Chapter 5 Jo
five
Jo
Isleep like the dead.
It’s fourteen hours later when I blink my eyes open, breathing in my beta’s mint and chamomile scent. “West,” I hum, closing my eyes and snuggling back against him.
His arm tightens around my waist. “Good morning, Siren. Or…good afternoon, I suppose. Are you feeling okay? After your spike last night?”
“Yeah, but I missed you.” I yawn. “Where is everyone?”
“Sam and Kole are at the gym, and Nolan took Hayden to the firing range. I drew the long straw and got to stay in bed with you.”
“Mmmm,” I flip so I’m on my back, and then West hovers over me. “I wonder how we can pass the time?”
He presses a kiss to my nose, making me giggle. My beta grins, his eyes roaming over my face. “Oh, I think I—”
“You could start by getting a shower.” Sam’s voice sounds by the bedroom door. “Declan called the doctor for you, and he’ll be here in an hour.”
West deflates, rolling off me with a sigh. I sit up, scowling at the man who ruined my fun. But then, my jaw nearly drops at the sight of both Kole and Sam. Shirtless, with sweat dripping down their chiseled bodies—
Shaking my head, I roll out of bed. “Y’all can’t be walkin’ around like that. You’re gonna send me into a heat, and we can’t afford to spend three days in a hormone-induced haze.”
Kole smirks, stretching his arms above his head. “Walking around like what, lyubov' moya?”
Pointing an accusing finger at him, I walk to the bathroom. “You know what you’re doin’, Kole Vasiliev. And just for that, I’m showerin’ first, and y’all have to marinate in your own sweat until I’m done. Unluckily for you, today is a hairwash day.”
With a grin, I shut the bathroom door in their faces.
The hot water of the shower is absolutely heavenly against my sore muscles, and surprisingly, even though there’s a nasty bruise on my ribs, I’m not as sore as I thought I’d be.
Must be that true scent match voodoo at play. I find myself humming as I lather the shampoo into my hair. My shampoo—vanilla scented.
Looks like Mabel and Maeve brought over all my toiletries and clothes from Declan’s house, which I am so grateful for.
For the first time since I got myself arrested over a year ago, I can wash my body with my own products, sleep in my own bed—because somehow, Mabel convinced Declan it needed to be moved as well—and dress in all my own clothes.
By the time I’m rinsing out the conditioner, my body is feeling loose, and I feel better rested than I have in weeks.
The guest house is a perfect replica of Declan’s home, so the bathroom is the exact same.
A large, marble shower with a waterfall head, a big-ass hot tub-style bath in the corner, and a large vanity for me to do my hair.
I still remember the first time Declan brought me back to his house and showed me my room.
I couldn’t believe the whole thing was just for me—and I felt guilty as hell for experiencing such luxury when Mabel was gods-knew-where.
Now, though, she’s probably enjoying her own big-ass bathroom, and I’ll have to make a point to see her after the doctor is done with me. Then we can figure out the next steps for killing off Kole’s daddy.
Even though we no longer need access to their safehouse, wiping Mikhail Vasiliev off the map will help our cause against Xavier, and it’ll make the world safer for omegas everywhere.
Not completely safe, as long as Xavier Bowen is still around, but safer than they were before.
When I step out of the shower, Sam is there with a towel. I scowl at him, glancing at the door. I guess I forgot to lock it.
Sighing, I let him wrap the towel around me—not missing the way his eyes rove over me appreciatively—even if they darken slightly at the sight of the bruise on my ribs—and arch my brow at him. “Let yourself in, did you?”
“I figured we were past the point of you caring if I’m in the bathroom while you’re showering.”
“That’s true.” I get on my tiptoes and press a kiss to his lips.
“Are you feeling okay? After yesterday?” His honey-brown eyes shine with concern as he looks down at me. It must have been hard on his alpha, being stuck driving while his omega had a heat spike in the back of a van.
“I feel perfectly fine now.” I shrug, moving around him to sit at the vanity. I’m about to do my hair for the first time in a year. There’s something that just makes you feel real good about yourself when your hair is properly taken care of and styled exactly how you want it.
“We’ll know more once the doctor takes a look at you,” Sam says comfortingly as he turns the shower back on and starts to undress.
“I don’t see why I need a doctor anyhow,” I start towel drying my hair, glancing at him in the mirror, “‘specially since I already saw every doctor on Dec’s payroll, and none of them were any help.” Hemming and hawing and guessing at what the hell is actually wrong with me.
“Well, a lot has changed since then, Trouble.” Sam raises his voice to be heard over the torrent of water as he steps into the shower.
“You’ve met your true scent matches, the doctors injected fuck-knows how many drugs into your system, and Mabel is finally safe.
” I can see the slightly blurry outline of his body through the shower glass in the mirror, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to undo all the effort I just spent drying off and join him in the shower.
Unfortunately, we’re about to have company.
My gaze shifts back to my face, and I frown, studying myself as I work product through my hair. The red strands nearly reach my waist now…it’s probably time for a trim. “I s’pose you have a point.”
He doesn’t answer, just starts humming to himself as he starts to wash his body.
I’m halfway done blow-drying when he turns off the water and steps out, wrapping a towel around his waist. He says something, but the blow-dryer is running right in my ear so I can’t hear anything.
“What?” I yell, and rolling his eyes, Sam comes over and takes the blowdryer from my hand, switching it off.
“I said, you have about thirty minutes to finish up your beauty routine.”
“I’ll be done in twenty.” I snatch the blow-dryer back from him. “You should know better than to take a lady’s weapon from her like that.”
His brow arches. “Weapon?”
Kole’s voice pipes up from the doorway. “I have always found it interesting that hair dryers are shaped like guns.”
Looking over my shoulder, I spy my Russian giant, freshly showered.
He must have used one of the other three on the upper floor.
“That explains why I’m so good with them.
” I shoot him a wink and a grin, and in the next moment, he’s marching over to me, tilting my head back and stealing my breath with a kiss.
He pulls back, nothing but adoration in his eyes as he looks down at me. I blink, suddenly feeling lightheaded. “Not that I’m complainin’, Sugar Bear, but what was that for?”
“You have simply never looked more beautiful, lyubov' moya.”
Arching a brow, a glance at myself in the mirror. Half my hair is smooth and shiny, sure, but the other half is a wet mess. “I don’t follow.”
“There is something different about you when you feel safe,” he says softly, running a thumb over my cheek.
“Your shoulders are not as tense, you are not coiled to strike. You are simply with us, doing normal, everyday things and I…” he leans down again, brushing his lips lightly over mine, “I cannot wait until this is the default and not the exception.”
Well, shit. Now I’m gonna cry.
A watery laugh leaves me. “Me too.” He smiles at me again before leaving the bathroom.
“Twenty-five minutes.” Sam taps his wrist. I roll my eyes and turn back to the mirror, but Sam pauses. “And…and I agree with Kole. For the record.”
A small smile tilts at my lips as I flip the power to the blow-dryer back on.
“Well, Jo, you’re looking about as healthy as I’ve ever seen you.” Doctor McFadden pulls the earpieces of the stethoscope back around his neck.
“She’s recovering from several external injuries, including a bruise from a bullet that hit her in the stomach, and a black eye from being basically tortured.” West folds his arms over his chest and eyes the doctor warily.
When I came out of the bathroom twenty minutes ago, dressed and with my hair freshly blown out, the guys all stopped in their tracks, jaws dropped.
It then occurred to me that they’ve only seen my hair a wild mess, and between my new hairstyle and the eyeliner and mascara I put on, I probably look like a whole new person.
I swear Sam nearly demanded I go take it all off so the doctor didn’t see me—but I explained that this is how I was before I sent myself to Thornfield. Hayden just kissed me and told me I’m “hot-as-fuck no matter what cool makeup shit I put on”.
So now, as we sit in the living room of the guest house, it’s no surprise that Sam and Kole are standing right behind me as if they might need to interfere when the beta doctor inevitably loses control.
Not to mention he’s nearly seventy and married to his sweet husband of forty-five years.
Doctor McFadden huffs. “In this business, everyone is always recovering from a bullet wound or worse. I mean her physiological health—especially the omega side of her. The last time I saw Jo, she was fine, sure. But she wasn’t thriving, not in the way a newly presented omega should be.
Just by finding you four—her true scent matches—she’s the glowing picture of health on the inside.
Since her body isn’t actively rebelling against her omega-nature, and especially now that she isn’t constantly in fight-or-flight mode, her systems—”
“Hold up there, just a minute.” I stand, crossing my arms. “What do you mean ‘constantly in fight-or-flight mode’?”
“Jo.” He gives me a look like he can’t believe I’d be this dense.
“Your childhood was filled with almost nothing but constant abuse. Even when the stress came to a breaking point, more was piled on by way of the disappearance of your sister. I would be more concerned for your psychological well-being if you weren’t in that state.
The problem is, it became your new normal.
Now, well…now it’s time for a different normal. ”
“What does that mean, then?” Hayden asks, standing and wrapping his arms around my waist in a comforting embrace. “What’s her ‘new normal’?”
“Even without having the results of her blood test back, it’s clear she’ll be going into heat soon.”
“Then why bother with the test to begin with?” Kole frowns, crossing his arms.
Surprisingly, it’s West who answers. “Because it’ll give us a better idea of her hormone levels and how close her heat actually is.”
Doctor McFadden nods. “Exactly.”
“And there’s nothin’ lingerin’ in my system from what those whack-jobs dosed me with?
” I ask, nodding to the bright pink vial on the coffee table.
The first thing the doctor did when he got here was prick my finger and put the blood on a swab.
Then he dipped it into the vial of originally clear liquid.
If the liquid turns blue, it means you have a foreign substance lingering in your bloodstream.
If it turns pink, that means you’re in the clear.
Lucky that I haven’t taken my heat suppressants in two days, otherwise the test wouldn’t have been of any use.
“There’s nothing lingering, no. It seems that your theory about the venom of a bonding bite burning it out of your system has merit.
” He stands, moving to pack his briefcase up.
“I’ll run the blood samples I pulled when I get back to the office, and I should have an answer on your impending heat by later tonight. ”
With that, he closes his suitcase and starts to let himself out of the house. But then, I can’t help myself—I have to ask. “Doctor McFadden?”
He pauses, his hand on the door, and looks back at me in question.
“Are you the one who’s been treatin’ my sister? Mabel?” He nods once. “I don’t want any details, just…she seems like she’s doing a lot better.”
He sighs thoughtfully. “It’s a miracle, really.
None of the other omegas seem to be recovering at a fraction of the rate she has.
Nearly two weeks ago, you could see her ribs with how malnourished she was.
Now, you can’t even tell she was unwell.
If I didn’t know any better…” he trails off, lost in thought.
“If you didn’t know any better…?” I push, trying to get him to finish his sentence.
“Well, I’ve only seen this speed of recovery in omegas that have found their true scent matches—like you. But Mabel…all the omegas, really…with all the drugs in their systems, they’re effectively betas. So it would be impossible.”
Shit. Maybe it’s time I pay Mabel a visit.