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Bel lifted his face to glare at his brother, but he wasn’t going to deny it. He wanted to touch every inch of his men, and that was not going to be a quiet endeavor.
“What about the attack on Bel’s house? We’re not going to even discuss it?” Marcus growled.
Aiden sighed. “It’s two in the afternoon, and we’re all exhausted. Bel could use some more time to heal. We’ll meet this evening when Winter can join us.”
There were a lot of hands grabbing and moving him around. The second Bel was on his feet again, he was sandwiched between his wolves. Everything was right in the world.
“Bel, look at me.”
Bel blinked and looked at where Aiden was standing just a few feet away, a tired but serious expression on his face.
“No biting River,” Aiden said slowly and clearly. River opened his mouth as if to argue, but Aiden’s hand shot up, halting any sounds. “River came too close to death, and we spent too much effort to put that blood back in him. It needs to spend some time in his body before you go taking it out again. Do you understand?”
Bel’s hands tightened on River, the dried blood scratching and crunching against his palms. Images of River too pale, of River not breathing, of River saying good-bye flashed through his head, sobering him far faster than he thought possible.
“No, there will be no more biting today, and not for a few weeks at least,” Bel said, ignoring River’s disappointed whine. He would do nothing to harm either of his men.
Aiden chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sure the time frame is negotiable. Just…get some rest. We’ll talk more later.”
Yes, there was much they all needed to discuss, but right now…
Bel released his lovers to take the few steps needed to close the distance between him and Aiden. He crashed into the older vampire, wrapping his arms tight around his waist. A soft grunt escaped Aiden, and then his arms were closing around Bel. His cheek pressed to Bel’s temple and he felt the sigh that escaped the man.
“Thank you,” Bel choked out.
“Shhh…no thanks necessary,” Aiden whispered, emotion thickening his voice. “You’re my son, and I’ll do anything for my sons. I just want you happy and safe.”
“I am.”
Aiden moved his head to press a kiss to his forehead. “Good. We’ll talk more later. Go get some rest with your boyfriends.”
There was a hint of teasing to Aiden’s voice, but Bel didn’t care. He released Aiden and returned to Wyatt and River. Aiden was right. Everything could wait for a few hours. He needed to spend some time with his wolves.
20
River was both exhausted and energized. Those last minutes in the car…he’d been sure they would be his final few breaths on Earth. The pain had faded to a dull haze, and he could barely feel Bel’s weight on him. Everything had turned into a fog, and he’d been starting to float away, no matter how hard he’d tried to hold on to Bel.
He couldn’t leave them. Never wanted to leave them. Wyatt and Bel were his everything. Wyatt had devoted his life to protecting River. He’d been River’s only source of happiness for so long.
But then they found Bel. Their funny scientist with the enormous heart and wild hair. When he welcomed them into his home, his life, it was as equals. He fussed constantly over their care and comfort. He worried over their happiness. He risked his life and the lives of his family for them.
How could River not love the man as much as he loved Wyatt?
But he was alive. Brought back from the edge with vampire blood.
His body tingled and buzzed with new energy, and there were even more questions zipping through his brain. So much of what happened was fuzzy.
None of it mattered when they got a tired Bel naked and under the spray of hot water. His face, neck, and hand were still healing, though they already looked much better than they had when they’d reached the laboratory. The scabbed-over wounds were gone, and most of his injured flesh was now bright pink, as if he’d suffered a bad sunburn. There were more spots along the left side of his body that looked burned, but the wounds were fading fast.
River helped Wyatt get Bel undressed and into the shower before he returned to the bedroom and pulled down the clean, cool sheets. When he returned to the bathroom, he slowly peeled off his own filthy clothes and left them in a pile next to Bel’s. They probably all needed to be burned.
Except they had no other clothes.
They had nothing.
His last memories of being in the house were fuzzy, but he remembered the place was on fire. Bel had lost everything. All his musical instruments, his computers, all his lab equipment. Because of them.
