Page 36 of Bound to the Guard

“Your training with Caleb has made you more violent.” With a muttered curse, Damien turns to me, his expression softening. “Are you up for meeting my cousin-in-law, Leo, before we head back to the suite? If not, I’ll tell him no.”

I worry the corner of the blanket between my fingers. Part of me wants to beg Damien to take me away from here, to hide in our room until I can stop shaking. But I need to start being brave, and if I want to stay here with him, that means meeting more of his family.

I tug on Damien’s shirt. “Why…why will Leo cry if we don’t have tea with him?”

“Because Leo cries over everything, sweet pea,” Milo chimes in with a dramatic sigh. “It’s the pregnancy hormones. He’s an emotional mess.”

Oh. Relief crashes over me like a wave, so strong my knees threaten to buckle. Leo isn’t competition. He’s family. And from the sound of it, he needs some company and cheering up.

I raise the blanket to cover the anxious quiver of my lips. “I don’t want to be the reason he’s sad. If…if he really wants to meet me, I can do tea. J-just for a little while, though, right?”

“Wonderful.” Milo claps his hands together, startling me. “And don’t worry, Leo is an angel. He’s just a bit demanding in his current state and way too excited to have another Omega in the family, and the doctor said we need to trynotto excite him.”

The last bit he delivers with a glare aimed at Damien.

Damien wraps an arm around me. “Well, we’vealsobeen following the doctor’s orders, so fuck off.”

Milo’s middle fingers pop up, displaying a set of expensive diamond rings. “You’re my least favorite Kane brother.”

Damien snorts. “You’re banging one and drooling over the other’s gun collection, so my feelings aren’t hurt at all. Are you going out in the field now that…”

When he trails off, I look up at him in confusion, and Milo glances away.

“Not unless I have to.” He pulls out his phone and reads a message on the screen. “Ooh, a strategy session. Getting to organize the hits is so much more fun than pulling the trigger. Too many body fluids.”

He shudders and tucks his phone away. “A pleasure meeting you, Seven. I’ll join you for tea next time.”

“What, you’re not coming with us?” Damien calls as Milo heads down the hall in the direction we came from.

“Too tempting to stab you.” He lifts a hand and waves. “See ya.”

“You sure about this, sweetheart?” Damien asks for my ears alone. “Now that he’s gone, we can go straight to the elevator.”

My nerves rattle, but I say, “No, I’m fine to do tea.”

Maybe I’ll even walk away from this with a friend? Is that raising my hopes too high?

We walk down the hall, Damien’s arm a comforting weight around my shoulders.

“Remember to breathe, and if you feel overwhelmed, do the counting method Dr. Foster taught you.” Damien stops us in front of a pair of tall, wooden doors. “If it doesn’t work, tap my leg, and I’ll get you out of there, okay?”

I take a deep breath to brace myself. “Okay.”

Damien swings open one side of the library doors, revealing walls covered in bookcases crammed with leather-bound books. In the center, a loveseat and a set of matching chairs sit facing each other, with a small desk at the back that holds a chess set.

And nestled in one of the chairs sits the most ethereal creature I’ve ever seen. Golden hair frames a heart-shaped face, warm brown eyes inviting. His belly swells with new life, straining the soft fabric of his sweater.

“Leo, this is Seven.” Damien’s hand settles on the small of my back. “Seven, meet my soon-to-be cousin-in-law, Leo.”

Leo beams, struggling to heave himself out of the chair. “Seven! Oh, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you!” He waddles forward, hands on his belly. “Were you playing the piano earlier? It was so lovely.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I duck my head. “I-I hope it didn’t disturb anyone.”

“Nonsense!” Leo dismisses my concerns with a laugh. “You’d think, with all the money they grew up with, at least one of them would have taken music lessons. No one in this house plays, though! It’s such a waste of a good instrument.”

Damien leans in, his breath tickling the shell of my ear. “Leo abhors waste of any kind. It’s a bit of a thing with him.”

A giggle bubbles up my throat, surprising me with its suddenness.

---