Page 3 of Tides of Fate (Fated in the Stars #3)

Leo glitches. Now? On his childhood bed? Where he’d had fantasies about his future mates?

Now?

“If you wanted?” Nix asks.

Had he said all that out loud? Probably not.

“Nix. I want to complete our bond so much.”

“But?”

“No buts. Like I said the night you claimed me—if you want it, and I want it, then there’s nothing stopping us.”

“Really?”

Nix is lying on top of him in a flash. “Now?”

Leo opens his legs a little, and Nix slips in between.

“Always,” Leo smirks. “Phoenix Rena, are you trying to seduce me in my teenage bedroom? How scandalous.”

“Indeed, I am, Leo Costas. You are so fucking sexy,” he growls.

Nix yanks off his cardigan and T-shirt in a single move, his fluffy hair an untamed mess, his pale skin flushed. He straddles Leo’s waist, bracing himself on his chest. “Come on,” he murmurs, lips twitching. “Wanna nom-nom your belly…make you come.”

He’s so earnest and silly and sexy as fuck. And strong. So strong, and it makes Leo bite his tongue so he doesn’t just burst into song.

“You wanna what, now?” Despite the question, he is no fool and pulls off his t-shirt.

Nix forgets about Leo’s abs-in-process when he locks eyes on Leo’s chest. “ Oh, my stars. Will you look at these? Luca is so right—you have the nicest boobs. Wait…no, they’re man boobs. Does that make them moobs ?”

He grasps both of Leo’s pecs in his tiny hands and squeezes, so Leo makes them “dance,” just to hear him giggle.

“Moobs! I will have you know these are pure muscle, earned through countless hours in the gym. I can bench press almost three hundred pounds. These are not mere moo—”

Nix leans forward and takes Leo’s nipple in his mouth, pinching the other.

“Oh, shit.”

Nix uses his teeth and bites down firmly, and Leo feels his rock-hard cock twitch in his pants. Looking up between his lashes, he flashes Leo a cocky grin.

“Wanna suck you. Can I?”

He settles his ass back on Leo’s dick and grinds down.

“Fuck, yes. But if you keep doing that, I won’t last. Feels too good. Maybe we could make each other feel good.”

“At the same time?”

Nix’s cheeks are red, and Leo wonders how far down the blush will go by the time he makes his mate come.

Sixty-nine? Maybe next time—because right now, he wants to concentrate on making Nix feel good.

Leo gets off so hard on blowing his mates; doing other things too, but a cock in his mouth is the best feeling. Especially if he’s being made to take it. Leo doubts Nix is much into that, but he’s looking forward to finding out what he does like instead.

Leo stands and pulls Nix to his feet. Dropping to his knees, he undoes Nix’s jeans and pulls them and his tiny briefs down. When his omega has his pants pooled around his ankles, Leo kisses Gideon’s and Luca’s bites, licking and pulling a bit of the skin up between his teeth.

“Oh, my Goddess. Please.”

Nix’s hands slide deep into Leo’s hair, pulling at the strands.

“That’s it, Nixie. Show me where it feels good.”

Leo wants to tell him it’s okay, that he can be a little forceful, but he’s doing so well on his own—using his hair to guide Leo toward his pretty little dick. It’s a picture-perfect mouthful.

“So fucking pretty,” Leo breathes, running his hands up Nix’s thighs. “Bet you taste like sin. Gonna make you shake, baby.”

The more Leo talks, the more Nix’s thigh muscles quiver. His omega likes a bit of dirty talk.

Nice —Leo likes it, too.

“I’m going to suck you so good, and you can fuck my face, baby. As hard as you like, okay?”

“Fuck, okay.”

His mate’s voice is so deep and velvety, and it’s Leo’s turn to shiver. His hand tightens in his hair, pulling harder than before.

“Suck me.”

Leo takes Nix’s dick all the way down. It’s a bit more than the mouthful he’d originally thought, and when it hits the back of Leo’s throat, he hums.

“Ohhhh, again.” Nix’s soft, flat belly muscles are clenching at the sensation.

Leo puts a hand on Nix’s hips and shows him how to thrust while Leo hollows his cheeks and hums again. His omega is a fast learner, and in no time, he’s fucking Leo’s mouth.

“So good for me, Leo. Goddess. Wanna come. Fuck,” he groans.

Leo sucks harder, hollowing his cheeks as his tongue swirls over the head, teasing the slit. He barely registers the slick dripping down his knuckles as he slides a finger inside Nix’s tight heat.

Nix gasps, hips jerking, his fingers yanking at Leo’s hair. “F-fuck—yeah, fuck me with your fingers.” His voice is wrecked, shaking, and Leo moans around his cock, swallowing him deeper just to feel Nix fall apart.

Circling his mate’s hole, he plunges two fingers in deep, up to the third knuckle.

Nix thrusts in the perfect counterpoint one final time and Leo can do what he loves most: relish the taste of his mate’s pleasure in the hot, sweet come on his tongue.

Nix pulls him off by his hair and uses it to press Leo’s nose to his groin, above where Luca’s bite sits so prettily.

“Bite.”

Leo can’t refuse when his mate asks so perfectly. Closing his eyes, he sinks his fangs in deep with a groan. Dropping a hand to his cock, trapped in his jeans, he tries to stave off his orgasm.

Nix shouts, and there’s a flash of deep green light behind Leo’s closed lids, like a camera flash.

He feels their bond snap tightly into place, and he can finally feel Nix completely for the first time.

It’s a miracle.

It’s a song.

It’s perfect.

It’s the love he feels for all his mates, all at once, and—for a second—he can feel what it was like without Nix. Just a flash of that aching place Grayson spoke about. Before this, he didn’t understand, but now that it’s filled, Leo can feel it, too.

Thank the Goddess for Nix.

Leo almost comes then, barely saving it for his mate. The absence of that weird emptiness is such a relief it feels like pleasure, and it makes his cock ache in a surge of intense ecstasy that should be an orgasm but isn’t. It makes him moan desperately, long and low.

Nix goes to his knees, scrabbling for the front of his jeans.

“Help.”

Leo rolls onto his back, and together, they get his jeans down.

His omega wastes no time, taking Leo’s cock in his mouth the way to the root, hollowing his cheeks as he pulls off.

“So good. More…please.” Leo begs, sinking his fingers into the rug and trying to be still.

Nix easily sucks him down over and over, swallowing so that Leo can feel his throat constrict on the head of his cock.

Suddenly, Nix is pulling off and yanking his own pants from around his ankles in a flurry. Leo had been fairly close to release, and now there’s a twinge in his balls at the delay .

“Nix? Wha—”

“Wanna ride you. Wanted to do that before, when I bit you.”

Nix glows all over in the low light of the late afternoon sun. Leo can deny him nothing—not now, and maybe never.

“Fuck, yes.”

The skin on the inside of his thighs is soft as he straddles Leo’s hips, and he puts all his weight in one hand on Leo’s chest so he can reach back and hold Leo’s cock.

Looking up underneath his lashes, Nix smiles. Leo wants to close his eyes so he can focus on the feeling, but he has to watch Nix’s face as his omega sits down in one smooth glide.

“Ohhhhh.” Eyes rolled back and teeth stuck in his bottom lip, he’s incendiary.

Leo hasn’t topped that often—not that he doesn’t like it. It’s that he’d much rather have a cock in his ass and no hand on his cock.

Leo can come untouched, and he prefers it. But holy fuck, this hot, wet, burning heat is unlike anything he’s ever felt.

Nix’s hole sucks him in, and when his mate sits up to grind down in an infinity pattern, Leo’s dick rubs against Nix’s velvety walls.

This might just move to the top of his list of favorite things—at least until Nix shifts, pinning Leo’s hands over his head.

“I’m going to hold these tight, and I want you to fuck me. Hard .”

He squeezes Leo’s wrists until the bones grind, causing Leo to gasp.

Nix holds himself up, and Leo has to get his feet underneath him and thrust up.

How can he know exactly what Leo needs? How is he so perfect?

“Come on. You can do better than that.”

Nix doesn’t move down to meet him—just stays still, hovering, moaning his praise, the grip on his wrists tightening and releasing in tiny pulses that only serve to remind Leo he’s restrained.

His thigh muscles burn, and he’s determined his omega will come before he stops.

“Omega. Please. ”

Nix gives a full-body shudder, moving his hand so he can feel where they are joined. Those hot fingers join Leo’s cock inside the tight ring of muscle for just a minute, and it shoots fire up Leo’s spine.

Nix removes them so he can pump his own cock, slippery with slick.

“Come with me.”

In seconds, Nix is coming hot on Leo’s belly, and Leo can only follow his command, falling over the cliff with a shout. He locks up, and still, Nix doesn’t let go of his wrists—only holds him harder—so Leo can thrash through his orgasm as hard as he likes.

His only fleeting thought is that he hopes the bruises stay for a while.

Moments later, Nix lets Leo slip free so he can drag his tongue over Leo’s stomach, slow and unhurried, licking up the mess they made. His teeth graze over his navel, nipping like he wants to mark Leo all over again.

Leo groans, his body still trembling, too sensitive but loving it.

Nix smirks, pressing a final kiss to the space just below Leo’s ribs. “Tastes like mine . Mmmmm. Nom nom . I love this tummy, Leo. I could sleep here.”

Apparently, it’s a good idea because Nix lays his head down and lets Leo run his hands through his soft hair.

“Thank you,” Leo whispers.

For what, exactly, he doesn’t know.

For everything, probably.

“It’s me who should be thanking you. I am yours, and you are mine. It’s good, right?” Nix’s voice is suddenly deep and hypnotic. “So green and fresh and cool. So pretty,” he mutters to himself. “So very good.”

Leo doesn’t know what’s green and fresh and cool, but he’s glad Nix is happy, his vanilla scent mixing with Leo’s cinnamon in the way the best of bakery treats do.

They lie there on the floor of Leo’s childhood room, watching the sunbeams move across the ceiling.

Eventually, Leo’s stomach reminds him that it’s almost dinner. “Come on, let’s shower. I’m going to have to steal my dad’s pants. Fuck.”

They stand on wobbly legs, and Nix’s blush goes to his cute little navel.

“I think you’ll need a fresh shirt, too. ”

Somehow, there is come on his clothes, but none on Nix’s.

“Such a waste. I’ll do better next time. But also, how is that fair? Come on, let’s see what Dad’s got that fits me.”

They collect Nix’s clothes, heading toward where his parents’ rooms are.

They use his dad’s shower, and when they are done, Nix hands him a deep green polo shirt and a pair of black khakis.

The shirt is tight, and Leo is sure that’s why he’s wearing green and not the bigger pink one when Nix licks his lips and bites Leo’s biceps.

“Come on, it’s almost time for dinner, and we still have to see the kittens. If we aren’t home, Gideon is going to make us wash dishes.” Leo grins as they head toward the main foyer.

“Hey, wanna see something cool? Ever slide down a banister?”

The railings start wide to each side, and they can’t see the bottom from where they begin, but Leo has done this a hundred times—even once in the last month.

“What? No! Is that for real? I only thought they did that in movies.”

“I used to do it all the time when my parents weren’t home. Leo Costas, balustrades are not for sliding. ” Leo mimics his mom’s stern tone just to hear Nix’s giggle.

“Like this. I’ll go on that side. You go on this side. Leg over, and just like that—now hang on.”

Leo crosses the hall so he can mount his side of the bannister. “Try to stick to the landing. Ready?”

Nix’s grin is huge when he meets Leo’s eyes.

“Go!”

Leo tries to slow his descent so Nix and he can stay parallel. It’s only seconds, really, but Leo files every giggle and peal of laughter away for a rainy day.

They hit the bottom at the same time and stick the landing like pros, both laughing.

“Leo Costas, balustrades are not for sliding.”

“Shit.”

Both of Leo’s moms are standing at the bottom of the stairs, but so are Gideon and Jay—four sets of stern arms crossed over their chests.

Leo tries to remember he is a grown-ass man, but he is in so much trouble.

A veritable scent tsunami of disapproving black tea, smoky fire, a rolling thunderstorm, and…a pleased, sweet apple.

Thank goodness for his Mama.

Nix, however, is frozen with fear.

“I am so sorry. Please forgive me.” He hasn’t even blinked, and his frightened vanilla scent is turning this childish prank into a potential disaster—because now Jay is growling at Nix’s distress.

It’s all going to go to shit, because this is his alpha-mom Lauren’s house, and she will not take kindly to Jay’s territorial posturing.

Thank goodness for Gideon (He does. Every damn day). “Jay.”

It snaps his pack alpha out of it, and Leo pulls Nix under his arm.

“Nix. Come on, it’s not that bad. It’s okay now. They’re not scary. We’re not in trouble.”

Leo makes big pleading eyes at his Mama because the other three would have them believe differently.

Jay and Gideon have something to say, and Leo doesn’t know why or how they’ve shown up here unannounced.

Had Leo missed a call, or seven?

“Boo-Boo, introduce your mate,” Mama-Frankie says.

Manners, even in a time of stress, can often ease the way. Mama always has an idiom to share, and Leo hopes she’s right this time.

“Mom, Mama, this is Phoenix Rena, my mate.”

Nix abruptly sticks out his hand and then pulls it back, blushing.

“Hello, my darling. It’s nice to see you up and well.” Frankie Costas is as charming as her wife is self-possessed. Gentle and soft, exuding overtly calming maternal energy.

“Nix, this is Frankie Costas and Lauren Arnell Costas, my moms.”

Nix jolts himself out of his trance, and it’s a testament to Nix’s fortitude that he can be both simultaneously polite and petrified.

“It’s a p–pleasure to meet you both. I apologize for—” Nix is almost green with his faux pas .

“Think nothing of it. I am sure it was entirely Boo-Boo’s doing. Come. Let’s have tea. I am sure you must be parched.”

His Mama coughs delicately and guides Nix away toward the kitchen, his Mom following along after a raised eyebrow in his direction.

It’s only then that Leo realizes they have been home for a while. There is no luggage in the foyer, and his mates have lost their jackets.

Holy shit.

He and Nix had not been quiet.

It’s his turn to blush. “Fuck, tell me you all just got here.”

Jay growls and punches him lightly on the shoulder.

“See, Jay? He’s got it now. Come on. Let’s go in there.”

“There” is the sitting room, reserved for their most esteemed guests, and Leo has never, not in all his years, ever, ever, ever stepped foot inside.

Ever.

“Uh…”

Jay has already stormed ahead, so Gideon takes Leo by the shoulder and frog-marches him into the entirely white room.

“It’s only a room.”

Gideon knows it’s not just a room. It is Lauren Arnell Costas’s room, but that’s probably why Gideon has chosen it. He and Leo’s mom look for ways to piss each other off more than is healthy—for Leo, that is. They seem happy as can be with their subtle (not at all subtle) feud.

Deciding he should get this over with before his mom comes back, he asks, “Why are you guys here? We didn’t even know we were coming.”

“We had the car LoJacked. You left your phone in the Art House, and Nix’s is in his room. Leo, we didn’t know where you were—where Nix was. He’s not supposed to be out of the house yet, and neither of you had your fucking phones!”

Jay’s face is flushed an angry red.

“Cool down, Alpha. We have just had this conversation. Back off.” Gideon is surprisingly calm. “Leo, Grayson is Nix’s soulmate, and they just bonded.”

Gideon lets that sink in before adding, “He’s puking his guts out and running a fever. Finn is treating him for Broken Bond Syndrome. ”

Holy shit.

How had he forgotten how sick Luca had been ten seconds after Gideon had left for work two years ago? And that had been after an entire week of letting the bond settle. Gideon had had just a minor headache and reported being in the worst mood, but Luca had suffered so much worse.

Finn said it’s got nothing to do with secondary gender or even personality—it’s just biology. In the same way that people handle other illnesses differently, the severity is dependent on the individual.

“Holy shit, we should go. I’ll get Nix. I’m sorry. I thought I had my phone. I’m so sorry.”

He’d been so distracted by having Nix to himself that he hadn’t even thought to check in.

Jay sighs, anger dispersing with a single breath.

“I know you are. We need a family meeting when Grayson is back to normal. Let’s go. Wait…uh…would you mind if I drove Nix home? You and Gideon can say our goodbyes, yeah?”

Yes , Leo minds…a little. Rocky ending aside, it was his date with Nix, and he’d have liked to kiss him on the doorstep and say good night.

But Jay has a few apologies to make from yesterday, and he probably doesn’t want an audience.

They arrive in the den only to find Nix sitting on the couch with his mom and a stack of magazines on the coffee table in front of them. Nix is laughing at something his mom has said, and she is smiling in return.

Leo hears Jay whisper, “What the—”

It’s true—Leo can’t remember the last time he saw Lauren Arnell Costas smile. Maybe never. Finn once posited that maybe it was because she couldn’t—sometimes, long-term neurotoxin use did that (it fucking doesn’t. Jerk).

He jumps up when he sees them, his face wreathed in smiles. “Guys, did you know that Miss Lauren writes for Vogue ? Can you imagine? Vogue .”

He’s so excited, he hands the magazine back to Leo’s mom with a charming little bow. He wobbles a bit as he stands and puts a hand to his head.

“Oh… ”

That is the only warning they get before his mate’s eyes roll back in his head, and he swoons like an overcome Victorian maiden.

Right onto Leo’s mom’s lap.

She doesn’t hesitate to catch him, for which Leo will be forever grateful, so Nix doesn’t hit the floor or the table on the way down.

Both Jay and Gideon forget themselves in that instant, growling and posturing like the alpha idiots they are. They don’t like another alpha’s hands on their newly bonded mate. That Nix is an omega has obviously made them stupid.

Whether the swoon is because Nix is feeling Grayson’s Broken Bond Syndrome or he’s finally experiencing his own, Leo can’t be sure. But they are not helping de-escalate the situation at all.

“I am so sorry.” Nix comes around quickly, pink with embarrassment. He tries to stand, but his mom just helps him onto the couch beside her, arm holding him close to her side.

Leo is momentarily glad that Nix presses himself closer to her in return, a small smile on his face—happy that his new mate and his mom have become fast friends.

When Gideon grits his teeth to stem his growling, he cuffs Jay’s shoulder. Leo is relieved there won’t be a fight today.

“Give me my mate, Lauren ,” Gideon growls.

Perhaps Leo has spoken too soon.

“Your mate is fine with me, Gideon .” There’s a tiny uptick at the corner of her lip, and her black tea scent is sharp while she holds Nix protectively.

Leo whispers under his breath, “For fuck’s sake.”

It’s a standoff, and Jay is right to stay silent, but something’s gotta give.

“Nixie, Grayson needs you to go home right away. He’s missing you, and it’s making him sick, okay? Gideon and I will stay for tea.”

“We will?” Gideon mutters. “Oh, goody.”

Jay approaches Leo’s mom and reaches for Nix’s hand as if she might snap his fingers off. She just snorts. “Jay, I’m not going to bite.” She stands effortlessly, pulling Nix up. “At least, not today.”

She turns her attention to their mate and smiles again. “Nixie, you will come back to see me soon, yes?”

“Yes, please. I really want to see the kittens. Can I do that next time?” Nix has a soft smile and bright, inquisitive eyes—once again, he’s winning hearts everywhere he goes.

“Of course. I will show them to you myself.”

What is happening? His mother is not an animal lover.

His Mama pushes in the tea tray and catches the last part of her mate’s words. “Lauren, did you just say you are showing the kittens to Nix yourself ?”

His mom sniffs. “Yes. But sadly, Nix must go home now. Grayson isn’t well.”

No one says a word, and his Mama’s mouth drops open.

“I will take pictures and send them to you immediately, my dear.”

A nickname and cat photos? It’s the Twilight Zone .

Nix smiles even wider. “Really? Oh, thank you!” He throws his arms around her, and her eyes bug out, but she presses her nose into his hair.

He smiles as big as Leo has ever seen him, not guessing that Lauren had wanted those tiny furry interlopers removed posthaste not twenty-four hours ago—her exact words, according to his Mama, who also does an excellent impression of her wife after almost thirty years.

“That would be nice. Will they still be here? I…have some things to do, which might mean I won’t be able to visit for a while. Will you keep them for me?” His scent slips away again, and every other person in the room raises their nose.

Thankfully, Jay is already pulling him toward the door.

“Jamie, what are—okay! My goodness. Goodbye, Moms, thank you for having me!”

The sound of Nix giving Jay a verbal blast is followed by the slamming of the front door.

Lauren resumes her seat and accepts her cup and saucer from her mate, her usual nonplussed expression back in place.

His Mama shakes her head and just serves Gideon and Leo tea as well, content to avoid causing conflict with too many questions. Leo has always thought it was because she knew her wife would see to causing enough conflict for both of them.

They all sit in awkward silence, leaving Leo to wonder what he’s going to hear about first: his mate’s disappearing scent, the balustrade, the loud sex, or the sitting room—because he knows his moms know they were in there… they always know.

“Leo.”

Oh no, here we go.

“I very much enjoy your new mate. He’s perfect.”

What?

“Oh…Thank you, Mom.” Leo relaxes, and Gideon snorts, but he says nothing and just drinks his tea.

Leo smiles widely because, for once, they can’t disagree.

Nix is absolutely perfect.