We’re as good as dead if we can’t get past whatever is happening right now. And if I’m dead, I can’t research this striking new development, and that would be a scientific disaster.
Among other things, of course.
A strange sort of sound escapes my throat. It’s low and warm, and almostsoundslike a growl, but it’s not angry or demanding.
“I’m not telling you,” I say. “I’maskingyou. Please? For me?” A soft whine escapes me as I settle my hand on her neck. Her pulse is racing.Adrenaline, most likely. That fight or flight response beneath my fingertips is as intriguing to my brain as it is to my heart. Part of me knows it’s a trauma response. She says, “You don’t know what they’ll do to him.”
Knowing he’s trapped has engaged a part of her we don’t know much about. Sure, we know what happened to the extent of what she’s told us. But I am not so naive to think she’s told us everything.That's where outside evidence comes in. The bodies Gage and Diego brought me. Auryn’s blood samples after she’d bonded with Gage showed an increase in omega cells, but that unidentifiable protein seemed to be fighting those omega cells like a virus. The pieces are starting to come together more and more, but there’s stillsomethingthat’s missing. Something I’d hoped to discuss with my omega’s bonded alpha.
She purses her lips. She glares at Gage, her gaze flashing to Diego, and then she looks at me.
“You have ten minutes, Olly,” she says to me, her voice edged with anger. “Don’t leave me waiting.”
The relief that floods me is palpable as I nod.
“I’ll be right there,” I say, giving her a soft smile.
She turns around and heads for the door, throwing it open with more strength than she should possess. I watch her saunter through and head down the hall, the door swinging from the momentum.
Gage breathes through his nostrils as I remove the tubing from him because he’s starting to look pale. “You should go,” he says, his tone tired but still full of command.
“And you should eat something,” I say sternly. I don’t miss the half-smile on his face.
“Was that anorder, Olivander?”
I shoot him a glare of my own, feeling my cheeks heat. “No,” I say quickly, feeling strangely on the spot.
“Look at you, being bossy.” His voice is faintly tinged with humor as I press a wad of cotton against his wound.
“I am not bossy,” Irecant. “I am—”
He presses the cotton ball, his fingers brushing over mine. He does it without being asked, without being told. This song and dance is familiar to us.
More than anyone, Gage is the one I see in here most of the time. Though this is the first time I’ve done a transfusion from him, and I really am concerned he will pass out if he doesn’t eat. “Just concerned for your health.” I work diligently to clean up and check Diego’s pulse. It’s faint, but it’s there. He’s still fighting. That’s a good sign.
“Uh huh.” The humor in his voice is weak, but it’s there. “Go. Auryn needs you,” he says, the humor fading.
“What about you?” I look up, noting he’s right beside Diego. His gaze is fixated on him, and I see one tear fall down his cheek. I pretend not to notice. The sight feels too intimate. Like I really should not be here, but…
“I’ll be fine, Olly.” He slides his fingers inbetween Diego’s and squeezes. Something about the sight makes my chest ache.
Oddly enough, Emmett’s words ring in my brain. Of all the times he gave me shit because I couldn’t “read the room” or because I acted “insensitively” to him. All the times Gage would step in and try to help me understand that my words and actions could make people feel things I was oblivious to.
I’m not unfeeling. I don’t have a heart made of ice like Emmett always implies, I just…
Don’t knowhowto be comforting. I don’t know how to sugarcoat things or placate a person. All I know are the cold, hard facts.
As I watch Gage disappear for a moment while he looks at Diego, while he holds his hand and murmurs something faintly Spanish that I can’t comprehend, I think I am starting to understand at least what comfort looks like.
Being able to replicate it, however, may be a bit harder, but I want to. I want to be comforting, for Auryn. And Gage, too.
I settle my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “There’s a basket of cookies in my office. I always keep a stash because you know how I get sometimes,” I say softly.
Gage licks his lips and nods. “Thanks.”
I take one moment as I stand in the doorway to look at him and Diego and tell myself this is what we all need. A moment of comfort. Then, when we can breathe, we can discuss an actual plan. We can be smart about it. Because I’m not going into that compound on nothing but a prayer. I can’t.
We need to be the most efficient we can be.
