Page 15 of Omega's Heart

“I think you and Abel can protect me.”

“Cas too. He has his own omega as well. Might even be a sire right now—Holland sent me a message early this evening that he was off to help usher the new packmember into the world.”

That was surprising enough to make Kaden open his eyes again. “Cas? Mated?”

Quin shook his head, a light of amusement in his eyes. “Well, a sire, anyway. There’s traditions crashing to the ground left and right in Mercy Hills right now. Raleigh didn’t want a mating—his last one wasn’t happy. Cas told me he had to promise never to ask him to sign a contract. Being Cas, he agreed and got his own back. It’s now the omega’s responsibility to propose. Cas says he wants all the trimmings and he’s not saying yes until he gets them.”

Kaden spat out a laugh that made his head spin. “He would.” Little brother Cas the Uncatchable, mated. Or at least, with a pup of his own. “I wonder if Mom’s curse will come true?”

Quin leaned back in the chair, his fingers laced together over his stomach and a smug look on his face. “It already has. Raleigh came to Mercy Hills with three pups in tow. His middle one is exactly like Cas, only in concentrated form. Abel’s been teaching her lawyer jokes. She’s proving an apt pupil.”

Kaden snorted, but the combination of disturbed sleep and still too many drugs in his system made him choke on something—spit, his tongue, the air, who knew? Quin was up out of his chair with a speed that Kaden wasn’t expecting, rolling Kaden over onto his right side and coaching him through the convulsion. As the coughing died off, though, Kaden couldn’t help noticing Quin’s eyes flick to the nurse’s call button on the railing of the bed.

“Don’t call them,” he choked out, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing the spasms in his diaphragm to stop. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. But what do you expect, dropping something like that on a fellow?” He reached out to pat Quin’s arm. “Gives me motivation to get back as soon as I can. This, I have to see with my own eyes.”

Quin took his chair again and eyed Kaden suspiciously. “Don’t encourage her. If she somehow manages to knock the walls down in a fit of mischief, we’re all up a creek.”

And now Kaden was doubly determined to meet this niece of his who was a match for Cas’s childhood pranks. But talking about pups brought back the problem of his mother. “Did you talk to Mom?”

“I did. She’s not happy, but you knew that. I pressed the medical side of it a little bit, and mentioned we were looking for an aide for you until you were more independent.”

“You know they don’t let you out of here until you’re pretty much able to take care of yourself, right?”

“I know. She doesn’t—she thinks you’re going to be rolled out of the back of an ambulance at the gate of the enclave and left to crawl your way inside. As her contribution to your recovery, she offered to send over a couple of nice young alpha girls so they could take shifts waiting on you hand and foot. I even have pictures. You should really consider number three, she’s got legs that go all the way down to the floor.”

“Fuck me,” Kaden muttered.

“My guess is that’s the plan.”

“This is why I didn’t go back to Salma. I’d never get any rest. Or peace.” There was a certain release to admitting it, even if it did make him feel guilty. But right now he didn’t have the energy to manage her and himself, and he had to live with himself twenty-four-seven—she’d just have to deal.

“So you want me to tell her we’ve got the in-house care covered?”

Was that amusement in his brother’s voice? “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”

“Well, dammit, you’re Army.”

“You’re just lucky I only have one middle finger left to flip you off with.” He was going to say something else too, but when he opened his mouth a gigantic yawn caught him by surprise.

“You’re tired,” Quin told him gently. Like he didn’t know. “Go to sleep. I’ll still be here in the morning.”

“Where are you staying?” It had to be past curfew now, though Kaden couldn’t see a clock anywhere.

“In your room, if you’re okay with it. The nurses know, they brought me a pillow and a blanket.”

Kaden eyed him in concern. “You’re going to sleep in that chair?”

“Or on the couch in the lounge across the hall if everything looks all right,” Quin said agreeably. “We had a long talk while we were waiting for you to get back—I think they’ve decided I’m civilized enough not to need to be locked in.”

“They don’t lock anything here anyway. Except the drug cabinet.” Kaden started to say something else, then couldn’t remember what. Where had he been going with that sentence? He didn’t know anymore. Sleep was pulling at him. His hand was starting to ache again, but it was sharper than it had been, without that sickening undertone. A healthier pain, if that made any sense. “Set yourself up wherever. I’m going to grab some shut-eye.”

“You do that, little brother. And don’t worry, I’ll be right here.” Quin got up and tucked the blanket down around Kaden’s chest again. “Get better, okay?”

“Thas the plan,” Kaden mumbled.

Quin stroked his hair back from his forehead and, just as sleep claimed him, he thought he felt his brother’s kiss on his forehead, like back when he’d been a small pup and terrified that the noknika would get him. It was unaccountably comforting and he fell into the darkness with a sense that everything would be all right.

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