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“Thanks.” Orion choked back a sob. This felt like it was too much to deal with. Not his mom, but everything else.
“I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t come to me,” she said. “I promise to stop harping about you staying home. That’s not a reasonable demand.”
Orion smiled past his unshed tears. “How was bingo?”
“I can take a hint about when to leave a subject alone.” She laughed. “I won a few dollars, but I have some…interesting news.”
With his mom, there was no telling what interesting news she had to tell him. “What is it?”
“Your cousin is going to be staying with us for a little while.”
“Austin?”
“Yes.”
Orion didn’t like the hesitant way she’d said that word. “What’s going on, Mom?”
She sighed. “Austin needs to leave a not-so-pleasant situation.”
Orion sat up straighter. “What does that mean?”
“You know about as much as I do at this point. He was very vague when he asked if he could stay with us for a few weeks. All I know is I heard the pain in his voice, and he’s family, Orion.”
“I wasn’t saying not to help him,” Orion replied. “I’m just trying to understand what’s going on with him.”
Orion and Austin had always gotten along. The guy was a bit quirky, as naïve as they came, and it bothered Orion a lot that someone might be harming his cousin.
Then again, Orion might be jumping to conclusions. When it came to Austin, there was no telling what was going on with him.
“I’m going to stay the night here,” he said. “I swear I’m okay.”
For the moment, unless he got pulled back into that forest.
“Just one night?”
Orion thought about what Duncan said. It was a mother’s job to worry. “One night.”
“Call me if you need anything,” she said. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you, too,” Orion said before he hung up. He clasped his phone in his hand, turning it over as his thoughts stayed on Austin. Orion was in a dangerous situation himself, but his cousin might be in danger, too. A not-so-pleasant situation? He wanted to know what that meant.
Knowing Austin, he was downplaying things. Orion tried to call him, but his call went straight to voicemail.
He got up and left the bathroom, noticing that Izel wasn’t in the room. “Where’d Izel go?”
They were supposed to stay together. Jaden had suspended Izel’s duties. Why would he leave?
“He went downstairs to grab us some food,” Duncan said.
“Oh.” That was a relief. Orion was on edge, waiting to find himself back in the forest. It was enough to rack anyone’s nerves. He sat next to Duncan, who slid an arm around him, rubbing his upper arm.
“You okay?”
“We need to get Izel a cell phone.” Orion leaned into his mate’s embrace, needing the comfort and connection.
“I highly doubt that’s what’s bothering you,” Duncan replied. “Though I’ll order him one. Now tell me what’s really on your mind.”
“My cousin.” Orion told Duncan about his conversation with his mom. When he looked up at Duncan, the guy’s features had darkened.
