I sit down on the stair, dropping lower than her as a sign of respect. “It seems we do. Now I need your help, she really is going into heat.”
KADE
Aleksei helps Quinn pull her jeans back up. He’d stopped her growing anxiety and argument by taking her to the ground and eating her out until she was gushing over his face.
“Now, my darling wife, you keep making breakfast for us. We have enough time to deal with all your concerns, but your pack will be doing that, not you. Your job is to feed your pack and your family, then do whatever your heat drives you to. One of us will always be with Marco or Deena. Can you do that for me?” He’s insistent but gentle, and his question might be a question, but there’s weight in it, making it nearly impossible for her to deny her Alpha.
Quinny’s small “yes” is tentative.
“Quinny.” I pull her to me, brushing her hair off her face. “Do you want me to help you with breakfast, or I could write a list so we don’t miss anything or any jobs you want done.”
Her face is flushed, and she smells like sex and her vanilla scent, though today, that is like standing in a vanilla factory. It’s intense, and I feel myself responding to her. The time will come when I can’t stop the craving of being inside her body, but for now, I’m driven by another need—allaying all her worries.
Aleksei slips away on his own mission. Considering we have a list a mile long from our anxious, heat-affected Omega, it makes sense we divide and conquer.
I keep brushing the hair off her face until the glaze in her eyes drifts away, and her hormones give her a small reprieve. Guiding her to the sink, I turn the taps to cold, then bring the inside of her wrists to the stream of water.
“Where did you learn this trick?” she asks, her voice still breathy.
I blow out a steadying exhale and will my cock to deflate. I need to focus on her.
“I spent a lot of time, when we were pretending not to be scent-matched mates, studying how to look after Omegas.”
She rolls her eyes and leans over for a kiss. Of course, I give her what she wants. I will always give her what she wants.
Quinny pulls back and looks down at the water cascading over her skin. “Can you check on Marco for me? I would, but…”
“I’m pretty sure your Alpha gave you an order before,” I tease her, dipping down to kiss the side of her head. “Nalla is with Marco, but I’ll go see what they’re up to.”
Before I leave, I dip another piece of bread into the batter she has already made and drop it into the waiting frypan. Giving Quinny a task—in this instance, our breakfast—is going to help her stay on track.
I walk past Aleksei talking on his phone, and even before I’m at Marco’s room, I can hear movement inside. I push open the door, making sure he can see me before I move inside.
Last night, we each spent time with Marco. Not enough for him to trust us implicitly, but kids trust their instincts. He saw Quinny being comfortable with us too.
Marco also has another method of figuring out people, Nalla. She’s his protector. They bonded last night, and even Roshka is sulky with how he’s been dumped for the little guy.
Quinny coached us on how to communicate with Marco. I’ve got no doubt that when we catch a break, we will be looking for a private sign coach to give us a crash course. Until then, we’re opting for face-to-face interaction and lipreading.
“Quinny is making breakfast. So much food, Marco! You have to see what she’s made us.”
He nods eagerly, fighting himself free of his blankets.
I tap his shoulder, stopping him from racing away. “How about we show Quinny what a big guy you are? You take ashower, and I’ll get your clothes ready for you. Nalla will try to get in with you, but don’t you let her. You’re her boss, so you tell her no!”
He agrees and waves me to follow, taking us across the hall to the bathroom. I’m not going to give Quinny any reason to panic about Marco showering, so I fix the shower, then squat in front of him.
“Five minutes only. And I will be back. You clap if you need me and leave the door open.”
He pulls off his pj’s top and then stops undressing until I’m out in the hallway. I don’t watch like a creeper; I watch like a responsible carer and only leave when I see for myself he’s obviously done this for himself before today.
I split my focus. Part of me stays with Marco, another part picks up Quinny setting the table, and I walk towards Quinny’s bedroom where Aleksei is now.
He’s hanging up as I walk in. “I’ve arranged a delivery truck.”
“What?”
“Food, Kade. We needed food. I called the town, and someone is bringing a load here.”
