Nineteen
Rin
“It’s been almost an entire day,” Cole states, pacing the tiny room, like we aren’t well aware.
“Why don’t you two go grab some food to bring back and I’ll stay here?” Ares offers. “We’re nearly into shifter territory, so should be safe enough if you stay close.”
I kiss him goodbye, grateful for the distraction. Cole and I take the truck, driving until we find a convenience store rather than actual food since neither of us want to stray too far. Having a task and change of pace is good, but I feel just as strained being away from them as I do being pent up with them all right now.
Mates are stressful.
“No, mates are amazing. Our life is stressful,” Cole corrects and I flick his arm.
“Stop eavesdropping.”
He grins. “Don’t think so loud then. But seriously, Rin. He’s going to be alright.”
Exhaling heavily, I acknowledge that I’m just stressed out and every little thing has me on edge. We start grabbing things at random, most of it all junk. If there were ever a perfect excuse to stress eat garbage food, it’d be while waiting to see if your mate is ever going to wake up and what condition he’ll be in if so.
“I don’t know if I can think of him as anything other than Ozzy,” I admit, snagging a package of donuts to add to our rapidly growing pile. “And then, what is he expecting? Play catch up and have claiming sex while you guys hide in the bathroom with Ian?”
He snorts and I glare. “I’m serious. What if he just goes all Pinocchio, turns into a real boy, and wants to work out weeks of sexual tension?”
Cole abruptly bursts out laughing, doubling over and dropping the massive pile of snacks. He grabs onto the display beside him to remain upright as he struggles to suck down a breath, red faced and tears starting to gather as he wheezes, failing to get coherent words out. My glare stays firmly in place for about two seconds before I break, but his mood is contagious. It may be at my expense, but it doesn’t feel like he’s mocking me, just the situation.
He straightens up and palms both of my cheeks, placing a hard kiss on my lips between his laughter. “God damn, beautiful, I love you. But you’re worrying about the wrong things here. Seriously though, I’m picturing you fighting off a horny wooden doll right now, and I just,” he tapers off, wheezing as tears gather in the corners of his eyes while he struggles to breathe.
I chuckle, picking up some of the things he dropped while he gets control of himself. “I see your point.”
He wipes at his eyes, chuckling. “If it makes you feel better, I volunteer as your chastity belt. He comes too close before you’re ready and I’ll punch him for you.”
I snicker, imagining it. “Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic. But you know what I’m getting at here. Ozzy the ocelot is one thing, but I don’t know Osiris. What if I don’t feel the same about him? You two claimed me, but what if that drive isn’t there for us? It would be awkward as hell at home.”
We drop our armloads of sweets onto the counter and a matronly woman starts ringing them up, laughing and not bothering to pretend that she wasn’t eavesdropping. “Sounds like you need to stop worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet, young lady. Take things one step at a time. Life’s hard enough without inventing more problems on top of all the ones it throws our way already.”
My cheeks heat, but I know she’s right. “I think I’ve developed anxiety since setting foot in the wilds. I swear, I haven’t always been this neurotic.”
She laughs, passing a bag over to me before taking Cole’s money. “Cut yourself some slack. It’s natural for you to feel out of your depth, but from just the bit I gathered, you’re in good hands. Not every day fate tosses mates together; enjoy the ride. Things will work out one way or another and stressing about things won’t make them move a second before they’re ready to unfurl.”
I sigh, ripping open a candy bar and stuffing a piece of chocolate in my mouth. “I know you’re right. I think I just need a hot shower and some sugar and I’ll be okay.”
She snickers as we leave. By the time I’m shutting the door on the truck, I’m so tired of feeling out of my element that I just slump my head on the dashboard, banging my forehead an extra time for good measure.
Cole slips a hand between me and the dash before my next thump, chuckling under his breath. “You might be surprised to find they’re actually the same person instead of two separate entities. You already know Osiris, Rin, you have from the first day he showed up in your room. Because even though you’d never met, you were his safe space and he’s the one you turned to for comfort when you were hurting long before you met us.That’sOsiris; always has been.”
I turn my head, resting my cheek on the back of his hand and face him. “Hot, huge dick, and poetically insightful. Pretty sure I got pregnant just listening to you talk.”
He sputters, laughing uproariously before stealing his hand back and firing up the truck. “Things like that will go straight to a man’s head, gorgeous. Not that I’d be opposed,” he winks, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Oh, heck no. I obviously can’t even be trusted to make decisions for myself; no babies.”
He snorts. “Especially since if you ask Ian, we’re just going to eat them.”
The corner of my mouth twitches in amusement. “I don’t hate the guy, truth be told. Kind of regret how this played out, but I’m relieved we ended up asking him for help instead of someone like Selena. I have no doubt she’d flay off our skin with or without magic for daring to force her to do anything.”
He chuckles in agreement as we pull back up to the motel, grabbing two bags while I insist on at least carrying the other. I’m feeling pretty useless in comparison to the rest of them and as stupid as it sounds, it makes me feel better. I know they don’t look at things that way, but it’s hard not to feel inadequate surrounded by these men.
Cole hesitates outside of the door before opening it, bracing himself as the levity of our break drains away. I follow him inside to find Ian still passed the fuck out, and Ares pacing, looking pale. Eyes hastily darting around the room, I come up empty; Ozzy conspicuously missing.
