At the end of the dance, he led Bax over to a pair of chairs near the food. Bax seated him in the larger of the two chairs and went to make him a plate. Abel squirmed uncomfortably as he waited, intensely conscious of how ridiculous it was to have Bax waiting on him hand and foot.
Bax knew it too, and his eyes danced as he knelt by Abel’s chair to present the plate. “Your meal, O Great and Powerful Alpha,” he intoned, poking Abel right in that tender spot.
Abel frowned at him. “You know I get to decide if you eat tonight, right?” He tried to keep his tone light—Bax knew this part of the ceremony bothered him.
Bax grinned and slid into his lap, still holding the plate, and completely ignoring the mate’s chair. “Yep.” He delicately picked another of those same cubes of meat off the edge of the plate and popped it into his mouth. “This is so good. Do you think you could get this recipe if you beat him up a little more?”
“I can try,” Abel said wryly. He took the fork canted out from the side of the plate and tried a forkful of scalloped potatoes. He chewed and nodded, then offered another forkful to Bax to try. Bax obediently opened his mouth and accepted the tidbit, then settled against Abel in near boneless contentment.
This seemed to be the signal for the pack to descend on the banquet tables like ravenous…wolves. Abel tried to split his attention between his new mate and the crowd, but found it hard to watch anything but the man in his lap.
Bax picked choice bits off the plate and fed them Abel, seeming to take great pleasure in spoiling him. Abel attempted to catch his fingers, licking drips and smears of sauces from his fingertips. Bax huffed a laugh and continued to feed them both, while the pack swirled around them in greeting and congratulations. They ate until they were stuffed, then got up to mingle and visit and dance with the pack, until Becca brought them the pups, some already asleep, some on the verge. The moon had crossed half the sky in the time since their mating; the crowd was beginning to thin.
“I should put them to bed,” Bax said.
“I’ll help you carry them,” Abel said, shouldering the two sleeping girls. Fan still limped around, but even his wolf eyes looked sleepy.
Bax stood on tiptoes to kiss Abel on the cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Thank you.”
They made their way back to Headquarters, then to their apartment. Fan whined and leaned against Bax’s legs in the elevator. He flopped on the floor as soon as he was in the apartment and whined louder.
“He wants back to human,” Bax said worriedly. “Baby, I’ll be right back for you. Let me put Noah down.”
Fan whined again and began to chew on his sling.
“I’ll stay with him,” Abel said.
“Give me Beatrice, then.” Bax scooped Beatrice out of Abel’s arm and disappeared toward the bedrooms.
Abel sat beside Fan and let Teca sprawl across his lap so he could undo the knots in the sling, then the bandages wrapped around Fan’s leg to protect it from the sling. Fan stretched and began to change back.
“That was quick,” Bax said behind Abel.
Abel tilted his head back to see his mate. “So were you.”
“I was planning to change them after.” He crouched down beside Fan and Abel felt that subtle brush of power again, similar to the one he’d felt before but not exact.
“Bax, what is that you’re doing?”
He felt Bax stiffen even before he saw it, and the brush of power disappeared as if sucked into a hose. “Nothing. I was just…nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” He reached for Bax’s hand and squeezed reassuringly. “I’m just curious.”
Bax looked up at him with troubled eyes. “I don’t know. I swear.” His hand lay tense and untrusting in Abel’s hand, reminding Abel just how little good Bax had ever experienced from a mate.
“That’s fine.” Abel squeezed his hand again, then let go to help Fan to his feet. “Careful with that arm, big dog. Dabi and I both say so.”
Fan rubbed his eyes irritably. “I wanna snack.”
“Pajamas first, and the wrap Adelaide gave us for your shoulder,” Bax said firmly. “Then you can look in the fridge with me and pick something.”
“Ice cream?” Fan asked hopefully, reaching for his bearer.
Bax smiled and said, “Sure. Why not? It’s a special day.” He picked Fan up and started carrying him to his bedroom.
“I had pie,” Fan mumbled, his head drooping on Bax’s shoulder.
“Mmm, I like pie.” Bax disappeared around the corner.
Abel looked down at Teca, still fast asleep. Guess it’s time to get you to bed too. He picked her up carefully and took her to her bedroom. He wasn’t so certain of being able to change her out of her party clothes, a sparkly blue puppy gown that Bax had bartered for with a pack member, but she didn’t look comfortable with the sparkly, scratchy, stiff outer layer poking at her tender skin.
The zipper was the easy part, but the short sleeves were tight and he felt like he had to be hurting her every time her arms got stuck in them.
Bax’s appearance in the door saved him. “He fell asleep before I even got his clothes off him.” He looked at Teca. “That doesn’t look very comfortable.” Before Abel could count to twenty, he had the dress off her and was digging in a drawer underneath her bed for pajamas.
“She really liked the dress.”
Bax laughed softly. “She’s such a girly girl sometimes. And then I catch her chasing the boys with worms and I wonder what I birthed.” He slipped her into her pajamas, tucked her under the covers, and then stood there watching her for a moment.
Abel laughed and came up to wrap his arms around him. “I’m going to enjoy watching her grow up.”
“I hope so.” Bax leaned back against him and laid one of his hands over Abel’s. “It went well tonight, don’t you think? Other than…” His voice trailed off, but he didn’t sound terribly troubled by it.
“Other than,” Abel agreed. But Bax’s mention of Sebastian, and the Montana Border crew reminded Abel that he had some Alpha duties still awaiting, in the secure block in the basement of the main Security building. “I have to go out for a while.” He didn’t want to go, but Mac and Duke would be waiting for him.
“I know,” Bax murmured. He moved out of Abel’s embrace, but kept hold of one of his hands and led him out of the bedroom. “I’m surprised you weren’t gone during the dancing.”
“I only plan on getting mated once.” He tugged Bax gently toward him and kissed his cheek. “I should go.”
Bax smiled at him and patted the center of his chest. “Go. I’ll be fine.” He tucked himself briefly under Abel’s chin and hugged him, then let him go. “I’m going to make myself at home.” He looked around the apartment in contentment, then looked back at Abel. “Don’t be long?”
“I’ll do my best.” He couldn’t resist a last kiss, one that almost turned into quite a bit more except for the nagging guilt of leaving Mac and Duke and Quin to deal with the disturbers of the peace. Shit, and he hadn’t even asked how Jason was doing. “I have to go.” He tore himself away and practically backed out the door, not willing to relinquish one more moment than he had to of seeing Bax’s happy face.
You are a love-struck teenager. And damned happy about it too.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Abel got back less than an hour later. They had the two shifters in the cells beneath the Security building, and they’d left Duke to keep watch over them. The most surprising event of the night was the conversation he’d had with Orvin. The stories matched, of two young shifters frustrated at the loss of the promised windfall and all the plans they’d made to use it. Abel might not have believed them, but Orvin had sounded pissed at the two shifters, and his anger and frustration had seemed sincere enough that Abel felt obliged to take his word for it. There had been one thing that Orvin had been right about though—they had physical possession of Jason, and he’d had a pup with Mac, but Montana Border had never signed a mating
contract for him. Technically, he wasn’t theirs, except by the old adage that possession was nine-tenths of the law, which was troubling.
He’d left Duke to keep watch over the prisoners, and had come back to the apartment to crawl into bed beside his mate and fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.
He woke near noon with the unaccustomed knowledge that he had nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do. Bax lay curled up against him, his cheek pressed to Abel’s shoulder and their legs tangled together. The rest of the apartment was quiet—the pups were still asleep too. Abel rested there, savoring the moment. Bax’s stomach was pressed against Abel’s side and Abel fancied he could feel the heat of the pup growing inside already. In the tiniest whisper he could manage, he said, “Good morning, pup.”
Bax twitched, breathed out something between a sigh and a moan, and opened his eyes. “What time is it?”
“That’s your first question?”
“Are the pups up?”
“No, just us.”
“Oh.” Bax inhaled deeply and smiled. “Who were you talking to?”
“Him. Or her.” Abel put his hand as close to Bax’s belly as he could.
“Ah.” Bax twisted to make room for Abel’s palm to reach. “I don’t think he or she has ears yet.”
“Ha. I bow to your greater wisdom in this.” He dropped a kiss in the middle of the dark curls.
Bax muffled a laugh in Abel’s chest. “I like the sound of that.” His hand came up to play in the hair on Abel’s chest. “How did last night go?”
Abel took Bax’s hand and brought it to his mouth while he thought about how to explain it. “It wasn’t what I was expecting. I think Orvin really didn’t know what they were planning. We’re going to talk today and see if we can find some sort of solution. I don’t want to have bad blood between us if I don’t have to.”
A moment of silence followed. Bax went still, a small frown creasing the space between his eyebrows. A thinking frown.
“I can see why they might be angry enough to do something crazy,” Bax said in a low voice. “I don’t know what it was like there, but I do know what Buffalo Gap was like. I grew up with outhouses and boiling our water and buying cheap oil to make soap, with lye we made ourselves from ashes. Leaky roofs and having to wait forever because even if you know how to fix something, you didn’t always have the supplies to do it. Wearing hand-me-downs that were hand-me-downs already twice over, patched and mended. Even the Alpha didn’t have a television. We had one computer for the entire pack, and they shut off the electricity at ten at night the year I was thirteen because we couldn’t afford it.” His fingers flexed within Abel’s grasp. “I know that money would have been hard for you to come up with, would have set you back by years, but to them, it was the promise of all those things that make life just a little easier to live, and when you’re that poor, even little things become huge.”
“You think I shouldn’t have fought them?” That hurt. He’d thought Bax was on his side here.
“No! No, oh no, I don’t!” Bax sat up, his legs still tangled with Abel’s. “Absolutely not.” He leaned forward, both hands resting on Abel’s chest, desperate pleading in his face and eyes. “But, you’re so rich here…” His voice trailed off and he looked away, as if he couldn’t bear to meet Abel’s eyes. “I know you understand it, but I feel it, if that makes any sense at all? Maybe there’s something you can do? It’s not a good life, and it’s no one’s fault. Not the pack’s anyway.” He raised his eyes again, though Abel could tell he found it difficult. That strange power shivered around him, though Abel only felt it where Bax touched him. “Is there something, anything, I can do to help? Do paperwork, apply for some grants for them?”
Abel covered Bax’s hands with his own and absently stroked the fingers with his thumb. “No, this is my problem. It’s not your responsibility.” He squeezed and smiled at Bax, and was gratified by the decrease in tension around Bax’s eyes.
“We’re mated now.” Bax disentangled himself and stretched out on top of him, resting his chin on his folded hands. “Your problems are my problems. I’d like to help. I feel so lucky to be able to live here.” He smiled crookedly and dropped his eyes again to stare moodily at some point under Abel’s chin. “I don’t know why the packs are fighting each other, when we should be fighting to have the humans see us as equals.” He snorted and looked Abel in the eye again. “Mighty big thoughts from a silly omega, hm?”
“Mighty smart thoughts,” Abel said, gently imitating Bax’s twang. “I think you might be right. I wonder if I can soothe hurt feelings if we offer him something?” What could he offer, though? Maybe talk to Orvin and feel out what the man needed or wanted.
“How many of the solar panels do you have left?” Bax asked. “Power was one of our biggest expenses, after food.
“A couple dozen? Enough to run a house. Why? Oh.” He didn’t need Bax to tell him why. “You think I should negotiate for Jason?”
“I think it would sooth a lot of hard feelings. And I can guess how happy it made Uncle Mitchel to trade me away for the ones you offered him.”
Abel sighed. “I was planning to put those on our new house.”
“You can make more. I wouldn’t have let you anyway.”
Surprised, Abel asked, “Why not?”
“Hold on.” Bax jumped off the bed and scurried off out of the room. A few moments later, Abel heard the banging of doors and drawers as Bax looked for whatever it was he wanted. Then a triumphant, “Aha!” floated through the door, closely followed by Bax himself. “Kind of my mating present to you. But kind of my job too.” He handed Abel a sheaf of papers, then crawled back into bed. “I should warn you, I heard noises coming from Fan and Noah’s room. We probably don’t have much alone time left.”
“I’d better take advantage of it then.” Abel set the papers aside and rolled over on top of Bax. Making out was a far more interesting experience when done naked, though he had to admit there was something to be said for the mystery of clothes. But the feel of Bax’s skin against his made him forget everything waiting for him outside that door, and made the future he imagined so much brighter.
A rustling thump sounded from next door, then the pit-pat of little feet on the floor, getting closer.
“Damn,” Abel whispered in Bax’s ear, making him snicker.
“Welcome to Pappyhood,” Bax whispered back and kissed him lovingly. “Did I mention he’s a morning wolf?”
“Dabi!” came Fan’s voice.
“Nope,” Abel replied, and rolled off Bax. “Good morning, Fan.”
Fan stopped dead. “Why are you in Dabi’s bed?”
Bax sat up. “Abel and I are mated now. Mated people sleep in the same bed.”
Abel watched as the wheels turned in Fan’s head. He glanced back and forth between them a couple of times, then said, “I don’t want to get mated if I have to share my bed.”
“Then you don’t have to,” Abel told him gravely.
“I’ll go start breakfast,” Bax said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “You come with me, Fan.”
Fan went obediently to his bearer, though he still seemed troubled by Abel’s presence in Bax’s bed. Bax snagged a pair of jeans off his dresser as he went out the door and Abel could hear him hopping down the hall as he tried to get into them. Abel snorted and decided he might as well get up too—he still needed to go see Orvin. As he got out of bed, the papers Bax had brought him caught his eye. Curious, he picked them up and scanned over the first page, then stopped and read it over more closely.
The first pages were an application to incorporate a business, like he’d done with GoodDog. The rest of the pile was a business plan and applications for grants and business loans, already mostly filled out, with just a few lines still waiting empty.
SunWolf Solar.
The last page was notes from conversations with different government agencies, detailing the costs and requirements to set themselves up to build a small factory and sta
rt producing the solar panels, to get them certified by various agencies, to make sure that the business was a success.
Sometimes he got so lost in Bax the beauty and Bax the organizer and keeper of schedules that he forgot how smart his mate was.
“Oh, Bax, I do love that mind of yours.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
On a sunny, beautiful day at the end of June, I was sitting at my desk trying not to think about blackberries and baby tomatoes when the email arrived from the company we’d hired to do the official power production and stress testing on the solar panels. My hands shaking with excitement, I opened it.
Okay, the numbers didn’t make a lot of sense to me—I’d have to send it to the two guys who’d designed them so they could translate it into something I would understand. But my eyes scanned down the page until I found the one number I would understand.
The percent efficiency.
“Whoo!” I shouted and forgot all my pregnancy cravings. I hit the button to print the page and practically danced over to the printer.
“What’s all the excitement?” Louise asked, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
“The power specs came back even higher than we’d hoped.” Solar power was cheap to produce once you had the panel, but notoriously inefficient compared to other energy sources. Most panels didn’t even give back twenty percent of the energy in the sunshine that hit them as power. Ours had come in at just over twenty-five percent. I grabbed the paper off the tray and raced into Abel’s office.
“Look,” I shouted, before I noticed he was on the phone. I staggered to a stop and whispered a sheepish, “Sorry.”
He waved at me and beckoned me over, pulling me down onto his lap. I suppressed a giggle and held the paper up for him to see, pointing at the efficiency rating. His eyes went wide and we grinned crazily at each other.
Abel's Omega(Gay Paranomal MM Mpreg Romance) (Mercy Hills Pack Book 2) Page 31
