“Too quickly,” Nikolai added bitterly. “I thought it would have been fun to round them up and take them to Russia. My guards could use the target practice.”
My jaw dropped a little. “Um. That sounds like a lot.”
“And I told him their punishment was enough,” Remy cut in firmly.
Nikolai’s gray eyes slid to me, but I could see the teasing glint. “I’m worried your mate may be slightly too merciful, little wolf.”
I glanced up at Remy with a grin, my finger dragging along the slope of his jaw. Everything in me went liquid and warm as his soft gaze met mine. “I think he’s perfect.”
I could hear Nikolai start to chuckle as Remy dipped his head and kissed me gently, his lips barely tasting mine. The lights turned on as I started to open my eyes.
“Ouch,” I muttered, blinking rapidly against the sharp sting of the fluorescents. “Bright lights.”
Remy’s nose nudged my forehead as his arms tightened. “House or cabin? Your choice.”
“House,” I said immediately, needing the feeling of my pack around me. People started to get up and move around.
“Maybe Mom should crash with us tonight,” I added, looking at where she was still sleeping.
“I’ll take her home,” Nikolai said quietly, sweeping back a lock of blonde hair from her forehead. “Don’t worry.”
“Okay,” I sighed. After a second, my nose wrinkled and I looked up at Remy. “Actually, is just staying here an option? I’m comfortable. You make a good bed.” I yawned at the end of the sentence and cuddled against him more.
He snorted lightly. “Lucky for you, your bed is portable.”
“Huh?”
I squeaked as Remy stood up, still cradling me in his arms. He started walking down the aisle, and I caught the grins from my friends as we walked by.
I lightly slapped at his shoulder, embarrassed. “Put me down. I can walk.”
“I like carrying you,” he said simply, stepping through the open side door and slowly going down the stairs.
“Being carried around doesn’t exactly scream, ‘badass Alpha female,’” I pointed out.
“No,” he agreed, grinning, “but it does scream princess.”
I groaned, letting my eyes fall shut as I buried my head against his chest. “I’m the farthest thing from a princess.”
He laughed as he walked towards the waiting car. “On that, we can agree.”
Someone opened the passenger door and he settled me into the seat, stepping back and staring at me with unflinching intensity. “You are no princess, Skye Markham.” He leaned into the car and kissed my forehead. “You are my queen.”
I hid a smile as he closed the door and headed for the driver’s side. The butterflies in my stomach were still rioting as he climbed inside and started the car.
Clearly I wasn’t the only sleepy one, I realized as we waited for our friends to appear so we could drive home together.
Rhodes stopped halfway to the car to carry Larkin the rest of the way when her tired feet stumbled. Ryder was propped up between Tate and Dante, his head lolling sleepily on the latter’s shoulder. Katy was the only one who seemed remotely awake, but even she looked tired.
Tate got into the backseat, awkwardly catching Ryder as Dante passed him to her before climbing into the back bench with them. Rhodes wound up in the middle seat between Katy and Larkin, who each promptly turned his shoulders into pillows.
Yeah. We were all drained.
“Wait,” I said, dropping my hand on Remy’s arm as he started to turn the steering wheel.
I lowered the window and leaned out, watching worriedly as Dimitri carried an unconscious Lulu towards a different car.
“Is she okay?” I called, my throat sort of scratchy from all the crying earlier.
Dimitri gave me a tense nod. “She will be. She’s going to need to rest for a few days.”
I bit my lip, wondering if this was my fault. It had been my idea.
“Skye, don’t,” Dimitri said, shaking his head. “She would’ve done it with or without you. It’s who she is.”
I exhaled, still not happy with it. “But she’ll be okay?”
He nodded as Alexei came up on his other side.
Alexei nodded to me with a smile. “Printsessa.”
“Queen,” Remy murmured under his breath. I could hear the affection in his tone.
My lips curved into a grin as my fingers twined around his. “We’ll regroup tomorrow and figure out our next move. If you need anything—”
“—we’ll call,” Dimitri promised. “See you tomorrow.”
I rolled up the window and looked over at Remy. “Take me home, please.”
With a wink, Remy turned the wheel and drove us back towards the Alpha house. At some point I drifted off again to the quiet sounds of Remy, Rhodes, and Dante talking. Occasionally Katy would add in something, her dulcet tone blending into a hypnotic cocktail with their deeper tones until I was sliding in and out of sleep.
I missed our arrival back home, only waking up when the passenger door was opened and the cool night air snuck in to caress my body.
“I’m up,” I mumbled, starting to kick my feet out.
Remy laughed and picked me up again like my weight was nothing for him to bear. His breath ruffled my hair as he situated me in his arms. “Whatever you say, baby.”
“I can walk,” I added, even as I found the perfect spot to lay my head on his shoulder.
“I can see that,” he agreed, walking up the front steps.
I could hear Rhodes laughing behind us as the front door opened.
“Is she okay?” Sam or Dax whispered.
“Tired,” Remy answered.
“I can talk.” Except that sounded kind of slurred.
The twins laughed. “Need anything?”
“No, we’re good,” Remy told them. His voice raised slightly to address everyone. “We’ll meet down here after we’ve all slept to discuss our next steps.”
“Actually, Michael asked if you could call him when you got in. He needed to talk to you.” That sounded like Sam. Or Dax.
Crap, I was tired.
“Shit, my phone died on the plane,” Remy cursed. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It sounded like good news.” Okay, that was totally Dax.
“That’d be nice for a change,” Remy muttered. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
I managed to waggle my fingers as he carried us upstairs and into his room, kicking the door shut before he deposited me on the bed.
I looked around as he turned on the light in the bathroom, casting a dim glow over the room. “I don’t have any clothes here.”
The corner of his mouth hooked up as he went to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt. He tossed it onto the bed next to me.
I picked it up and practically smashed my face into it, inhaling deeply. “You smell good.”
His half-smile turned into a full-blown grin. “You smell good, too.”
I picked at the edge of my shirt with a sniff. “I smell like dirt and dust. I smell like Long Mesa.”
He came back to stand in front of me. I had to drop my head back to look up into his eyes.
“You smell like you,” he said gently, tapping the tip of my nose.