Page 38 of These Bonds that Unite Us
Now Playing: Chokehold- Sleep Token
Callisto finds me in the gym finishing my morning workout. I noticed my beta seemed lost in thought all evening yesterday, so I’m not surprised to see the notebook in his hands.
“Good morning babyboy,” I greet him as I push to my feet from where I was stretching on the floor. Pressing a quick kiss to his lips, I pull back and glance down to get a better look at what he’s holding. “What’s this?”
“I have a plan, and I would like your help with it.”
Raising one eyebrow, curious to see what he’s come up with, I turn the paper around to see the rough sketch he’s created. It takes me a minute to realize it’s supposed to be the nest. Only he’s added little notes and a shopping list of things he wants to get to decorate the space.
“You don’t want to wait for Omen to design it herself?”
“I asked her what her perfect nest looked like yesterday,” he tells me with a shake of his head. “If something were to happen,like her going into heat unexpectedly, I want her to have the nest of her dreams instead of a blank canvas.”
“Sounds like we’re going shopping.”
Cal beams at me before ushering me upstairs to shower and get ready. I make sure I move quickly, not wanting to keep him waiting. I also want to get back to Omen as soon as possible. We are all hoping she will venture out of the guest room on her own today.
Climbing into the driver's seat of our car, I turn to my mate. “So where to?”
Almost an hour later we’re standing outside of one of the highest-rated nesting stores in New York. The building itself is pretty nondescript–white brick with black trim–but the bulky security guards at the entrance tell an entirely different story. Anyone of any designation can shop here, the extra precautions are to protect the staff as they often hire unbonded omegas to work here.
I grab one of the massive carts and follow Callisto inside. My beta mate seems to have done his research and knows exactly where to go to get what he’s looking for. Bedding, fluffy pillows, and buttery soft throw blankets, all in various shades of gray and black. He even chooses a few in a gorgeous midnight blue.
Beelining for a section of the store filled with different strands of twinkling fairy lights, I try to discreetly adjust myself behind the cart. Watching my mate work with such determination to make our omega happy is such a fucking turn-on. If we wouldn’t get banned from the store I would drag him into one of their dressing rooms and absolutely ruin him.
A pillow smacks me in the face before it falls back into the cart. “You’re incorrigible,” Callisto grins. “I can’t decide between these two types of lights, so I need you to pick.” He holds a box of golden curtain lights with little moons and stars built intothe strands, and a reel of color-changing miniature stars strung together on a super thin braided cord.
“Both,” I suggest as I place them in the cart. He stares blankly at me for several seconds before he shrugs and walks away. Why would I pick one when it’s obvious Omen will love them both? Though I guess his reaction is more about realizing I’m willing to spend a literal fortune on our girl’s nest. Money doesn’t matter, only her happiness does.
Following behind him, I pause when I spy a section with hanging chairs. Omen loves to read, so why wouldn’t a cozy hanging chair be the perfect addition to her nest?
By the time I’ve picked one out, Callisto is headed back my way. He’s holding another light in his hands. “Nebula’s pick,” he explains when he drops it onto the pile.
“What about Nexus?” I ask when he starts to head toward the front.
“He is ordering his piece,” he comments, cursing when I nearly run into him as he suddenly stops. I can barely see him over the pile of stuff stacked inside the cart.
Stepping inside the house, I see Nebula in the living room staring out the window toward the back patio. He turns when he hears us coming. “She’s outside.”
I nod and step back into the garage to help Callisto with the bags and boxes from the nesting store. It only takes us twenty minutes to carry it all up to the third floor since Nexus appears halfway through and helps us with the rest.
“Where do you want me to start?” I ask Cal.
“I’ll help him,” Nexus interjects. “Maybe you will have better luck getting Omen to eat than Neb or I did.”
I find our girl sitting at the edge of the pool, her sweatpants rolled up so her calves dangle in the cool water. She looks exhausted. Like the small amount of contact she shared with usyesterday did nothing. She needs extended contact, but I know she isn’t ready to share a bed with any of us. Not even for a nap.
“Hey firefly,” I say as I crouch down beside her. “Can I show you somethin’?”
Ocean green eyes dart up to my dark brown ones before skating back to the water. She struggles to push to her feet, nearly falling into the water, so I grip her arm and help steady her. Pink tints her cheeks when she looks at me again, so I hold back my comments about her weak state of health.
Keeping my arm around her back, I guide her around the front of the house to the side garage where Nebula stores his car. This is also where one of my most prized possessions sits.
“You have a motorcycle?” Omen asks in surprise. She’s wide-eyed as she circles my ride, her finger trailing across the surface in a barely there touch. A shudder runs down my spine as I imagine the same touch trailing across my skin.
“I do. Would you like to go for a ride?”
Her head snaps up, those stunning eyes wide, and she starts to nod rapidly. A smile stretches across my lips as I head to the storage closet in the corner and pull out the leather jacket I bought for Callisto to wear when he rides with me. I’ll have to order one for her too, ‘cause I have a feeling my girl is going to love being out on the road.
