Page 79 of Welcome to Bone Town

I can’t help but be relieved he’s out safe, though. These men drove me crazy at first—still do sometimes—but I can’t imagine doing life without them anymore. Somehow,in the course of our time stuck down there, we became a family. A pack. With or without official bonds.

The rainfall gets heavier, all of us taking a moment to soak in the moment, relish in the fresh air. Cora turns her face to the sky, closing her eyes and letting the droplets cleanse her. A demure smile graces her pretty lips. Fuck, she’s truly the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.

The rain picks up, pouring down in sheets of water, a monsoon, making rivulets form across the top of the sand. They turn red, the rusty color of blood—the reason the locals gave this place the moniker “the sands of blood.” I’ve heard of the phenomenon, but seeing it brings a sense of wonder to my chest. How many people can say they saw it happen this close?

Because of the red sands, I know where we are. An area roughly two miles from camp. I hate that we’ll have to make the march in a thunderstorm, but after everything we’ve been through, it’s manageable.

“Well, better get hiking,” Jax says. He pulls a compass from his pack, studying it to find which way to go. A straight march north should do it.

As we walk back in near silence, I’m forced to think about everything that’s happened. I’m not the same man who fell into that cave several days ago. I was content being alone before. No, not content. Resigned. After spending time as part of this impromptu pack, however, I don’t want to stay solitary. I want Cora and her kind spirit. I want Bear with his stoic wisdom, and Archer’s brilliant mind. I even want Jax’s insane ass. By the time we climb the final dune and the white tents of camp come intoview, I know what I need to do.

“There’s camp!” Cora cries.

“Wait,” I say, placing my hand on her arm. The rain is finally dying down. Storms like this are intense in the desert, but they never last long. “I need to say something.”

None of them look impatient with my statement, despite the rain still falling or the exhaustion we all feel.

“Look, I know I’m not an easy man to live with. I’m cantankerous at best, but I…” Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I take Cora’s hands. “We’re a strange group.” I look over at the men who’ve saved my life this past week, men I’ve grown to respect and care for. “We shouldn’t work, but somehow we do. The five of us work together. And I’m grateful for you.” I look from one man to the next. “There’s no one I’d rather have been stuck down there with than the four of you. And there’s no one I’d rather share a scent match with either. I hope we can… explore this, now that we’re out of there.”

“Damn, look at the professor, getting all sappy.” Jax gives me a shit-eating grin before grabbing me in a fierce hug. “Maybe our omega’s right about you after all.”

I look over his shoulder at Cora. “Right about what?”

“That you’re ours.” Jax releases me, grabs Cora’s hand, and charges down the hill toward camp, leaving me to hope he’s right.

57

The last bit of the hike is the longest, and by the time we stumble into camp, my muscles burn and my mouth is dry, despite the rain. We’re immediately surrounded by my security guys and the rest of the team, everyone wanting to know exactly what happened.

We give them the barest summary—omitting the choker and the heat—before I order two of my guys to drive us to the nearest hospital. I won’t feel like all this is truly behind us until I know that Cora’s okay. After a marathon heat and days of living off cave water and snakes, I’m sure we’re all malnourished and probably in need of IV fluids and a good round of antibiotics.

The days that follow are a blur of medical care, reports, and rest. Even after all the debriefing, it was like an unspoken agreement that we didn’t mention the necklace or Cora’s heat. I think we all inherently knew Corawouldn’t want her personal life put under a microscope. Jax’s fresh bond mark on Cora’s lovely throat either goes unnoticed or ignored by the team of doctors.

They’ve kept us at the hospital for the past three days, which seemed excessive. Normally, I hate hospitals—reminds me too much of bullet wounds and stitching people up—but since Cora demanded a pack room, being here has kept us all together, which has made it tolerable.

Personally, I want this entire trip to be behind us. As grateful as I am that some greater power or twist of fate brought us all together, I’d like to move forward with my new pack—-however that looks. Which, I guess is what we need to figure out now.

“Are you sure she’s okay?” Roman asks the nurse for the hundredth time.

“Yep. Perfectly fine.” She smiles and shuffles through a stack of paperwork. Discharge papers. “Sign here.” She gives Cora the pen first before passing it off to the rest of us.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to finish gathering up your things, then someone will escort you out.” When the nurse leaves, we’re left with awkward silence.

We all know it’s time for the conversation we’ve been avoiding, but I sure as hell don’t know how to start it. In the throes of a heat haze, all inhibitions drop. But now, with our minds clear, it’s tough to talk freely.

Cora breaks the silence. “So, um. What…” She clears her throat to try again. “What happens now?”

Jax looks at her, confused. “What do you mean, love? We’re bonded. We start our life together.” He’s so matter-of-fact about it, like it's an inevitability. I guess, in his mind, it always has been.

We should have been easing into this conversation for days, asking questions, working out logistics. Now, we’re being sent out of the hospital without a plan for how to handle things. The dig will still be ongoing, but Cora and Roman’s contracts were only for a month. They’re supposed to be back at the university in a few days to resume teaching. I’m not sure what happens now with the dig. Maybe the Ekdoti government will take over? Who knows. It’s not really our problem anymore.

Now that the temple’s been discovered and the excavation is gonna turn into something more long term, my security company was fired and replaced with Ekdoti military officials. I guess the staffing requirements, and long term financial commitment of a dig that could last years, needs a more local approach. Not to mention things didn’t exactly go smoothly under our command.

The locals have all been clambering for the site to be made a national, or even global protected landmark, and religious leaders are arguing for rights to the site, too. It’s all above my pay grade. But I know Cora wishes she could stay and be a part of whatever comes next. Without anything holding us here, we’re all feeling a little shaky.

Except Jax of course. Not sure anything could shake that man. And right now, I’m grateful for his certainty.

Cora glances around at each of us. “Is that what you all want? To start a life together? I know, um, everything was heightened in the temple. I don’t want to…” She trails off, the next part so quiet it’s hard to hear. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to bond, or form a pack, or even just live with me, if I can’t ever bond. I mean, we don’t know if I’m fixed or if the heat was a one-time thing.”

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