Page 81 of Bonds of Fate

Nix reaches behind himself to open the door, and Jay nearly trips over the makeshift nest piled high in the hall outside. Rowan, Grayson, and Leo are curled together in various states of alertness—predictable. Just as predictable? The absence of Gideon and Finn.

Jay knows neither man would want to be caught loitering outside the door, no matter how obvious it is that they had been. But Luca’s absence? Now,thatis a surprise. His sassy beta lives for moments like this—no way would he willingly miss the chance to catch them looking thoroughly debauched.

Seeing that his pack had been present—while still giving him and Nix this moment—sends a tingle of Pack Alpha pride down his spine. Sure, it harkens back to the oldest pack traditions, and while Jay considered himself anything but a traditional Pack Alpha, it reminds him that now, Nix is his—theirs.

He’s self-satisfied in a way that’s deeper than just the lingering pleasure—something more profound, more settled. He’s bonded to Nix now, truly and fully, after so much time, after waiting and holding back.

Nix slips out of his arms and throws himself into the pile, heedless of his knees and elbows. He lands on Rowan and has the alpha’s head in his hand for the deepest of kisses, and it’s voracious, all teeth and tongue.

“Ro, I missed your kisses.”

Jay isn’t even sure there had been any, what with the young alpha in rut most of the time Nix has been awake. Rowan isn’t missing a single opportunity and clutches Nix to his chest, one arm around his waist and the other hand on his ass.

“What about us? Did you miss our kisses, too?” Leo is wisely trying to claw them back from fucking in the hall.

Jay is glad because despite his omega being built for fucking, Jay is quite sure he’s not ready to take Rowan in the hallway so soon after him—and taking Rowan would most certainly require prep.

Rowan growls when Nix breaks away to kiss Leo. “Yes, gimme some of that cinnamon sugar.”

He just turns his fluffy blond head, puts a hand around Leo’s neck, and pulls him in, lips first. Their kisses are only slightly less rapacious, and the hallway is filled with slick, wet, sucking sounds and the spicy scents of…Christmas? Well, fuck, does this mean he is going to have a hard-on every December? Pavlov has nothing on his mates.

It’s not long before Nix has moved from kissing Leo and Rowan in turns to pushing them together so he can watch them up close, lip tucked between white teeth.

“Hey.” Jay can’t tear his eyes away from Rowan’s hand, which has crept under the back of that white tank top, or Leo, who has taken to licking Nix’s newest bond bite, sucking and adding to the bruises.

Good.

“Jay.”

“Hmm?” When Grayson doesn’t continue, he turns his head to see his smirk. “Hey, pretty. Morning.”

How Grayson can still look so beautiful, with bed—floor—hair, and creases on his cheek, is one of life’s greatest mysteries.It fills his bond with so much affection that he has to taste those lips.

Grayson gladly leans in, one hand in Jay’s damp hair and the other on his jaw. “Morning. You good?”

Jay knows he means the bite, Nix, and their first time. It occurs to him—belatedly—that he and Grayson should probably talk about soulmates, just to make sure they’re both okay because Jayisokay, better than okay, really.

He can feel NixandGrayson in his chest now, and he’s surprised by how much that changes everything. Any lingering worry about being left out has vanished in the presence of his completed bond with Nix—the bright, white light wrapped around his heart. It’s incredibly strong, different from his bonds with the others. Not better, justintense.

Relief crashes over him, and he grins into their kiss. “The best. I wish it hadn’t taken so long, but it was perfect.”

“Long in coming.”

Snort. Everyone has adapted Luca’s humor. Sigh.

“Not you, too.” He rolls his eyes. “Speaking of Luca…”

“Gideon made him go with him to the store to get Nixie some stuff. Said Luc needed the distraction, and we didn’t want him breaking down the door. He only stopped putting up a fight when Gideon promised a trip to Common Grounds for sweet treats.”

Leo moans deeply, and he and Grayson turn to watch as Nix brings his hand to his face, licking what appears to be Leo’s cinnamon-scented load off the palm of his hand in long licks.

He leans in, passing some to Rowan from his lips. It’s then that Rowan seizes up, too, and there’s even more mess between them. Nix is bending over to pull the head of his still-spurting dick into his mouth with a moan.

“Fuck. Me,” Grayson whispers in awe. “We are never leaving this house again. He’s fire.”

Jay cannot disagree.

“That he is. Hey, no, Nixie, you can’t take Ro like that.” Jay puts a hand on Nix’s back to stop his mate.

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