Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Saylor
A t least there’s a bathroom with toilet paper… This is what my life has come to. For being occupied by men, the bathroom lacks the pee smell I’ve run into in pretty much every men’s room I’ve ever been in.
Omen’s face appears over my shoulder as I’m appraising the small bathroom. “We don’t have a shower curtain, but I’ll be happy to hold a towel up if you’d like to scrub down.”
I snort, step into the bathroom, and turn to face him.
“That’s a generous offer.” I nod to the workout pants that he’s currently clad in. “Are there other clothing options, and how do I gain access to those?” My hands run over the orange pants the facility put me in. “These are scratchy, and I’m so uncomfortable, I feel like I could crawl out of my skin. I know it’s something small, considering where I am, but my sensory issues get worse with stress.”
Omen’s long, whitish-blond hair falls over his brow as it furrows. “That does sound like a pain in the arse.” His cold hand wraps around mine, tugging me the few feet to the loft just in front of the bathroom.
The beds are really high off the ground compared to what I would normally feel comfortable with, but the beta has to duck to access the area underneath. He tugs me along with him, only releasing me to dig in the plain wooden dresser.
It’s not as bad for me, but I still have to hunch over to fit. Otherwise, the top of my head would rake the metal bar that holds the edge of the mattress on the bottom. Once I’m fully under that lip, it does open up another couple of inches, but I’ll have to be careful not to run into it when I’m not paying attention.
Omen turns to face me, and his head tilts.
I’m not slender, like a beta of the same body type would be, and I cross my arms. I’m not sure I’ll even fit in his clothing. He grabs several pairs of pants, tucks them under his arm, and skips past me to move to the dressers below Valor’s bed.
I follow like a dutiful pet .
The room is tidy and well-organized.
If nothing else, their beds are a whole lot bigger and nicer than the cot I was given. They have three walls, a ceiling, and they’re only open at the front.
Isn’t it omegas who like confined spaces ?
It makes me wonder why their stuff is so much nicer than what was in my room.
Aren’t the omegas supposed to be in high demand?
I find the question slipping from my lips before I can stop myself, and Valor snorts.
“They don’t want you to be comfortable. The more miserable they can make the omegas in their own space, the more likely you are to seek refuge with a pack.” The massive alpha shrugs, shoving what looks like half of a sandwich into his mouth.
Speaking of mouths…
Mine goes dry.
The mask covered half of his face earlier, but now I can see him in his full glory. He’s incredibly attractive, with wide features that would overpower any other face, but luckily for him, his square jaw is strong enough to support his thick lips and rounded chin.
He has that slightly hollowed look just under his cheekbones that makes his jawline even more impressive.
My body tingles as my mind helpfully reminds me how attracted I am to his scent. It’s an indescribable smell that almost reminds me of lightning or electricity. And I know it makes no sense, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
When he carried me in his arms, the only thing my system could focus on was how best to get his pheromones all over my skin.
I would have ended up licking him if he hadn’t put me on my feet.
My cheeks burn with the feeling that comes when I blush, and I mentally curse my complexion. No matter how hard I try, I still can’t force my eyes away from the stoic alpha.
The man who brought me to my cell said that Valor was here for the right reasons, even if he went about it the wrong way.
Or something to that effect.
And everything I’ve seen so far has proved that he’s not completely awful.
Hell, he was injured coming to my rescue.
He’s still bleeding from the cut in his eyebrow, and the one across the bridge of his nose seems to be barely clotting.
Everything happened so fast that I barely got to see him in action, but my instincts were majorly obsessed with the way he carted the two other alphas away.
Did he kill them?
He snags one of the bottles of water, cracks the lid, and brings it to his mouth. His T-shirt is so snug, it shows off each powerful muscle as he moves.
Omen appears in front of me while I’m still ogling his bondmate. He chuckles darkly, shoving a stack of clothing at my chest. “I gave you a couple of my joggers. Also a pair of Valor’s, but I’m sure they’ll fall right off of you. He’s sturdier than he looks.” Once I’m holding the clothes, he boops my nose. “You’ll find a few of his T-shirts in the pile. I figured you’d rather have something loose-fitting, and your tits might be pushing what my shirts can stretch to contain?—”
“Thank you,” I squeak, taking off for the bathroom. Like the one in the cell I was given, it doesn’t have a lock. Still, I was about three minutes away from ripping myself out of the horrid facility-assigned orange pants, so having some privacy to change is actually a step up.
I just have to get myself together enough to come up with a plan that includes what I have to offer—which isn’t much, but I still have to try.
* * *
“Stop,” Valor snarls, sounding dangerous and slightly unhinged.
It nearly causes me to scurry back inside the bathroom that I’m in the process of exiting.
“You’re a right fucking baby at times. You know that?” Omen laughs, stepping away from the table.
“The antiseptic stings,” the alpha grumbles, holding a paper towel to his eyebrow.
“Your nose should close up on its own, but the eyebrow could possibly do with a stitch or two.” Omen goes back to digging in the first aid kit that’s spread across the table.
“I’m fine. You’re crowding me,” Valor growls.
My chest gets tight from seeing exactly how swollen the area under his eye is. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like his nose is bruised in addition to the cut.
My stomach wobbles.
He got hurt protecting me .
Or maybe he just needed to prove a lesson of what wouldn’t be allowed within the facility, but either way, it makes my chest tight.
I cross the room before I know what I’m doing, grabbing the open bottle of water and a paper towel.
Omen side-eyes me as I pour the liquid onto it. “Good luck.”
Valor sits in one of the two chairs at the little table, but he’s facing the room. Moving between his spread thighs, I nod for him to remove the paper towel from his eye.
“It’s just water. It shouldn’t sting too badly, and if it does…” I shrug, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “Then suck it up. There’s dried blood that needs to be cleaned off so your wounds can be properly sanitized.”
“You’re bossy,” Valor rumbles in his deep, gravelly tone.
“She is, isn’t she?” Omen laughs. “I’ll leave her to mother-hen your injuries. That way, I don’t have to.”
Raising the wet paper towel, I step closer to reach Valor’s eye and end up tripping over his massive booted foot. I would love to know why they’re allowed actual shoes, and I’m in a pair of hospital socks.
His hand lands on my lower back and hip, settling me. “Careful.”
Who knows why the word vibrates through my body, but I swear I can feel echoes of it in my knees, making them weak.
His indescribable scent is even thicker being this close to him, and I was already pretty saturated just from being in his T-shirt. He doesn’t remove his hold just above my ass, and it takes every bit of focus I can muster to get to work on cleaning the dried blood from his skin.
His fingers flex against my lower back, and his jaw clenches, but he doesn’t snarl at me the way he did at Omen.
I stay focused on my task and do my best not to get too close to his cuts. I’ve never seen the beginnings of a black eye before, but the hollow under his eye is purple, and I’m guessing that will only darken as the days pass. “How long do they usually lock you in for?”
“Last night, they locked us down early, but that was because of you and the other omega.” Valor shrugs.
“For punishment?” Omen asks. “Anywhere from two to five days, depending on how pissed they are.”
All the air seems to evaporate from the cell.
“You said you wanted to make a deal,” he reminds me while I’m still spiraling about being trapped in this small space with these two men I don’t even know.
“Yeah,” I agree, sounding dazed. To keep my hands busy, I lean over the table and grab the antibacterial ointment. “I told you, I was taken against my will, but my father employs a company that does kidnapping retrieval services.”
Valor hisses, his fingers digging into my lumbar region. I haven’t even applied the cream yet, so he must be reacting to my words.
“My family will pay to get me out. One of the men who I talked to after intake swore he would notify my dad.” I dab the ointment onto my finger and prepare to slather Valor’s wounds, but his gaze is focused on Omen. My head swivels, glancing between them. I’m not sure what that look means, and a shiver runs down my spine. “If you keep me safe until I can be extracted, I’ll make sure they get you out of here too.”
“No,” Valor growls, shaking his head. “I’m here for a reason.”
“Rule number one, pet,” Omen says. “Trust no one in this place. Everyone lies.”
“Even you?” I ask over my shoulder before focusing back on the alpha, who looks like he might chip a tooth. “Don’t move. Or do. Totally up to you, but I’m going to be dabbing your cuts.”
Valor grunts.
“Why would he lie?” I get to work, brushing the ointment over the gashes on Valor’s eyebrow and nose.
“To keep you docile and compliant, of course,” Omen says in a jovial tone.
His words make my stomach clench.
“Okay, then, let’s brainstorm a backup plan.” Grabbing the paper towel, I clean off my finger and snag the butterfly bandages from the first aid kit. “I think these will be enough for your eyebrow.”
Valor shrugs, and since he doesn’t object, I get to work placing those.
“Got anything else you’d like to bargain with?” Omen asks.
“Omen,” Valor growls.
The sound vibrates through my system, and the asinine urge to bare my throat washes over me from nowhere.
My head whips to the side, and I whimper.
“Stop that.” The alpha swats my backside, and I squeak. “Get back to work. You’re much gentler than that prick.”
“Or maybe you’re an overly sensitive baby,” Omen says.
Valor’s fingers leave my back, and it feels like he flips off his beta.
Clearing my throat, I go back to searching for a tiny bandage to use on Valor’s nose. “I have a substantial inheritance. I will pay you handsomely to protect me, and even better if you find a way to get us out of here if that guy lied and no one ends up coming for me.”
“I have the perfect way we can all get out of here.” Omen chuckles.
Valor stands up so abruptly that I stumble backward. Luckily, he rights me with his hands on my hips.
His fingers leave me and point at Omen. “Enough.”
“What? I’m just saying, we can help each other,” the beta replies without an ounce of fear in his tone.
Valor’s head shakes, and he stomps off toward the bathroom, grumbling under his breath. Just before the door closes, he growls, “Thank you.”
I’m still staring toward the table and the glass wall that connects to the cell next door. My eyes widen as I spot the three men in various states of undress. They’re watching me watch them, and it feels a lot like they could pounce at any moment.
“E-Exactly how sturdy is that glass?” I manage to choke out.
“Don’t worry, pet. They don’t have a chance in hell of getting to you.” Omen laughs, and the sound makes goose bumps break out down my arms. “If I were you, I’d be much more concerned with the predators you willingly locked yourself in with.”
He’s right.
What the hell have I done?