Chapter 17
AGELIUS
The heat hit me like an oven as I followed Zarbius into the shed later that morning.
My legs felt shaky and weak - that was more the exertions of the morning than the heat - however sweat beaded on my forehead and collected at the back of my neck.
My armpits felt slick, the stupid shirt they’d lent me sticking to my skin.
It had to be at least ten degrees hotter in here than outside, and poor Irian had spent hours in here already.
Zarbius abruptly came to a halt a couple of feet inside the door.
In the center of the shed, seated as far as possible from the heat radiating from the walls, was Irian.
He was stripped down to his waist, pale skin flushed a bright pink.
His stringy brown hair was darkened with sweat. His breathing was labored.
“Fuck!” I muttered in Zarbius’ ear. “Those betas are fucking useless. He’ll be dead from heat exhaustion before we even get to do the trade.”
Zarbius’ frowned. “You’re not wrong.”
He swung round, looking for someone. He caught sight of a cruel-looking beta hovering near the door. It was the same guy I’d stopped from molesting Irian the previous day, and I wasn’t happy to find him lurking nearby.
“Fetch him some water, you idiot,” he snapped at the mean-faced guy, who scowled and slunk off.
“Anyone with a brain would know he needs water in this heat,” I muttered. My curls bounced angrily around my head.
“We’ll move him to one of the cabins,” Zarbius said, turning back to me. “And set a guard outside. There’s no way to cool this shed down. Gotta look after the merchandise!”
Irian’s color was terrible and I was worried for him. He needed care.
“He doesn’t look too good. Think you better send an omega with him to take care of him?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. He’s no fucking good to us dead.”
I nodded in agreement. And hoped he didn’t take too long to get Irian out of here.
Zarbius stepped closer to the omega. Irian wasn’t paying him any attention because he was busy glaring at me through slightly hazy eyes.
I knew how things looked. I wished I could let him know I wasn’t involved in all this, but for the purposes of getting him out of here, I had to pretend that I was.
I had to hope that when this was all over, there’d still be a place for me in his pack.
I didn’t want to be out on my ear again.
And I wasn’t sure Talius would forgive me if anything happened to his mate.
Zarbius looked from Irian to myself and back to Irian. He nodded and huffed as if confirming something to himself.
Addressing the omega, he said, “You do know each other…” he let the sentence trail off.
“Traitor!” Irian spat at me, managing to summon a little energy despite his alarming condition.
I shrugged and turned to Zarbius, effectively dismissing Irian.
“Yeah… told you yesterday. He’s from my old pack.”
Zarbius nodded again.
“That’s good. That’s good. You can pay his alpha a little visit and make the ransom demand for me.”
“Sure. I’ll have no trouble getting into the pack. No-one even knows I’ve gone. Getting to see the Alpha will be easy.”
“Yeah, well, you gotta make sure he pays up.”
“He’s not gonna pay until he’s seen his mate is unharmed,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, yeah. Gotta be in good condition. I remember.”
“I don’t wanna lose out on this deal,” I told him. A speculative look crossed Zarbius’ face, and for a moment he seemed far away. He was plotting or planning something.
Zarbius sneered at the omega. “We’ll soon find out how much that useless alpha of yours thinks you’re worth. You better hope he’s fond of that skinny ass of yours and gets his hands on the money quick or you’ll be joining the other omegas on the next shipment out of here.”
Irian flinched. He’d probably been anticipating mistreatment here, so that in itself wasn’t a surprise, but he couldn’t have known about the shady business Zarbius and his pack were involved in. Omega trafficking. Once he was in that system it would be near impossible to locate him.
“He’ll pay,” I grunted.
Irian went to stand up but staggered. He stood there swaying.
“Where’s that fucking water?” demanded Zarbius, suddenly concerned. I could almost see him imagining all that ransom money slipping away. “And bring me one of the omegas – now!”
“Here,” the sly beta had returned with a bottle of water. The plastic crackled as the bottle landed at Irian’s feet. Irian wobbled as he bent to pick it up.
“Fuckwit,” muttered Zarbius under his breath, loud enough for the beta to hear but not loud enough to provoke a response.
The snap of the plastic cap, and the sounds of desperate gulping filled the next few moments. Irian poured the remainder of the water over his head. His soft brown eyes bored into mine, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Zarbius’ sharp gaze remained watchful of Irian. His eyes narrowed. “You can take one of the betas with you,” he said, finally turning to me.
“That’ll make it harder to get entry into the pack…
” I protested, “They’ll notice if I have a stranger with me.
” The last thing I wanted was someone keeping a watchful eye over me – I had no illusions why Zarbius wanted to send a beta with me.
If I was accompanied, it would be difficult talk to Talius about the situation here without the beta noticing. I’d have to stay in character. Fuck!
“You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.
” Zarbius was unmoved. “You better come back with my mate and the ransom paid. It’s gonna be up to you to convince the Alpha that his mate hasn’t been harmed.
But… if you have trouble convincing him, it wouldn’t hurt to let him know what happens if he doesn’t pay up in time. ”
A rustle in the doorway behind us signaled the arrival of an omega with one of the betas ushering him into the hot shed.
The beta himself didn’t follow, probably unwilling to subject himself to the same oven-like temperatures as their prisoner, the heat that was causing sweat to stick my shirt to my back.
It didn’t take long to be uncomfortable in here…
I wiped my forearm across my forehead, it came away with the hairs dark with sweat.
The sooner we got out of this oven the better.
I recognized the omega who entered. It was the tall, plump guy who had brought me dinner my first night there, the same one who’d tried to protect Tosca from me when I’d gone to choose an omega for the night.
I didn’t know how far the omegas here could be trusted – there was such a thing as Stockhold Syndrome, after all - but he was Tosca’s friend. I hoped he’d be a friend to Irian.
The hum of conversation stilled outside the shed, and several betas poked their heads around the doorway, heads tilted, eyes roaming between the occupants.
They seemed reluctant to come in any further, but curious about what was going on.
The sleazy guy was still inside after delivering the bottle of water.
I flicked a quick glance over my shoulder at him.
He was staring at Irian speculatively. He seemed unaffected by the heat, no signs of sweat on his shirt, or on his face, though he was scruffy and disheveled.
A narrow tongue wet his lips as he kept his gaze lazer-sharp on the omega.
I didn’t trust him. I wasn’t even sure he could be trusted to obey his Alpha.
He was standing behind us, a situation I was sure was deliberate, since Zarbius seemed to have forgotten about him.
“One of you lot take this guy to an empty cabin and guard the door so he doesn’t try to escape. And you,” here he paused and pointed a finger at the newly arrived omega, “look after him. He’s not well. It’s your responsibility to make sure he gets well. Or else.”
The omega stood there blinking his big brown eyes as Zarbius spoke. He didn’t react to the implied threat. After a beat, he bowed his head submissively.
“Yes, Alpha.”
He ambled forward and gently linked his arm through Irian’s, speaking softly to him, and began leading the stumbling omega towards the exit.
Irian’s reproachful eyes narrowed on me as he passed.
I could feel the why? in his weighted gaze.
I ignored him, keeping my expression harsh and disinterested, aware that Zarbius was watching.
But Zarbius’ attention wasn’t on me. He sneered.
“You can scowl at him all you like, omega, but you oughta be thanking him for keeping you safe. If it wasn’t for him, these betas woulda been all over you already.
Lucky for you this guy knows your Alpha’s a fucking princess or you’d be going back to him covered in cum and bruises. ”
Irian looked confused. Of course, he had no idea what Zarbius was talking about.
Talius would have flown to the moon to get him back in any condition.
I pressed my lips together and moved my head sideways very subtly, hoping he would pick up on the silent message to stay quiet.
Something passed through Irian’s eyes, and they flicked between Zarbius and myself, but he said nothing.
As the two omegas shuffled slowly towards the door, the sly-faced beta moved to follow them. I didn’t miss how he his hand slid over Irian’s hip as he ushered him towards the door.
“That guy there,” I tipped my head in the direction of the beta. “That’s who I want to have come with me.”
Zarbius shrugged. Maybe he didn’t care who came with me, as long as someone did.
Someone who was loyal to him. It was a kind of insurance policy, in case I wasn’t what I claimed to be.
He wasn’t totally stupid. But the choice of this guy was a good one, from his point of view.
He was a disgusting leech, the sort of guy who’d be fully onboard with the kinds of plans Zarbius made, not likely to be convinced to betray him as long as there was something in it for him, and since Zarbius kept a ready supply of omegas for his crew, that much could be assumed.