Perfect.
“Well, that was exciting. What set you off, kitten?”
Embarrassment flares, hot and prickly, and he ducks his face into the curve of Luca’s neck so he doesn’t have to see Gideon’s face when Leo pipes up, the smirk evident in his voice.
“I don’t think Nix wants me to see my old girlfriend without making sure she knows I belong to him.” Leo is definitely being a shit, and Nix’s hackles practically rise at the words. A low growl spills from his throat, sharp and warning. He barely registers the sound of a slap before Leo yelps, “Ow!”
“Don’t start, dumbass. Are you okay, kitten? Feeling hungover?” When Nix looks, Gideon is rubbing Jamie’s back and handing him the ibuprofen from the cupboard by the sink.
“I’m okay,” he murmurs, flexing his fingers, testing himself. No aches, no nausea—nothing but a slow, pleasant hum in his bones. A sharp contrast to his mates, who are suffering in a way he’s not. “Why would you need that? Don’t Weres heal faster? Why does being…um…scent-drunk feel like a hangover?”
“Good question, and one for Dr. Merritt, I think.” Gideon looks at his mates, and they shrug, too.
“You guys have to be at your…meeting in twenty minutes. Are you changing your shirts?”
The urge to shoutNo!bubbles up fast—but in the end, Jamie and Leo both change while Luca stays on his stool.
“It’ll be okay, baby. I’ll make sure they know who we belong to, okay? You can trust me.” Luca rubs their noses together, and with a quick kiss, he climbs down when the others return.
It’s hard not to run after them, but since they’re afraid to risk re-exposure, Jamie and Leo just blow him a kiss.
Just after the front door close, he whispers, “Pinky swear?”
“You can count on me!” Luca wraps his pinky in Nix’s, and with a lastkiss, he’s out the door after them—his bouncy butt as bare as when the whole thing started.
“Fucking hell, Luca!” Gideon shouts as he finds the gray silk panties on the floor just in time to chase his mates out the door.
Tsuki is back inside, making her own mini-nest on the couch from the pile of blankets they left there last night. After a short tug-o-war over his favorite duck blanket, he cuddles in to watch whatever anime Luca has left streaming on the television this morning. It’s not hard to relax, and when Gideon finally comes back, he slides in beside him.
There’s no talk of training, combat, or the court case—just Gideon’s hand in his hair and the scent of rain in his nose.
It helps settle that itch a little, lulling him—not quite into a state of calm exactly, but more as if he’s waiting for something, even if he doesn’t know what it is.
He’s not sure how much time has passed when he hears his mate’s ringtone.
“Shit, that’s Maureen, Quest’s Manager. I’m going to take it to the kitchen. Be right back.”
Nix nods instead, rubbing Tsuki’s ears, both turned 180 degrees toward the conversation in the other room.
Nix can hear Gideon cursing, then a hand slamming on the counter. Then he’s calling someone…Grayson?
“No, that’s okay. Get here when you can. I’ll figure it out. Yeah. No, don’t bother him, he’s with Riordan. No. They can’t, either. I’ll work it out.”
Another slammed hand on the counter follows, along with a sigh, while Nix tries to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping.
Tsuki turns her ears forward, too. It’s cute. She is such a smart doggo.
“Nix, I have to go into Quest. There’s been a fire, and the police think it’s arson. They have questions.” Gideon already has his keys in hand. “But you stay here with Tsuki, and don’t let anyone in. You know the code for the emergency alarms?”
“A fire? Was anyone hurt?”
Gideon throws his hoodie on and leans in to kiss Nix goodbye.
“No one was in, thank the Goddess. A neighbor called the fire department, and they called the cops. I’ll be back soon. Be good.”
He glances down at Tsuki. “Tsuki, you know what to do, right?”
The dog woofs but just lays her head down on Nix’s lap. Whether that was a yes or a no, Nix can’t tell—but Gideon is satisfied.
