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Rowan covers his mouth to head off a loud guffaw. He’s only mildly successful, especially when Leo glares up at him with ruffled hair and betrayal in his dark eyes.

“He is, Mom, but I need your help before you yell at him, okay?”

“Of course, my darling. What is it? Are you feeling poorly?”

“Not right now, although the tea you sent has been helping.”

Tea? What tea? Gideon likes tea. And why did Lauren know their omega needed tea when he had not? A frisson of shame settles in his belly again because heknowswhy.

“Then what can I do to help? Has Leo forgotten to tell you something important as well? I will speak to him.”

Leo just throws himself onto the couch, phone in hand, and buries his head under a blanket. Gideonalmostfeels bad for him. He is still reveling in the possibility of his mate’s future mother-driven misery when Nix drops his bombshell.

“I need a private plane to Florida. Can you do that?”

Gideon should have been thinking about his own impending misery instead, because six pairs of eyes turn his way as he hears Lauren ask, “Did Gideon find Carnell, then?”

He Will Bring Vengeance (Jay)

“Sir, if you’ll take your seat? I’ll close the door,” the pilot asks politely. They have a firm departure time, and since the flight plans have been filed last minute, they are clearly eager to keep to the schedule.

Who had Lauren known to get them a private plane out of Tune Airport in less than twelve hours? Even Leo had been surprised.

First, that Nix had known to ask her; and second, that she’d agreed immediately and hung up without blasting Leo about the babies. She’d called Nix back forty minutes later with a time out of Tune, with the admonishment that Antonio’s legal expertise and connections did not extend to Florida, so if they ran into trouble, they were to call her directly, therefore insinuating that hers did.

Jay checks that his family is buckled in, finding Grayson and Nix on the couch, with Nix already sound asleep on the alpha’s shoulder and his hand tucked into the waistband of Grayson’s sweats.

The alpha had a thick book about human pregnancy and parenting during the first year open on his lap, apparently more concerned with being a good parent than flying two hours to kill his father-in-law.

If only Jay could be so relaxed about either event.

Gideon and Luca have taken the two captain’s chairs in the back left corner, as both are reluctant fliers. Luca has his favorite headphones on, and Gideon is determinedly avoiding Jay’s gaze by pretending to doze.

That’s fine. They’d already had it out at home, where there had been growling and some yelling.

He feels that same anger surge again, and his wolf floods the cabin withsmoky pine. It’s bad enough that the pilot gives him a wide berth as he makes his way to the front, happy to lock himself in the cockpit away from the angry enigma.

They’d asked to fly without a cabin crew for Nix’s sake, so the omega could relax his vigilance around his scent and the babies. Nix had expressed lately that he hated hiding them away like they were sins instead of blessings.

The company Lauren had arranged hadn’t blinked an eye, thankfully. They had asked if there was anything explosive, incendiary, or biohazardous that needed stowing in the overhead compartments.

Leo had all but short-circuited at the suggestion his mother might’ve once needed that kind of courtesy, standing there like someone had unplugged him. Eventually, Rowan just threw an arm around him and herded him toward the front of the plane.

He’d offered him one of the pocket snacks from his cargo pants that were normally reserved for Nix, chocolate chip cookies this time. Nix had baked them while waiting for the car to arrive and they were Leo’s favorites.

Jay’s too, come to think of it—although he’d rather eat the raw dough if only Gideon wouldn’t harp about raw eggs and salmonella. The abnormally subdued alpha hadn’t gone to bed after their “discussion” like the others but had instead set about planning snacks to get them through the two-hour flight, entirely close-mouthed whenever Jay had tried to re-engage.

Because the truth is, Jay hadn’t wanted to take anyone but Gideon to Florida.

Why he thought he could do anything this big without them all seems foolish, in retrospect. When Nix announced to Lauren that they needed a plane, it set in motion no small amount of discussion.

It went something like this:

If Jay and Gideon were going, then Luca couldn’t be left behind because, regardless of the theoretical danger in Clearwater, he was in real danger from Broken Bond Syndrome if Gideon was several states away, especially if it dragged on like they expected it might. As soon as Luca had offered the logic of it, Jay could see the rest of his arguments fall to the wayside.

Nix had stomped his foot and refused to be left behind,because it’sClearwater, Jamie, I need to go back.And once again, thanks to the wonders of BBS, he came with a non-negotiable addition.

Grayson’s bag was packed and at the front door without a word of agreement from Jay, as if Grayson had only needed Nix’s approval before adding both of their names to the flight manifest.