AFTER GETTING PAOLOsafely to the clinic, I expected more... I dunno...drama? I was still reeling from the kiss with Heath in the back of the car. Was this how he and I were going to be from now on? Could the fantastical vision of the pack in my head ever become real, when their leader was still firmly standing on the outside?
When we got back to the hospital, Knox wasn’t in our room. Instead, Tony had ventured from bed and pulled on some worn sweatpants with a hoodie. He’d dragged a chair over to the medical bed where Gage lay, looking halfway between being asleep and fully awake.
“You’re back.” Tony sounded tense. “How did it go?”
“As well as could be expected,” Heath said, coming over and placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “The little shit’s safely in hiding, and he looks a lot healthier than he did when Knox and I pulled him out of the rubble.”
“I made him cry, as promised,” I added helpfully. “It wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be, though. Too easy.”
“He’s probably terrified,” Tony said grimly.
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer omega,” Heath said, without an ounce of sympathy. “Where did Knox get to, anyway?”
“He’s finally seeing a doctor for that knee,” Tony replied.
“About time,” I muttered.
Tony fiddled with a loose thread on the sleeve of his hoodie. “He wants to move the pack to a different house, after we get out of here. Did he tell you guys about that?”
Surprise trickled through me. It was solely mine—Heath’s emotions through the bond felt resigned, if anything.
“Not really surprising,” he said. “There’s no point in making it easy for Vozzina to find us.”
Worry mixed in with my surprise. I turned to Tony. “You should come, too. What if he finds out where you live?”
I couldn’t stand the thought of shadowy figures lurking in an apartment hallway... lying in wait.
To my surprise, Tony looked down and let out a little laugh. “Too late. Knox already asked me. I agreed.” He looked up at Heath, uncertainty flickering across his expression. “I mean, if that’s all right?”
Heath made a small, pained noise. Guilt washed across the bond—and I knew it was because he’d somehow made Tony think that it mightnotbe okay.
“Tony,” he said, his voice pained. “What part of ‘join our pack’ was unclear? Yes, obviously, I want you safe. I want you close. Weallwant you close.”
“He’s telling the truth,” I added. “Please don’t make me try to figure out how to be a civilized omega mated to a rich pack on my own. I’m going to fuck it upso bad, Tony. I’m not even joking right now.”
That startled another breath of laughter from him. “Wait, and you think I’m going to be any help with that? Have you evenmet me, Jez?”
“Y’all talk an awful lot,” Gage muttered from the bed, not opening his eyes. “Can we go home soon? Wherever home’s gonna be, now.”
I crossed to the other side of the bed and grabbed his hand. “Gage? How are you feeling?”
“Ohmigod,” he slurred. “You guys havegotto try these drugs. They’resogood.”
Heath snorted, his amusement sparking through the bond. “Pretty sure they frown on that here, big guy. But thanks for the tip.”
Tony mock-pouted. “How come I didn’t get the good drugs? My drugssuck.”
I watched, fascinated, as Heath tugged Tony against his chest and pressed a gentle kiss to his dark hair. “I’m not sure the good drugs are recommended for someone with a concussion,” Heath said.
Tony melted into the contact, only to stiffen a moment later and shoot me a worried glance. I smiled at him, trying to pour all the warmth I was feeling into my expression. I couldn’t have put the mixed-up feelings squirming inside me into words if anyone had asked me, but seeing Heath’s alpha gentleness was completely different from the lust I’d felt with him earlier. No one had ever modeled that kind of relationship for me... much less made me feel like it might be within my reach.
Was this how it had looked when Gage was gentle with me? I hadn’t known what to do with the feelings then, either. But seeing Heath with Tony made it easier, somehow. Like I could try the emotions on for size, instead of being thrust into the middle of them.
I liked the way they fit.
Gage made a humming noise. “Mmm. Not sure what you’re thinking about, kitten... but it feels real nice.”
The idea of being able to trust a feeling like this was new.
