Page 92 of Bonding the Band

Phin sighed. “Let’s get it over with. An hour. Then we’re going back to the bus.”

“That’s all the time we need.” Gary grinned like the cat that got the cream.

“An hour, my fucking ass,” I growled, stalking out of the venue, my bandmates hot on my heels.

Arlo frowned. “You know Gary. If there’s money in keeping us at the meet and greet longer, he’s going to fucking do it.”

“I’m showering first. I need some goddamned omega snuggles, and I refuse to enter the nest smelling like sweat and arock concert.” I climbed into the bus, finding the entryway to the nest dark, so Meadow was probably still asleep.

Before any of my pack mates could complain, I hurried to the bathroom. The fuckers knew better than to test me when I was in a bad mood, and thanks to the surprise Gary had sprung on us, I was downright belligerent. If they wanted to shower sooner rather than later, they could go use the bathrooms in the venue. I preferred to get clean in my own space.

The bathroom light was on, and a small smile crept onto my face. Meadow was terrible at turning the bathroom light off. I pushed the door open and stopped in my tracks when I saw Meadow sitting on the floor.

Her head was resting back against the wall as she hugged her knees, her eyes closed.

“Meadow! Are you okay?” I asked the dumb question, because usually when a person was sitting on the floor of a bathroom, the odds were that they weren’t doing too well.

“Just nausea,” she said in a weak voice, opening her eyes and turning her head to me. “How was the show? I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Having you at the shows is a privilege for us, not an expectation,” I said as I kneeled next to her, gently feeling her forehead. She didn’t feel warm. “Is this regular sick or pregnancy sick, do you think?”

“Maybe it’s motion sickness from all the travel? I’m used to the ground being more stable.” She chuckled weakly. She smelled slightly off, like she had been worshiping the porcelain gods for a while. That wasn’t unusual on a tour—people got run down and more susceptible to illness—but something about it put me on edge.

“What can I do to help?” I asked.

“Can you carry me to my nest? The nausea died down like an hour ago, but I’m so freaking tired, even the idea of getting off this floor is too much for me to handle.”

“Of course I can, darling.” I paused, considering. “Ellie told us you were asleep. How long have you been down here?”

“I dunno.” Meadow shrugged. “Two, maybe three hours?”

I pursed my lips. Why had Ellie lied to us about checking on her? Maybe she’d gone to Gary first and he told her to keep us in the dark so we wouldn’t skip the meet and greet. Whoever was behind it, there was going to be hell to pay after Meadow was feeling better.

“Do you want me to jump in the shower first? I’m sweaty from the show.”

“Don’t you dare shower,” she grumbled. “I want sweaty alpha in the nest with me. If I regret my decision in the morning, we can wash the sheets.” She gave me a weak smile.

“Do you want a sniff test?”

“Come here.” She made an adorable grabby-hand motion, and I presented my neck to her. Without hesitation, she buried her nose into the crook, inhaling deeply. “Sweaty, manly, earthy alpha. I like. Now, take me to the nest!”

“As you wish.” I chuckled, sliding my arms under her and picking her up bridal style.

Making my way out the bathroom, I ran into a concerned-looking Arlo. His eyes widened when he saw Meadow.

“Shit, princess, you okay?” he asked before looking at me. “I saw she wasn’t in the nest and Hendrix was feeling like shit, so I came to find you while Phin dragged him into a bunk.”

“I’m taking her to the nest to get some rest,” I said. “Can you grab her a bottle of water and crackers?”

“Sure thing!” Arlo said, bounding off to the kitchenette as I continued to the nest.

My intention had been to put the sleepy omega down and then grab a quick shower. Even though she claimed to like my scent, I was still coated in smoke and other icky substances from the concert.

Only, when I tried to pull away, she moaned in displeasure, her hands fisting in my shirt.

“Hey, darling. Why don’t I get these smoky clothes off, then you can have naked sweaty cuddles?” I asked.

She hummed in delight, her fists unclenching as she lightly pushed me. “Get naked,” she mumbled.

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