Page 76 of Threads of Fate

“Gideon, up.” He lifts his arms like he’s seen Luca do all afternoon, and Gideon does not hesitate.

“Okay, Nixie. Up you go.” He feels a hand on his ass to assist, and Finn whispersLuca!Then he’s in Gideon’s arms like a koala with no thought for what the strangers might think. He buries his nose in Gideon’s neck and smells…nothing. That thing in the back of his mind does not like that at all. He lifts his head to look, and there’s a two-by-two-inch clear, square patch on Gideon’s neck. Lifting a hand, he tries to remove it as Gideon carries him outside to a big black SUV parked in front of the main entrance with the back seat door wide open.

He pulls it off just as Gideon goes to put him in the car, and he gets a sudden whiff of a summer thunderstorm. Hot, wet petrichor, and he wants it in his mouth—right now—so he bites down, not hard, but still licking and sucking hard to get the flavor in the back of his throat. He’s not thinking about anything except how good it tastes, how hot and hard Gideon’s chest feels against his. The hands on his thighs tighten, and Nix moans. Gideon tastes so good. He feels the burning in his belly growing until it’s pulsing in his cock.

He wants Gideon to make him come. Now.

“Jesus, fuck. Nix, baby. You gotta let Gideon go. You can’t do this here. Gideon, hang on.”

Jamie goes around the other side of the SUV and crawls in beside them. “Nix. Let Gideon go.” But Nix doesn’t want to; he wants more of Gideon, not less. He growls at Jamie because Gideon is his, so he just sucks harder. Gideon shudders, suddenly tensing up and the car is suddenly full of the heady thunderstorm scent now, and it’s musky—the change is even more delicious.

Now all he wants is a kiss.

Removing his teeth, Nix tells him so, “Gideon, kiss.” He’s got a hold of Gideon’s bent head, and Nix lifts it so he can eat at his mouth. Nix leads with his tongue catching it on a sharp tooth and sucking down a mouthful of blood and saliva. He moans,trying to grind his hard dick against Gideon’s belly. Why won’t Gideon touch him? Ithurts.

Gideon groans, and it’s followed by a ripping sound. Nix hopes it’s his stupid borrowed pants. Suddenly, there’s a shirt in front of his face. It smells like a forest; it’s good, too, but it’s not musky thunderstorms.

Still, it makes the haze in front of his mind clear. He’s harder than he can ever remember being. A few more deep breaths, and he can see Gideon’s face. He looks debauched. Bloody lips, eyes squeezed shut, and there are rivulets of sweat running down his face. The minute Nix lets go, Gideon breaks away, taking off at a dead run.

What did I do?

“Fuck. Jamie, what did I do? Did I just assault Gideon? What’s happening to me?” He knows he sounds hysterical, but he feels out of control. He would never do that, never, and yet he justdid.How could he do to another person what Dawson had done to him? Take without asking?

He must have said all of that out loud because Jamie responds, “It’s okay,” as he rocks Nix gently from side to side. There’s a flutter in Nix’s chest—something he just knows is Jamie.

Jamie is still shirtless, save for a bandage high on his left trapezius and one on his pec, and Nix fights the ridiculous urge to lick all ov—No, you idiot. Haven’t you done enough already?He’s both relieved and saddened by the cool air flowing through the car. It clears away the thunderstorm scent, easing his tension, but his heart twinges at its absence.

“It’s not fucking okay! Did you see that? You had topullme off of him.” He’s getting louder, drawing the attention of other people milling about waiting for their rides, or picking up patients. Rowan closes the door gently on his side with a tiny nod. Nix is horrified. They must be, too; Nix has assaulted theirpartner. Nix’s heart breaks a little to see Rowan, Luca, and Leo drive away.Do they hate him now?

Jamie closes the door on his side behind himself but opens the window a tiny bit.

For the first time in nine years, he’s alone in a car with Jamie Rhodes, and it’s not the same happy thing he’d enjoyed when they’d been “dating.” This time, he feels out of control, and he can’t be sure if Gideon were to get in the car right now, that he wouldn’t do the same thing all over again. He might be sick.

Jamie squeezes him tighter. There’s fresh air flowing through the window, and the longer they just sit, the less horny and crazy he feels.

“What the fuck is going on?” He can’t overlook the weird anymore. He’s not ready to look too closely at all of it, but by asking, he’s telling him he needssomeanswers. Now.

There’s a whiff of wood smoke, but the window carries it away. “You’re right. I’ve left it too long. But can we do it at home? It’s a long story and we are in the way, right here.” Several cars are waiting in the loading lane, and they are taking too long.

Jamie is waiting for him to answer, and Nix knows that if he saidno, tell me now,Jamie would sit here in the back of this fancy-ass SUV until Nix was satisfied. Nix is relieved to know that hasn’t changed any.

“You’re right. Let’s go.”

“You stay here, okay? Why not put your seat back? It’s about twenty minutes, depending on traffic.” He reaches over and pulls Nix’s seat belt on with a shaking breath. He presses a button to recline Nix’s seat slightly, and as he passes by, he places a soft kiss on his lips.

It’s reassuring when Jay closes the door, and Nix watches him pull his t-shirt back on, rubbing a hand over his bandage. Then he’s in the front seat, and they’re on their way. Nix has toclose his eyes it feels so strange; it’s been almost a decade since he’s been in a vehicle that wasn’t a bus or a train.

A low-key, horny urgency still simmers in his belly, but he takes a few deep breaths of the pine-scented air freshener. The crisp aroma does wonders for his discomfort, and he lets his mind wander.

If he tries to think back to a week ago, the memories blur. He can’t recall being at home after meeting Finn—his shoulder injured and his knees bloody. He’s smart enough to piece together that whatever Dawson did after that left him in the hospital, injuries severe enough to keep him unconscious for a week. But he doesn’t feel even the smallest twinge.How badly had he been hurt?

The thought sends a fresh wave of panic crashing over him. The realization that Dawson is still out there—even if it’s in prison—brings back all the terror he’s lived with every day for the past five years. It surges violently, and he bends over his knees, straining against the seat belt. For a moment, black spots dance behind his eyes, threatening to pull him under.

“Nix? Fuck. Should I pull over?”

“No, I’m okay. Just not used to being in the car.” Which is true, just notthetruth.Jamie hesitates like he might call him on the omission. But he just speeds up a tiny bit.

He closes his eyes, resting his head on his knees to hide his face, hoping Jamie won’t push further. There are five deep gouges in the tan leather in the back of the seat in front of him.What the fuck?He thinks he remembers the sound of tearing when he’d attacked Gideon.

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