Two hours in, we finished it, Poppy and Pepper supervising our work and testing out each platform we added. Madison still hadn’t replied, but she felt steadier. Whether that was because time had passed or because Alve and I had settled ourselves, I couldn’t be sure, but I was grateful for it either way.
We made dinner together and ate quietly, watching the cats appreciate our handiwork. By the time it was pushing midnight, we’d had enough. Madison hadn’t left the building, but she was still working. Each time she entered the lobby to refresh the spray, Alve got a notification.
“So, we’re all agreed on Jude going in first?” Nathan clarified on our way to the parking lot.
I nodded. Jude was the best choice. Alve and I could trigger her through the bond if we reacted the wrong way, and another panic attack wasn’t what she needed right now.
“All right.” Nathan opened both the front and back doors, holding them so we could climb inside. “Let’s go get our girl.”
Alve’s keys let me in, and even though it was his building, it felt like I was intruding somewhere as intimate as Madison’s nest without an invitation. I locked up behind me to be safe, despite the others keeping an eye on things.
I had no idea what floor she was on so I moved slowly through the hallways, listening for any sign of her. When I passed through a section of the third floor, I finally heard faintfootsteps above me. I sprinted for the stairs and burst out as Madison stepped into one of the suites.
“Maddie.”
She screamed, her head popping out to see me, her eyes enormous with purple shadowing beneath them, and her hand pressed to her chest. “You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”
“Maddie, it’s time to come home. You’ve been here for hours.”
“I have work to do.”
“Work that will be here tomorrow,” I insisted, taking a tentative step toward her. When she didn’t bolt, I took another, crossing the distance until I stood in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but I did first. “I love you. You know I do. I don’t care what he said to you, what he tried to make you believe—nothing is going to change my mind about you.”
Her gaze dropped, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. “I rely on you too much.”
“Says who? Some asshole who did his best to leash you? Because I don’t think that.”
“Jude.” The way she said my name was so full of anguish, it made my throat tighten.
“Do you love me?”
“Please, just let me wallow.”
“We’ve already done that.” The words snapped out and I immediately reeled them back. “Maddie, can’t I persuade you to wallow at home in the nest? You should rest. Panic attacks are a lot of stress on your body.”
“I’m trying to do something helpful. I can’t do that at home.”
Desperation grabbed hold of me. “Maddie, do you love me?”
She lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Of course I do. How can I not?”
“Say it.” I cupped her cheek and her eyelids fluttered closed, my omega leaning into the gentle touch.
“I love you.” She said it sweetly, but the words were dipped in sadness. “It doesn’t change what I did, though. It doesn’t make me deserve you.”
“Fuck that.” They had chosen me because they figured I would be the steady one, but I couldn’t stay quiet at that. “Fuck literally all of that. Maddie, love has absolutely nothing to do with deserving.”
“But I used you.”
What on earth was she talking about?
“How so?”
“To fill a need Tyler wasn’t meeting, to feel safe, to get out of somewhere I didn’t want to be. That’s not fair to you. All I do istakefrom you.”
I held her face in both hands. “Look at me.”
It took her a few seconds to comply, but she did.
