as he bounced in front of me. “I believe there is another weary traveler that you’ve forgotten to welcome home.” He motioned to himself as he teased.
“I could never forget you, Ry.” I reached for him and gripped his jacket, pulling him closer until I could lean up and plant a steamy kiss on him too. Usually, I wasn’t fond of showing so much PDA in front of others, but tonight I was more than willing to make an exception. I wanted everyone to know that these men were mine.
“Thank you,” I murmured against his lips when we finally parted. “Thank you for healing him.”
“He’s not one-hundred-percent perfect. There will be some scarring in places. I… if I’d gotten to him sooner.”
I shook my head. “You did everything you could have. You saved him. Again.” I leaned up and gave him another kiss, our tongues openly playing.
“I think you’re making the others jealous,” Joshua whispered not so quietly, his eyes sparkling with mirth when I sheepishly pulled away from Ryder. Joshua appeared truly happy. I gazed up to take in the hungry expressions of my mates, and my body heated for an entirely different reason.
Theo and Hiro stepped up next, taking turns welcoming Joshua home. Each of them slapped the other on the back in that manly way men did.
Killian went last, giving Joshua a deep nod of respect as they clasped hands and pulled each other into a brief hug that barely had their chests brushing. I tried not to laugh at my big, brutish Celt. He wasn’t one for showing much physical affection unless it was for me, but I could see the stress lines lessening on his face and feel his relief reflected through the mental connection Damien kept open between us. Each of my men had knowing smiles on their lips at having witnessed Joshua’s and my reunion. Not only could they scent my arousal, but I knew my need for Joshua, for all of them, was throbbing through that link.
Heat traveled into my cheeks as I realized they weren’t the only ones watching us. Rini and Molly stood close by, and next to them were Valleria, leader of Faction Topaz, and Ciarán. It didn’t escape my notice that Ciar used the Topaz faction leader as a shield between him and his girlfriend. My heart was torn between being upset on Rini’s behalf and being so damn grateful for Ciarán’s help bringing my mate home. After he’d found me and told me Joshua was in trouble, he’d joined a recovery group along with Ryder and set off to get Joshua and the others.
For the first time since they’d arrived, I took notice of the group of shifters standing off to the side as though they were awaiting orders. I counted the cluster, noticing the way Molly kept blushing whenever she looked at a young, handsome man with dark hair and almond skin. A man whose attention strayed to Molly with obvious interest.
“That’s Tao.” Joshua nodded toward the guy. “A good friend of mine. He… fuck, he saved my life.” Joshua motioned him over, and I released my Basilisk to throw my arms around the stranger. It was the first time I could remember initiating such close contact with someone on my own, but if he saved my mate, it was worth pushing myself outside of my comfort zone to show my appreciation. The guys stood motionless at my back, restraining any growls at the fact I was touching another man outside of our circle, yet proud of me and the step I’d just taken—particularly because they knew how much I’d been struggling with my inner demons since arriving at the rebellion.
“Thank you. Thank you for getting him out of there. I don’t have all the details, but you’ll never know how much it means to me that my mate has such a faithful friend.” I pulled back at the sound of Molly’s growl, shocked to find her blue eyes dark as she glowered at me. I took an extra step away, realizing there might be more going on there than I gave her passing attraction credit for.
Her face cleared, and she pressed her hands to her heating cheeks as if to cool them. “Sorry… I-I didn’t mean to do that,” she stammered, and then turned and fled as Rini tried to reach for her to help calm her down. She raced from the room, and I wanted to go after her, to apologize for stepping into