Chapter 3
THREE
HUGO
Where was I? My head felt fuzzy.
I was… back in my cell underneath the Blood Well.
I could hear Casey humming as he sat in the guard’s station, the tune making the bleak imprisonment tolerable.
Casey was the only nice thing we had down here.
The main doors banged open, and Laurel stumbled inside.
She was giggling and clutching a shorter woman with dark hair and party makeup.
They banged on the glass of the guard station, and Casey came out.
I sat up straight as I realized that it was Shaun, Laurel’s friend, who was undercover as a security guard.
I guess he was doing a different kind of undercover tonight, because he was wearing a short black dress and makeup.
Well, shit.
That was a sight for sore eyes.
Casey hurried to grab a guard’s uniform for Shaun.
Shaun laughed and started to strip down right there. They peeled off the black dress, exposing a small pair of tits to the room.
Oh.
Shaun was a woman.
She caught my eye and winked as she pulled on the guard’s uniform.
Then she was right outside my cell, holding up a bottle of champagne.
Jade.
“Brought us a treat,” she said.
I grabbed the bottle. “Is that alcohol? Holy shit, I could kiss you.”
Without missing a beat, she tugged my head down and pressed her lips to mine. She tasted like wine and sugar, and her kiss was hungry and deep.
The cell bars melted away, and she pushed me back to my cot, eyes glinting.
Our clothes were gone, and I groaned as she straddled me and kissed me again.
Casey was behind her, wide-eyed, and she turned back to smile at him. “You want in, too, peaches?”
My stomach lurched as a loud blaring sound ripped me back into consciousness, my head pounding and my mouth dry.
I fumbled for my alarm, cursing anyone and everyone who woke up before noon.
I sat up and scrubbed my face, wincing at the bright light stabbing my eyes. My blood was still hot from the intensity of the dream, and my cock ached for release.
Fuck, those dreams always felt so real. The ones based on memories always were.
Jade and Casey were far too young for me. Plus, they were good kids. At least, Casey was.
And that’s all he’d been to me until some little spitfire of a beta had kissed him right after kissing me.
The kiss that had started it all.
Casey had been all wide-eyed innocence as Jade pushed him down and kissed him as well.
Wouldn’t he be fun to tease? We could team up and work him over together until he dissolved into a sweet puddle of arousal.
Though he’d probably still do his best to be a good boy.
Fuck, I needed to shut that thought down.
I rubbed my eyes and then winced as my alarm went off again.
Why the fuck was my alarm set? My groggy brain dozed off again before the snooze alarm got me back online.
Training.
Right.
I’d agreed to train with Jewel again.
The thought got me to sit up, and I scratched the scars on my right forearm.
Jewel in fight mode was actually the most pleasant Jewel to be around. He ran his bratty mouth a lot less when he’d been pummeled into the mat fifty times.
Plus, he was good. Sparring with him was a fun challenge. Or, it had been five years ago.
Both of us were probably a bit rusty now.
It was blessedly quiet as I threw on some clothes. I ignored my erection, because fueling my arousal just meant tempting a rut. More than usual, I meant.
I made my way into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
I splashed cold water on my face to try and clear some of the grogginess, but half my brain still felt asleep. Not like drowsy, either, but fully fucking out.
Right. I needed some hangover food. I think there was bacon in the fridge.
Sure, drinking wasn’t great for me, but I needed something to suppress my ruts while I figured out a different management strategy.
I had a rut condition. It probably had some fancy medical name, but all I knew was that it was a pain in the ass. I rutted often, and it was always a crapshoot—could be a pseudo-rut of mild aggression and last an hour, or it could be full-blown rut rage and go steady for days.
I mean, the plus side was that I’d kept my sanity while imprisoned in the Blood Well. Thaddeus Fairchild amped up his fighting alphas on rofetamine, a synthetic rut drug, and sooner or later, they’d be reduced to ferals.
Not me, though.
Got to be sane for the whole fucking year I was locked up.
Whoopee.
But now, while some of the former fighters were getting their best shot at rehabilitation, I was still here. Still prone to unpredictable ruts. Exhausting myself and letting out all that aggression in a controlled way was one way to manage.
Unfortunately, the fights in the Blood Well weren’t an option right now.
I’d pointed out to Laurel that people would just start ’em up again if she stopped the fights, and probably treat the alphas they roped into the cages a whole lot worse.
So, she and her pack were busy starting the transition away from the ferals and back to regular old illegal rut fights.
In the meantime, I’d take what I could get.
Sparring with Jewel was better than nothing.
?
I downed some water, then turned back to Jewel.
We’d finished our warmup, and he was securing a headband to keep his hair out of his eyes. He was wearing plain workout clothes, and I eyed the muscles on his form. As an omega, he’d likely worked hard to keep that strong.
I swallowed. I didn’t like thinking about where he’d been the last few years or what he’d had to do.
The night Thaddeus had thrown Jewel into the rut cages, I thought I would watch him die. He’d thrown his own son into a fight he was supposed to lose.
Jewel had survived that night, but not intact.
Thaddeus had assumed Jewel had won because he’d finally turned into an alpha, and Jewel was finally welcomed into Thaddeus’s role as his heir.
Jewel had looked so miserable after that, I hadn’t questioned it when he apparently jumped off the roof later that year. It was quite a shock to find him alive and helping to break me out of the securement wing.
He’d been pretty tight-lipped about where he’d been, but I’d figured out enough. He’d been trafficked and abused by the scum of the earth.
“You kept in shape,” I remarked.
He settled into a ready stance, a smile on his lips. “I had to dance, mostly. They got me to fight me a couple of times, but that was more for show.”
I nodded, joining him on the mat. “So. How rusty are you?”
Jewel grinned. “Why don’t you come find out?”
We started our cautious circling on the mat, sizing each other up.
We’d probably done this thousands of times over the years.
I’d trained Jewel in techniques that would let him take on an alpha regardless of aura.
Moves designed to knock off-balance, redirect, and use the element of surprise to get to his knife.
I eyed him, trying to figure out what to expect. He wasn’t the same lanky teenager from before. He was an adult now and carried himself with a confidence and shrewdness I couldn’t help being proud of.
I moved in for the attack, and Jewel’s form was perfect. He went for a head-on move, redirecting my momentum with a quick sweep of his hand and using his leg to compromise my balance. As I toppled, he swung for my back with the practice blade.
I spun, leaning into the fall and bringing him with me. Good form but predictable.
He adapted, falling onto me and pressing into my grip until I was forced to release him. We grappled on the ground, my aura splitting the air as we fought for the upper hand.
He locked down my arm at an angle that would be impossible to break.
My aura enhanced my body, making me stronger, faster, and more attuned to my senses. Which meant I was hyperaware of his scent. The mouthwatering mix of plums and wine was suddenly overpowering.
It was a forbidden fruit, enchanting and intoxicating. Encouraged by the heady aroma, heat blossomed at the points where my body was pressed against his.
I flinched as Jewel’s practice blade tapped my eye. “Got you.” His voice was a low rumble in my ear, smooth and sexy.
My mouth went dry, and I released my hold, trying to catch my breath.
Jewel stood up, and the space made my head clear a bit.
I scrubbed my face. What the fuck?
Christ, I’d known Jewel since he was twelve.
A little voice in my head pointed out he was far removed from the scrawny, scowling teenager I’d known before.
I stood up, eyeing him as he grinned at me, then rolled his shoulder. His scent still hung in the room, screaming omega.
He wore a familiar smirk on his face, yet my eyes snagged on his soft lips, a beautiful shade of pink. His golden hair tumbled down his face, catching the light. The muscles on his lithe form, the way they flexed as he pulled off his shirt—goddammit, Jewel!
“What are you doing?” I growled.
Heat flashed through me at the sudden vast expanse of smooth, creamy skin on display.
He tossed his shirt to the ground, a sly smile on his face. “Exploiting my assets.”
I couldn’t help stealing a look at his ass in the mirror behind him.
He took advantage of the distraction and flew toward me.
Just like I’d drilled into him, he got close so I wouldn’t have leverage.
The muscles in his back rippled, and the sight of it took my breath away.
My scalp was still prickling as he slammed into my legs to knock me off-balance.
I hit the mat hard enough that the wind got knocked out of my lungs.
Jewel pressed his advantage, straddling me as his blade kissed my throat.
We both froze, chests heaving from the exertion.
For a moment, I was swept away by instinct.
I could only stare at this gorgeous omega as he pressed down into me.
His scent was a siren’s lure, perfectly matching the flush on his heaving chest and his victorious smile.
My own scent thickened in the air as arousal stirred in my loins.
“Got you again,” he said, looking at me with hooded eyes.