Page 203 of Just Wait

We won’t be able to hide our bonding for long, but we can put it off until the second leg of the tour.

Though people will eventually notice the change to our scents, I don’t think anyone got close enough to smell us tonight.

Malcolm races up the stairs, and I follow him, grabbing him by a handful of the cheap T-shirt we bought at the twenty-four-hour store the security team took us to. It looks ridiculous on him, showing four or more inches of his lower stomach, but that doesn’t matter.

“Hey,” I say, tugging him back toward me. “Talk to me for a minute.”

“What?” he growls, spinning to face me.

I move the bags I’m carrying to my left arm, yanking him to me with a fistful of his shirt.

I slide my hand up his neck, bury my fingers in his hair, and force him to look at me. “Are you okay?”

“Not even close,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m worried about Lumen.”

“I am too,” I assure him, keeping my voice level and calm. “But heats are natural. They don’t require medical intervention unless something goes wrong. We can handle this.”

“Yeah. Sure. You and Riser can.” He sighs. “But me? I’m freaking the fuck out.”

I know he is.

That’s why I forced him to come with me to the store. I wanted to give Riser an opportunity to calm Lumen down while I worked on settling Mal’s nerves.

It hasn’t helped.

His anxiety spills through the bond and right into me. It’s crazy being linked to not only Lumen, but also Riser and Malcolm. It’s not a bad thing, though. It’ll forever give me insight into when he needs extra support.

“You can take care of her just as well as me or Riser,” I tell him seriously. “What we can’t do is go in there and let her sense our concern. It will bleed through the bond into her, and she’s already anxious. You can feel it, right?”

“All I feel is the overwhelming urge to freak the fuck out,” he says, knocking his forearm into mine.

“Do you think that will help anything?” I ask, releasing him.

“Jesus,” he mutters. “Fuck you, K.”

“Look, what I think is happening is that you’re picking up her fear, and it’s feeding your anxiety,” I tell him, keeping my tone gentle. “You have to remember, it’s not only your emotions that you’re experiencing.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“I know you’re not,” I say firmly. “We’re all on the same team. You’re allowed to be scared. I am too, but we have to fake it until we make it. That’s our job in all of this. We have to take care of her until this passes.”

“Is that all?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.

He drives me completely up the wall at times, but the bond helps me understand where he’s coming from.

“We know what makes her feel better,” I say, smiling. “She needs pheromones, orgasms, and to be knotted. We tackle those things and see how it goes. If her fever becomes an emergency, we’ll address it.”

“Yeah, sure.” His head swivels, and he stares down the hallway at the bedroom door.

“You be the good cop,” I tell him, smacking him in the chest. “I’ll be the bad cop. You keep her happy. I’ll handle anything that pisses her off. Deal?”

“Yup,” he agrees, taking off. “Got it, Dad.”

Jesus.

I don’t have time to strangle him with my bare hands. We have more important things to focus on than bickering.

“Listen, sweetheart.” I keep my voice stern but not aggressive as I grab Lumen by a handful of her hair close to her scalp to prevent painful tugging. “You can get away with a lot under normal circumstances. This is not one of those situations. Lift your tongue so Mal can take your temperature.”