Climbing the Ladder by BA Tortuga

nap.
    “Are you gonna make it, baby? You look peaked.” Mesa’s worry was like a physical
    thing.
    “Uh-huh.” Calm. He was calm. Peaceful. La la la.
    “Okay. Okay, baby.” Mesa started looking for a place to pull off.
    The edges of his vision were silvery and sparkling. It was fascinating.
    “Kody?” Sammy’s fingers touched his cheek, stroked him.
    “Uh-huh?”
    “You okay?” She sounded worried.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Kody, you’re crying.” She wiped his face, her fingers coming away wet.
    He was just so tired. “Shh. I’m okay.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    He focused on calm. Peace.
    She was doing so good.
    “We’re stopping, honey.” Mesa said from the front.
    “We need to. He’s all gray.”
    “I’m fine.” Calm. Peaceful.
    “Kody!” Mesa’s sharp bark made him jump a little.
    “What?” Don’t yell. He was tired.
    “Kody, you have to stay with us, baby.”
    Stay with them. He loved them. Both. So much.
    “Kody?” His girl was crying, was scared.
    “Shh.”
    “I just need you to stay with us five more minutes.” Mesa pulled off the highway.
    “I’ll stay ‘wake ‘til get home.”
    “No.” Mesa sounded so sure. “No, you can rest soon. Sammy, make sure he stays awake,
    okay? The last thing I need is to run off the road because something happens with the bond.”
    “I will. Promise.”
    Kody rolled his eyes. They needed him awake. She needed him.
    “I know, baby.”
    Someone was humoring him. Kody growled softly, teeth bared.
    “Oh, now, don’t get all growly on me, baby.”
    “I think we should stop at the hospital, Mesa. His eyes are weird.”
    “We’ll take care of him, honey.” Mesa glanced back at them, frowning. The truck
    stopped and Mesa growled. “Keep him here, lady.”
    Sammy’s hands were on his face, so soft, so warm. “I’m worried about you, love.”
    “Shh. I’m fine. You’re fine.”
    They turned into somewhere blurry and parked. Mesa disappeared like smoke, but was
    back a few minutes later. “Come on, you two.”
    He told his legs to move him. He needed to feed his mates, get them to rest.
    Sammy got out of the truck, and Mesa picked Kody up.
    “Mesa…” The touch made him ache, made him hard.
    “Yes, baby. Right here. I should have thought. Granny said you would be open.”
    He blinked, just a little dazed, a little lost. “Need to feed you both.”
    “Mmm. You need to rest. Lie down with us.”
    “Rest…” He couldn’t. He had to watch. Stay awake. Protect them while the bond formed.
    Had to.
    “Shh. Yes. Rest. She’s ours now.” Mesa laid him out on the bed. A hotel then.
    “I need to protect you.”
    “Just as we need to protect you.” Mesa stroked his hair. “Watch him, Sammy.”
    “We need to find a doctor…” Scared. His mate was scared. He turned toward her,
    rumbling softly.
    Love. Lady.
    “No.” Mesa said it firmly, touching them both. “No doctors.”
    Oh… Oh, better.
    He whimpered, eyes rolling. “Please.” He wasn’t even sure what he was asking for.
    “Shh. Love. I got you.”
    “Mesa…”
    “We’re good, baby. I’ll be right here.”
    “I have to stay awake…”
    “Not now.” Mesa settled next to him, Sammy on his other side.
    Warm. They were warm. They were warm and there with him, and his head was easing
    off. Oh. Oh, mates.
    Love.
    Love.
    * * * *
    “What’s wrong with him?” Sammy looked at Mesa, frowned over Kody’s sleeping body.
    He was feverish, not burning up, but too warm, and Mesa had insisted that they all get into the bed together, Kody snuggled between them, which couldn’t be healthy for him. “Hell, what’s
    wrong with me?”
    “Which one do you want me to answer first, honey?”
    That didn’t even need thought. “I need to know what’s wrong with Kody.”
    “He’s tired.” Mesa smiled over Kody’s head.
    “That’s all? You swear? His eyes were weird.” Glowing, sort of.
    “I promise. We need to stay with him, touch him.” Mesa sounded so sure, and