Page 62 of Threads of Fate

“He’s in the hall. I can get him, but I’ll have to open the door.” Nix thinks long and hard about it before giving a single nod while moving to shield Luca slightly. “Thank you for trusting me. Finn!” It’s not loud, but still, Nix flinches, eyes glued to the door.

The door opens, giving Jay a glimpse of Gideon and Rowan outside. The security guard and the nurse have cleared everyone away, Jay thinks he’ll never be so grateful as he will when they can get Nix out of here once and for all.

Gideon meets his eye as he holds Rowan back with an arm across the door. He can’t see Leo or Gray now, but Finn is right there, and it’s clear that he’s eager to come in.

His eyes are red-rimmed, his nose is pink, and he has rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He’s already opened the top three buttons, so Nix will have an easier time scenting him if he wants.

Skirting around Rowan and under Gideon’s arm, he stops just inside the door. The sound of Nix’s tiny feet running across the room and Finn’soofas he catches him mid-jump is music to Jay’s ears.

Nix has his nose in Finn’s neck, the white sweater grasped tight in his hand, like a baby with a blanket. Finn’s having a hard time hanging on without putting his hands directly on Nix’s bare butt hanging out of his gown.

“Finn, don’t let him fall!” Luca shouts because they all should know by now thathe’dnever let a bare butt deter him.

Nix is making happy little chirps and grunts. And Finn has his eyes closed and his nose buried in Nix’s hair behind his ear. “Hi, Nix.”

“Finn. Did you know I was here? I’m sorry I ran away before.”

It’s a relief that Nix’s words are slowly returning to normal.

“That’s okay, Nix. I missed you, though. I’m glad you’re better now and that you’re here with us.”

“Me, too. I uh…I’m sorry I took your blue sweater. I don’t know where…it is…” He’s trying to remember where he left the sweater. He looks down at the soft white one as if the answer might be written there.

Finn’s quick to divert the bad memory, setting him back on his feet.

“No worries, I have a white one and a green one, too. Are you going to wear this one? It’s not been washed, but…”

Nix looks at him in horror, “Don’twashit! It smells like you, and I need…” Confusion is clear on his face. He looks over his shoulder at Jay. “Why would I say that?”

“It’s okay, Nix. I like the way Finn’s things smell, too.” Luca walks back to the clothes on the bed and hands him Rowan’s sweatpants. “Uh…there’s no underwear, obviously, because that stays at the den—at home. But these smell okay.” When Jay looks at the piles Nix had made on the bed, they’re sorted by his mates’ scent.

“Do you want a shower now?” Finn gestures to the room’s restroom. “There are toiletries and towels.”

“Will you come?” Jay feels only relief that he’ll let Finn help after all.

“Uh…yes. If you’re sure?”

Nix is dragging him to the restroom but stops before they go in, eyes only for Jay. “You won’t leave, right?”

“Never.”

With a smile and a nod, he pulls Finn in after him, closing the door. Jay’s wolf isn’t happy that he’s out of sight but feels settled, knowing that Finn is on guard.

“Jaybird, why didn’t he want to shower with us?” Chin wobbling, the beta is holding back disappointed tears.

Jay opens his arms so Luca can jump up and put his nose in Jay’s neck with a sigh. “He smellssoooooogood. I wanna eat him.” Luca has Jay’s skin between his teeth, and he’s sniffing and licking wherever Nix had done the same, getting the taste of him in his mouth, distaste for the blood forgotten.

The door to the hall opens with a squeak as Gideon peeks his head in. Seeing that Nix has gone and that the shower is running in the background, he enters carrying a basin of water and first aid supplies. “Careful, Honey. Jay has wounds on his chest, too.” Jay’s not sure by what magic Gideon has any idea about the specifics of his injuries but has long accepted that Gideon is just that: magical.

Gideon puts the items on the bedside table before heading over to the bed, where he finds a long-sleeved t-shirt that Leo had worn the day before and hands it to Jay.

“I’ll be quick so I can be gone before he comes out. We shouldn’t overwhelm him, but we need to tell him about the transition as soon as possible. I’ll call Riordan and see when we can take him home.” Jay removes his wrecked shirt, and Gideon washes off the blood.

Luca is careful not to mess with the piles that Nix made but climbs back in bed, pulling the blankets up around his head and over his lap before settling in to watch. “I want to take him home and put him in the nest for a thousand years!” Jay couldn’t argue with the sentiment at all.

The shower turns off just as Gideon finishes putting a bandage on his shoulder and one on his left pec. The others have almost healed already. They’re not quick enough though, because Finn is towing a freshly-washed Nix out of the restroom by his hand while Gideon is tidying up his mess.

Finn is holding the sweatpants in his hand, and Nix is only in the white sweater. He looks like an angel, with bare legs and gray eyes. The sweater is so large the neckline gapes, showing that the freckles on his cheeks have migrated to his upper chest. He’s perfect, and seeing him find comfort in Finn makes another piece of the puzzle slot into place.

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