Slick (The Grayverse #1)

CHAPTER SEVEN

I wake with a groan, my head a fuzzy blur as I try to take in my surroundings. It’s small and cold, with medical equipment lining the walls and the tang of antiseptic in the air. I’m lying on a cot that’s softer than a slick bed, but so narrow I grip the edges in case I roll off. I have no idea what time it is, but pale light seeps through the plastic blinds over the window, leaving a lattice pattern on Dex’s sleeping face. His head is back, his mouth slightly open, and my heart twinges to see the dark shadows under his eyes.

I squirm right to the edge of the cot, reaching out to feather my finger across one of those blue-black bruises. I don’t think he’s coped very well with everything that’s happened, and I swallow around a lump of guilt. I’m certain he sacrificed a lot to get me out of The Serenity Center and will probably be in trouble with his bosses now. But he didn’t hesitate to come with us, and while I didn’t like the friction between him and Kane, Dex was with us every step of the way.

I feel my face grow warm as I remember exactly how close he was in the car. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have Dex right there when I was claimed by my alpha. As my caretender, he usually stays out of the slick room, and never attends my meetings with the counselors. According to the rules of retirement, once an omega leaves the center to join their alpha, they break ties with everyone else, including their caretender. The thought always made me sad, but I had to balance it with the excitement of finally being claimed by my one true scent match.

Bittersweet . It’s a word one of the other omegas told me, and means that while something good is happening, a part of you still hurts to leave something precious behind.

And Dex is very precious to me.

Although, I can’t really tell if he feels the same way. I know he cares for me, because that’s always been his job, but there’s no denying I’ve caused a lot of trouble for him. When he wakes up, will he be happy to see the back of me and our alpha? After everything that’s happened, maybe he just wants to go back to his doctor friend and his old job at the hospital.

Tears prick my eyes at the thought, and I crawl off the bed, resting my head gently on his chest. The steady thump of his heart calms me a little, but the scent of blood – both mine and my alpha’s - makes me restless. I need to find my alpha and then sit down with them both and decide what happens next. If Dex wants to move on and forget us, I’ll do my best to convince him otherwise, but I won’t take that choice away from him. I’ve had enough of other people deciding things for me to last a lifetime.

Dropping a kiss on Dex’s lips, I breathe in his morning scent for a moment, then tiptoe away in search of our alpha.

Kane.

My mate.

My steps speed up until I feel a sharp twinge between my thighs. It’s the ache of his knot, I realize, both because it stretched me to my limit, and because I feel empty now without it. If he’s recovered from his gunshot wound, will my alpha give me another? And this time will he give me his bite as well, so we can be mates in every way?

My heart gives an excited flutter at the thought, but as I step into the next room, I stop abruptly at the sight of a woman sitting behind a reception desk. She’s tapping on a computer and wearing a neat, navy-blue uniform that makes me acutely aware of the blood and slick soaked into my jumpsuit. As I skid to a stop, her stern, dark eyes swing my way, but she doesn’t look surprised to see me. For an awful moment I wonder if I’m back in The Serenity Center, but when I sniff the air, all I can smell is sawdust and something chemical, like paint. “Where am I?”

“The walk-in clinic at the docks.” She nods at a sheet of thick plastic tacked to a doorway. “It’s closed now, because of the renovations. But it seems you and your friend managed to find a way in.”

“Dex…” I glance behind me, wondering if I should go and wake him up, but the nurse waves me over to her.

“If you’re here now, you might as well let me look at you.” She has the kind of voice that’s hard to disobey, and when I’m standing in front of her, her lips twitch into a thin line. “Show me where you’re wounded.”

I hesitate, but obedience is too deeply ingrained in me, and I peel down my jumpsuit to show her the puckered scar on my arm. It’s even smaller now, with only the slightest tinge of pink at the edges. Her cool fingers robe the area for a moment, and then she nudges my hip. “Turn.” I shuffle around, standing silently as she peels the jumpsuit down further and inspects my back. When she’s done, she nudges me again, and I quickly tug the zipper back into place. “Right. Well, you’ve healed remarkably well, but you should still be monitored for any infection. Have you seen a doctor?”

I bite my lip, because I’m pretty sure Dex’s friend will get in trouble for treating us off the books. Dex might have thought I was too shellshocked to notice the makeshift trauma room, but one fact I know for certain is that doctors have to follow some pretty strict rules.

“My alpha healed me,” I tell her, which is the truth after all. “I didn’t need a doctor.”

“Hmmm.” There seems to be a lot of judgement in one simple sound, but then she holds up a small flashlight, pointing it at my left eye and clicking a button. It flashes and whirrs, and then a file appears on her computer, but she tilts the screen away from me so I can’t see it. “And what about your alpha? Is he hurt, too?”

“He’s fine.” It’s harder to maintain eye contact now, but there’s no way I’m telling her anything that could get Kane in trouble. I nod over my shoulder. “I think my friend and I should leave now…”

“How about a shower first?” She’s on her feet before I can reply, herding me down a hallway away from Dex. “A pretty omega like you can’t go walking around dressed like that.”

I frown at the compliment, since her scent has soured, and her hand is tight on my arm as she steers me into the bathroom. She’s a beta like Dex, but she moves like an alpha, and her scent reminds me of flowers that have been left without water for too long.

The bathroom is small and dark, with five metal lockers on one wall, a long sink with a mirror above it, and three shower stalls, all with doors. It’s not that different to my bathroom back at the center, except that the scent of bleach is strong in the air, and I rise onto my tiptoes, hating the feeling of the cold tiles under my feet.

“You can give me your jumpsuit. I’ll put it in with the clinical waste.”

She holds out her hand, and I reluctantly peel off the garment. It’s not like I have any attachment to the jumpsuit, but I would be in so much trouble for throwing away a slick-soaked specimen like this at the center.

But I’m not there now. The center is behind me, because I’ve found my mate, and I don’t need them or their collections anymore.

“There’s a change of clothes there.” She points to a neatly folded pile on the bench. “But get clean first and make sure you use plenty of descenter. You can’t walk around smelling of blood and slick.”

I flush at the censure in her voice, but she’s bundled my jumpsuit into a tight ball, and as her footsteps die away, I approach the shower stall at the end. I’d feel better if Dex was in here with me, and I’m tempted to go and ask him for help, but that would mean going back past the reception desk.

It’s just a simple shower, Diana. You don’t need someone to hold your hand – or scrub your back, no matter how much you love Dex’s touch.

With a rueful smile, I turn the shower on, but as I shut the stall door, I catch a whiff of alpha. Unlike Kane’s scent, it’s repellent enough to make me gasp, and I realize it’s coming from the towel hanging on the hook. I take an abrupt step back, then quickly open the stall door, searching for a replacement. But the only thing in the cold, dark room is the little pile of clothes on the bench.

Forget it. I can wash when we’re somewhere safe.

I grab the blue cotton pants and pull them on, tightening the drawstring waist. They’re long in the leg, but I fold the cuffs up a couple of times and decide they’ll do. The matching shirt is made of the same crinkly blue fabric which feels harsh on my skin, but it’s better than standing naked in the cold air. I realize it’s some kind of uniform, maybe for doctors when they’re performing treatments. No underwear, but I’m used to that, and when I’m dressed, I cast a quick glance at the bathroom mirror.

The uniform is barely noteworthy, but large blue-gray eyes watch me warily from behind a curtain of messy brown hair. I step closer, peering at my reflection. It’s the same nose and cheeks I’ve seen in mirrors for years, but my mouth looks thin and tight, and there are deep creases between my brows. I sniff the air and almost recoil from the sharp edge to my scent. There’s also a strange flutter in my chest, and I rub at it, trying to make sense of what I’m feeling.

I need to talk to Dex. Until we collect Kane and make a plan together, I don’t think I’m really going to feel safe. How can I? Everything is so unfamiliar, the thought of just putting one foot in front of the other is almost overwhelming.

But that’s what I do, leaving the bathroom and heading back towards the reception area. I’m still a few steps from the door when I hear the low rumble of a male voice, and the scent of alpha floods my senses. But instead of making my mouth water, like Kane, it reminds me of that towel on the stall door, and everything in me recoils. I think about fleeing back towards the bathroom, but I need to see Dex, now more than ever.

I peek around the corner, but there’s no one at the desk. I can see a pair of shadows moving behind the thick layer of plastic and hurry across the room, trying not to breathe in the alpha’s scent. It’s dark and potent, like old sweat and uncooked meat, and my stomach clenches as I tiptoe to the opposite door. But before I can duck down the corridor, I hear the alpha say, “You’re sure it’s her?”

I freeze, every atom locked up tight by that ugly bark.

“I wouldn’t have called you if I wasn’t sure.” It’s the woman from the desk, her voice clipped with annoyance. “She was covered in alpha blood and seed.”

The man snorts. “That could be any bitch after a Friday night at a bar.”

“ And ,” the woman draws the word out into a frosty syllable, “when she stripped, I saw the property ink on her back.”

“Right.” The alpha starts towards the plastic barrier. “Good job, Beta.”

“Wait!” I watch as the smaller shadow plants itself in front of the larger one. “When do I get my reward?”

“When we return the Carrillos’ slick sleeve, safe and sound.”

“Then maybe you can explain why there’s a note on her file, directing enquiries to Sultry Studios?” I can almost see the woman bristling through the plastic film. “A slick factory is one thing, but if you’re pimping her out for porn…”

The alpha surges forward and there’s a horrible squeak, the two shadows now merging into one. I don’t wait to see what the alpha does to the woman, bolting down the corridor towards Dex. He’s lying exactly where I left him, head back and mouth open.

“Dex!” I grab his arm, holding him tight so he doesn’t roll off the bed in his panic. “Wake up! We have to go!” He doesn’t respond, his head lolling strangely, and my heart thuds against my ribs. “Dex!”

“He’s out for the count,” a voice drawls behind me and I whirl to find the alpha blocking the doorway. He’s big and broad, with a square jaw and a bulbous nose, but it’s the smug grin on his face that makes me take a step back. “The nurse slipped him something before you woke up.”

“Why?”

He tilts his head, his small, dark eyes flicking around the room before settling back on me. “Because you’re worth a lot of money, and you’re a long way from home.”

“That place isn’t my home.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I’ve found my alpha and I’ve retired from that life, but he suddenly stalks towards me and my throat clamps shut.

“The Carrillos say otherwise,” he drawls, grabbing my wrist in a huge hand. I cry out at the way he squeezes the delicate bones, but Dex doesn’t stir, and when I try to twist away, the alpha pulls me hard against his chest. His meaty scent is so overpowering, I almost gag. “You give me grief, and I’ll snap his neck, just like I did to that nosy nurse.”

The threat drains the fight out of me, and I’m suddenly so lightheaded, I almost sink to the floor. But the alpha’s brutal hold on me only tightens, and he shoves me towards the door. I glance back, catching one last glimpse of Dex’s sleeping face, and then he’s marching me down the corridor towards the front room. When he drags the plastic sheeting aside with an irritated swipe, I give a low, desperate moan. The beta nurse is crumpled in a pile, her head twisted at a strange angle. “You killed her.”

“And like I said, I’ll do the same to your friend back there if you give me any trouble.”

I shudder as he thrusts me towards a door, but I’ve barely stumbled into the alley before another man is stepping forward and gripping my arm. He’s not as big as the alpha behind me, but he’s holding a gun, and his scent is so strong it makes my skin crawl. He looks over, then focuses on the alpha behind me. “You can tell Carrillo that Luscious says thanks for the delivery.”

I try to glance back at the alpha, but the one holding my arm swings me around and thrusts me towards an open car door. It’s long and black, with dark windows and leather seats, and when I duck my head inside, the stench of alpha almost brings me to my knees. I try to scramble back, but a large hand lands on my butt, the fingers pinching the flesh so hard I shoot forward with a cry. The door slams shut behind me, but the front window is open enough for me to hear the bigger alpha say, “ What the fuck? You can’t just take off with his property like this.”

“We’re only borrowing her. And Luscious said to tell you to come along. She wants to offer you a backstage tour of Sultry Studios.”

The alpha pauses, a new note of interest in his voice. “Yeah?”

“You ever been behind the scenes at a porn studio?”

“I’ve been in porn, man. But that was in a shitty basement back in Queens.”

“Well, Luscious doesn’t spare any expense. Her omegas are all top-tier and so ripe, they squeak when they walk.”

The alpha grunts, but I catch him peering in at me as he ducks towards my window. “Got to admit, that sweet piece in your backseat has me riled up.”

I stiffen, because it’s clear he’s talking about me, and while I’m not sure what it means to be riled up, I know it can’t be good.

“Yeah, well, she’s off-limits.” The alpha pockets his gun and slaps the other man on the shoulder. “But you can take your pick from the rest.”

“Any of them?”

The alpha who pinched me chuckles. “Any luscious lady that catches your eye.”

The other alpha licks his lips, his scent thickening until I can taste it on the back of my tongue. “I guess we can make a detour, then.”