Nix laughs and has a brief tug-of-war with Grayson over carrying his bag. He lets the alpha win and turns his attention back to Gideon.
“Yeah. When I was a kid, I used to tell this story about a person in the forest. There was a blue lagoon and a—”
“Waterfall,” Gideon finishes.
It’s Nix’s turn to look dumbfounded. “Yeah…but I made it up, right? I—how did you know?”
Gideon crouches on the tarmac, hand digging at a tiny crack in the asphalt where a sliver of earth has pushed through. There’s a single dried-up weed, but it’s the soil he’s after. He digs and digs until he can wedge a fingertip into the black earth beneath.
Gideon breathes deeper, tension easing from his shoulders.
Jay feels like he’s missing another critical piece of his Gideon puzzle. The rest of them form a loose circle around him and Nix, and Jay is pretty sure they look like some kind of cult performing a mystical ritual.
“I know because I’ve been there, too,” Gideon says, his gaze locked with Nix’s.
It’s like they’re the only ones present, lost in a world with its own language and memories—connected by something tangible, something only they can feel.
“Maybe we can look for it,” Luca says quietly, breaking the tension. “If you miss it so much. We can look when we check out your Mama’s land. Maybe even before we go home.”
Nix jerks suddenly, both hands flying to his midsection.
Jay isn’t exaggerating when he says they all jump to attention, waiting for him to say something momentous—something profound—after what looked like a spiritual communion.
Instead, Nix deadpans, “Can we get food? The bean and I are starving.”
He turns toward the parking lot, heading straight for the white car rather than the black, pulling Luca into the backseat with him. He ignores Grayson and Rowan as they start scuffling—again—this time over who gets to drive. Grayson seems to forget he doesn’t have a license, and the argument escalates fast, an alpha pissing contest in real-time.
Jay loses patience.
“Enough!” he shouts, voice cutting through the cool mountain air. “What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with you two?”
Gideon points toward the white car. Jay nods.
Leo climbs into the passenger seat, and the four of them drive away, dust following in their wake.
“Give us a minute, Finn?”
“No problem. I’ll go warm up the car.”
Finn glances around for Tsuki, who has trotted off into the long grass to do her business. She returns at a run, ears flopping.
“Come on, girl. We donotwant any part of this.”
Grayson rubs his abdomen—again. Jay has seen him do it almost every time since yesterday. It’s different from the BBS: lessI’m going to pukeand moreI want to crawl out of my skin.
“Sorry,” Grayson mutters. “I’vegot no excuse. I’ll do better.”
Rowan huffs rudely but keeps his thoughts to himself, walking away.
“Pretty? Something I should know?” Jay asks, catching Rowan sliding into the car’s driver’s side out of the corner of his eye. For fuck’s sake, Jay can just see them now, taking the hills and curves of winding back roads at 80 mph.
Just…no.
Grayson rubs that spot again and hesitates.
Jay thinks that maybe he’ll share what’s on his mind with Jay for once. But it’s wishful thinking because his mate just shakes his head, long black hair wild around his head, swirling in the wind. He looks wild and regal, and Jay has no trouble imagining him as an ancient warrior from when these mountains were still rife with magic.
“We should go,” Grayson says, heading toward the car, leaving Jay to wonder what the hell is happening with his family.
