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Chapter Seventeen
Kit
I tuck a bleary-eyed omega into my bed, my heart stopping at how she looks there. Today didn’t go at all how we expected it to, and we’ll need to get back into town soon because we didn’t get to do any of the shopping we intended to do today.
As we all get ready for bed, tiptoeing so we don’t wake her up, we help James with his broken fucking leg, and fury runs through my system to see him hurt. He’s the softest of us all, and I always feel protective of him. It’s probably divine intervention that Calai needed me so badly when all that was going down in the library, because I probably could have easily killed Parker’s mate for touching what’s mine.
Calai is still drenched in our scents, which gives me great satisfaction. With James situated on the couch so no one bumps into him while he sleeps, he’s already passed out now that his pain meds have kicked in. I toss my shirt into the hamper and kick off my jeans, crawling between the sheets to hold her.
???
The next day we spend mostly trying to help Calai calm down and get centered again, which means she’s no longer desperate for us to knot her, but we’re determined get back to that point sooner or later. I sent Colter out on a trip to pick some stuff up since she’s really hesitant to leave the house right now, so I’m just watching her try and take care of James. The fucker is really playing it up because every time he so much as winces she’s fawning over him and kissing his forehead and trying to soothe him. Maybe I should break a leg too.
Tomorrow could go any which way with her dad now in town to visit, and I know she’s worried. I thought it would be better to have them here so she feels like she has some foundation, but I’m kind of wishing right about now we’d put up a few walls. Our house isn’t that big because we didn’t want it to be when we built it.
With the idea of her brothers and dad coming to visit though, I’m kind of wishing they didn’t have access to the bed she’s starting to nest in. I want to keep that private so Calai doesn’t feel like they’re intruding on her private space.
I leave James and her asleep on the couch, snuggled up like the cutest things I might have possibly ever seen, snapping a picture of them to send to Colter, before heading out to the little workshop we’ve got out back. I eye the materials we have on hand, figuring we have enough reclaimed wood to at least make a privacy wall. Shouldn’t be too complicated, and it doesn’t have to be perfect, but I start laying pieces out and joining them together, assembling what I can so I don’t bother Calai or James with too much noise.
It’s late by the time I get back inside, and Colter isn’t home yet, but Calai is awake and cooking and James is alert as well. I drag in the pieces I’ve already started putting together and fix them into place, quickly assembling it since I did all the legwork outside.
After a quick vacuum to clean up the sawdust, I step back and look at it. It blocks out most of the bed and it looks sort of cool with all the different wood tones I used, but the important thing is that you can’t see the bed unless you step beside it. It covers wide enough and high enough that the bed area feels private now but doesn’t close off the space completely since it doesn’t extend to either wall or ceiling.
“Is this what you’ve been working on all day?” Calai steps beside me to see the finished product, her arms crossed over her chest.
“I figured that with people coming over tomorrow, you might want our private area to remain private. I don’t want you to feel too exposed.”
She looks at me and then at the wall, and tears well in her eyes right before she approaches me slowly and wraps her arms around me. I fold her into my arms, unsure if she’s upset or happy.
“I can take it down if you hate it. I’m sorry. I should have known better than to change the house without talking to you first. I know omegas get really particular about changes in their homes.”
“No, no. I love it. I’m just…surprised is all, that you thought that far ahead and knew that that would bother me. I’m grateful.”
Thank fuck. I would take it down, but that was kind of a lot of work. I kiss the top of her head and she tilts it back, carefully placing her hand on the side of my cheek to draw me in for a real kiss. This is the first time she’s initiated a kiss with any of us without being completely high on hormones, I think.
“Should I build more walls? Will it earn me more of your perfect kisses?” I joke.
She lets out a soft giggle, and my heart freezes at the sound. That was an honest-to-god giggle. Another first. “Just the one, thank you. You can have more kisses anyway, though.”
She smiles against my mouth as I sweep my tongue into her mouth, catching her when her knees go weak. I fucking love that I affect her that way.
We’re interrupted by the door opening, and Colter walks in; I don’t know if he’s more shocked to see us casually kissing like we’re lovers, or that there’s a new wall in our house. Either way, I laugh because he’s confused.
“Alright then. There’s a bunch of stuff in the back of the jeep if you want to grab some stuff.”
After making sure the omega stays inside with James, I carry in the myriad of bags and boxes that Colter somehow found time to buy, peeking through them to figure out what the hell any of it is. I see food, thank god, because we were running really low, clothing for a pretty omega, lots of books, andbingo. Fabric.
Once everything is in the living room we sort it out and I start putting groceries away, Calai remembering that she was making food. I love that I made her forget that. She feeds us, with no small amount of pride in herself for doing so, and we tuck in. I don’t think we’ve had a family meal quite this calm yet, and it gives me hope that maybe things are getting better. Maybe we’ve found our stride and our relationship with Calai is mending.
We get the dishes done and then Colter pulls some bags over to the bedroom, tugging Calai over with him. James hobbles over and we all stare and watch like a bunch of weirdos, but I think we’re all anxious to see how Calai reacts to the fabrics. Her omega instincts have been so stinted, that watching her start to understand them has been immensely satisfying. It’s like she’s unlocking parts of herself and becoming more confident. More full of life.
“I know we said you could pick stuff out, but after the fiasco yesterday in town, I thought it might be better to bring it to you. I had someone helping me at the store, they even have an omega starter kit for fabrics. It’s basically just got a little bit of everything, and they wash it all there so it’s fresh.
“If there’s something you want more of, we can place an order and pick it up, or we can take you in. It’s up to you.”
She looks through the bags, eyeing the different colors and textures, then looking around the bed. “Why do I like these so much? It’s just fabric, right? You didn’t also happen to meet some magical pixie that threw twinkle dust on them to make them appealing? I don’t know why but I want to roll around in them. Why do I want to roll around in them? And why do I want pillows, too?”
Colter laughs and wraps an arm around her waist, kissing her shoulder. “I was talking to James about what he heard and saw at the compound, I think that maybe that crazy cunt bitch of a leader was using an herb to suppress your omega instincts.”
