Chapter 44
Forty-Four
RYLAN
I close the door to the nest, keeping the latch from making any noise. I double check the sound monitor is on before heading toward the main living space of the house. The smells of breakfast filter through to me, and I hold back a groan. My stomach rumbles, and I try to remember when I last ate.
Probably last night while Dominic admitted to me that he’d been wrong about Violet while waiting for Jasper to get home.
Never in a million fucking years had I expected him to look me dead in the eye the moment he’d reheated some pizza and set it on the island and then spill so much about his own internalized hatred of his designation and the limitation he sees it being. By the time he confessed that he not only felt awful over how he’d treated Violet but that he wanted to try and mend things between them before letting her file the annulment?
Part of me is still convinced I dreamt the entire fucking sequence.
Jasper looks up from where he’s mixing something at the stove, his eyes red with fatigue. Dominic stands beside him, a hand on his hip, and he looks just as wrung out. Both wear nearly identical white shirts and gray sweats. It makes me smile for a heartbeat, and Jasper’s shoulders ease away from his ears.
“Yours is over here,” Jasper says, motioning to a smaller pan that’s already off the heat. “It doesn’t have any of the jalape?o in it.”
I grab a tortilla and then the egg mix, rolling it all into a simple—if ugly—burrito.
Thank God for Jasper and his phenomenal cooking. This is leagues better than the food provided by the Haven.
“How is she?” Jasper asks, not looking up from the eggs he’s still stirring.
“Definitely into the thick of it,” I say, setting the burrito down and hopping onto the counter on the other side of the stove. “I had to force her to use mouthwash, and her hair is a mess right now, but I think it’ll wait until after her next wave. She cried over it being too bright, so all the blackout curtains are shut now.”
Jasper nods. “I can work through her hair after the next wave while you rest.” He turns off the burner’s flame and spoons eggs into two tortillas already arranged beside him. He blows out a breath as he sets the pan on the back burner, dropping his head, not looking at either of us. “Paperwork is due Wednesday. What are the chances she’ll be lucid by then?”
I shake my head. “Her heat in September lasted five days. That was without any kind of augmentation. There’s no way she’ll be out of it by Wednesday.”
Jasper sighs and swallows. Dominic runs a hand up his side before kissing his shoulder.
“I guess I’ll file the annulment on her behalf tomorrow. I…” He swallows again. His voice is so full of sorrow, my chest aches. “I think I’m allowed to do that if I can provide proof she’s in heat.”
I glance at Dominic just in time to see his jaw tighten, a muscle feathering in his neck.
“Come eat, Tesoro ,” he says, grabbing Jasper’s hand and guiding him to the dining table we hardly ever use. I set the sound monitor on the counter before grabbing his forgotten plate and following them both, settling into the other seat beside Jasper.
“I’m sorry, Jasper,” Dominic says, his voice low and grave. “I made you a promise, and I broke it.”
Jasper tilts his head back, his hands slack in his lap. I leave Dominic to his explanation, keeping my eyes off my lover. I’m exhausted, and Dominic and I already dance around each other when the dynamics between the three of us are testy.
My lip aches where the asshat split it open last night. God knows Dominic’d be able to do that much and worse with a single fucking hit. And, realistically, I don’t have time for him to lay me out right now. Violet’s only been averaging three hours between waves, and we’re already at hour two. Though maybe me making her wake up just enough to maintain baseline hygiene will be enough to extend the gap this round.
My phone vibrates, and I pull it from my sweats.
A text from Huntley is not what I’m expecting.
Hey, heard from Liz that Violet’s in heat. You guys need anything?
How in the fuck does Liz know that Violet’s gone into heat?
A new series of messages from Liz light up my screen, and I swear to God these women are telepathic or some shit.
Jasper told me Violet went into heat last night. Said it wasn’t expected?
You guys need anything? She have everything she needs in her nest?
Riley says he can help if you guys need a last minute extension from the Council in case you didn’t get a chance to sign the paperwork.
The guys made it a whole day for me, so totally get if you hadn’t gotten to it yet.
I text Huntley back first.
Aren’t you supposed to be soaking up the sun in Colorado right now doing that backpack thing?
Doesn’t mean I can’t check in with my friends. It’s 2024. I even get service in the backwoods of the Rocky Mountains now.
We’re good. Don’t fall off the mountain.
Wouldn’t dream of it. I’d never leave you to the whims of George.
I shake my head and blow out a breath. George isn’t all that bad, all things considered. He’s just newly graduated and still needs to figure out how to blend with the rest of the orchestra. I’m sure next year, he’ll be great.
I send a single text to Liz. Anything more, and she’ll end up calling me. I glance at the time.
And there’s absolutely no way I have time to field one of her calls right now.
We’re good so far. I’ll have Jasper text you if it changes.
“Rylan?” Jasper’s whisper grabs my attention. “What do you think?”
His eyes are on me, the tears lining his lashes making them glassy and emphasizing how tired he seems. His hands tremble on the table, his burrito all but forgotten on his plate. I grab a piece of egg and offer it to him, not answering him until he’s taken it from me.
“What do I think about what?” I ask. “The girls were texting. Sorry.”
“You think she’ll actually entertain Dominic apologizing?”
I look between them both.
“I’m not sure,” I admit. Jasper nods, a tear spilling over. I wipe it away. “Before yesterday? Absolutely not. But with everything that happened…”
I shrug, wishing I was more sure of everything.
“I don’t feel comfortable filing it while she’s not lucid. If it were a request for reassignment, I might feel differently. But annulment is irreversible,” Dominic says. “We should get an extension at the very least so that she can make the choice herself when she surfaces from her heat.”
Jasper blows out a breath and blinks away the tears.
It fucking kills me to see him like this. I pull him into me, taking his mouth with mine until his breath catches and the tension eases away from him. I run my hands under the hem of his shirt, enjoying the fuck out of the way goosebumps race up his stomach.
There’s a noise from the monitor still perched in the kitchen, a soft whine followed by the rustling of fabric. Fuck. That’s even shorter than the last one. She’s needing more. I eye Dominic and scratch at my tattoo.
“Alpha?” Violet’s tired voice is clear but tired, like when I first met her in the fall.
Jasper pulls away from me, looking over my shoulder back toward the kitchen. “She needs you.”
I take his hand and lace our fingers together.
Dominic stands from the table and gathers all three plates. “I’ll get in touch with Victor’s contact at the local Council office and officially get an extension figured out. And then I’m going to be gone until tomorrow morning. I’ll take over her care as soon as I’m back.”
Jasper freezes. “You said you’d wait until she resurfaced.” Accusation and betrayal war in his voice, but he keeps his eyes on me.
Dominic nods. “I am not doing anything, Tesoro . I simply wish to meet her fathers and understand the dynamic of her family. They were happy to oblige.”
Jasper blows out a breath and turns toward him. “All right. Be safe.”
“Always, Tesoro ,” he says, smirking. He kisses Jasper before disappearing down the hall toward his bedroom.
I lead Jasper back to Violet’s nest before he can protest, urging him inside before me. Violet’s sitting up in bed, the blanket gathered around her hips, her hair even messier than when I left her an hour ago. Her eyes are glassy, and her scent drowns the room even with the purifier running.
Her gaze catches on Jasper, and she whines, crawling across the bed toward where he’s stopped near the nightstand. I shrug off my shirt as she pulls him onto the bed, her lips already roaming over his neck and shoulders.
“Love, I can’t help you,” he murmurs, grabbing her hands as she pushes down his sweats.
She whines, fighting his hold, her lips pushing into a pout. “Please,” she whispers. “I need you.”
He glances over at me, panic in his eyes. I shrug and shove off my pants, dropping them with the shirt at the threshold of the bathroom.
“Pretty Omega,” I say, crossing the room and running my hand through her hair. “Do you need Jasper?”
She nods, pushing into my touch. She pushes his sweats as low as she can and then reaches for his dick. Jasper’s gasp has my own dick jumping.
“How do you need him?” I ask.
I climb on the bed behind her, already pretty confident in what she’ll say. Or signal, at least. She might be too lost for words right now. She leans toward Jasper, and he runs his hands up her arms and across her shoulders.
“He’s worried that you won’t like him,” I murmur, leaning over her and kissing the center of her back. “That you’ll decide he isn’t enough for you.”
She shakes her head, and her scent grows thicker, redoubling again. “Need.”
She’s fallen into one word sentences. Her heat is getting even stronger. “Show him, pretty Omega. Show him how you need him.”
“Yes, Alpha,” she says. Jasper lets her drop his sweats until his dick springs free.
I watch Jasper’s face as she sucks him off, her moans as much a sign she likes it as the slick dripping down her thighs. I run my hands up her thighs, and she pushes back into me, spreading her knees apart. I don’t make her beg any more than that. I line my cock up with her entrance and push into her, sinking deep in one steady thrust. Her toes curl into the bed as she groans around Jasper’s cock. She’s already halfway gone.
Jasper tips his head back, his throat rippling with a swallow.
“I’m not going to last,” he mutters.
I speed up my movements, running one hand over her hip until I can play with her clit.
“Good,” I say, my voice rough. “Neither is she.”
Jasper’s ragged gasp is the only warning he manages, but Violet isn’t bothered at all, her throat moving as she swallows. Jasper shakes, his hands trembling as he works them through her hair and across her cheeks. The moment he pulls away, she smiles and tilts her head to him.
“You’re perfect, love,” Jasper mutters, urging her to kneel with a finger under her chin.
He claims her lips, the kiss messy, and I increase my tempo, holding Violet’s hips so she doesn’t move. I run my lips across her shoulder and up her neck before following the same line with my tongue. She clenches around me, moaning into Jasper’s kiss.
The orgasm hits me out of nowhere, plowing into me with the strength of a freight train. My vision goes hazy and my fingers tingle.
“Fuck,” I groan as my knot locks us together.
Violet screams, shaking in our arms as her release washes through her. She collapses back against me, her head resting against my shoulder. I kiss her temple as her eyes drift shut and reach for Jasper’s hand, lacing our fingers together. His eyes are just as soft as he focuses on me, the love in them so pure and strong it steals my breath for a moment.
“Love you,” I murmur.
He nods and squeezes my hand. “I know.”
Fuck, I hope she can forgive Dominic.
Because this? I want this for the rest of my life.