The Hunters

Chapter Nine

Price glanced at his watch, grinning at our interaction, before announcing, "Alright, you hooligans. Let's calm down and get some shuteye before Fernsby storms in here. Soap and I will be staying at the Jegertroppens..."

He stumbled to pronounce the word correctly and Larsen explained, "It's Hunter Troop in English."

"Ah, much better. The two of us will be laid out suggestively for Fernsby's arrival. Ghost, Aksel, and König have volunteered to stand watch over the door in shifts. Who wants first watch?"

"Uh, I'll do it. There's no way I can sleep now," Aksel determined, his face still flushed while he watched me in awe.

"Wishing you'd called dibs on me?" I teased him in Norwegian, and he stuttered a response, incoherent in his shock. Giggling, I followed the others inside, sitting in a similar arrangement.

König groaned as he crawled inside, wordlessly thanking us when we lifted the entrance for him. Sitting beside the opening, he observed the space curiously, his eyes sparkling with almost child-like wander. "It's cool, right?" Haugen offered while Ghost crawled inside, his expression emotionless as he removed his remaining gear. While the others had removed their heavy armor after touring the exterior of the base before our arrival, he kept his on, as if he were ready for a fight at any point.

"It feels like we're in a different place," Gaz admitted as he scooted closer to Larsen. "I see the appeal." He held her gaze, the two speaking wordlessly as they decided to shift so that they would sleep beside each other.

"I like it," König whispered, continuing to observe everything in awe. Ghost took one of the pillows across from me, leaning against the surface with his elbow propping him while his legs extended until his boot-covered feet touched my bare toes.

"Feels like we're having a sleepover," Fender added while he and Hutch made themselves comfortable away from us. "I feel like we should be gossiping about boys or something. Reading magazines? What do you all usually do in these?"

"Clean our guns, make plans of action, study resources pertaining to our missions," Larsen answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "And, gossip, depending on environment."

"Gotta keep things interesting," Andersen muttered, flashing us a glare as she made it obvious that she was reserving the space beside her for Aksel. She hadn't stopped glaring at me since I'd picked Aksel, and I realized that I was in for a world of hurt.

"What's everyone's relationship status?" Hutch asked curiously, before answering, "I'm married. Fender is too."

"Divorced. Twice," Larsen answered after Gaz confirmed that he was single.

"She's too bossy," Haugen muttered under her breath before panicking with Larsen's angered gaze landed on her. Larsen shifted to smack Haugen in the back of her head and the sniper squealed, falling onto me as she squrimed for safety.

"Get your fat butt off of me!" I demanded, pushing her off of my chest as I coughed and sat upward. Haugen hid behind me and I rolled my eyes, shifting out of the way so that Larsen could get to her. Crawling between Ghost and König, I watched the exchange humorously, before realizing just how warm the two men were. And how good they smelled. Like masculine musk, the forest, even a crisp citrus from the provided body wash.

Andersen whistled, demanding, "Knock it off, you two! We're getting ready for bed, not a WWE match."

I rolled my eyes and laid back on the pillow, deciding to remain where I'd ended up between the two men. König nervously adjusted to lie beside me, his gaze on me while he fluffed his pillow for support. Glancing at my watch, I confirmed that it was beyond time to go to sleep, pulling my gaiter over my face as I rested my arms behind my head.

The conversations trailed to an end and the lights were switched off, the temperature in the fort increasing as snoring began to echo in the space. Haugen's toes tickled mine as she bugged me, yelping in surprise when I grabbed her foot with my toes and jerked her leg. "Hush!" Larsen ordered, and I stifled a giggle before rolling on my side. Curling my legs, I listened to König's soft breathing in front of me, hearing Ghost behind as he adjusted his position to face me.

Their aromas surrounded me in a similar way their warmth tickled my skin. Ghost shifted once again, moving closer until his bend legs fit within the crook of my knees. I felt him adjusting his pillow as well, distracting me from slumber as I wondered why he was so comfortable practically pressing his body against mine. König adjusted as well and I realized that they were whispering to each other at a barely audible level, straining my ears without success. What were they saying?

As I finally began to settle, drifting off to sleep, I felt König wrap his gloved hand around mine, stroking my skin softly with the rough texture. Ghost slung his arm around my waist, tucking me into him while the two seemed to continue their silent conversation. I gasped when Ghost wrapped his gloved fingers around my throat, tugging my head against his shoulder as he ripped me from my slumber.

"Ghost!" König barked quietly, while I struggled not to moan. His fingers squeezed on the sides of my neck, pressing only hard enough to give me a pleasing sensation. "What are you doing?"

"Making things abundantly clear," he retorted, while I struggled to remember how to breathe. "Storm, if you ever do that leg trick again and the man survives, we're going to make him regret his life. Do you understand?"

My lips trembled beneath my gaiter, unable to see as he have me a firm squeeze when I didn't respond. "Y-yes?" I whispered nervously. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm not going to dick around," he growled in my ear, his arm strong and sturdy across my torso. "König and I have come to a mutual agreement. We're both interested in you, and after a long discussion, we've decided to share. You belong to us now."

"Y-you can't make that decision about me," I protested, and he squeezed once again. König caught my hands when they shifted, cradling them in his. "O-okay, nevermind."

"Good girl," Ghost whispered in my ear, and I shivered head to toe. "Now, go to sleep." I huffed in frustration and he released my neck, shifting to stroke my chin with the pad of his thumb. König continued to hold my hands, caressing them while their warmth and gentle touch somehow managed to lull me back to sleep.