Rather than replying out loud, I let my true feelings flow through the new bond.
I know she’ll be gone in the morning, and I don’t want my last words to her to be ones that I regret.
Chapter 14
Kip
Something’s off. I can’t sleep, can’t get comfortable. It’s like something’s agitating me, but I can’t quite put my finger on what that is.
At about four o’clock, I finally give up on trying to rest. I get out of bed, tiptoeing past Kaden’s side of the room as I head for the kitchen. Maybe a snack will settle my addled nerves.
I find Mags standing in front of the coffee pot, staring into space while sporting a pair of men’s pajama pants and a rumpled t-shirt.
She’s got a bite mark on her neck.
“Mags? You okay?” I’m afraid to ask what the mark means. I know Nik is capable of marking an omega without bonding, but that’s during a con. What happened between him and Mags last night?
“Bonds’re funny,” she slurs. “I’m asleep, but I’m not asleep.”
Oh, shit. “Do you need some help? Maybe I can make the coffee, while you go and have a seat.”
She looks like she’s asleep on her feet, and she might well be. I’ve heard that newly formed bonds can be difficult tonavigate at first. If they’re bonded and Nik is asleep, she might not be able to function well enough to operate the coffee maker.
I guide Mags over to the couch and set her down before fixing a pot of coffee. She’s dozing lightly when I come back with a cup in each hand, so I sit quietly next to her and provide a shoulder for her to prop up against until this passes. If this passes? I don’t know enough about how the bonds between alphas and omegas work to know if this will be a permanent state for her.
If it’s anything like the twin bond that Kaden and I share, it should be manageable. I know when Kaden’s hurt or hungry, know when he’s upset and when he’s happy, but I can separate his feelings from my own. Maybe the mate bond is just a stronger version of that.
After about twenty minutes, Mags jerks awake with a start. She blinks and sniffs the air, then smiles serenely.
“Kip. My earthy Kip.” She rests her forehead on my cheek. “Hey! There’s coffee.”
“Does this mean Nik’s awake?” I ask.
Mags grabs one of the cups of coffee and takes a long drink. “Uh-uh. I mean, maybe? I’m awake, but I’m still asleep, so probably not.”
This is going to be confusing for a while. “Okay, so Nik’s probably sleeping. What happened last night?”
She giggles. “He bit me.”
“I see that.”
I’d be happy for her if there wasn’t a hint of darkness behind the sleepy eyes. Bonds are supposed to be beautiful, so why does she seem a bit upset?
“He’s not thrilled with me,” she continues while staring into her mug. “He wanted to, but I didn’t. I mean, I did, but I didn’t. I was afraid this would happen. Now Nik knows. I didn’t want Nik to know yet. Ever? I don’t know.”
She’s not making a lick of sense. “Okay, so Nik knows something through the bond. Is it a bad thing?”
Keeping secrets is kind of Mags’s main thing. She’s better than all of us at it, and it’s gotten us through some tough jobs in the past. If this bond messes with that, I can see how upsetting it would be to her. Her secrecy is her strength.
“It’s not bad, except that it is.”
I lift her chin and look into her eyes. “Mags, if I’m going to help you, I need to know what’s going on. What is it that Nik knows that’s so terrible?”
“He knows how I feel.”
My heart shatters. Mags wouldn’t care if Nik knew her feelings unless shehadfeelings for him.
“Oh.”
