37. Zoe
Zoe
After Ilota told me that if Dominic tells his dad what I am, he'll kill me, in not so many words, I hit the sauce a little too hard.
"Good morning, Zoe." Cliff's voice ghosts across the back of my neck.
Cliff is in my bed? Shit. This is the first time we've ever spent the night together, and I was too drunk to enjoy it.
My head is killing me, and the morning light coming in my window makes it worse, so I squeeze my eyes closed again. "How'd we get back here?"
My body bounces against his as he chuckles. "You blacked out, huh?"
"Don't make fun of me," I whine.
He kisses up the side of my neck. "Never. I got worried after you started mumbling about the Archon that you'd spill some secrets, so I brought you back here. You wouldn't let me leave, but I promise, I was a total gentleman."
"I have no doubt you were." I trust Cliff with my life at this point. Literally, since one word to the Archon could get me killed.
I need to stop thinking about that.
He rolls me over and pulls me against his chest. "Did you have fun, at least?"
"From what I can remember. You?"
"Actually, yeah. I wasn't expecting to, since Ray was such an asshole to you in the beginning, but he's growing on me."
I snuggle into Cliff's beefy arms and bury my face in his neck. I can't remember the last time I felt so comfortable, despite the splitting headache. "Me too. He apologized for it and is going out of his way to make it up to me."
"Do you think you like his cologne?"
I pull back to look at Cliff, and his eyes are sparkling with humor. "We don't have to speak in code in my room."
"I know." He places a kiss on my forehead. "I just wanted to make you smile."
The press of the raw garnet in my palm startles me. I don't remember grabbing it, but fidgeting with it has become an unconscious motion lately. "I mean, he smells nice, but that doesn't mean anything. I don't have the same reaction to him that I had to Cameron or Dominic."
"Didn't Cameron say that your necklace was muffling things a bit?"
I filled Cliff in on the conversation and what happened between Cameron and the Archon, and he took it as well as can be expected. He was more surprised that Cameron is the Hierophant than by us being scent-matched.
"Yeah, he did. But I think I'd still know."
"There's one way to know for sure." He gestures to the necklace with his head. "Take it off around him."
I sit up, and Cliff moves with me, resting his back against my headboard and pulling me against his side. "Did I tell you that Ilota spoke to me last night?"
He strokes a hand over my sleep-mussed hair. "Yeah, but I didn't quite understand what you were saying."
"She said that if the Archon finds out what I am, he'll kill me."
The room seems to cool several degrees, and Cliff's body stiffens beneath me. "Why would he do that?"
"You said it yourself that there is something going on with the way Kestia is handling Pyxis and Ilota's church."
He swears. "I guess I was hopeful that Ilota was choosing to withhold her Blessing, not that those Blessed by her were being murdered. I'm jaded, but even I didn't expect genocide."
"So that begs the question, do I take my necklace off around Ray and find out he's my scent match at the risk of him realizing I'm an Omega and he could mention it to the wrong person? Do I trust him with my life?"
My life currently rests in the hands of three men, and while I trust Cliff and Cameron implicitly, Dominic makes me nervous. I don't even know if he'd reveal my secret on purpose, but one slip to his father and my life is as good as forfeit.
I really need to seek out Warren and figure out just how much he knows, or thinks he knows. I'll need to do what I can to walk back the situation and convince him it was just a trick of the light.
"There's too much uncertainty right now. I don't distrust Ray, but I don't need to add another worry to my plate." I know it's the right decision, but I can't help but feel a little sad about it. There are worse Alphas to be scent-matched to than Ray.
Cliff kisses my temple. "You're right. Let's take advantage of the cloaking your necklace provides for now. If Cameron is right, you won't have this anonymity forever."
Ray is waiting for me outside of Designation Hierarchy. Cliff kisses me and then hands me off to him, like they've done this a thousand times before.
The whole exchange makes me blush fiercely.
"Planned that, did you?" I ask Ray as he guides me up the stairs of the lecture hall.
"Nope. Happy accident."
"I don't believe you."
He turns and moves so close to me that I can feel his breath puff across my lips. "Are you upset about it?"
I struggle to find words under the heaviness of his Alpha attention. My knees are a little shaky, and a thread of arousal trickles through me.
It takes a lot of effort to speak. "No."
"Didn't think so. Hey, Viv." I turn to see my best friend standing behind me with narrowed eyes that dart between the two of us.
She doesn't mince words. "Is there something going on with you two?"
"No," I say at the same time as Ray answers, "Maybe."
I turn back around and glare at him. "Maybe?"
He shrugs. "Maybe."
"Nothing is going on with us, Viv." I take a step away from her brother to be by her side.
Ray crosses his arms over his chest. "Would it matter if there was?"
I wrap my arm around Viv's and yank her down one of the aisles into two empty seats. Ray comes to follow us, and I reach out my hand to stop him.
"No. Girl time. Go elsewhere."
He rolls his eyes but listens, settling one row back and a couple of seats over. Not far enough, but at least he can't butt into our conversation from there.
Viv still looks at me warily. "Are you sure there's nothing going on?"
"We hung out on Friday night with Cliff, that's all. I think your brother feels guilty about the way he treated me and is trying to make up for it."
"I don't know, Zoe, I've never seen him act like this before."
Before I can respond, Warren comes in, hair stringy and eyes shadowed. He looks rough.
"Was he at the party on Friday?"
Viv looks up to see what I'm talking about and winces. "He was. He was trashed and stumbling. Still looks drunk now."
Those vivid blue eyes lock with mine and widen. He stumbles across the hall and points at me. "I know your secret."
"What secret?"
I ignore Viv and jump to my feet. Warren doesn't move away from me as I grab him by the arm and haul him out of the lecture hall.