Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Saylor
O men meant well when he suggested a post-sex shower, but I’m freezing my tits off, and he’s made more than one joke about shrinkage. Although the water is chilly, it’s not as painful as when Omen handed me off to Valor while I was in the middle of that heat spike.
It’s also kinda fun to plaster my front to Omen’s in an attempt to steal body heat.
“I would normally gripe at you for hogging all the hot water, but since there is none…” He laughs, running his fingers through my hair to rinse the last of the conditioner. He pulls my head up, and I tighten my hold on his slick lower back. “Maybe I should apologize for torturing you by forcing you into the water spray.”
His whitish-blond hair falls messily over his forehead and those green-gray eyes of his sparkle playfully.
There’s no way not to be captivated by his sensual energy and easy charm. The man is drop-dead gorgeous.
I’ve heard it my entire life. Omegas are meant for alphas, and that’s fine. I want his alpha, too, but I want Omen just as much.
“You look like you’re thinking extra hard about something, darling.” He smirks, bending and brushing his lips over mine.
“Valor is worried about your old boss. I tried to tell him I would pay the guy back for whatever he spent on putting the two of you in here, but I don’t think it helped.”
Omen’s hand slides down my back, and he cups my ass. “Amato has more invested in Valor than whatever he spent on the facility,” he says, keeping his voice low. “Say the two of you bonded and they released us. They don’t just let us go out the front door and trust that we’ll make it back to our benefactor. They release us directly into their custody.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I might not know Amato as well as Valor does, but I can tell you what I’m afraid would happen.”
I nod. “Please do.”
“We wouldn’t be free,” Omen says ominously. “Amato would take you, hold you prisoner, and use you as leverage to force Valor to do his bidding. If he wanted to be allowed to spend time with you between jobs, he would be forced to do whatever Amato said without question. One step out of line for either of us, and he would punish you.”
My heart hammers.
That sounds even worse than being stuck in this place.
“Okay, so…” I frown, trying to find the right words. “If he came to pick us up, couldn’t you just kill him?”
Omen chuckles darkly. “I would gladly end that useless fuck.” He grinds his cock against my thighs. “I must admit, hearing you plot murder is turning me the fuck on. Apparently I enjoy corrupting you.”
My fingers dig into the skin just above his ass. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Mmm, yes, darling. Ridiculously hot? Thank you for noticing.” He captures my lips, and even the cold water running down my spine seems to disappear as I lose myself in Omen’s kiss.
“All right, no more fucking for the two of you.” Valor’s deep, growly voice fills the air. “They just dropped off the laundry, but no food trays. You know what that means.”
Omen pecks a final kiss on my lips and nods. “They’re about to let us out of lockdown. Dammit. If we had been patient, we could have enjoyed a hot shower.”
Valor stretches into the shower, shuts off the faucet, pulls a towel from under his arm, and shakes it out. “Come on, little one. He’s been hogging you. I’ll dry you off and cuddle you until you can feel your appendages again.”
“I never get that kind of treatment,” Omen says, slapping my rear end as I step out of the shower.
Valor snorts and wraps the towel around my back. “I think he’s getting whiny in his old age.”
I laugh, letting Valor take the lead as he gets me bundled up in the towel. “He’s super freaking sexy, though. I can put up with a little complaining here or there.”
Valor guides me out into the room and freezes. “Shit, they’re doing a staggered release. Sorry, Saylor. We need to get you dressed in a hurry. When they shake things up, I always try to find Maggie to offer backup if she needs it.”
I nod, but I really want to ask where the heck he was the day the other omega and I were released. I don’t say anything, mostly because I think he’s more concerned with knowing new alphas were added to the block. There’s a bigger chance they’ll cause problems than new omegas would.
Here’s hoping the experience goes smoothly.
* * *
Valor takes off as soon as the cell door unlocks. Omen spends a while gathering our sheets while explaining they sometimes stagger the releases to prevent a huge pileup in the showers. The cells on either side of us were released at some point while Omen and I were still getting clean.
Once he’s brought in the bin of fresh laundry from in front of the door, he gathers the disgusting sheets and blankets.
“Our first stop is going to have to be the laundry storage room.” Omen holds the door open with his foot, nodding for me to head out first. “We need to grab fresh bedding. This shite is funky.”
I laugh but shrug and walk out into the hall. “It smelled fine to me, but you’re probably right.”
“The wet spot is one thing, but no one wants to sleep on crusty sheets,” Omen says, following behind me.
The door closes with a heavy thud, and he picks up his pace to walk by my side. He guides me down the corridors that all look the same, but he makes sure to give me little clues to check for every time we make a turn. That way, I’ll be able to backtrack to the room if I ever need to get there on my own.
We make it to an open area that I vaguely remember Valor carrying me through when he toted me out of the cafeteria. There are couches and a table with a puzzle, which is so bizarre I almost laugh. I cannot see any of the people in here doing a puzzle, but Omen leads us through the space without comment.
On the opposite wall is another corridor, and we stop about halfway down at a door that says laundry . Well, it has several nameplates, but the bottom one is in English.
Omen wrestles with the huge pile of laundry and grabs the door handle with a tattooed hand. He’s not even doing anything particularly sexy, but it makes my brain a little melty knowing he was inside me only a few hours ago. “Come on, pet. I need you inside the room with me.”
“Ah, would you look at that,” a gruff male voice says from behind me. I scramble into the laundry room, trying to determine if it’s a voice I recognize, but it doesn’t sound like the Russian guys from the first day. “Valor’s pet found himself a pet.”
I flatten my back against the wall just inside the doorway, and Omen keeps the door open with his foot as he stretches to toss the laundry into the massive bin that houses other dirty towels, sheets, and blankets.
“Good one. I bet it took you all day to think up that zinger,” he says, rolling his bright greenish-gray eyes. He does a good job of pretending the jab doesn’t bother him, but his jaw flexes minutely.
Is this what it’s like in the real world for betas?
It can’t be.
They’re just being extra special assholes because of the environment we’re all trapped in, right?
If I were him, I’d probably have taken a swing at someone by now.
“Does her sense of smell work? I bet she was mighty disappointed when she realized you’re the only bloke in here without a knot.” The man laughs obnoxiously, and my hackles rise.
Shoving myself off the wall, I slide up next to Omen’s side and work my arm under his, wrapping my hand around his other hip. “My sense of smell works just fine, and I wasn’t disappointed, not in the least.” I smile up at Omen. “Unlike most alphas, he’s not afraid to get creative. Knots are great—I’m a big fan—but as it turns out, a fist will work in a pinch.”
I don’t even know where the comment comes from, but I vaguely remember Omen telling Valor it would be the only option if the stubborn alpha didn’t give in and knot me.
Omen chuckles, squeezing my ass. “Straight out of the omega’s mouth. Anyway, Edwin, while talking with you has been a great pleasure, we have to gather fresh linens. Off with you…” He releases the door, which closes with a heavy thump.
Before I even know what’s happening, Omen has my back against the wall, and he leans close, bending until our noses touch.
“That’s why you call me pet .” My hands come to rest on his slender waist. “For the record, I don’t hate it.”
He smirks against my lips. “I knew it was coming, so I figured it was better to make it our own. That way, they can’t weaponize it.”
“I get it. I also like when you’re being extra sweet and call me darling .”
Omen chuckles. “Noted, but don’t get too used to being pampered. I’m only on my best behavior to woo you, and I’m a very good actor.”
All of that might be true, at least when it comes to how he treats the rest of the world, but… “I’ll take my chances.”
His fingers dig into my lower back, and he lets out something akin to a scoff as he captures my mouth.
It’s a slow kiss with lots of tongue. Not frantic in the least as he holds me in place, devouring me so thoroughly my thighs clench.
Every ember of my being says that Omen needs someone to choose him. To treat him with respect and kindness and to show up for him the way he shows up for Valor. Put in a little work, and I think he’s one of the most loyal people you could ever meet… Or maybe I’ve got rose-colored glasses on because the man sure knows how to fuck me into a puddle of compliant omega.
* * *
Omen makes me guide the way back to our room. We’re both loaded down with blankets, sheets, and towels, but he stays close to my side during the entire trek.
We don’t talk much, and that’s okay. It makes my stomach somersault when our forearms brush as we weave through the corridors. I’m developing a hell of a crush on that Irishman.
Omen comes to a stop and nods to the plate above the door. “It’s 1230.”
My head flies up, taking in the information. “That would have been helpful when you were making me guess which room it is.”
He chuckles and rips open the door. “I’m a shitty teacher. Big surprise.”
Once we’re both inside the room, we get to work remaking the beds, and he stacks the towels in the dresser next to the bathroom door.
He spins around, wiggling his eyebrows. “It smells a little fresher in here, but even after we get out, I doubt they’ll be able to sanitize away the scent of your pussy.” He comes to a stop next to the loft.
I was just about to climb down, so I’m on my knees right at the edge. He wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling my mouth to his for a playful kiss.
I’m getting addicted to the affection he seems to give so freely. I’ve never felt truly desired before, and even the couple of quick relationships I’ve been in, it always felt as though I liked them more than they liked me. It’s nice to have a balance where it seems reciprocal.
The door slams open, and we both jolt. Omen steadies me with his hands on my hips, to ensure I don’t fall from the loft, and spins around, assessing the threat.
“I dinnae ken what went down, but it was something big,” a very large, very angry red-haired man says in a thick Scottish accent as he holds the door open with a huge palm. “If Valor isn’t careful, they’ll chuck his arse in the hole again or possibly something even worse. You’d better come to see if you can reach him.”
I process his words and move to scramble toward the ladder, but Omen’s hands land on my hips, and he pulls me to the ground like I weigh nothing. His fingers link with mine, and then he’s yanking me across the room.
This is bad.
I can feel it in the anxiety that radiates off Omen and scent it in the unknown alpha’s pheromones.
* * *
The cafeteria is mostly empty, but the hallway across from the one we come down is filled with more people than even the first day I was released onto the block. They’re all gathered around a set of double doors that I failed to notice last time we were allowed out.
“What the fuck is happening now, Maggie?” Omen snarls, tugging me along behind him.
“It was a close one,” she says, shaking her head. “Several of the new alphas dragged one of the omegas off. They nearly got her into the shower room?—”
“Bloody fucking Christ,” Omen huffs. “It’s not Valor’s job to handle anyone who steps out of line! You leave all the cleanup to him. Not that you care if it gets him put down.”
My jaw falls.
No fucking way is that happening.
Panic claws at my chest as Omen makes it to the back of the group of people.
Maggie’s face drains of color. “I can’t be in two places at once.”
“Yeah? Well, neither can I!” Omen shoves his way through the crowd, making sure not to lose me in the shuffle.
“Two of the new alphas interceded, but Valor dragged the worst offenders out to the court. The rest followed…” Maggie either cuts off speaking, or it gets too difficult to hear her over all the people.
The scents of the other alphas and omegas slam into my senses, and it’s hard to focus as I’m pulled through the jostling bodies. I’m not expecting to be tugged out into fresh air, and my eyes burn as they work to adjust.
It’s not even especially bright.
It has the overcast haze that comes on a snowy day, and the air proves my assessment true. It’s freezing, and my breath makes a foggy cloud as I exhale.
We haven’t made it to the front of the cluster of people, but I can see two basketball hoops on either wall, and a huge black metal fence surrounds the space. It’s metal with a round chain-link circle at the top and vicious spikes.
Reality really sinks in.
This place is a prison.
I mean, I get it’s a facility for rabid alphas, but they really don’t want anyone to escape.
We’re trapped here.
And I’ve known it, so I have no idea why my chest heaves at the realization.
Omen finally breaks through the people, and he stops dead in his tracks. “Thank fuck. Conrad, you beautiful ginger bastard, I could kiss you.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” the man who came to our cell says. “If you’d like to help out, I’m not a fan of eight on two odds.”
Omen snorts. “You’re just lazy.”
Conrad is the massive guy with red hair, I can tell by the voice. I peek around Omen to see he’s with Valor in the middle of the basketball court.
The sound of fists and kicks landing fills the air, along with a lot of growling and snarling, but they move too fast to tell much outside of noting there are a lot of alphas attacking mine.
I can’t even decide who’s winning.
“I’m serious, Omen. He’s lost to the fog.” Conrad spins around, slamming his elbow into one of the guys I don’t recognize.
The man goes flying, and my eyes widen.
Jesus.
I don’t ever want to be on the landing side of one of his fists.
Omen leans to the side, blocking my view, but he also teases his thumb over my palm. “You don’t need to see this.”
“You need to stop him if there’s a chance he could kill someone,” I say, stretching to the other side.
Only, my eyes catch on two ghosts from the past I never thought I’d see again, and Shaw’s eyes meet mine at the exact same moment. Masks cover the bottom halves of their faces, but I’d recognize them anywhere.
Oh, fuck.
“Oh my god,” I hear myself whisper as my heart tries to take flight right out of my chest.
Omen spins around, studying my face. “Darling, what’s the matter?”
“He did it…” I whisper, trying to form a coherent sentence without alerting anyone nearby that one of the guards notified my family. “He told them.” My hand raises, and I point at the wall where Shaw and Leo stand with several other alphas. “I know them. They’re my old team.”
Omen’s eyes widen, and he spins around as Leo and Shaw jog our way.
“ They’re here for me .”