Page 20 of The Fall Before the Heat

“What are you talking about, Rex?” I asked, picking up a water bottle, but not opening it yet.

“Okay, don’t be mad. This is probably meddling, but when I told my family about you, they asked about your family. You know how Londoners are,” he rolled his eyes. “That’s when I came up with the idea that for now they could just stay together. I didn’t make anyone do anything. Your carrier and brother are in Spain. Your sire wouldn’t leave, because of his guard duties to the Moonscale Army.”

I cocked my head to the side wondering if I actually heard him correctly. I was probably still asleep and dreaming. Brains had a funny way of trying to make you feel better sometimes.

“Are you serious?” I asked, unscrewing the cap from the water bottle, hoping it would clear the heat and sleep fog from my brain.

“Are you mad? I know we haven’t known each other long and I had my parents invite your family to a whole other country, but ---” I held up my hand for him to stop speaking while I gulped down the whole bottle of water.

Panting, but feeling more refreshed, I pulled him in for a hard kiss. His tongue sank into my mouth, but I pulled back before the heat wrapped its tendrils around my dick again.

“How could I be mad? How could I---? I don’t have words, Rex. I don’t--- I think you’ve either really left me speechless or you fucked my brains out. Maybe both. Your parents don’t mind, do they? Two extra people can be a lot.”

“It’s war, mate. Our family home isn’t there anymore either. They’re family too now because of us. They’re in-laws and it’s not like I made them do it. I just said that I’d worry a lot less ifhalf our family wasn’t stuck Frost and Juda only knows where in London while crazy fuckers burnt down the whole city.”

I swallowed hard trying not to think about where they might’ve been between the house fire and when they received the invitation to Spain.

“At a military safe house,” Rex said, picking up on my thoughts over our mating link.

“And just like that we’re family,” I grinned, sinking back onto the pillow and taking a bite of one of the turkey sandwiches.

“Just like that,” Rex nodded.

“Thank you,” I said, doing my best not to tear up.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’d have squeezed them into our tiny apartment here and hid them from campus security if I had to. They’re your family. You can’t focus on class or anything if they’re living from place to place in complete uncertainty. Hell, sometimes I still can’t focus when I think about shit over there. There is one more thing, though.”

“What’s that?” I asked, swallowing another bite. “I’m fucking ravenous.”

“My parents want me to try for a stateside internship. There aren’t any at the main Hemlock hospitals, but Doctor Knight-Hemlock is asking around. They don’t want me to come back until they’re sure they’ll be something to come back to.”

“We should counteroffer with they all have to move over here,” I huffed.

“I told them that, more or less. My brother will attend Hemlock Academy if he ever finishes high school. My parents aren’t willing to budge. They’re fine with pushing their pups stateside, but they think they have to stay out of some loyalty to something or someone that I just don’t understand.”

“Mine would be the same way,” I nodded. “Probably. My parents at least. Tilius seems to think Spain is called FuckingSpain. He’d probably get some good out of seeing more of the world.”

“Most people would,” Rex laughed.

“I’m tired, but I want to take a shower. Would it be too much to ask you to change the sheets?”

“Not at all,” Rex said and stole a kiss.

I made sure it was a quick one.

“I love you and I love kissing you, but I really need to get out of heat. It feels like someone beat me up from the inside out.”

“I love you too. Go clean up. I’ll take care of the bed, mate.”

Chapter Fourteen

Rex

“Rex?!” Del’s voice reached my ears from the bathroom before I was halfway down the hall.

“Yes, love?”I answered over our mating link.

We’d made enough noise to disrupt the lives of our neighbors for a long time.

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