But thoughts of babies could wait for now. I needed to find Nero.
After Weston and I cleaned up, we headed out towards the direction Orpheus had pointed us in. I walked faster than usual, eager to get there before I made my poor brother wait a moment longer. At least this time I had a good excuse for taking a detour. I think he would understand my mate was going through an excruciating, unbearable heat so I had to put a baby in him.
As we hurried along the path, which was gradually sloping upward, I noticed that Weston wasn't struggling to exert himself the same way he had been before. I was both relieved and a tiny bit smug knowing that I was the one to help him. I recalled what he told me during his big lesson, about how an omega's heat only ended after a substantial amount of time or when they took an alpha's knot.
I blushed at the thought. I didn't even know I had a knot until recently. And it wasn't like I could see it when it was buried inside Weston's ass. The thought made me blush harder and I tried to think about something else.
Thankfully, my brain provided a worthwhile distraction.
"Wait," I said. "This is the first time you're going to meet my brother, isn't it?"
Weston smiled. "It is. I hope I make a good first impression in this form, seeing as he probably doesn't think well of me."
"Why wouldn't he?"
Weston quirked an eyebrow. "Ididtry to make a meal out of you."
"Oh." I thought about how Nero would react if he came face-to-face with the shifter who attempted to eat his brother. It wasn't a very pleasant mental image. "Well, he doesn't have to know that was you."
Weston shook his head. "I'd rather tell him the whole truth. Lying is a quick way to make everything worse. Besides, no harm, no foul. I think he'll understand when we tell him what happened, especially since you're in one piece."
I smiled and searched for his hand, linking it with my own. "I'm a lot better than just being in one piece. I am the happiest I've been in a very long time."
Warmth lit Weston's eyes as he smiled at me. "I am too."
We soon reached the crest of the hill. When I saw what lay out before us, my jaw dropped and I let out a silent gasp.
A huge body of water sprawled out as far as the eye could see. Sunlight reflected off of its crystal-clear blue surface, creating patches of pure white that shimmered in the waves. It was so clean that even from this distance, I saw sand at the bottom near the shoreline.
"Oh," I said quietly. "It's beautiful."
Even Weston seemed awed. "I had no idea this was even here. How could I miss such a big lake?"
I was so busy appreciating the gorgeous water that I almost missed the lone figure standing on the shoreline, gazing out onto the horizon. I didn't need to look closer to see who it was. I knew from his shiny black hair, the way he carried his shoulders, and the slight tan of the skin that looked so much like my own.
"Nero!"
I ran down the hill, not caring that I was getting whipped by long grass and eventually getting sand between my toes. He turned around instantly, his eyes going wide. An overwhelming relief appeared on his face. "Nishiki!"
I slammed into him—quite literally, since I had been running down the hill and gravity was on my side—but he was strong enough not to get bowled over.
"Holy shit, you're alive!" Nero said. He was laughing, but there was a bit of tension in it, almost like he was trying not to cry. Realizing I had upset him so much made me feel awful.
"I am." I pulled back and did a twirl. "Look, I'm totally fine. Nothing bad happened to me at all."
"But I saw that bird snatch you! How did—"
Nero stopped suddenly when he saw Weston approach. My initial reaction was to be nervous. Would Nero be suspicious about Weston? But to my surprise, he had the opposite reaction. He beamed at Weston, then shot me a smirk, like he knew something that I didn't.
"Hi there," Nero said. "Sorry. Maybe we should be introduced before my brother and I catch up."
Weston gave Nero one of his award-winning smiles. The contrast of his white teeth against his gorgeous dark skin was something I would never get tired of seeing.
"Hello. You must be Nero. Pleased to meet you. My name is Weston. I've been travelling with Nishiki in hopes of reuniting you."
They shook hands, which made me strangely happy. It was nice knowing my twin and my mate got along.
Except Nero doesn't know about that latter part yet…
