5. King
King
The repetition of beating the ever-loving fuck out of the punching bag normally takes the edge off my temper, but seeing those bruises on that tiny omega has me seeing red, black, and a powerful wave of murderous white.
Not even Rolly’s threads of violence and glee through the bond has been able to soothe me.
On the other hand…
I stop and catch the bag, looking down at the ground. I lean into it, smiling, wrapping my arms around it in a loopy display of affection.
Omegas.
Two.
Plural.
Multiple.
I just won the omega lottery. The jackpot. No one ever gets two. And they are both so perfect. He’s lean and dangerous, a perfect foil, and she’s so tiny and so very pretty with her pale skin and black hair with its orange tips. Like a little tiger.
I step back and swing, trying to get out some of the happy tension that is burning through me. But as soon as I think of them, I remember her broken and bruised body lying in that bed, and the rage returns.
Fuck this. I stalk out of the room and walk quickly around the house and back to the kitchen.
The house is a giant square built underground.
It’s actually massive and really well-designed.
Rolly and I have been playing a secret game to try to uncover all the secrets it has to offer.
So far, I’ve found a panic room, three hidden corridors, and Rolly found the hidden pantry and the exit back up to the pretend cabin.
I know there’s a security room around somewhere.
It’s just a matter of time before I locate it.
Some rooms are built deeper down, some are behind walls, and some are down passageways away from the main building.
I don’t even want to speculate what it cost.
I’m sure Sage and Blaze know what we’re up to, though neither is saying a word about it. They are the most annoying babysitters I’ve ever had. There is nothing I’ve been able to do to make them angry enough to really fight me. And I have tried, really hard.
Did Rolly and I almost run the business into the ground?
Perhaps, but in our defense, the opposition we got from the board set us up to fail.
After one too many arguments about refusing to do as we asked, I’d told them all to get fucked.
Punched the idiot who tried to set Rolly up with drugs and walked out.
Rolly had casually flipped them the bird, following me without a second of hesitation.
What did surprise me was Blaze and Sage.
I thought they would stay, but instead Sage bundled us up and brought us out here, with one very clipped conversation with Vale that had me smirking as he ripped into his cousin.
We’re the undesirables. The black sheep of our respective families. The ones they like to forget. Vale, Kota, Cyn, and Rory are the poster children, the ones trained for business. This arrangement for us to take over was supposed to be temporary. They tried to trap us in this miserable life.
It never ends well when you try to trap me.
My thoughts twist and turn bleakly. My purpose was to die. To vanish. To cease to exist.
I couldn’t even do that properly. The last time I spoke to my mother, she told me she should have aborted me. Then she forgot I was there. I was invisible, even to Cyn. He wasn’t allowed to see me in case I infected him with my deficiencies.
My plans were all there and then…Rolly came along, and he needed me, and boy, did I need him. Turns out, I’m happy to live in this shit hole world as long as I have a soulmate to fight it with.
Sage looks up when I enter. It’s still a little weird to me that I always capture his attention. He frowns a little like he’s seeing something about me that he doesn’t like.
“They are staying.”
I don’t ask, I tell him.
He sighs heavily and picks up a butter knife. I picture shoving it through his throat if he tells me no.
“Yes, they are staying.”
His easy capitulation has me shifting to the side, putting my back to the wall and not the doorway, watching him, waiting for when he’s going to attack.
The problem with Sage is that he doesn’t fight the way I do.
He fights with charm and understanding. When we got here, I’d stormed out, threatening him, promising he couldn’t keep us.
He’d thrown me a set of keys and opened a hidden garage where a black Kawasaki Ninja sat waiting for me.
“What’s this?” I’d asked.
“You don’t have to stay here. I’m just offering a respite from the world.”
Then he’d turned and walked away. Of course, Rolly and I played with the toys, but then, we were hungry, so we came back.
I mean, we need to eat after such a good ride.
And then being here just seemed easier than being elsewhere.
There’s been an uneasy truce between the four of us since then, punctuated by sporadic episodes of Rolly testing his limits and me feeling like this alpha is winning a game I didn’t know we were playing.
“What’s their deal? Who are they?”
Sage frowns a little and doesn’t answer straight away.
I go to the fridge, watching him carefully. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the unflappable leader of this mismatched group is absolutely flapped. He’s not smiling, he’s looking inwards.
I bite my cheek and crack my knuckles before I reach for a beer.
“No drinking!” Sage bites out with a sharp smile.
I raise my eyebrows and open the beer, then slowly bring it to my lips. His eyes darken, but the smile stays in place.
“How the fuck are you going to stop me?” I laugh and put my lips on the bottle.
He brings his hand up and blows dust into my face. I rear back, coughing.
“What was that?”
Sage mutters about unpleasant, stubborn alphas. My legs get wobbly and give out, but he’s there dragging me up against the hard strength of his chest. I didn’t expect it to be this hard.
I get the giggles.
I have never once fucking giggled, but I do now. It’s like I’m locked inside my head looking outwards on my body, which just seems to be doing whatever the fuck it wants.
“What’s in zit?” I slur.
Sage pats my cheek. “It will wear off in a minute.”
He lowers me to the floor and pats my head like I’m a dog. I growl but end up spitting on his pants.
I stare at the ball of spit, watching as it dribbles down, marring the perfection of his black jeans.
“That was gross, King.”
I giggle again.
Absolutely mortifying.
My head clears as he wanders around the kitchen pulling out everything he needs to cook dinner.
I struggle up, it takes longer than I would like, but I get up on my knees and lift my head with effort.
“You drugged me!”
“I did.”
I jump up and charge him. He steps to the side and out of reach. I swing, but he brings up a frying pan. It hurts.
“Stop fighting. We’re going to have to talk about what’s going to happen soon, and I need you coherent.”
“And not under the influence of whatever you just puffed into my face?”
“It was a mild response. Just be grateful you're not Roseland. I could have a needle to put you under.”
“Just try it,” I seethe, watching him like he’s the dangerous predator that he is.
Sage just hums as he works.
Blaze walks in and smiles. “Hey.”
“Your psycho drugged me.” I point at Sage and slap the island.
Sage looks over his shoulder at Blaze. Their eyes are softer in this house. It's like they pretend when they are in the world how much they don’t care, but down here, it’s clear as day. They are packed up.
Blaze walks towards Sage and presses against his back, kissing his neck. Do I experience a twinge of arousal watching them? Of course, I am a hot-blooded alpha. They are gorgeous and dangerous and exactly my type.
“King!”
Rolly explodes into the room, spinning me around so I’m between him and the angry omega. Again, like what happened the first time I saw him, I’m hit by this powerful shock to my system, like he’s a beautiful blade or a bomb going off.
The raspberry jam scent is thick and makes my mouth water, but it’s his dark brown eyes, dark shaggy hair, and that tawny skin that is inked almost everywhere. His hands bear the markings of being a fighter, and the way he moves suggests martial arts training of some kind.
He’s deadly, dangerous, and very angry.
Rolly laughs and shoves me into him. I almost expect him to stab me again, but his hands catch my waist and our chests slam together.
Words disappear, and all I can do is stare.
I would throw a fight to have him for a single hour.
He growls, and the sound turns me hard everywhere. I lean in, memorizing every inch of his face, from those thick, long lashes to the overly plump lips. He’s not beautiful, but he’s striking. The kind of omega who would walk into a room and command it.
He’s not as tall as I am and not nearly as muscled, but he’s got this strength, this vitality that is captivating. Watching him walk his eyes down over my body has me about ready to bust. He shoves me back, and I let out a startled grunt when Rolly catches me.
“Uh-uh!” Blaze cuts in, his voice like ice. “No fighting in the house. Rolly, go set the table.”
Rolly whistles as he grabs a stack of plates and wanders into the dining room.
“King!”
I steal another look at the omega. He glowers at me.
“What’s your problem?”
I open my mouth to say something intelligent, charming, or funny.
“You. Pretty.”
The omega’s eyebrows go up.
The kitchen goes silent.
My face burns.
I turn, snatch up the knives and forks and leave the room before I humiliate myself further.
Rolly nudges me. “It wasn’t that bad.”
I snarl. “I don’t know what happened. It was Sage’s drugs.” My cheeks heat, just remembering it again.
“Sure, it was. Well, at least he knows you can talk; that is a start.”
I groan and dump the cutlery on the table. It’s a massive rectangle monster that can fit twelve people. I’m not sure who he’s expecting to come to dinner, but twelve seems like overkill.
“Shut the fuck up, Rolly.”
“You really know how to make an impression.”
I snarl at him.
“Boys, behave,” Blaze says, gliding into the room just a moment before I tackle Rolly to the floor and beat the living shit out of him.
I’m going to do it anyway when Pix walks in and my brain turns to mush again. I stand up, my cheeks burning, watching him intently.
“Your staring is creepy,” Pix notes with a sidelong glance at me.
“He’s enamored,” Rolly says, then blows a kiss at the omega. “Just like me.”
The tips of my ears feel like they have been scorched by the sun.
Pix looks between us and rolls his eyes. “Move, I’m hungry.”
I drag Rolly into the corner, giving him a massive space to go and choose any seat he wants to sit in. I hold my alpha there until Pix chooses a seat on the other side of the table. He doesn’t look away from me.
Which sucks because I can’t find any words. I’m just mindlessly, silently staring back at him.
Sage drags Roseland in and shoves him towards the table.
“Sit!”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he snarls.
I relax, letting go of Rolly as I watch the alpha posturing. He yanks out a chair at the end of the table, where he can see Pix and us, and folds his arms over his chest.
“How are you feeling, Detecti-”
“Do not speak to me!” Roseland hisses, glaring at Rolly.
I can feel my alpha’s pure pleasure through the bond. He jumps into the seat between Pix and Roseland, but to both of their disgust. I choose my seat as far away from them as I can get.
“So, King was telling me how gorgeous he thinks our omega is,” Rolly purrs, putting his chin on his interlocked fingers.
Roseland turns to him and scowls hard. “Not our.”
Pix flinches, and all at once, my brain and my words return. I walk over to Roseland, grab his arm, and slam his head down on the plate, breaking the ceramic.
“We need a new plate!” Rolly shouts.
“King!” Blaze snaps from the doorway.
I don’t speak; I just hold him there, then let go. Roseland surges up, but Pix just smiles lazily. Warmth curls through my chest.
“You know, for someone who has zero care for me, you sure do get really hot under the collar when you talk about me, Detective. Makes me wonder what nasty little thoughts go around in your head late at night.”
He could be talking to me. He could be talking to a priest. It doesn’t matter, the way he’s saying the words has me wanting to drop to my knees and worship him.
Sage puts a massive casserole dish down that is filled almost to overflowing with meat and veggies.
“Sit down and eat,” he says.
Roseland, though, looks like he’s going to explode. He gets up and goes and takes my chair, leaving me to sit down beside Rolly.
“Aaron, sit down. We need to talk about the situation.”
He sits down heavily, his jaw clenching and unclenching. He’s scruffy and cute. I think even his hostility is a draw card for me, but not nearly the way the omegas pull at me.
“Let’s eat, and then we can talk business,” Blaze says with a serene smile.
He’s the only one who looks even remotely happy.
The rest of us look ready to kill.