“You okay, Pretty?” he whispers and presses his nose into the top of Grayson’s head.
There’s a pointy nose stuck in his neck and then a set of sharp enigma teeth gently reclaiming him.
“Better.” Grayson slides his soft hand over Jay’s belly, and then he relaxes into him. “You scared us.”
The patchouli scent grows more potent with the words, and Jay feels a slight breeze ruffle his hair.
“You fucking died, you jerk,” Leo growls, and Jay would think it was pure anger if Leo wasn’t also crying. He’s still standing inside the door, but he’s a little closer than before.
He’d died? More of the afternoon comes back at that, the parts beyond his father’s vitriol. The kids, meeting Melody and their fans. He remembers how good he felt to see Gideon shyly happy, sharing his love for cooking with Zed…no, Zef.
It had been a shining light in a few weeks of stress. There’s a sudden surge of fear when he looks around for Gideon, and he’s not there. He hadn’t slipped into the room unnoticed, as he so often does.
“Where’s Gideon?” Jay asks, and then starts coughing, his throat so dry and sore.
Gideon pushes past Leo, who is still standing near the door.
“You were intubated. You can’t go around shouting.” He offers Jay a small paper cup of water from the jug beside the bed. “I’m right here. There’s no need to go around yelling like a fishwife,” Gideon gripes without heat.
He looks terrible: haggard, gray, red-eyed, and his lips are cracked like he’s bitten them raw with worry.
“You’re a fishwife,” Jay rasps, after he gulps the water and holds the cup out for more.
It makes Grayson snort into his neck, teeth still nibbling the skin. It makes him feel better, the pain in his shoulder lessening a little at the sound. “You okay, love?”
“You’re asking about us?” Leo asks. “You. Fucking. Died,” he repeats. Leo is close enough to poke Jay in the chest now.
Leo’s voice breaks. “Three times.”
“Leo, go easy,” Gideon frowns.
He’d died and been brought back, so it hadn’t stuck, thank the Goddess.
“No. You know what? I told this jerkface,” Leo starts.
“That’s enough for now,” Gideon breaks in and cuts off what is sure to be a well-earned tirade.
“How long have I been out?”
“Out?! You died,” Leo growls again. “And I told that jerkface that we are done doing this shit alone. I can’t do—I can’t have you—I need you fucking alive. So from now on, we go with Leo’s plans. Got it?” He pokes the good side of Jay’s chest again and gets a hand squeeze from Grayson for his trouble.
“Yeah, okay.”
“No! Don’t argue with—wha? Okay?”
When Jay tries to shrug, he gets a stabbing pain in his shoulder for his trouble. “You were right. We underestimated him, and now look at me. This could have been Gid or any of you. We were too cocky.”
“Fucking right you were. Do you hear that, Gideon Carnell? He made me the boss.”
Jay chuckles, and Grayson smiles against his neck.
Gideon still looks haunted.
He frowns. “Gid?”
Rubbing a hand through his hair, Gideon shrugs. “Yeah, Gideon’s plans are stupid and dangerous, and he underestimated his father yet again,” he says quietly. “I’m—I’m sorry, Alpha.”
It’s not the snarky response he’d been expecting.
