Chapter Seventeen
Saphyra
S hadow grabbed his discarded shirts and steered me back between the bramble thicket into the darkened passageway. Logically, I understood that alphas were built for this sort of thing, but his bruised knuckles, split lip, and torn up back upset me more than it should. Maybe this was part of the incomplete bond. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it and was glad Shadow had agreed to see Grey, even though he insisted he didn’t need to.
On our way back in, I noticed Shadow re-secure the panel on the interior side of the door before we left it locked behind us. I’d watched him disarm it and arm it again. It didn’t seem that complicated, but if you didn’t know what you were doing it would be confusing. I wondered if this door was monitored like the others or if this was excluded from the security grid somehow. It worried me that I had to think about that at all. The safety of this whole place was constantly on my mind.
Halfway back to the stairwell, Albion and Grey found us. The austere alpha bowed and quickly made her goodbyes, saying she needed to return to her duties, leaving Shadow, Grey, and me in the gloomy light of the residential sector.
Dark crescents hung below Grey’s soft, smoke-colored eyes, and his skin was pale and drawn. He looked tired, but I was so glad to see him I ignored it and rushed over, throwing my arms around his neck. He smiled and his hands rubbed soothing circles over my back. “Little one,” he murmured, and nuzzled my throat.
My heart did a flip-flop in my chest as I melted into his embrace. The joy of his presence was overshadowed when I remembered why I’d needed to see him in the first place. “Grey, Shadow is hurt. Can you fix him?”
I hurried back to Shadow and lifted the edge of his shirt to show Grey the bloody scab marring the swirl of black and gray of his tattoos.
“I’m sure something can be done. Let’s go to my office and have a look.”
Grey led the way through the murky gloom to a hallway that split off from the muddy ground. The floor and walls shifted back to the sterile metal that the upper levels had just before we came to a door. Grey opened it with a passcode and let us in.
I didn’t know Grey had an office, but this looked more like a storeroom converted into a medical facility. It was brightly lit and clean, and I supposed that was all it needed to be.
In the far corner, there was a cot set up, and it made me wonder if Grey was sleeping down here. He shouldn’t be sleeping in a storeroom. He should be sleeping with me in my nest. But I didn’t have a nest. That was a concern for later, though. First, we had my alpha to fix.
Shadow peeled off his shirt that was sticking to his back in places. I winced in sympathy and fidgeted at his side.
“I’m still fine,” Shadow said as I started to worry over him again.
I knew he was fine, but I needed to be sure. I watched as Grey unpackaged some sterile gauze and cleaned away the caked on blood with a funny smelling solution. As he wiped, the blood came away from undamaged skin underneath.
I’d seen the wound. I knew it was there earlier.
“Where did it go?”
The shock must have been clear on my face, because Shadow smirked. “I told you it was fine.”
“But you were hurt. There was a big gash.”
Grey continued cleaning the blood away, revealing more smooth, perfect skin. “Alphas heal fast, Saphyra. I know you don’t have much experience with that, but it’s one of the reasons they are ideal for military use.”
“You shouldn’t talk about them like they’re objects, Grey,” I admonished.
“That’s very true. I’m sorry, Valyx.” He apologized to Shadow. “The Imperatrix views alphas as mindless weapons. That’s the culture I was raised in, but it’s not accurate. They are very dangerous, yes. But alphas feel things just like everyone else, maybe even more so. It only makes what Altaira is doing that much worse and what we are doing that much more important.” He paused to examine Shadow again. “You look fine. How do you feel? Any soreness?”
“Do I have to keep saying I’m fine? Or…” He trailed off.
“This is my fault. I didn’t know just how fast you’d recover. I’m sorry for making a fuss,” I said.
I was surprised when Shadow tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s possible that I don’t mind you fussing over me from time to time, little omega.”
My little omega heart warmed hearing big bad Shadow being a bit of a softy. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lower lip where the split had been not so very long ago. “I’m glad. I don’t know if I can stop.”
Grey came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and dropping a kiss below my ear. “I also don’t mind you making a fuss if it means I get to see you.” His lips lingered near my neck, and I could feel his warm breath fanning over my skin. Then he was gone so fast I wondered if I’d imagined it.
“You should go, though. I have work to do.” Grey was holding open the office door.
My brows pulled together in confusion, but Shadow’s arm slipped around my waist and guided me out the door. It clanged shut behind us without a word of parting.
What in the Stars was that about?