Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
QUINN
The doctor in me notices the level of cleanliness in the kitchen as we walk through, and it's impressive.
As soon as I step inside the door, Santiago starts walking, leading the way. Without a word, the dogs fall into place on either side of me, and Kade is so close that his subtle cinnamon scent does its usual thing, helping me relax. It’s like taking edibles.
After I’d first met Kade, I spent a lot of time researching his scent, his designation, and the mystical properties he brings.
I hadn’t ever spent that much time with a Beta before.
At the clinic, I’d treated lots of Betas and had also worked with a few, but socializing, and being intimate, with one left me with more questions than answers.
A part of that was him being my scent match, though I wasn’t willing to go around asking anyone questions about that, either, so I embarked on a journey of discovery.
Betas and Alphas are different in size and stature, along with the major noticeable difference—the lack of a knot at the base of the cock.
In an Omega’s heat, a Beta would be able to support an Omega, but they wouldn’t be able to meet the physical needs of an Omega’s body or alleviate the crippling symptoms of the Omega's heat cycle. Only an Alpha has the tools to do that, and perhaps that’s why so many Alphas are arrogant jerks.
Kade didn’t let what he didn’t have scare him or put him off from pursuing our arrangement.
I guess he used what he had to his advantage, like his scent and the benefit of his presence.
Because where Alphas are the top of the food chain in society, by their very nature, they hover in an overly emotional state, where they are quick to react.
Betas have the wonderful ability to temper stresses and negotiate Alphas out of rages because of their practical and grounding influences.
It works with Omegas and their overactive emotions too.
Any time I’m near him, I feel his magic wrapping around me, coaxing me to be peaceful.
I feel safe with him, and not in a “fend the bad guys off in a fight” way, but in the “give me your heart and let me love you, I won’t let you down for eternity” way.
He also turns me on by simply being close.
I swear, if I don’t get this man to love in my next lifetime, I will be studying dark witchcraft and hexing the world at the injustice. A later problem, for sure.
“Where are we going?” I ask, turning to look at him.
“Up to your suite. You get to either rest or help us do some construction work.”
“Huh?”
“Apparently, a truck has been delivered. It’s parked in the street. Aleksei didn’t want them in here without him around.”
“Are workmen coming in?”
“Do you really think the Russian would let people in the house now? After you’ve been attacked so many times? Besides, I know a bit, and Santiago is apparently good with his hands, Aleksei too.”
“So, will I get to help?”
He chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, Quinn, you get to help.”
I swing around; his sarcasm isn’t sharp enough to sting but is still noticeable.
“No. You will not be helping.”
“You just said I could.”
“I know. I hate to deny you anything, so I said yes, but it was never going to happen. I couldn’t live with myself if you broke a nail.”
He’s teasing me. And it feels good. He knows I’m not a princess, and I really would like to help, but he also knows how exhausted I am.
Working nonstop at the clinic seems to be catching up to me like an out-of-control bullet train.
It always happens. The instant I get to relax, I crash out because there is absolutely nothing left in the tank.
It’s not safe for an Omega to be in that state. Vulnerability leads to nothing good.
Vulnerability…oh, shit.
I stop suddenly and nearly get bowled over by Kade and Aleksei. Santiago must sense something is going on because he crowds in close too.
“What is it?” Kade asks.
“Before I left, I sent a box of personal items, some medication, a few small keepsakes, only because I didn’t trust my suitcases not getting lost. Which, in an odd way, happened anyway when my stuff got destroyed. But tomorrow, I need to see a doctor you trust, Aleksei.”
“Why?” he asks sharply, unease and suspicion on his face.
Kade twists around and stares Aleksei down until the Alpha runs a hand over his face, along his scar, taking in a big breath.
When he looks at me, he’s contained his outburst. It wasn’t huge, but that’s not the point. “Of course I can arrange that. Sergey has a…”
“No thank you. I do not want to trouble my future husband with my ‘maybe’ predicament. Please leave it be.”
Kade turns around and looks at me carefully.
But it’s Santiago who speaks softly. “You don’t have any suppressors in your bag?”
I stare at the two of them, hoping to convey without spelling it out that we shouldn’t be talking about this in front of Sergey’s man.
“I did, but all my things got destroyed. I don’t want to risk having a mini heat, all things considered.
The last few weeks have been very stressful, and I’m tired, which adds to the potential of me having an episode. ”
If you three were not around, I might be okay. But hello, scent matches. My body wants to pretend she’s a penis-slash-knot flytrap. And of course, as if to prove a point, certain muscles hear my internal ramblings and start to clench around nothing, which hurts.
Thankfully none of them react, keeping their thoughts and scents to themselves.
They accompany me to my suite, none of them making eye contact, and they’re careful not to touch me.
“I’m not going into heat right this second!” I hiss before gnashing my teeth together as I deal with the onslaught of frustration and longing, rolled into one tiny outburst.
Santiago keeps walking but checks over his shoulder. I feel the way he’s looking and assessing. “I’d still like to know about these other attacks.”
He diverts my focus, which is pretty cool of him. I think I was envisaging acting up and him using my weakness to drag me into a corner and do wicked things to me, but that’s my longing speaking. So I’m happy to follow the direction he’s taking.
Deciding the only way to explain everything that’s happened is to start at the beginning, I share my experience with the cab drivers, followed by my drive by the estate that first night and being summoned from my hotel the next morning.
We step inside the room, and everyone spreads out but stays close. So, I keep explaining.
“I’ve come to realize my future husband has numerous side pieces, and I don’t care at all, but those side pieces are territorial, vindictive bitches.
One of them was on their way to Aleksei’s room—and, again, it’s not my business what she was doing,” I say, lying through my teeth.
The thought of anyone but me inside his suite drives me near rabid.
The bite on my hand stings like a wasp attack in validation of our connection.
I ignore the pinch of pain and continue. “What is my business is that she decided to ruin my clothes, empty all my makeup and medication, and destroy anything else she could get her hands on. And she stole my panties.”
The mood of the room feels colder than the snow outside.
I don’t look at any of them, staring outside at the weather as I finish the rundown they asked for by describing waking up to an, almost, empty house and then being forced to stay by the pack of dogs who were ready to attack as soon as I stepped outside.
Crossing my arms over my chest—in defiance or because of the cold, I don’t know—I add, “I literally do not care at all what your Bratva does. In case you are not aware, this union is transactional to all parties involved. Saying that, I will not be subjected to his harem trying to intimidate me or his enemies trying to kill me because they’re too fucking gutless to go after Sergey. ”
I haven’t even spoken to Kade or Santiago about any of this. I’m winging it, hoping I haven’t misread the signs of our attraction to each other.
“Where I come from, you get one chance. Everyone has had theirs. Any further slight to me, and I’ll ask my guards to act with deadly force. I feel that’s just. Don’t you?”
Turning to face Aleksei, I find his eyes bright with anger.
Since I know very little about him, I don’t know if the anger is directed at me or because of the threat I made.
I could assume, given the dogs and his strange show of care to date, but assumptions get people killed.
Although I should keep my mouth shut because I have no idea if he’s simply going to run to Sergey and share everything I’ve said, try telling my mouth that.
“Hence, I don’t want anyone besides the four of us to be aware of my issues, that may or may not develop into a situation.”
Aleksei walks over to the bar and grabs a fresh bottle of vodka, twisting the lid to crack the seal.
He turns to face us as he does so, showing it hasn’t been tampered with.
I think it’s a sign he wants us to trust him, or he’s a control freak and doesn’t like the thought of people touching anything of his.
Which kind of makes sense, given he has his own kitchen, food, and dogs.
In his near-perfect English, he admits, “We do have an issue. And a situation.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “What now?”
“I spoke with Sergey,” he says, but his accent gets thick, making him sound like he learned English online. It happens when he gets emotional. “The attackers were all Dmitri’s men.”
“And who is Dmitri?” Santiago asks, his dark mood hidden behind a practiced smile and the soft volume of his voice. I can smell how angry he is. So can the others.
“He was part of our inner circle until he and Sergey had a falling out. And now he is someone you need to be aware of. He is a threat because he wants revenge against Sergey.”
I sigh, unsurprised, because this is the shit that happens constantly in the criminal world. “Of course it's not just one thing we’re dealing with.”
“That is the issue, which inadvertently caused the situation, but also Victor and Sergey have been speaking.” Aleksei nearly spits the words, which is in complete contrast to the way he usually speaks. Which gives me the heads-up that whatever he’s about to say isn’t going to be great.
He takes a massive swig of the vodka, and I try to smother my rising anxiety. The anticipation is building, much like how the atmosphere changes when a storm approaches.
When he comes nearer to me again, he hands over the bottle, and he has tucked his emotions away again.
I take a large swig, already knowing where this shit show is going and what he is going to say next.
He holds my gaze, though there’s no challenge in his eyes. There’s not much of anything, really, since he is shielding himself.
“They have agreed the wedding should happen sooner rather than later.”
Kade comes close and pretty much overpowers me to stop me drinking down the whole bottle. He stays next to me and takes a long pull of the vodka.
He coughs to clear the burn out of his throat. “When?” he asks as he passes the bottle to Santiago.
“Sergey will return by this time tomorrow. The next day, he has called skhodkas so his peers can witness.”
“What is that?”
“A formal meeting of all the Bratva elects and higher-ups. Most of his peers won’t attend—it’s too risky and volatile to have men who don’t trust each other in the same room.
But there will be important people coming.
He’s making it known he is married. It’s unnecessary, and I have asked him to reconsider. ”
“And will he?”
He takes the bottle, taking another oversized gulp. “Nyet. On ne peredumayet.”
Aleksei doesn’t seem to realize he’s slipped back into Russian, nor does he notice the way his scent leaks with his frustration.
Handing the vodka back over, I give him a tight smile. “English, please.”
His eyes jump to mine, and I’m not saying he’s pissy or drunk, but perhaps the alcohol is hitting hard because I see him drop his guard. All this time, I’ve been sure he didn’t know who I was, but the flickering conflict in his eyes suggests something different.
And then I realize, perhaps a little too late, that the vodka is kicking my ass too. Thankfully, though, I have experience living this life already, so I keep the realization that he has limited vision in one eye to myself.