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No matter who he was, he oozed the kind of danger that made Mateo seem perfectly safe in comparison. If Leo and his father were silenced pistols, this man was a ticking bomb. He would take everyone down without warning, and only ask questions later.
And he’d never feel a second of remorse for the innocents caught in the blast.
My gaze dropped back to my plate, the tension around me making my shoulders hunch despite the hand Leo moved to my thigh. I tried to eat the gorgeous confection in front of me, but my stomach had been unsettled since the drive over, and the pheromones these alphas were putting off were giving me cramps.
The room began to sway and grow fuzzy around the edges, sweat breaking out along my spine and across my brow as saliva pooled in my mouth. My stomach twisted, breath catching, and I knew what was about to happen. There couldn’t be any worse timing.
I’d seen the lavatory as we walked to the dining room, so I knew where it was. Pushing my chair back with a screech, I glanced between Mateo and Aelia as another wave of warmth made my face flush and blood rush in my ears.
“Please excuse me,” I managed to mumble before darting from the room.
Leo called my name, but I couldn’t wait for him. I barely made it to the bathroom, trying to swing the door shut behind me as I entered, but it was caught on a doorstop.
Unable to hold it back, I dropped to my knees, everything I’d managed to swallow during the meal spilling into the pristine bowl before me. My stomach heaved again as footsteps neared where I knelt, and tears streamed from my eyes at the mortification. I knew there was no reason for me to be ashamed since I couldn’t control my stomach, but I hated that this had happened here of all places. Witnessed by Leo and his family.
My head throbbed, stomach clenching with waves of pain, and I couldn’t think of a worse first impression. For a moment I’d hoped that Leo introducing me to his family would be a good thing, but everything had gone downhill since the introductions to the two extra people.
Warm fingers brushed my neck, gathering the hair I was trying to hold out of the way as another hand rubbed circles on my back. Leo’s coffee and whiskey scent told me it was him, and I tried to shoo him away without letting him see my face.
He purred, ignoring my desperate noises.
“Shh, it’s okay. Let me help you.”
I sniffled and hiccupped, about to protest when my stomach heaved again. The only thing left to expel was bile, but my body tried to eject it anyway.
Arms braced on the seat, my head hung over the opening as I panted. Once I was sure my stomach was done emptying itself, I sat up, and Leo passed me a damp cloth. Facing the wall, I wiped away the streaks of tears before passing it over my lips and beneath my nose. My mouth felt gross, but it wasn’t like I had a toothbrush handy.
I sucked in a deep breath to try and calm the heat burning beneath my skin as I turned to toss the rag into the sink, but I was hit with a flood of Leo’s scent. Something low in my belly lurched, a gush of wetness running down my legs as if my panties weren’t even there.
Eyes going wide, my lungs froze as a quiver went through me. I’d been embarrassed about Leo seeing me be sick, but this was so much worse.
He was holding out a cup of water, concern showing in his eyes as he tried to help me stand, until he drew his next breath and the smell registered. His pupils blew wide, a stunned look on his face, his hand tightening in my hair until my scalp prickled and I let out a gasp.
“Was the food bad? Are you okay?”
Aelia stood in the doorway, my mortification growing as a growl echoed in the small bathroom. My stomach spasmed, my fingers digging into the flesh covering it as more slick ran down my thighs, the scent of it too strong to hide, but I couldn’t help trying.
“No, I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’m so sorry.”
Aelia’s lips parted as she looked between us, and I saw the moment what was happening registered.
“That’s not nothing, dear.”
My breath caught in my throat as male voices came from the hall behind her. Leo’s growl grew louder, and he twisted around until I was hidden behind him, the green of his irises almost completely lost.
“I’ll get them back to the dining room. Your place will be safer than keeping her here, but you won’t have much time to get there. I’ll call the car around, and you two go out as soon as it’s quiet.”
My eyes bulged, and even though my lungs screamed for me to breathe, I couldn’t. It took an eternity to peek around Leo’s side to meet Aelia’s eyes.
“What do you mean?”
I knew. I knew exactly what this was, but my eyes begged her to give me a different answer.
It wasn’t supposed to come on this fast.
I was supposed to have time to prepare.
Time to tell Leo I couldn’t see him until it was over, and maybe not even then, because then I’d be vulnerable.
He’d be able to claim me, my meager protection gone.
“You’re in heat.”
