The motion makes him lose his grip on his pants, and they slide down. I bend to help him, and that’s when I see it …
That’s when I see what they did to him.
“Em …” His name is barely a whisper on my lips, and any words of comfort I may have had get caught in my throat.
He yanks his pants out of my hands and pulls them up. “I told you, I don’t need any help.”
“This is because of me …” I cover my mouth as the horror of what he went through hits home. “If you hadn’t come to rescue me … If you had just gone to get Gage …” Tears stream from my eyes, and I sob. “Why didn’t you get Gage?”
“Because they would have done this to you instead!” he shouts.
I fall to my knees, unable to hold myself up anymore. “Your knot …”
Emmett sighs, his anger evaporating as quickly as it appeared. “It’s not–Look, Olly says they just took the skin. It’s … it fucking hurts, but he says it’s not gone. I–I’ll have a scar, he says, but with time …”
“I’m so sorry, Em. I’m so, so sorry.”
I’m not sure what happened, but suddenly Em is the one comforting me, not the other way around. He drops to the ground with me, wrapping his scarred arms around me and holding me.
“It’s okay, Diego. I’m–I’ll be okay.”
“This is all my fault …”
His hands cup my chin, and he tilts my head until I’m looking into his clear green eyes. “Listen, Diego: I wasn’t about to leave you there. Going back for you was something I did without hesitation, and it’s something I’d do over again in a heartbeat.”
Then he does something I never expected.
He kisses me.
It’s not just a peck on the forehead. Not just a little bit of reassurance. It’s a real kiss, the kind Gage and Auryn give me.
“I’d do it all again. Do you understand?” he murmurs against my lips.
His words are soft, calming. Perhaps some of the omega mojo he got shot up with is still working its way out. That, or Em’s experiences in the Orions’ basement sparked a change in him. Either way, I lean into him, kissing back. Our arms become tangled as the kiss deepens, and before I know what’s happening, he moans into me.
“Fuck, Diego, let’s go back to the nest. This is fucking uncomfortable as shit on the bathroom floor.”
We share a laugh as we help each other up. I keep my arm around Em’s waist on the way down the hall, my fingers stroking his hip. I’m almost afraid to let go, afraid he’ll disappear on me.
Back in Auryn’s room, Em kisses me again. We help each other strip out of our clothes, our actions almost frenzied. Together, we fall onto the bed. Em winds up on top of me, and even in the darkened room, I can feel that he’s just as eager for this as I am.
Then he hisses in a sharp breath and pulls back. “Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I–I know how Gage usually does this with you, but … I don’t think I can yet. It still hurts too much.”
Is that what’s bothering him? “Amigo, if you think Gage and I have strict roles, you are mistaken. If you can’t right now, I certainly can.” I pull him close and start purring. He whines and nuzzles my neck.
“That’s playing dirty,” he mumbles. “You fucking know I’m half omega right now.”
“You may be half omega, but you’re all Emmett, and that’s what matters.”
He whines again. Reaches between my legs. Grabs my cock. “You’ll go easy on me? Gage wasn’t quite, er, gentle when he–”
“You and Gage?” I tease, knowing full well what happened between them.
“Shut up and fuck me.”
