Chapter 16
“You should have gone straight to the hospital for treatment,” Koah stated tersely. “Are you mad?” He sighed. “Don’t answer that.”
Levi hadn’t been about to.
Fiora silently worked on patching him up while her brother, who’d only just arrived, glared.
They were in his bedroom at the main house, with him seated in the center of the leather couch. He’d lost all feeling in his left arm about an hour ago, and hadn’t had the energy to do anything other than adjust the settings on the toy he’d used on the omega for near half a day.
The heat hadn’t lasted too long, around ten hours.
Thankfully.
“Do you realize how close you came to bleeding out?” Fiora had already hooked him up to a blood transfusion. She’d wanted him to come to her lab for proper treatment, but he’d refused.
His omega was passed out on the bed, the comforter covering his entire body up to his chin.
Levi had also refused to allow anyone to enter until his omega had been secure, but it’d taken him five times longer to stumble across the room and cover him than it should have.
Fiora was right.
He’d taken a great risk.
“Cut up the bodies in the basement and feed them to the qilinx.” Having their flesh devoured by the canine beasts that roamed the deep forests wouldn’t be nearly enough punishment for what they’d done, but Levi would have to settle for it.
After the crash, he and Baal had been ambushed by a small group of men in masks.
By the time backup had arrived, they’d already killed off most of their attackers, but both he and Baal had suffered serious injuries from being run off the road.
Just as they were about to take out the remaining offenders, his multi-slate had beeped, alerting him that the omega’s vitals were spiking.
Levi had gotten into Koah’s car, ordered them to deal with the rest and take one alive to question, and had sped off with little interest in the damages he’d sustained.
He’d stopped feeling the pain all together the moment he’d gotten another alert, this one indicating someone had opened the cage door.
He’d been in the process of turning into the long driveway by then and had picked up speed, practically crashing into the frozen fountain out front in his haste.
If the omega hadn’t been so close to losing it to his heat, Levi would have made those guards suffer, but as it were, he’d needed them taken care of quickly so he could focus on Elm.
“You fractured three fingers,” Fiora stated, applying the last second-skin patch, a technology that would speed up the healing process, over his back and shoulder.
It’d taken her over a half hour to remove all the glass from the shattered car window.
“Came this close to nicking a major artery, and dislocated your shoulder.”
“Nothing serious.”
She hummed in agreement, even as Koah rolled his eyes.
Levi had suffered through much worse and they knew it. They all had. These were all minor injuries that would be fully healed within a day or two thanks to their species advanced healing and modern medicine.
He was more concerned about his omega.
“Stop checking that damn thing. He’s fine,” Koah said when Levi lifted his multi-slate to peer at the screen showing the omega’s vitals.
“I viewed the footage like you asked. Seems like the guards caught a whiff of the synthetic even from the main level and grew curious. They followed it to the stairwell and,” he shrugged, “you know how well that worked out for them.”
“He was trying to fight back.” Levi stared at the sleeping omega.
“During his heat, that would be difficult,” Fiora replied. “Once he’s stabilized it shouldn’t be a problem, but until then…He’s close to it. It shouldn’t be much longer.”
“What’s your definition of close? Fenrir took a year,” Koah pointed out.
“Every case is different.”
Koah’s device chimed and he checked it. “Speak of the devil. The Purse says he’s here. Apparently, you wanted him to bring something?”
Shit. That was right.
“Can he handle being around other omegas?” Levi asked Fiora.
“I don’t see why not. We’re all here in any case. If something does happen, you can settle him.” She stood and brushed off her hands. “I’m going to go take care of the bodies in the basement. Try not to move too much for the next hour or so.”
“I’ll stand in the hallway.” He got up before she could tell him not to, snatching the blood bag off his thigh and carrying it. “Go with her, Koah. And send Oberon and the rest up.”
“The rest?” Koah shook his head when Levi refused to answer then walked off to follow the order.
Levi moved into the hall and then pulled the bedroom door mostly closed, leaving a few inches of space open so he could keep Elm in his sights.
This was pretty crappy timing, but he’d forgotten Oberon had completed his task and planned to come by today.
Originally, Levi had meant to receive them in one of the smaller guest houses when he returned, before coming back to Elm, but now…
Oberon appeared at the end of the hallway, grinning when he spotted Levi waiting. “Heard you got into some trouble?” He whistled, then motioned to the line of omegas who were trailing behind him.
They kept their heads bowed, eyes on the carpet. Out of the five of them, two were female, but all were dominant. The hall was wide enough four of them could easily stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and they stopped ten or so feet away when Oberon signaled them.
“Going to tell me what this is all about?” Oberon slipped his hands into the front pockets of his tan slacks and then sniffed. “Starting with what the odd smell is coming from your room.”
“No.” Levi stepped closer, eyeing the omegas. None of them were ugly, two of them were even rather attractive. He openly smelled them, but while he didn’t have any adverse reactions to their pheromones, none of them made him feel even an ounce of what Elm did.
“You.” He pointed to one of the males. “Give me lust pheromones.”
The dominant omega clearly knew who he was and didn’t put up a fuss, activating his seductive scent and sending it Levi’s way.
It was pleasant, rich and nutty, with a hint of powder. Levi’s cock twitched but didn’t get hard, though it was enough to tell him he could fuck this omega if he really wanted to.
Not that he did.
He had no interest in bedding any of them. In fact, the longer they stood there, altering the air, mixing their scents with his omega’s, the more frustrated Levi started to feel. It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch, causing him to shift on his feet and purse his lips.
It wasn’t their pheromones that bothered him, it was that their pheromones were sullying the perfume of Elm Erskine that had seeped into the walls this past week.
Levi took a deliberate step back. “Get them out of here.”
“You don’t want one?”
“No.”
“Go outside and tell the driver to bring you back to the Wardrobe,” Oberon instructed them, waiting until they’d disappeared around the corner before addressing Levi. “That’s a dominant I smell, isn’t it? Its pheromones are all over you.”
“His,” Levi corrected.
Oberon glanced over his shoulder the way the others had gone and then snickered. “Oh, I see. You were checking.”
“Careful, Purse.”
“What? You knew I’d have questions and yet you asked me to do this anyway. Well, now it’s Q&A time. Been a while since you last got your dick wet. I’m happy for you.”
Levi set his blank expression on him, hoping that was enough of a warning.
It wasn’t.
“You thinking of taking this omega on? That’s why you wanted to be sure no one else was appealing, isn’t it? Come on. It’s not like you to be a bitch about things. Didn’t you once tell me if you ever found someone worthy of you, you wouldn’t hesitate to claim them?”
“Do you memorize everything I say?” He had said it. He’d meant it too. “I’m weighing my odds. It isn’t hesitation, it’s ensuring an informed decision is made.”
“What’s to consider?”
“Coming from someone who bit his omega after knowing him less than a day, your opinion isn’t worth much.”
“You’re the Leviathan.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Just take him if you want him.”
“I don’t know if I do.” He did.
Good Light. Levi really, really did.
He wanted to map the omega’s expressions like a cartographer, until no one knew his ins and outs better. Until Levi could predict exactly what the omega was feeling and what he’d feel next just by glimpsing at his face.
He wanted to trace every line on his body. Every slope and curve and plane and ridge, until he could recognize him even without sight.
And his brain…
Getting into the omega’s head would be trickier. Cracking him open, luring him into exposing his secret wants and darkest desires. The way he ticked. The why. The how.
Then molding all of that so it leaned toward Levi.
So every single part came together and drew toward him like a moth to a flame.
Control began with captivation. It set in by unraveling doubt and filling those spaces with senses of security, even false ones.
Levi’s rabbit had relied on him fully. Had ate out of the palm of his hand when he offered food, drank from the cup he gave.
Slept at his side when Levi slept, and woke when he woke.
There’d been an inexplicable beauty in that. A reverence. A bond unlike any other.
At thirteen, the rest of the world may have been outside of his grasp, but there? In his rooms with his rabbit? He had been in full control.
And now?
Levi wasn’t a volatile kid anymore. No one pulled his strings. He was the master of his universe.
Soon, he’d master Elm Erskine.
Yes.
That sounded right.
He hadn’t been stalling due to hesitation. This was perfection he was seeking.
Perfection he demanded.
It’d been forever since he’d felt this way about anything, and he wanted to bask in it. Douse himself in raw sensation and allow himself to get lost in the feelings. He’d been numb to the world for so long, what would it hurt to allow himself a small reprieve?
“I’ve never been interested in claiming anyone before,” Levi noted, tipping his head as he thought about it. “It has to be flawless.”
Oberon groaned. He’d always found Levi too rigid. “Dominus, this is the one time where losing control is more than acceptable, it’s expected.”
“No.” Everything happened on his schedule. This was no different. “Keep this from the others, especially Baal.”
“Keep what? You haven’t told me anything.”
“I’m bringing him to the lodge,” Levi continued. “Inform Wook I’ll contact him once I’m settled and to hold all my calls until then. And have a car waiting. I’ll have him ready to go within the hour.”
Oberon’s playful vibe vanished and he straightened. “Whoa, you were just attacked, Dominus. Baal is interrogating one of them now, but we still don’t know who was behind it.”
“No one important.” It hadn’t been the Eumia. Kian wouldn’t risk killing him if he believed Levi had Elm. Since it wasn’t their greatest rival, it didn’t really matter. “You and Baal deal with it. He’s in charge. Tell him to do what he sees fit.”
“Seriously?” Oberon frowned. “You’re going into seclusion? Now?”
That’s what they’d taken to calling Levi’s…
unsociable periods. Every two years or so, he retreated to the lodge for peace and quiet.
Taking time away from all the noise and the smells helped him maintain his steely disposition once he was back.
Usually though, this was planned months in advance, with a million moving parts adjusted just to ensure nothing went awry in his absence.
Levi glanced into the bedroom. His omega didn’t appear to have moved even an inch, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the blanket, and the tantalizing smell coming off of him the only indicators he was all right.
He almost hadn’t been.
Fiora had assured him the guards would be well out of range so long as they stayed on the main level, and like a fool, Levi had trusted they would follow orders and not get curious. Elm was too potent. In some regards, they couldn’t be blamed.
He couldn’t allow anything like that to happen again. Wouldn’t allow room for error.
If he wanted his treasure safe, he needed to whisk it away. Lock it up. Somewhere no one would accidentally stumble on it or catch a whiff.
Yes. That was the best plan. The only plan.
He’d bring Elm somewhere safe and they’d work on stabilizing him there. Work on getting to know one another better. He had the advantage of reading the omega’s file, but the younger man hardly knew anything personal about him.
Levi could go in there and claim the omega in a fit of blood and teeth and force, but then what?
It was difficult to control the enemy.
What good was a life partner who always worked against him?
“I’ll make him come around on his own,” Levi murmured, missing when Oberon gave him a strange look. “Once he wants the bite, then I’ll give it.”
“What if he never wants it?” Oberon asked.
Then Levi would wait for the omega’s next heat, and fuck him like he always begged him to.
The omega would welcome his teeth in his throat then. Guaranteed. It’d make manufacturing trust harder, but not impossible.
Still, Levi would rather coax him into it.
He couldn’t afford to let another creature turn him into an emotional puppet on strings. This wouldn’t be like with the rabbit, with Levi’s moods dependent on whether or not he felt the small bundle of fur returned his affections.
Elm Erskine would be devoted to him. Fully. No exceptions.
That’s how Levi could get away with possessing him, and not losing himself in the process.