture of their life together. If she refuses him, he may lash out violently.”

“Great,” I say, leaning back against Maddox as I consider the options. “It was hard enough when he was just planning to return me to the facility. But what you’re describing sounds worse.”

“We need a safe room,” Bain says. I turn to him and see his hands fisted tightly against his thighs. “Or three.” I reach inside to feel his emotions and find him angry, but worse, he’s also scared. For me.

With uncoordinated movements, I step out of Maddox’s lap and scramble past Hunter to climb into Bain’s lap. His arms immediately come up to wrap around me as his nose sinks into my hair. He takes a deep breath, and I feel his tension start to fade.

The others watch us with interest, except for Gage, who’s staring at the table, his mind moving ten miles an hour. “Okay,” he finally says, nodding to himself. “We can convert Cherry’s closet to a safe room.”

“How long will that take?” Hunter asks.

“I don’t know the people here, but generally if you throw enough money at someone, they’ll drop anything to get the job done.” He pushes to his feet as he tells us, “I’m going to make some calls.”

He starts to step away, but I reach out and grab his wrist, stopping him. He looks at me in question as I tell him, “He threatened you guys. I don’t think any of you should be alone.”

His eyes soften, and when he opens his mouth, I’m sure he’s going to argue, but Hunter stands, speaking before he can. “I’ll go with him.”

“Thank you,” I say, smiling at him.

Gage leans down as he tips my chin up and kisses me. Hunter does the same, leaving me a little breathless as the two of them head down the hall to the office.

I squirm in Bain’s lap, getting comfortable as I glance at the other two. “Now what?”

“I think we should talk about how you two suddenly gained super speed,” Chase says, pointing to Maddox and Bain.

Maddox frowns as he asks, “Were we really that fast?”

Chase nods. “Very. None of us could keep up with you. Plus, how about how you smelled Blaze like three miles away? What was that about?”

“I didn’t realize it was any different from normal,” Bain admits.

“Me either,” I add.

“That’s because you’re much faster now too,” Chase tells me before grinning. “When you were chasing me, I was seriously having to run fast to keep ahead of you.”

“A little too fast,” I think and he grins. “I said that through the bond, didn’t I?” I ask as my cheeks heat and he nods.

“Eager to catch me, were you?” I roll my eyes at him since he already knows I’m more than ready to seal our bond. Technically, Gage had won our game, but thanks to Blaze’s visit, I have a feeling I’m not sealing any new bonds today.

As I glance around, I notice my phone on the table. Maybe I should send a text message to Erica. She might have some insider omega knowledge that I can use as proof that it’s better to complete my bonds sooner rather than later.

For some reason, I feel desperate to solidify all five. As if I’m incomplete without them.

“Can you show me how to use my phone?” I ask, pointing at it.

“Of course,” Chase says as Bain stands, lifting me as he moves to sit beside Maddox. Chase sits on our other side as the three of them sit back and begin to teach me the basics of using my cellphone, including calling, texting, taking photos, and a game Chase declares is absolutely vital that I play called Angry Birds.

Their numbers are already in there, and Maddox shows me how he added Erica’s number for me too.