Whatever objection he had to me leaving the room seems to have burned off.
I climb back onto the bed and move toward Adam, my eyes drawn to where their bodies are joined. Raff is still buried deep in Adam's ass, but now I can see why the alpha isn’t thrusting anymore.
A thick knot has formed at the base of his cock, swelling to the size of a fist and lodged securely between Adam's butt cheeks. The skin around Adam's entrance is stretched taut, flushed pink from the pressure, with Raff's knot plugging him completely.
Adam's unconscious body seems to accept it naturally, his muscles relaxed around the intrusion, his omega biology responding even in sleep.
It's obscene and weirdly beautiful at the same time.
A biological claim that shows my brother finally has the connection he’s always craved.
I start at Adam’s neck.
I press the warm cloth gently against the left side first, where Raff’s bite sits deepest, the two crescents dark and swollen at the edges, still seeping slightly. I clean it with small, careful strokes. Then I move to the right side. Cliff’s mark is slightly shallower but no less definitive.
Adam doesn't stir.
His face is completely slack, with his cheek smooshed against the mattress.
Up close like this, caring for him, he looks so young.Younger than I've seen him look in years, all that bright, relentless energy finally, completely at rest.
I work my way down Adam slowly, his shoulders, his back, the sweat pooled at the base of his spine, then I wring the cloth out again, re-warm it at the bathroom sink, and come back for Elowen.
She's lying against Cliff's chest with her eyes closed, her breathing slow and even. Cliff has one arm curved around her, his chin resting on top of her head, his eyes tracking me as I approach with the same quiet, watchful attention Raff had.
I sit on the edge of the bed beside her and press the warm cloth gently to her forehead first, then her neck, then the curve of her collarbone. She makes a small sound at the contact, her brow easing, her body shifting slightly toward the warmth.
Cliff watches my hands the entire time.
"She okay?" I ask quietly.
"She'll be fine," he says. "She needs to come down."
I nod, working the cloth carefully along her hairline, her shoulders, the inside of her wrists where her pulse is still running faster than it should.
"You're good at this," Cliff says after a moment.
I keep my eyes on Elowen. "Someone has to be," I say simply.
I look at Elowen, then at Adam, then at the general state of the bed and everyone in it. Once both knots go down and the alphas can move, everyone needs a proper bath. Warm water, clean towels, fresh sheets. The whole thing. But for now, the washcloth will have to do.
I fold it carefully and set it on the nightstand.
Then I slide off the bed, find Cliff's gym shorts on the floor where he dropped them, and pull them on. They'reabout four inches too long in the rise and hang loose everywhere, but they'll do.
I move toward the door.
"Perrin." Cliff's voice is quiet, but it stops me.
I turn. He's watching me from the bed, Elowen still tucked against his chest, his dark eyes steady and a little soft in the low light.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
"Water," I say. "Everyone needs water." I glance at Adam, then at Elowen, then back at Cliff. "And I'm going to grab more clean towels while I'm down there. And something for them to eat when they come around." I pause. "And probably some pain medication." Another pause. "And fresh sheets."
Cliff looks at me for a long moment.
"Just water," he says firmly. "Come back after that."
