Chapter 47
Forty-Seven
Lessa
Meri hauled the Mole toward Drozel and Omden's place and the men wanted to follow. I stopped them, giving her the chance to do this on her own simply because I knew she could. These two lugs would end up making her feel helpless - or worse, wrong - so I held them back.
"She's got this," I warned them, reverting back to our own language.
And it was a warning, because if they tried to crush that girl, even accidentally, all hell was going to break loose. Drozel gave in with a heavy sigh. Omden shrugged as if accepting my decision, but Irrik? He moved closer to slap his hand down on Omden's shoulder almost playfully.
"So," he said, "what now?"
"Now," I said, answering before the guys could, "we need to make sure Meri has..." And my words trailed off as I realized who I was talking to. "Why are you here, Irrik? Do Jeera and Brielle even know you're in Lorsa?"
"Not yet," he admitted. "We had more wounded to bring back - including this guy. I took the excuse to head this way, and I'll let them explain the rest. But before my girlfriends trap me for a bit, do I need to do anything else?"
"Have someone send the medication over and clean bandages," Drozel said. "Ask Brielle what Meri will need, and we can go from there."
"Including any other medical supplies that man might need," I added, since that was what I'd been intending to say in the first place.
He nodded. "I can do that. Now, if you'll forgive me, I need to get my horse stabled, then go see my son!"
"He's a cute one," I told him. "Congratulations, Irrik. Now get the fuck out of my problems."
"Always a pleasure, Lessa," he said with a wink even as he backed away. "You were right, Drozel." Then he turned, climbed up onto the seat of his cart, and clicked the horses forward.
"About?" I asked Drozel, catching that last bit.
"That Meri's gotten stronger, both physically and mentally, since Irrik last saw her," Drozel explained.
"And does anyone want to tell me how we ended up with a Mole staying here?" I looked at Omden for that one.
"We?" Omden teased. "What, you moving in now? I mean, I'm good with it."
"The bed does have room for one more," Drozel said, and his tone was exactly as suggestive as I expected.
I nudged him in the side. "Answer the question first."
"That," Drozel said, "is Sylis. Sylis is friends with Tobias - in the trying to kiss him sort of way.
Tobias is not into kissing Sylis because he is doing his best to be a very good friend to Callah.
The husband sort of friend, which isn't something Moles know how to do, but Tobias is clearly trying.
Callah is Meri and Ayla's friend down there, who seems to be starting a rebellion of women.
" He nodded then looked at Omden. "Did I miss anything? "
"The important part," Omden told him. "Lessa, a Reaper saw Tobias, tried to stab him, and Sylis jumped in front of the blade.
He was stabbed in the gut. The Python says it's not that bad, but down there a gut wound is death.
No antibiotics. So Tobias - who is both the man Ayla calls her informant and Jerlis's nephew - begged Ayla to save this guy.
She did. We're bringing him back, and no, we don't trust him. "
"But," Drozel said, "Zasen wants us to flip him, and either he's damned good at lying or he's more than willing to be flipped."
"Flipped," I said, nodding to show I'd heard that part. "What exactly does that mean?"
"We need all the information he can share," Omden explained. "Less, they don't know what can help us, and we don't know the right questions to ask, so it's a lot of talking to figure things out without saying too much too fast."
"Or you can just tell him," I suggested. "I mean, he's not going back. He can die up here on his own or realize they were wrong."
"I think he already knows they're wrong," Drozel said. "He just doesn't know all the ways. Sylis..." He paused to glance at Omden, then back to me. "That young man doesn't eat meat. He also doesn't speak Vestrian, as I'm sure you noticed."
"So we've been using English around him," Omden said. "All of us, Less."
"I'm good at English," I reminded him. "But since you sprung not just one but two surprises on me, I don't even feel bad about sharing my own."
"Two?" Drozel asked.
But at the same time, Omden grinned. "Oh?"
"Two," I told Drozel, dragging this out. "A Mole and an early return." Then I smiled at Omden. "Meri kissed me."
"What?!" Drozel gasped, turning me so I had to face him. "When? How?"
"While you were gone," I said, because I needed to make sure he didn't think I'd been sitting on this a while, "and in your house.
We've been discussing things, and I've learned a lot more about Meri than I expected.
I mean, since we no longer have a language barrier or her thinking she's going to die. "
"Good point," Omden said. "Now, here's the next issue. That Mole? He knows Droz and I are together. We made a point of not hiding it."
"And?" I asked.
"Moles don't do that," Drozel reminded me. "That man's going to need help washing, changing, and more. Naked. Meri doesn't do naked men yet. Omden and I would make him embarrassed. So..." The asshole smirked in a way that said more than words could.
"And you can use it as an excuse to be all close and personal with your girl," Ommy taunted. "You know, showing her it's okay to be around naked men when they aren't a threat."
"No," I said. "Well, yes to that part, but she's not my girl. Guys, she's still figuring it out!"
"And she'll figure it out easier when you aren't a stupid jealous asshole who punishes her for doing something she's so proud of: healing," Omden countered. "And yes, I think you should stay with us."
"Us?" Drozel asked.
"Us," Omden confirmed. "Look, if Sylis is in the guest room, and Meri's in hers - "
"Hers?" I asked, lifting a brow to make it clear I'd noticed how easily he'd just given away part of his home.
"Hers," he said again. "Now stop making me repeat myself. My point is, I don't mind you crashing with us, Lessa. We both know Drozel likes it but doesn't want to scare you off. Meri doesn't seem offended by it, so..." He canted his head to the side in some kind of unspoken invitation.
"That..." I glanced at Drozel, then back to Ommy. "It sounds like you're asking for more than help with this mess."
"I am," Omden said, shifting to stand beside Drozel and claiming my hand. "Lessa, I know it's not your style, but would you consider putting some clothes in our closet and spending every spare second with us? Think of it like a trial-run for a real relationship - but only a trial."
"Uh..." My pulse was pounding a little too fast. "I thought this was just fun between us."
"Om?" Drozel asked, clearly as confused as I was.
But Omden ignored him. "Look, we can pretend this is casual if you want.
That's fine. I'm okay with it, but you matter to me, Lessa.
I also know you're not blind. Drozel's enjoying this.
Meri's figuring it out. All of this keeps tying us together, so let's not worry about a name, but stop pretending this isn't working for all of us, okay? "
"Droz?" I asked. "Did you put him up to this?"
He shook his head vehemently. "I didn't... He... No!"
The stuttering proved he wasn't lying. That he wasn't trying to undo the offer? Those pretty green eyes of his jumped between me and Omden, but Drozel's tail was still. Too still. The sort of still that made it clear this was important to him.
And I liked that.
Fuck, I liked this - whatever this thing was we were doing.
It wouldn't have worked without Omden, but he and Drozel were as committed of a pair as I'd ever seen.
The way they'd wrapped Meri into their lives only made me like them more because it was so damned honest. They wanted to help her.
They took care of her. They also did a lot to take care of me.
"Okay," I decided, but the word came out softer and less confident than I'd hoped.
Making this official felt like it would ruin everything, but we weren't. It was a trial run. Omden hadn't set an end date, but we weren't talking about tokens or property divisions. This was to help Meri and handle the Mole. It was realistic, not romantic, right?
So I nodded, both convincing myself I was right, and making it clear I was agreeing. Still, my fingers were tingling. It was the sort that came with hyperawareness as my body went on high alert. The anxiety was there, clawing in the back of my mind, but this time it wasn't going to win.
I liked this easy thing I had with them.
I couldn't get enough of Meri's sweet personality and strong opinions.
I adored Omden in a way that was much more than a friend but had nothing to do with being lovers.
And Drozel? He was big, strong, gentle, oblivious - and much too aware - all at the same time.
Every trait that drew me in was here, in some way.
All the things I'd told myself would be impossible to find were right inside that house, and I'd just been told I was welcome to take as much as I wanted.
So why was I standing here, much too quiet, and trying to convince my heart to stop hammering?
"Less?" Drozel asked, cupping my face to make me look at him. "Nothing's changing. I'm not leaving Omden, okay? It's just easier for you to stay a little closer while we handle this Mole. Omden and I still have to work. That means Meri would be alone otherwise. She needs you."
"Yeah," I said, pushing out a tense breath. "That helps."
"So, bad time - " Omden tried.
But Drozel cut him off. "Yes. Very bad, Om. Don't push her into a panic attack. No one is dying, Less. This is fine. We're good, just friends, and none of us care what anyone thinks. Doesn't mean we can't care about you as a friend."
"And neighbor," Omden added. "I mean, we've got a few years of figuring this shit out, right? The helping each other bit. See? That's all this is."
I pulled away from Drozel and wrapped my arms around Omden's neck. "Thank you, Ommy. I care about you too, and we are good neighbors."
His tail slid around to hook loosely against the end of mine as he hugged me back. "No panicking. None of it's needed." Then he leaned back so he could smile at me. "I just need someone to fuck his brains out so my ass stays in one piece."
I grunted out a laugh and slapped his chest just hard enough to push him back. "Asshole."
"And we still have a Mole in the house with my little sparrow," Drozel said. "No offense, you two, but I don't trust that guy that much yet."
"He's wounded," Omden pointed out.
"And a Mole," I said, seeing what Drozel meant. "A man who doesn't understand Meri's a strong and capable woman who doesn't need a man."
"She kinda does," Drozel said.
I grabbed his arm and towed him toward their house, jerking my head for Omden to keep up. "She does not."
"She does," Drozel insisted. "Meri needs a man to get her friend out. Only a man can do that, and she needs Callah to survive that place."
"He's got a point," Omden mumbled.
And while I hated it, he did. "Only because Moles are stupid," I grumbled.
"They are," Drozel agreed, grabbing the door to open it for me. "So why don't you help us convince Sylis that our women aren't helpless, hm?"
"And Meri too," I added.
But he caught my wrist, preventing me from storming into the house. "She's one of us. That means she's not helpless."
Shifting my hand a bit changed his grip from my wrist to my palm, and then I stepped back into him. "Keep this up, Droz, and maybe the panic thing will stop happening."
"Yeah," he breathed, shifting even closer. "That's why I haven't mentioned how much we missed you."
But he didn't kiss me. Drozel just met my eyes and held them, letting me read whatever I wanted on his face. And when I pulled away, my heart decided this mess might actually be fine.