Bonds of Fate (Fated in the Stars #2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven Grayson

Grayson

Burning off the overflow of energy he’d been storing up since the night previous with a run had been a relief of sorts. Not the brain-melting blow job he’d imagined getting (and giving), but six miles at top speed certainly makes a small dent in the wolf’s demands for a bond bite.

Plus, if he plays his cards right and Gideon is feeling generous, he might parlay his sweaty abs into a make-out session with Luca and Nix.

Gideon had been right.

Grayson has a plan to get his soulmate bonded. He really doesn’t need to leave the compound to make it all come together, either—just a bit of time in the Art House without interruption, some well-placed phone orders, and his soulmate agreeing to be romanced a little.

Howl’s Moving Castle is playing quietly on the television when they roll in, and the two sweet, sleepy mates he’d been hoping to catch in bed are cuddled on the couch under a blanket, half on and half off each other’s laps. Grayson stops to watch for a minute because Nix has Luca’s mouth on his for deep, wet, tonguing kisses. They must have been at it for a while because both their lips are bright red and slick. Grayson’s dick can’t get enough of their combined vanilla-mocha scent that’s richer than the cafe’s sweetest treats.

Throwing off his shoes, he’s right up against Nix’s back faster than he can say ‘ me too, please’ , their partially-formed bond singing with the proximity. Grayson was getting used to the twinge in his chest the farther away he was from Nix, like he didn’t notice how badly it hurt until he had the relief of being nearby. The closer he is, the better he feels, and Grayson can’t fathom how good it’s going to be when the bond finally goes both ways.

“Oh, fuck, baby. Look, it’s sweaty-Gray, my favorite Gray to ever Gray.” Luca licks a swipe over Nix’s cheek and Grayson’s soulmate shivers. Grayson’s basil scent is strong, as much from sex pheromones now as it is from good, hard exercise. He’s not above using it to his advantage.

“Give me a kiss, Angel.” Nix’s hot mouth still tastes like Luca, and it doesn’t take long until the three of them are taking turns licking lips and sucking on tongues. Grayson can feel the suction in his cock, and his boxers are getting uncomfortable.

It’s unique to Grayson and Luca that they both get off on how much Luca gets turned on by this version of him: fresh from exercise, all stinky armpits, and sweaty balls.

“Baby, isn’t Gray so hot? Here, let me…”

Luca dislodges the blanket, revealing the two of them in nothing but their matching He’s My Baby t-shirts—too short for modesty, skimming just the tops of their thighs, just enough to hide their dicks. When next Luca sits, it’s directly on Grayson’s lap, bouncy ass grinding on Grayson’s cock with his hands up under Grayson’s tank.

There’s the sound of plates and cutlery in the kitchen, and as if it’s a pre-agreed-upon signal, Nix’s tummy suddenly growls. “How embarrassing. I’m going to take care of this. Gray, remember to help Luca to be good?”

He interrupts Luca’s licking to kiss Grayson on the mouth, and then Grayson is watching his soulmate’s tiny ass walk away.

“Gray, why do you taste this good?” Luca hasn’t even noticed their other mate’s departure, so intent is he on sucking Grayson’s fingers to making them nice and wet. “Finger me, m’still wet from yesterday.”

“Luca, do you have permission? I’m not going to piss Gid off so early in the day.”

Not after he’d made Gideon emote before 8:00 in the morning. He slides a finger around Luca’s hole, and while it is wetter than a single sucked finger would imply, he determines it’s not good enough for his dick. He slides his hand up over Luca’s pec, stopping to pinch his nipple, and just holds Luca’s ass cheek in his palm, finger pumping in and out up to the first knuckle.

“Luca. You do not have permission to come.”

“But…Gray smells so good. Please?” He’s whining, and the wolf perks up. The wolf has always liked Luca’s wounded prey noises the best, but Grayson checks in with Gideon—waiting to see if he will change his mind or if he’ll have a disappointed beta on his hands. Grayson is betting on the latter.

“Luca, I said no. You can finish Grayson off if you like—in any way you like—but you may not come.” Grayson has a few ideas about how this could go if Luca is at a loss, but he doesn’t interfere.

“Gideon…” Luca’s whines fade when Gideon is out of sight, but knowing his begging is futile seems to settle him.

“Okay, baby, off my lap.” Grayson pats Luca’s hip.

“Gray, I still want you to come. Can you do it in my mouth? Hungry.”

Fucking hell. Luca once told him he’d eat come for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—in great detail—and it had made Grayson come so hard, his knot hadn’t come down for thirty-six minutes.

“Fucking hell, Luca. Okay, but you better obey. Can you be good?” His mate’s eyes are glassy, and his mocha scent is so rich it’s mouthwatering.

“Luca can be good.” He gets on his knees beside Grayson on the couch and leans down. Grayson lifts enough that he can pull his sweats and boxers down, giving his cock a few pumps for relief.

“Such a pretty dick, and it tastes so good.” He opens his mouth, and Grayson taps Luca’s tongue with his cock head, sliding it across his lips and finally pushing in.

He lets Luca choose how he makes Grayson feel good, just like Gideon asked. “So good for me, baby. Your mouth is so good. Can you take more?” The wolf wants Grayson to hold their mate’s head and pump it up into his throat.

Luca just leans down farther until he gags over and over, throat constricting around the head of Grayson’s cock, tears running down his face. The vibrations of his moans send bolts of pleasure straight to Grayson’s balls, but what really gets Grayson going is that Luca has no interest in coming himself—no hand on his cock, not squeezing his thighs together, nothing. Just letting Grayson use him.

“So pretty, Luc. Fuck, your mouth is perfect. So hot.” Grayson fucks into Luca’s mouth over and over—the tight wet heat of his throat constricting just takes him higher. “Going to come. You’re being too good.” Grayson’s voice is wrecked—like he’s the one who just took a big dick down his throat.

Luca responds with two snaps, and with a hand on the back of Luca’s head, Grayson comes.

Pleasure and relief ignite through every cell, sizzling and sharp. He groans loudly as the hot, white fluid escapes, Luca struggling to take it all—his hand tight around Grayson’s knot—his lips wrapped around the head, sucking greedily for every last drop.

Grayson looks up to see Gideon and Nix deep in conversation and runs his hand through Luca’s hair, soothing where minutes before he’d been pulling at the wavy strands. The beta pants and shivers but has not come, it sends a residual tingle through his balls. “Such a good boy.”

When Grayson goes to pull away, his mate whines and scrabbles to keep Grayson’s length in his mouth, sliding down flat onto his belly so he can keep more of Grayson’s length warm. Even soft, Grayson is still impressive , which makes cock warming difficult, but Luca has never backed down from any challenge that involved a dick.

“You okay, Luca? Wanna just hold me?” Luca snaps twice again, and Grayson commits to himself to just deal with the oversensitivity. It’s a kind of vague pain, a prickling pleasure he enjoys. “Okay. You are so good.”

Grayson makes a list to put his date plans into play while shivers of pleasure from Luca’s mouth slip up his spine. He looks up to see his Angel making his way across the living room, still soft-looking and now pink-cheeked. He could not be blamed for the surge of blood to his newly interested dick.

“Hey, Angel. What do you think about having a date with me tonight? I could–”

“Yes!” Nix’s face breaks into a wide grin.

Grayson has to laugh, and it startles Luca, who just settles back as he was, this time suckling gently. “You didn’t even let me finish.”

“I want to go on a date with you, Gray. Just you and me?” Nix asks, eyes alight with excitement that mirrors Grayson’s own, and his vanilla scent is as sweet as sugar.

“Just you and me. I’ll pick you up in your room at 5:30, okay? I’ll take care of dinner and everything. Will that be okay?”

“We’re not leaving the house, though? I don’t think I’m ready to go out yet.” He looks wary, and Grayson is quick to reassure him.

“No. We’ll stay at the compound. I just want to be with you. I want to show you something important.”

“Oh, Gray. I’m so excited. Are you going to show me your etchings? For real?” Nix waggles his eyebrows.

“What does that even mean, you goofball? And what if I was? Now, maybe I won’t.” Grayson pretends to be put out, but when Nix laughs, he breaks and joins in. It’s a weird sensation with Luca nursing on his dick, but not unwelcome.

Such is the nature of a polyamorous pack.

Grayson just isn’t used to having so much sex, though, given his usual tendency to self-edge. Maybe Finn is right, and it’s not the natural way for Weres because since Nix has been here, Grayson’s usual self-restraint has fled.

“I read it once in a book at the library, and I want to see your etchings in every sense of the word…wink wink.” He actually winks with both eyes—first one, then the other–when he says it, but it’s so goofy that Grayson’s heart leaps at seeing how happy he is.

“Deal. Hey, were you supposed to be somewhere with Gideon?” Grayson asks.

Eyes growing wide, he jumps up and runs toward the gym, stopping just before he’s out of sight, and Grayson recognizes that shit-stirring smirk. “Maybe then you can also explain about us being soulmates, okay?” And then he’s gone, laughter trailing in his wake.

Fucking Gideon. Well, that makes it easier to broach the subject, at least.

Maybe Gideon was right, and Nix will love anything Grayson thinks up because they are soulmates—and because Nix is already loving and kind, even if they weren’t. The omega didn’t look upset at the idea, so that is good, too.

Now, to just put everything in motion.

There’s a commotion in the kitchen as the rest of his mates trickle in to raid the pastries and start up the coffee machine. It’s the perfect cover for Grayson to make his calls without an attentive—and sometimes mocking—audience.

Picking up his phone again, Grayson orders food and a few other things he’s going to need for tonight. It’s vaguely arousing to speak on the phone with Luca’s mouth tight around Grayson’s cock, nose pressed into his happy trail, sucking and huffing through his nose in turns.

By the time he hangs up with the florist, he’s already well on his way to being hard again. Grayson really wants Luca to disengage before it gets much worse—or better. He wants to enjoy the anticipation of his evening with Nix, too.

“Hey, baby. Can you sit up? I can get you some juice and chocolate. Ow! Snap, please, and no more shaking your head.”

Ow, ow ow.

Luca takes up a firmer suction, this time gripping Grayson’s thigh, his tiny claws kneading into the skin, sending ribbons of pleasure straight to his cock. He tries to slip a finger into his mate’s mouth to break the seal, but he only gets a growl for his trouble and the skim of sharp teeth.

“Luca,” Grayson whispers. “You have to let go, baby.” There’s no response, and Grayson hadn’t expected one. His mate is too far under, his own unsatisfied arousal keeping his subspace deep. He does not want to remove Luca forcibly because Luca’s drops are serious and long-lasting.

Shit. The realization comes fast—he needs help.

Grayson silently thanks the Goddess for their pack alpha’s sixth sense for trouble.

“Problem there, pretty? Luca is under?”

“Mmm. He won’t come off, and I don’t want to—Gideon said he couldn’t come but that I could,” Grayson says evenly, careful not to alarm Luca.

Jay knows what he means right away. “Luca, time to let Gray go now. You have been so good.”

Luca doesn’t respond at all, and it’s seldom Luca will disobey a direct request, especially from Jay.

“You went for a run? Sweaty Gray strikes again,” Leo says, his mouth full of blueberry-bran muffin that Gideon buys especially for him.

Grayson grimaces and throws Leo the bird. “Not helping, Leo.”

Jay goes to his knees and runs a finger along Luca’s cheek, bends over to get in Luca’s eye-line if he opens his eyes. “Baby, open your eyes for me.”

Three snaps mean no, but he must open his eyes, anyway. “There you are. Will you come with me? I’m hungry, and we could share a sweet treat. What if Leo gets us something, and you can come cuddle?” The offer of cuddles and food is almost a surefire way to get Luca on board.

Luca hesitates before slowly pulling off, cheeks hollowed out, with a last lick to the head of Grayson’s dick. It sends a sizzle of white-hot heat straight to Grayson’s toes.

Jay helps him up onto his knees, but he pitches forward, nose pressing right into the front of his shorts, moaning, “Hungry.”

It’s Jay’s turn to groan, but he shifts his hips backward so as not to add to the problem. “Fuck. I will never get over how hot that is. Jesus. Luca, let’s have a chocolate croissant, hmm? I think Gideon probably brought you two.”

Leo arrives with the croissant, holding a piece out for Luca, who opens his mouth like a baby bird. He lets Jay pick him up while Leo continues placing tiny bits of chocolate croissant on his tongue. They manage to get Luca settled with Rowan a few minutes later, and soon enough, he’s smiling and eating his treats on his own.

Still, Grayson is curious. Why had Luca gone so deep? Was it something he did? Or, like Grayson’s insane sex drive, was it Nix’s influence? Maybe now that they’re bonded, Luca can sink further into his instincts than before.

Whatever the reason, Luca hadn’t been in trouble. He’d resisted coming up at first, sure, but he was happy now—content on Rowan’s lap, working on his second croissant and kissing the heck out of their sleepy, sated baby alpha.

Who shouldn’t be sleepy at all, given it’s almost noon.

What! Oh fuck, it’s almost noon. That means he’s only got just over five hours to get himself ready and into the studio. He’s up and off the couch so quickly he forgets his pants are around his ankles, and there is no saving his dignity. He manages to land on his hands and knees, though, thank the Goddess, so at least he saves his dick.

There is dead silence in the kitchen, and Grayson is afraid to look. Every single one of his mates is sure to be staring.

“Pretty? You okay there?” Jay asks gently as the rest of the assholes start laughing.

“Wow. Where are you going in such a hurry?” Rowan can hardly get the words out for his laughter, and Grayson can just hear the grin.

Leo wouldn’t be far behind, either. “Maybe you should pull your shorts up first?”

“Grayson, did you hurt something you need me to look at? I can’t do anything about your dignity, but the rest, maybe?” Finn chokes out, coughing over a sip of coffee that undoubtedly went down the wrong way.

“Gray, are you ok?” Grayson can always count on his sweet Luca to have his back. “This is one of the reasons you should go without pants.” Or not .

He manages to roll over onto his back and pull up his shorts, dropping an arm over his red face and ignoring his teasing mates. He scents Jay’s forest pine before he feels a cool, gentle hand on his arm, and his alpha asks again, “You okay, pretty?”

Is he okay? No. He’s fucking nervous, and it’s making him act like an idiot. Grayson normally prides himself on being calm, cool, and collected. Gideon calls him the Ice Prince for a reason, but just thinking about having Nix to himself and maybe getting the chance to complete their bond has him acting more like a Disney sidekick than a princely hero.

“I’ve got a date with Nix tonight, and I am so fucking excited that I’m acting like I’ve never seen a dick before. Fuck. I’ve got five hours to get my shit together, get set up, and pick up stuff I’ve ordered from town.” It sounds insurmountable, but now that he’s committed to the idea, he’s not giving it up.

“A date?” Jay asks faintly. A myriad of emotions flicker across his face—from surprise to envy to disappointment, but he eventually settles on sincere happiness. His smile is genuine when he says, “That’s amazing. I bet he’s excited, too. Let us help you. Tell us what we can do, and we will all mobilize.”

There’s a crash in the kitchen, and Luca has emptied the entire contents of the top shelf of the refrigerator onto the kitchen floor.

He’s always adorably klutzy after he’s been under, and he had been trying to reach something in the back. His mate comes out of the fridge, heedless of the mess, holding a new jar of pickles. Finn is quick to hoist him up and pass him over to Leo while Rowan goes for the mop and trash can.

Jay just smiles, and with a sigh, he says, “Maybe not Luca. But Leo and I can both act as gofers and pick up stuff. I’ll get Finn on Luca-watch for now.” Jay’s smile fades a bit because normally Gideon would care for Luca, but they both knew why he was busy in the gym.

“That would be great.” Grayson leans in and puts his forehead on Jay’s shoulder, and breathes him in. “Tell me I’m not being an over-the-top idiot or a romantic fool.”

“You are a romantic who is a fool in love. I cannot blame you for fear of revealing my hypocrisy.” Such a formal speech from the guy who wrote the song: Leo, You’ve got the Bass (And my Heart) with the moving lyrics Leo, oh Leo, you’ve got me in a trance, With dat phat ass flexin’ in your leather pants. “Get me a list, pretty, and I’ll go wash up.”

“Thanks. There will be a few deliveries, too, and I wanted to ask a few questions?”

“Sure, come on, you can talk while I get dressed. Leo, you wanna come with? We’ve got a few errands to run.”

After Jay and Leo leave to pick up the things he needs, Grayson grabs Nix’s surprise and makes his way out to his art studio behind the house. They’d originally thought to make it into the sound studio, but Luca had adamantly refused to walk across the yard pantsless from December to April inclusively (his words), and by then, the foundation had already been poured. The unanimous opinion had been that it should be an art studio where Grayson could work on his larger pieces and be alone when Finn’s library had too many distractingly sexy studious types reading poetry or medical journals.

The Art House is a long room with light wood floors and a vaulted ceiling made entirely of glass. The walls, too, were more window than drywall, so Grayson was never without light to work, especially during the golden hours before sunset and in the early morning. The dwelling is far away from the shadow of the house or the woods beyond. It was destined to be his space, and Grayson wanted to share it with Nix.

Placing the painting he’d finished the day Nix had woken from his coma on an easel, Grayson covers it with a cloth. He doesn’t want to field comments from anyone else tonight.

The first look is for Nix alone.

After that, Grayson sets about preparing the things he’ll need for later, setting the timer for sunset on the fairy lights and bringing in wood for the fireplace, taking extra care to be sure all he has to do is set it alight.

There is a large mattress on a low platform near the fireplace and a shower in the restroom. Grayson quickly makes sure both are up to cleanliness standards and unpacks the bags of blankets and extra pillows.

Now, to make sure the next part of his evening is ready. Grayson is hoping Nix doesn’t have an issue with paint or getting messy.

Two hours fly by, and Grayson is startled when Rowan arrives carrying a vase of pink flowers and then makes a second trip for the food from the to-do list Grayson had given Jay.

“Hey, where do you want these?” There are two insulated cooler bags, one with hot food and another with fruit, dessert, and a bottle of wine.

“Over here, thanks. I thought you were with Luca?” Grayson asks.

Rowan’s tone is distracted, and his whole demeanor is more fidgety than usual. Maybe he has some feelings about Gideon’s date in the same way Jay had?

“Nah…” Rowan put the vase of pink flowers on the table by the bed and the coolers by the low table near the fireplace. He sits heavily on the bed and picks up a flameless candle out of its box, flicking the switch on and off. He’s leaking, anxious, spiced rum scent all over the place.

Grayson takes a seat beside him, opens another box of candles, and waits until Rowan decides he wants to talk. He has long ago learned that Rowan Foster sometimes needs a few minutes to get to the point. Handing the candles one-by-one to Rowan, they work through the box until they eventually have turned on almost all four dozen of the battery-operated candles.

Grayson will place them around the bed once Rowan has gone back inside. Was it cliched and cringy? Probably. Does he care? Probably. Is he going to do it, anyway? Fuck, yes. Because Grayson hopes Nix will love it.

“Gray?” Rowan asks softly.

“Hmm?”

“Nix got hurt today when he was training with Gideon.”

Grayson is on his feet, dumping the last six candles on the floor in a heap. Nix had gotten hurt, and Grayson hadn’t felt a thing. The bond bite is incomplete, but Grayson still felt twinges occasionally. How had he not noticed? What the fuck?

“Stop. He’s alright. He’s with Luca in his room getting ‘dolled up.’” Rowan makes those weird hand quotes he mocks Jay for doing. “He’s a bit pissed, but that’s not because of Gideon. It’s because Jay got mad— really, really mad at Gideon.”

Grayson sits his ass down and focuses on breathing calmly to convince his racing heart that it’s fine—that Rowan wouldn’t lie to him.

He picks up the remaining candles off the floor and hands them one-by-one to Rowan until they’re all on, and the collective glow might draw attention from space, it’s so bright. It works to keep Rowan talking, and Grayson needs the entire story fast.

“As long as everyone’s okay.”

“It was scary for a minute. Jay said some stuff that I think needed saying, but Luca yelled at Jay. It was awful. He’s never mad. Right? He’s bratty, and sometimes he gets annoyed, but I haven’t ever smelled him like that before. And Nix? He was so…cold. Then Jay burned out of there on his bike—the gate almost didn’t open in time.” Rowan delivers the events rapid-fire, and his voice catches at the end, tapering off into a whisper.

“Our family is falling apart, and I don’t understand why. Having Nix is the most amazing thing. I can feel him here.” Ro rubs his hand just under his belly button and smiles the tiniest smile. “It’s like the warmest fire, and it helps me remember that he loves me—all the time.”

“But?”

“But everyone is sad, or mad, or scared, and it’s freaking me out. I feel like I’ve missed some important shit while I was in rut, and now I’m thrown into this shit-storm, and I can’t swim. Wait, no. Overboard? Yeah, I was thrown overboard, and I can’t swim. Even though I actually can. That’s a metaphor, you know?”

Grayson smiles ruefully. Yes, he knows.

“Why is it so hard? I’m scared.” He presses into Grayson’s side so Grayson can throw an arm around his shoulder. Rowan has always struggled most when Jay is under pressure and is at his most “human.” He needs a solid Jay—a solid alpha leader—and while no one can blame their alpha, times like these are extra hard on Rowan, who has always used Jay as his emotional barometer.

“Ah, my little baby,” Grayson coos, even though there is no world where Rowan Foster could be considered little . He knows he shouldn’t tease, but he can’t help trying to pull his mate back from the volatile edge he’s skirting.

“Fuck off. Why do you always have to be a shit to me?” Rowan squirms and tries to throw him off, but Grayson just holds on.

“I’m sorry. Sorry. Okay, seriously. I’m a shit to you because you rise so perfectly to the bait, and you are fucking hot when you do it.”

Rowan blushes, obviously torn.

“But as for the others. It’s okay to be scared, Ro. I get scared, too.” Rowan looks startled. If Grayson is scared, then maybe it lends credence to his worries. “But families argue, right? We are all going through stuff that’s extra hard. Nix is the missing piece we’ve been waiting for forever.”

For Grayson, it feels like it’s been lifetimes. “But he’s been through so much, and it’s not his fault. He has to do some hard things so he can heal.”

“But he doesn’t have to . He’s choosing this when he doesn’t have to. I can see why Jay is mad.” I’m mad, too, goes unsaid.

Boy, does that sound familiar. Hadn’t Grayson said the same thing to Jay just yesterday? Good thing he got solid advice then—because now he can pass it on. He can only imagine why Jay is suddenly pissed; seeing Nix wounded in training with someone who loves him would only make it easier to picture how much worse it could have been with Hayes, fueled by nothing but hatred.

“Jay isn’t mad at Nix. He’s mad at the guy who hurt him, and the idea that Nix could get hurt is terrible. I know you are worried too, right?” Rowan nods, his eyes glinting in the light of forty-eight candles. “But if you think he doesn’t have to do this for himself, that he has made this decision lightly, then you should talk to him.”

“You think I should?” Rowan says.

“Baby, he’ll talk to you about it, but I need to tell you this—it’s going to be hard for both of you. The things he’s told me, even just by accident, are terrible. Worse than terrible. I don’t know how he’s still standing, let alone thinking about facing Hayes. Nix has got to be the bravest person I know.”

Rowan shoots to his feet, slaps his fist into his palm, and paces the narrow space between the bed and the fireplace. “I don’t get it! Why does he want to see that guy again? You were furious before, Gray, and now you’re just—what? Fine with it? What the fuck?” His voice rises, thick with frustration. “We should be keeping him safe here, where nothing bad can happen to him again. Are Jay and I the only ones who don’t want him to fucking die?”

He slams his fist into the stone around the fireplace and chokes on a sob.

Grayson grabs Rowan around the waist, and Rowan lets Gray toss him onto the bed. “Fuck, Ro. Stop.”

But Rowan doesn’t stop. “I can’t, Gray. Fuck, I can’t. It h-hurts. Hurts s-so bad.” He roars in frustration and fear. When he stops, only his hitching sobs pierce the heavy silence.

It breaks Grayson’s heart.

Rowan is so reserved, but not in the muted way Grayson is. No, Rowan holds himself back emotionally, and Grayson thinks it’s because, for so long, he’s been the youngest, and finding his way inside their relationship was hard with so many older and (sometimes) wiser adults. Add to it his intense physical relationship with his wolf, and more often than not, the emotions get buried under the sensations.

“Shhh. Hey.” He squeezes Rowan a bit—squeezes him firmly, as Rowan prefers firm touches rather than feather-like caresses. “Loving people hurts. It’s the hard part of a relationship, yeah? But I remember Gideon telling me once, you remember that time Luca wasn’t himself last year, around Lollapalooza? Yeah?”

Rowan nods and rubs his tears away with the back of his hands.

“How hard it was to watch him close himself off? How it hurt when he didn’t want to do the things he loved to do? Well, Gideon reminded me that the more you love someone, the more you have to lose, and the more it hurts. Does that make sense?”

“Fuck, no.” He huffs.

“Well, think of it this way—if we didn’t love Nix so much, we wouldn’t care what happens to him like we do. It wouldn’t make Jay so mad. It wouldn’t make you cry.”

“But why do we have to feel like this at all? If Nix would just let someone else do this—”

Ah.

“Rowan. Do you remember when you had trouble with that photographer on your first solo shoot in your first year with the band? The one who thought fans would be more interested in your enigma muscles than your music—who made it very clear that he thought you only got in the band because of them?”

“Yeah. Fuck that guy.” Rowan has every right to still be bitter.

“Yeah, fuck him. But you wouldn’t let Gideon and Jay go down there or blacklist him. They were so steaming mad that Leo had to hold Gideon back from going down that asshole’s studio at midnight on a Thursday.”

They both chuckle at the memory. But then? It hadn’t been funny at all. They’d had a long night once Rowan had finally told them why he was so worked up.

“They were scary, man.”

“Yes, they were. But what did you tell them?” It had stuck with Grayson because Rowan had been so adamant and so, so wise.

“I told them that what that guy said was about me . That if I let them handle it and they went in there all angry and shit, then they were just proving that guy right—that I wasn’t more than my body, that I couldn’t handle myself, and worse, that I needed someone to save my ass.”

“Right. You needed to handle this yourself—to rescue yourself—because if they had gone in there, you’d never know if you were strong enough to survive it the next time.”

Rowan lets the idea just sink in. “Well. Fuck.”

Grayson cannot disagree. “See? We have to do the same for Nix. It fucking sucks because it’s scary, but it’s always got to be Nix’s choice.”

“I don’t have to like it.”

“No, but we have to try our best to show him that no matter how hard it is for us, we know it’s harder on him. We have to stand behind him and help him do the hard parts.” Grayson only hopes that when the time comes, his words aren’t just lip service.

“I don’t think Jay is doing so well with that. It was a fucking forest fire. I thought he was going to hit Gideon,” Rowan whispers.

“It’ll be okay. Jay is never mad for long.”

Luca, on the other hand…ooo-eeee, that boy has a long memory.

They lie there for a few long minutes while Rowan does his thinking, and Grayson enjoys the closeness that Rowan rarely doles out to anyone but Luca—and now, Nix.

“Hey, all this. You’re wining and dining Nix, eh?” Rowan is interested but trying not to sound like it. It’s fucking cute. Grayson isn’t fooled into thinking that Rowan has done all of his thinking, but he is glad the alpha at least smells calmer.

“I guess so. Do you think it’s too over the top?” It so fucking is, so why is he asking yet another person, especially one who will mock him for days? Grayson knows it’s every rom-com trope ramped up to a thousand and then some.

“Fuck, yeah, it is. But he’s going to love it. He’s a romantic…like you.” Well. Now, who’s damp-eyed? That’s unexpected. Rowan is rarely one for romantic compliments. “Do you think I should have done something like this?” There is self-doubt on his face, and he does not wear it well.

“Nix let you be his second bond out of all of us in that hallway. He wanted you so much he couldn’t wait, and he loves you just as much.” Grayson kisses the top of his hair and presses his nose in to smell the spicy scent of his shampoo.

“But if I wanted to do something nice, like…what would I do…to…uh be romantic and shit?” Grayson hides his smile in the top of Rowan’s head. “I can feel you smiling, Gray. Fuck you. I’m being vulnerable here.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, what I would do is think about something you know he likes or has always wanted or wanted to do, and then do that.” It’s good advice if he does say so himself—he only hopes he’s accomplished it tonight.

Rowan rubs his injured hand over his face and then nods. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Ro, we should put ice on your hand.”

“Hmm…like something he’s always wanted and has never had and then do that.” He’s on his feet in an instant, then bends over and kisses Grayson on the mouth so hard their teeth clack. “I’ll get Finn to look at it later. But—thanks, yeah?”

He’s out the door, and Grayson flops back on the bed, gratified to have dodged the teasing he’d expected.

“Oh, hey. Good luck tonight. I’m glad you didn’t break your dick when you fell earlier.” He throws Grayson a thumbs up and then slams the door, glass rattling.

Yeah, Grayson is glad, too, because he’s got two hours until he’s got to pick Nix up in his room.