“I don’t know what you mean,” I whisper, as Fox rips his mouth from my shoulder, leaving me without a bond.
Katsu growls. “No bonds, Fox. Sebastian’s right. She’s not ready.”
I growl, but he grabs the back of my head and seals our lips together, and then the pair of them, in perfect synchronization, start moving fast, driving all thoughts from my head.
I whine and moan, desperate.
“Please, please-”
My plea is far away; all I can do is feel, and the tsunami is too big; it’s drowning me. I’m under the white water, looking up.
“I’m here. I have you.”
Sebastian’s words reach me.
I let go. I stop fighting my heat and them. The relief of falling into the burning fire feels so good; I wish I’d done it sooner.
The heat burns into my mind. The knots push into me, and I scream and scream. Their scents fill the room, stronger, deeper, darker, mixed with my scent, until it reaches everything, a cocoon of us.
But even as I think that, the heat burns the thoughts away, and I fall into the darkness of it and give up my body to instincts.
The last thought I have is that I trust my alphas to keep me safe and not to leave me, and it is a relief.
Chapter 17
Sebastian
Cordie cuddles into me, pressing her face against my chest to ward off the chill. It’s cold tonight, almost too cold to be outside. God, I want to shout at my mother and tell her to shove her stupid festival where the sun doesn’t shine, but Cordie got all excited, and her eyes did that shimmer thing and crinkled at the side, and I can’t say no to her.
The heat was something else. I will never walk away from her now. She has me forever; she might not realise it, but I am hers. The sex and knotting was amazing, but taking care of her, cleaning her body, making those whines go away, cuddling her, feeding her, that hit a part of me that I didn’t know I needed, and the rut I’d been sliding towards faded.
It turns out that looking after my omega was what my alpha needed to settle in myself. Katsu explained it during one of the long nights. He said that watching her take care of herself and her mother was probably driving me crazy, especially when she kept rejecting my help, but it was when she almost died that it all became a problem. That’s why we’ve been butting heads and clashing.
Making sense of it all is one thing; trying to catch my balance is another. Everything has changed in so many, many ways, so quickly.
The feelings I have for Katsu and Fox are another issue I need to deal with, and soon. We are all tiptoeing around it.
Asher and Felix aren’t here, but I catch sight of Sofia bundled up in a massive jacket with a tiny dachshund head poking out.
“We should skip the date and go home,” I say for the tenth time.
Yes, I do want us all naked, back in the nest for at least the next two decades. Is that really so much to ask?
“No,” Cordie protests and pulls her head back. “I want to see what we’re doing tonight.”
I huff at her, but Katsu arrives with a tray of coffees.
“Here you go, gorgeous.”
Cordie beams at him, and by that smile alone, I know she’s happy. Really happy, not pretending, no false fronts, no humouring everyone. She means it.
“Thank you.”
“Welcome to date two of Light Knot Night! We are seeing many people falling in love, finding their happiness, and we are excited, no, thrilled, to be here doing it again,” Mum says. “Now, remember, at the end of the dates, one match will win, and the person who can demonstrate on the evening of Light Knot Night that they know their match better than anyone else will win the grand prize.”
She’s dressed up in a pink coat, and her hair falls around her shoulders in a glossy wave. Mum’s put in extra effort for this one, and I can see how much she cares. When she looks out at us, her light only grows. It’s annoying. I just know she’s going to be smug about this forever. Every birthday, anniversary, holiday, she will trot out how she matched everyone up.
“Let’s pretend to break up,” I suggest quickly.
