Page 92 of Citius

“They’re my siblings,” I said, summoning my soothing bedside manner for a second member of Pack Redmond today. “My ride home.”

Kelsey pulled to a stop next to us, her expression polite but wary. A sharp contrast to Piper, practically hanging out of the rear window, beaming at Joaquin.

“What are you doing here?” Piper’s smile didn’t falter, even as Rory tried to worm his way into the window, too, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

“Picking up dinner for the pack,” Joaquin said, raising two overladen takeout bags. His rakish gaze slid to me, his voice laced with playful curiosity. “You’ve been holding out on me, doc. Where’d all these siblings come from?”

“Oh, there’s plenty more of us,” Piper chimed in, “but only the best moved to Northport. Kelsey’s driving.” Her grin grew downright maniacal as she squeezed our brother’s cheeks. “And this is Rory, our precious baby.”

Joaquin gave me a puzzled look. “How many?”

“Seven.”

“Huh. I thought it’d just be you and Piper, even though you could pass for an only—”

“Goodnight,” I interrupted, cutting him off before he could finish telling me I was too independent for my own good.

After sliding into the passenger seat and buckling in, I caught Kelsey’s arched brow, a simple gesture packed with a litany of unspoken questions. A single nod was enough to reassure her.

An unexpected encounter with an alpha could go wrong in so many ways. I knew Kelsey had been frantically calculating how to keep two unmated omegas and an overly friendly beta safe if things went south. Just one more responsibility my younger sister shouldered without complaint, a burden she didn’t deserve but carried anyway.

“Nice to meet you,” Kelsey said, pressing the control button to raise the rear window and nudging Piper back into the car.

“See you Monday, Joaquin!” Piper called, undeterred, pulling her waggling fingers inside before the glass could catch them.

Kelsey drove off at a moderate pace—though just fast enough to hint at lingering adrenaline.

My poor car remained behind, parked forlornly in the far corner. A temporary sacrifice to appease my encroaching migraine. Hopefully, we’d be reunited in the morning.

“Thanks for picking me up. I started getting an aura when we sat down.” I slid lower in my seat, digging a finger into the pressure point between my brows. “And sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay. Just not used to seeing you with an alpha.” Kelsey turnedtoward the expressway.

“You don’t need to worry about Joaquin, Kels,” Piper said, twisting her long legs into impossible shapes in the back seat. Despite all our physical similarities, our definitions of comfort couldn’t be further apart. “He’s the best. I think he’s got two or three little sisters. At least one’s an omega, so he gets it.”

A pair of solid arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind. Rory leaned forward, rubbing our cheeks together. “Every time I see you lately, a handsome guy’s hanging around. Teach me your ways.”

“It’s simple,” I said flatly. “Sign a legally binding agreement forbidding you from having undocumented romantic relationships with co-workers. Total man magnet.”

“No,” he gasped, pulling back to stare at me in abject horror.

Kelsey flashed a cynical smile in the rearview mirror. “Sad but true.”

She merged into traffic, heading for the bridge.

“Ick.” Piper gathered her long brunette hair into a ponytail and grimaced. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Hell if I know,” I muttered.

Rory gave my cheek a steady stream of comforting nuzzles, and my eyes drifted shut.

Fifteen minutes, I promised myself. Just hang on for fifteen more minutes.

Then, I could collapse into a pile of frayed nerves until tomorrow afternoon—or at least until the cats demanded affection. Or Jacobi called.

Whichever came first.

Twenty-Seven

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