Chapter Two #2
She said calmly, “Don’t you touch me, you snivelling ray of sunshine.”
He looked and gave her a watery smile. “Emhara. Oh, you... What did they do?”
“My lawyer has a list. He can read it out for you if you like.” She looked at Owen’s quivering self. “There is a spot on my left wrist where you can touch me.”
The omega darted forward and carefully held her, smiling at the touch of her skin.
“Why do you always smile when you touch me?”
“You hum. Your whole body is humming and warm. It is very relaxing.”
“Oh, I feel relaxed, but then, I am still peeing into a bag, so that is pretty relaxing.”
He blinked and smiled. “You always do that.”
She sighed softly. “I know. It is so much easier than being happy about things. I have learned my lesson there.”
Owen sighed. “Can I introduce you to Persephone?”
“Sure. She’s the other omega?”
“Yeah, she’s special, and she gave me my little girl.” Owen smiled. “So, I can get her?”
Mateo sighed. “I will get her.”
“So, you have babysitters?”
“Yup. Two at a time for the quads. No one wants them babysat by one person. They are sweet, adorable, and a lot.” Owen smiled shyly. “I think you can meet them all if you want to.”
“Maybe when I don’t have stitches.”
Owen looked stricken as a stunning woman came in behind him. “Stitches?”
Em smiled slightly. “Augusta’s stiletto punched some holes.” She looked at the new woman. “You must be Persephone.”
“I must be.”
“I would shake your hand, but my fingers are all swollen and messed up.”
“I can see that.”
Em was frank. “Do you need contact?” The wild pixie that she was staring at looked like she wanted to touch.
“I prefer it.”
“Owen, let go. I am alive. If I can get out of here, we might manage a careful hug.”
Owen beamed and showed Persephone where she could make contact.
When the other omega touched her, Persephone lit up with a smile. “Wow. That is a lot of life.”
“Is that what it is? I would normally say something sarcastic here, but with these guys on alert, I don’t want to feed the beast.”
Persephone looked left and right, smiling. “I thought there was more than Samsor at the door.”
Em paused. “You are how they got a hold of Mateo.”
“Sort of. Duran contacted Ark, who called Achilles, who has Mateo’s direct number.”
“Nice. Like teenage girls. Which one of them is taking the other to the prom?” Em was exhausted. “Congratulations on the babies.”
“Thanks. I birthed two, and my sisters birthed the others. Elf thing.”
“And you are a wee little pixie with pink hair and high heels,” Em mumbled.
“You are seeing that?”
“Yup. That’s my schtick. I see things, and I know things.”
“You are exhausted.”
“Lots of holes, lots of bruising, too long on alert. But I checked my phone. We won the competition. Yay. Kids get free lunches.” She sighed. “I am going to nap now. Sorry my conversation isn’t more stimulating.”
“It’s okay. I understand. You rest. We will be fifteen minutes away when you get out.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Em chuckled and dozed.
She guessed it was hours later. The accountant was sitting with his laptop, his face illuminated by the screen. Duran was gone.
“What is your name?”
He didn’t look up. “Echel.”
She was thirsty and slowly began to shift toward the water cup and pitcher, like she was engaging in a slow seduction of the plastic.
There was suddenly a person between her and the pitcher. She blinked up at him. “Ech.”
He grinned. “I will take it. Just ask. I don’t mind moving for you.”
She stared and blinked. “That is a terrifying image.”
He laughed, poured her a half-filled cup, put a straw in it, and held it for her. She sipped, and the cool water was the best thing ever.
He smiled. “More?”
“Gimme a minute.”
She could feel the water moving slowly through her, taking her internal warmth with it. When it felt like it had cleared the stomach, she said, “More, please.”
He filled and handed her the cup, and she sipped until the cup was empty, and then he set it back on her tray table.
She nodded and leaned back, slowly elevating her bed. “Middle of the night?”
“Yes. Your surgeon came in, checked you, and will check on you tomorrow.”
Echel resumed his spot and lifted his laptop. “I have found most of your money. Duran will have a pretty easy job of it. They put it all into the pack account, without any documentation of your authorization.”
“Because there wasn’t any.”
“Correct. It was moved from the bank, with the assistance of a clerk, and into a separate fund by your sister.”
“Of course. Well, half-sister. Now that you have seen Mateo, my skin and hair make a bit more sense.”
He smiled at his laptop. “You are positively pale in my experience.”
She snorted and then gripped her ribs. “Ow.”
He was up, holding her wrist a moment later. “Breath shallowly until the muscles relax.”
She nodded and slowly relaxed against the pillows. “Been stabbed a lot?”
“A time or two. It’s better that you got it taken care of so it has less chance of leading to a herniation.”
“Oh. Ick.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand.
She twisted her lips and blurted out, “Why do you have a different energy signature than the other dark elves?”
He crinkled his eyes. “Oh, that. Give me a moment.” He released her and walked out of the room, returning with what must have been the guard. “This is Samsor.”
“Same signature.” She cocked her head.
“Deltas.”
She blinked rapidly as her brain rebooted. “Oh, right.”
Samsor was staring at her. “How did you get out of the house that injured?”
“Practice. I also felt that the damage was bad enough that I couldn’t just be patched up and dismissed. The blood trail out the window and across the lawn was a nice touch. Learning to army crawl helped.”
Echel stared at her. “You left a blood trail.”
“Yes. Don’t tell Duran. Plausible deniability. I was injured, I was dying, I did die, I think. That would explain the chest pain.”
Samsor blinked slowly. “You have dramatic injury marks, including old ones.”
“I do. This was not the first or even the fifth time.”
He asked, “What was different?”
“I didn’t beg.” She shrugged. “They broke me. I was done, so I didn’t beg.”
Echel walked over to her and held her wrist.
Samsor nodded, and then a slight smile crossed his lips. “Under what circumstances would you beg?”
She stared at him, catching his interest. “I don’t know. Every moment of every day since I was sixteen has been accounted for or watched. No opportunity to learn begging.”
He blinked and nodded. “Right.”
“So, what’s your actual day job. You don’t have the bodyguard vibe?”
“Private investigator.”
“Ah, that explains the nosiness.”
Echel chuckled and kept working.
Samsor smiled. “Even helpless, you attack like a kitten. Claws out.”
“Oh, was that too snarky? I could have said that undressing me with your eyes only works while my body is a fingerpainting canvas. That peering through one hospital gown wasn’t a challenge for those red eyes.”
He blinked and grinned. “Fair enough. I will return to the exterior guard. Your family is trying hard to get to you.”
“Really? My phone isn’t... oh, it’s gone.”
Echel smiled. “Duran took it.”
“Duran is an alpha.” She paused. “Or wait, he isn’t.”
Echel laughed. “You have peculiar luck. Normally, we aren’t in the same place at the same time. We are spaced out a little more.”
“So, why are you here?”
He gave her a serious look. “Because you needed us, and you don’t need people. So, as you appear to be a mage, you have summoned what you need.”
“Wow. So, when I am safe, how do I cut you loose?”
He grinned. “That is a fascinating question. We will discuss it when you are feeling better.”
She looked at him suspiciously, but he kept his focus on the screen as he typed. She looked around, but there was nothing to do. “Is there a pen and paper anywhere? I need to do something with my hands.”
He paused. “I think Duran was getting you something.”
Samsor came in and pulled a phone out of his pocket. “Here you go, my lady.”
She was wary. “So, what is that about?”
He smiled. “Nothing. Kiss for the phone?”
“I am not going to pimp myself out for a Samsung.” She looked at him and then said, “Plus the upper split lip or the lower? How much pain are you willing to cause?”
Instead of backing down, he said, “I am willing to defer payment.”
She chuckled softly. “Very wise. Phone please.”
“It has a stylus.”
She turned it and smiled. “Okay, maybe a kiss on deferment.”
He chuckled and returned to the hall.
Em suddenly looked up. “Wait. What the hell just happened?”
Echel laughed softly, and the sound rippled through Em.
“That’s just weird.” She muttered, opened the phone, and started her favourite neutral streaming channels, only watching the free stuff and not logging in.
Watching recaps of the dance competitions was fun, and when her team was up, she vibrated with excitement.
Echel got up and walked over, watching what was on the screen. He laughed softly. “You picked the costumes?”
“Yeah. It matched the song.”
“They were all carrying staves?”
“Yup. They needed it for the jump kick and the mock fighting.”
He grinned, took out his own phone, and made a note. “That grouping makes so much sense.”
“Why?”
“I will tell you when you are better.” He patted her wrist.
She huffed, found a video of an aquarium, watched the fish swim slowly, and nodded off again.
A slight tapping at her wrist got her attention, and she jolted. “Oh, hey, Doc.”
The dark elf in the lab coat smiled. “So, you can see through our glamours.”
“What glamours? I have always lived in a world with elves around, light and dark.” She smiled, “And other things.”
“What other things?”
“If you can’t see them, it doesn’t matter.” She smirked.
He paused. “You can see the enhanced alphas, can’t you?”
“Yes, and the betas. And hidden omegas. They are all very clear to my senses.”
“You do realize that you could have made a lot of money with the Omega Centre?”
“I would never turn someone in if they didn’t want to spend the rest of their lives as a fuck toy, and having lived in just such a pack, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
He frowned. “It isn’t always like that.”
“I know, but to put a target on some poor woman who is then sold to the highest bidder when I can see that her would-be mates are monsters... I couldn’t live with that.”
The doctor paused. “That would be horrible. I can see your point.”
“Yup. Imagine your wife being handed over to the Elite because someone like me spotted her on the street and called a hotline for a bounty.”
The doctor’s eyes went wide. “Oh, gods. Right. I see your point.”
“I don’t want to do that to people, so I won’t.”
He nodded. “Right, now do you have any questions about the surgery?”
“You repaired torn vessels, removed blood clots, and closed the holes in the muscle and surrounding tissue so that I don’t end up with a weird hernia pattern.”
He smiled. “That is succinct, but yes. Your skin is remarkably tough, by the way.”
“I know. It’s why they were so comfortable escalating their attacks. The pressure that it takes to bruise me would break bones on someone in the normal range. I didn’t realize that it was a special thing that wasn’t common.”
“It isn’t common. Ah, so your conversations are now pointing out your differences.”
“Yup.”
He smiled. “May I check the laparoscopic sites?”
“Sure.”
The bedding was pulled up to her navel, and her gown was scooted up just below her breasts. He prodded at the incision sites, smiled, and said, “I will be right back.” He flipped her gown down and left the room.