10. Chapter TenDaria
Chapter Ten
Daria
I touched my right shoulder, the dull pain only furthering my anger. Marcus could heal it or at least take the pain away, but I didn’t want that. I wanted away from him. I knew he would want to punish me for escaping, but how could he do something so permanent to me? I thought we had a connection. One beyond the primitive alpha and omega bond. He said I was special and that he would protect me.
He was a liar.
I shoved at his chest. I felt not only angry but so deeply disappointed and, if I was being honest with myself, scared. This was never how I wanted to be claimed. I wanted it to be romantic, like I’d read in my books. Not something forced upon me to keep me complacent. “How could you?”
He rose off me, and I struggled to my feet, knocking away the hand he offered me. “Is this because I drugged you? We were even, now we’re not. I can’t bite you and claim you. I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt me. This hurts!”
He stood up as well, looking only slightly remorseful. “Let me heal the bite.”
He stepped closer, but I waved him off, taking my own step back. “No, thank you. You’ve done enough.”
He furrowed his brows. “I did this to protect you. You’re so set on escaping, knowing full well the low likelihood of your survival while that gang has their sights on you. At least this way, I will always know where you are if you get out because of the claiming connection.”
I rolled my eyes, turning away from him, and headed back to the front of the house. I knew he was a risk taker, he’d kidnapped me, but to do something like this was too much. I wasn’t sure who I thought he was, but this wasn’t it. Not some asshole alpha who took what he wanted. “I know how the claiming connection works.”
He walked along side me much to my annoyance. Not that I thought there would be any escape. Even if I went back to my room, the door didn’t lock. For some reason, he didn’t trust me.
“Good,” he began, “So then you also know that if they were to ever try anything with you, I would know. I would know where you are and if you’re in danger. We’ll be able to communicate telepathically even when we aren’t in the same space.”
I paused, irritation growing. “So, you’re my savior now, not my kidnapper? Is that the story you’re telling yourself to get me to like you?”
He grimaced, appearing hurt by my accusation. “Despite being still high, I seem to be the only one thinking of a way to get out of this that involves keeping you and my brother alive. We both know that they likely won’t let you go. They’ll want to claim an omega if one of them is an alpha or sell you. If you’re already claimed that makes you less valuable to any other alpha. Another layer of protection. I’d rather you be mad at me than in their hands.”
For someone who was drugged, he sure had a well-thought-out plan. But it wasn’t the only plan. There were other ways, and just like an alpha, he was stubborn enough to only think of his way and not allow others to find solutions. I started walking again, shaking my head. “We could have worked with the police to figure this out. You didn’t even want to try. At the very least you could have spoken to me before biting me.”
“Would you have let me claim you?”
I huffed. “Of course not! This is insane!” Anger burned in my chest, my heart racing with emotions. What would my parents say? How was I going to get out of this? I made my way to the front and ran to the door. Marcus walked behind me, unhurried, like some horror movie killer stalking his prey. “You don’t get to keep deciding my life. You alphas are such…bootyholes!”
I heard him snort behind me. “Your language offends my ears.”
I stomped up the steps to the main floor. “You’re going to make fun of me now? Seriously. I can’t believe I was beginning to think you weren’t a bad guy, which is insane because, hello , you kidnapped me. Maybe I’m stupid. I should have stabbed you in your sleep, and then I’d have all the time I’d need to break the ward.”
I heard him closer behind me now. “That actually would have been a smart plan. But you aren’t a killer, Daria. You’re good.”
He was right. I knew as soon as I said it that I would never do such a thing. I’d already done the most I could ever think to do. The risks I took were much smaller than others. I thought small. I thought safe. It was why I never moved to start my own business or even asked Lila to make me a partner at the bakery. Hell, I was only now, after she left, getting serious about proposing more menu items. Fighting him was never an option because I’d assumed I would get hurt. I was scared. More than I liked to admit. Scared of failure. Scared of getting hurt. Terrified of getting disappointed. If I’d stayed as a necromancer, I’d be making more money and probably been less vulnerable to getting snatched on the street while closing up the shop in the evening hours in a high crime city.
I sucked in a tearful breath. No, Daria, don’t cry. This isn’t you. You’ll get out of this situation. You’ll find a way to break the claim. Don’t let this situation get the best of you. You can’t let the bad win.
I spun around and gave Marcus my best, iciest stare. “I’m going to my room. Please don’t follow me.”
I then ran up the steps and slammed my door like an angry teenager. Soon after, Angie appeared, with a knowing smile on her face. “So, how was the angry sex with the hot orc? When it looked like you guys were going to hook up instead of killing each other, I dipped out.”
“There was no sex!”
She looked at me with suspicious eyes. “Ya’ll were doing something.”
We had, and I fully regretted it. I mean, it had been good. He knew how to make my body scream. Even his kiss melted me to my core. I could still feel his lips on me. I’d never been kissed like that before. His lips and hands were just experts at pleasing a woman. I felt almost delirious when I came. I couldn’t imagine what having sex with him would be like. And now I was never going to find out.
I tilted my head and pointed to my maimed shoulder. “I got claimed.”
Her eyes rounded in shock, and she ran to inspect my shoulder. “He has some big teeth.”
I sucked my own teeth in annoyance, walking to the bathroom to wet a washcloth. “Is that all you have to say?”
Angie followed me. “No, it was the first thing that came to mind. I can’t believe he did that. Was it punishment or something? Feels uneven. He lost major cool points with me.”
I put the warm cloth on my shoulder and glared at her through the mirror. “I’m confused about why he had any points!?! What with me being kidnapped, he should be in a deficit.”
Angie raised her hands in surrender. “Why’d he even do it? Was it because he was still high?”
“Allegedly to protect me for my own good. If I got snatched up again, he’d know where I was. But I’m sure him being high didn’t help his decision-making skills.”
Angie tapped her chin. “You know it makes sense. Not ideal but, assuming you don’t get hidden under a location blocker, that could be extra protection.”
“It also means I can’t hide from him.”
“Less ideal. I’m sorry, lady. Hey, at least you get a power up.”
I shrugged, regretting the movement as my shoulder rang out in pain. I really should have let him heal me before storming off. “I have no idea what a power-up means for necromancy. I don’t need that boost.”
“You say that now, but it could also make you stronger in other ways.”
That was possible, but power was not something I cared about. A quick cost benefit analysis in my mind said the negative outweighed the benefit. I have more power than I needed, but also, I’d be giving up finding any romance since I had a claim mark, not to mention escaping would be a challenge when my pursuer could always find me.
Angie smooshed her cheeks together, a hint of worry in her eyes. I could have used more worry in them. She didn’t seem sympathetic enough. “What are you going to do? I’m no expert in alphas and omegas, but I know claimings are stronger than marriages. It’s like you’ll have an ankle monitor on you for the rest of your life. Dear God, how will you date again? Can you still date if you’re claimed by someone else? Will it act like a man repeller?”
“My mind hadn’t gotten to that part yet, but now it has, thank you. I was short on things to worry about.”
Angie gave an apologetic smile. “Well, look on the bright side. Can he ward you in if you’re claimed?”
I turned to look at her directly, shock hitting me. “Wait a minute, you’re right. We’re one and stuff. If the ward lets him out, it’ll let me out, too.”
I began to do a two-step dance, humming in excitement, and Angie joined me. “Yeah, we’ll wait until he falls asleep and run like hell. The alarm will probably go off because I’m sure he’s changed the passcode by now.”
“It’s okay, you’ll run faster.”
“Right, fear and adrenaline will make me run faster. All I have to do is get past the ward; then I can scream and knock on doors. Get to a phone!”
I nodded, feeling hopeful again. Marcus didn’t bother trying to speak to me anymore that evening, and I stayed clear of him to the best of my ability. I heard him jump in the shower and I decided to escape while he was preoccupied.
Oddly, the alarm was not on. Perhaps he had forgotten to set it, or maybe he just felt it was pointless with Angie around. That was lucky for me because it bought me some time. I easily made it to the fence as he had not put up a new ward. It was possible he didn’t have another potion or whatever he used to ward the place. Then again, he could know the same thing we did, that a ward he put up wouldn’t work on his mate. Although the ward wasn’t his making, the magic from the ward would recognize me as him, in essence. Our souls had connected as mates, and even our scents were transformed. Perhaps combined. Wait, did I smell like chocolate chip sugar cookies? That was dope. And sweet.
I shook my head. Focus, Daria. You can’t let Marcus catch you again. Who knows what he’ll do then. Just as we hoped, I could run past the fence and onto the main street. The ward had no effect on me! Seems his claiming me had a downside for him that he hadn’t considered, and it was just my luck.
Angie stood at the fence behind me, her face forlorn. “Looks like the ward still works on me.” She shrugged.
My face crumbled. I couldn’t leave her behind.
She shook her head. “Get help, and then you’ll be able to get me out. Now stop wasting time and go.”
Without losing momentum, I turned right and ran down the sidewalk to the house at the end of the street. I needed more distance than right next door. It was late, a little after ten pm, but the lights were on in the house. It was similarly designed as Marcus’, and I desperately banged on the door and pressed the doorbell repeatedly for good measure. I two-stepped in place and looked around me, fearful Marcus would jump out of the shadows and tackle me to the ground. I wasn’t going to wait long. Standing still allowed Marcus to get to me because, as he reminded me, he would always be able to find me.
The door opened, and an older woman, perhaps in her late sixties with short gray hair, answered the door with a questioning look.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, ma’am, but I was kidnapped, and I just escaped, but I need access to a phone. I don’t live around here. I know this sounds crazy, but you have to believe me.”
She touched her chest. “Someone here did that?”
“Who is it?” called another female voice.
“I’m Daria Newman, I manage a bakery in Baltimore called Lila’s Love . I’m a necromancer, and I got kidnapped by someone to save his brother from a gang. he’s going to find me because he did a forced claiming, so I don’t have a lot of time.”
Should I have added the part about why he kidnapped me? Was I trying to make him less of the villain? I felt guilty for some reason. Did I not want to call the police on Marcus? They had to know what happened. I couldn’t cover it up; it’d been too long since I was gone. Also, I needed police protection from the gang. However, maybe it was better and faster, to call my family. They could get access to teleportation magic and get to me. “If I could call my family, that would help. I know this sounds like the perfect setup for a horror home invasion movie, but I seriously mean no harm. You can even let me borrow your cell phone; I’ll stand out here to use it. Or I can give you the number to call.”
I waited as another older woman with long, graying black hair appeared. “Mel, let the poor girl in,” she said, opening the door wider. “She’s in real trouble, I can feel it.”
The one named Mel stepped aside, her lips pressed together with a look of concern on her face. I couldn’t tell if she believed me, but she didn’t say anything. She closed the door behind me, and the other woman led me up the steps past a closed door on the ground floor to the main living area.
“I’m Tina. That’s Melonie. Mel, call the police,” she called behind her before turning to me with a worried look. “You sit right down. Can I get you anything?”
I sat down on the couch off to the left of the staircase, still feeling on edge. I was not safe. I also couldn’t shake the guilt about them calling the police, but what choice did I have? Marcus was friendly before he bit me, but he also drugged and kidnapped me and was holding me against my will. Despite what he said, I couldn’t trust that his alleged protection would hold up if it were down to me or his brother. There had to be a limit. This wasn’t a romance novel.
“Thank you, but I don’t need anything. I need to get help.”
I looked to Mel, who was currently on her cell phone, still eyeing me with suspicion and concern. After she was finished, I had to leave. There was no point in bringing danger to their door any more than I had. Not that I honestly believed that Marcus would hurt them. But if pushed into a corner, maybe he would. He was a former hitman, after all. His morals weren’t like mine.
“The police are on their way,” Mel stated, putting her phone in her pocket.
I let out a breath of relief. I couldn’t believe this would finally be over. But I couldn’t sit around here. He would find me once he knew I was missing. I’d bunched pillows under the covers of the bed and left the TV on, but I wasn’t sure how long that would fool him. As mates, he could probably feel I was missing.
I stood up. “I should go. Since he claimed me, he’ll find me, and I don’t want you getting in the mix.”
Tina frowned, moving beside me. “He’s an alpha?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She sucked her teeth, shaking her head. “That’s what they do, isn’t it? So little self-control. Well, you don’t have to worry, this place is warded. I’m a witch, and Mel, there is a were cougar. You’re safe here. Better than being out there trying to outrun him. He won’t be able to get in here, and he can face Mel if he does. Plus, the police are on the way, right, Mel?”
Mel nodded silently, her face less cold now as she sat down in a plush seat diagonal to us on the left.
“He must really like you,” Tina began. “Claiming is double-sided, although alphas sometimes forget that. And if you have magic, you aren’t some weakling.”
“Not if you’re an omega,” Mel added. She tapped her nose when I opened my mouth to ask her how she knew.
“Was he cruel to you?” Tina asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I lifted a brow, perplexed by the question. Would it have mattered? A forced claiming should have been enough for a stranger. It was a crime. It was like asking if the robber was friendly. Well, maybe that would mitigate the crime. I didn’t know the law, but it seemed to matter on the TV shows. “Besides the forced claiming, he was oddly nice for a kidnapper. Maybe the courts will go a little easy on him for that.”
Mel and Tina exchanged looks I couldn’t read, and I instantly got panicky. What if they didn’t believe me because I didn’t have any wounds, wasn’t dirty or dehydrated, or something? What if the police didn’t believe me? I didn’t even have proof that the Death Mask gang wanted me. Crap, this was not a good look.
“I was kidnapped. He was just weirdly thoughtful. But I’ve been trapped in that house for a week. I had to have been on the news back in Baltimore. I need to call my family. I know they’re worried. This isn’t some prank I set up to get attention.”
God, I was sounding guiltier and guiltier the more I talked. If this were a movie I was watching, I’d be shaking my head at them for letting me inside the house. What felt like heart palpitations shortened my breath.
“I’m nervous,” I said out loud to the two women.
Tina smiled sympathetically. “Don’t be, it’s going to be fine.”
Sweat beaded at my forehead. This couldn’t be good. “It’d be really great if I could borrow your phone to call my family though.”
“I’m sorry, dear, we can’t let you do that.”
I blinked several times, shocked by her response. “What? Why not? I won’t tell them where I am if you’re worried about safety.”
Mel shifted in her seat, eyes growing colder. “That’s not what we’re worried about. See, we have a friend, he’s been good to us and been good to a lot of folks in this neighborhood. Looked out for us when crime rose better than any police. Got revenge on our behalf when poor Tina was assaulted by some asshole tourists who had a problem with a lesbian couple. A lot of us owe him around here.”
Tina nodded. “You said he took you to save his brother, and he hasn’t hurt you. That doesn’t seem like someone who would do you harm. I don’t approve of forced claimings, but I’m sure he has a reason for doing so. He’s a protector.”
Shock rang through me, my heart pounding in my ears. I had run from the prison to the jail. “He’s not a protector, he’s a hitman.”
Tina raised her hand. “Former. We know about his past. He has a lot of allies who have his back and know all about him. He’s separated from his family. He’s different now.”
I needed to get the hell out of here. I moved to the stairs, but a sudden wooziness overtook me. I stumbled to the right, grabbing my head between my hands.
Tina moved to my side again. “You okay, dear?”
“You didn’t call the police, did you?”
Mel lifted a shoulder. “I think you know the answer to that.”
A sudden knock at the door caused me to jump. He was here. Shit, he was here, and he would be pissed. Where was I going to go? Anyone within walking distance could be his friend. This was enemy territory.
I heard the front door open, and I yelped before running to the balcony off to the left, my body feeling like rubbery noodles. Come on body, please don’t let me down right now!
I made it all the way to the sliding glass door before I felt a firm hand on my upper arm. I turned slightly to see Mel shake her head. “What were you going to do, silly girl? Jump? You aren’t a shifter or a vampire; you’d hurt yourself.” Her nostrils flared, and a knowing look lit her eyes. “You can’t run from him. You shouldn’t. You don’t really hate him, do you?”
I shrugged out of her grasp and bent forward, a sharp pain stabbing me in my gut. Really? Of all the times.
Heavy footsteps behind me caused my body to tighten. He was here. “Daria, did you have to involve these good?”
He stopped in midsentence, and I used all my strength to straighten up and turn to him. I felt queasy and tiny prickles of pain stabbed at my stomach, but the sound of his voice made my core vibrate, and I could already feel a spray of slick dowse my panties. My body was indeed letting me down.
“Little flower,” he whispered, walking over to me in one blink.
Tears burned my eyes as I rubbed at the pain in my stomach, although my own touch did nothing. I would need a hell of a lot more.
I sighed, inhaling his chocolate coffee perfume, and my nipples hardened at just his nearness. I wiped my face, rubbing away the sweat and tears. I had to give in, just for now. I’d given it my all to escape, though. “I need help,” I said in a tiny voice.
I just started my freaking heat.