ELIANO #2
Then I notice that Salt’s head is no longer visible on the right side of the bus. When there is no oncoming traffic, I edge forward slightly, as if preparing to pass, and realize the window where he was sitting is covered.
What the hell is that supposed to be for?
Why would Salt even move from his seat?
I pull farther forward and see that nearly the entire second row of windows is blocked. I slow down again and, where the shoulder widens, try to pull up alongside the bus from the other side, only to be hit with another shock. The windows are covered there too.
What the fuck?
This is not normal. This should not be happening.
I make a split-second decision that is reckless and dangerous. I overtake the bus and slam on the brakes in front of it, forcing the driver to brake hard as well. Tires screech.
I jump out of the car and run to the main bus doors, pounding on them with my fists.
The driver makes a mistake, likely unaware of what is happening in the back, and opens the doors. Immediately, I jump inside.
"What are you doing, are you out of your mind?" he yells. "We could have crashed."
I ignore him. The rear of the bus is separated from the driver’s section by a thin partition with a door. I kick it in hard as the beta screams behind me.
"Have you lost it, what the hell are you doing?"
But I am already charging inside.
The sight that greets me freezes my blood.
Salt is being restrained by two alphas, thrashing and struggling, blood trickling from his mouth, while another alpha stands behind him, tearing at his jeans.
"Step away from him right now," I roar, releasing a low, vibrating warning sound in AO meant for other alphas, followed by another one, a clear confirmation of my claim on Salt.
The sequence does nothing to stop them. At that exact moment, the alpha who was trying to rape him pulls out a taser and fires it at me.
Of course.
The familiar surge of electricity tears through my body.
If I had never experienced this before, my reaction would have been far worse, but I have been electroshocked since I was a kid.
You never become immune to electricity, but my tolerance is higher than most, for which I am, ironically, almost grateful to Uncle Anzo. This is also a mental thing.
I grab the wire and yank the device out of the alpha’s hand.
The next second, I slam my full weight into him.
The other two try to draw their tasers as well, but Salt grabs one by the wrist and lashes out at the other, attempting to kick him in the face.
It buys me enough time, maybe two seconds before they shove him away, to knock out the main instigator with a sharp elbow strike.
Muay Thai techniques never fail in situations like this.
My movements are a little less coordinated because of the shock, but I am effective enough to land a solid punch on the next alpha, who cannot move freely because he is wedged between the bus seats.
The third manages to get a hit in, catching me in the brow, but I have taken worse hits more times than I can count.
I fire back immediately with a fast right cross, and he drops unconscious.
I turn and see the beta driver standing behind me, a gun raised and pointed in my direction.
I can tell from his eyes that he is not sure about any of this.
His gaze flicks to the covered windows, then to Salt, whose jeans are still dragged halfway down his thighs, exposing his narrow hips, black tattoo lines crawling along his side…
like tangled threads of a spiderweb, covered with spiders and various insects.
His pale, rounded ass catches my attention for a split second before I force myself to refocus.
"What the hell is this?" the beta demands.
"What is this? Are you blind? It was an attempted rape!" I snap, teeth clenched. "They covered the windows so I wouldn’t see and tried to get to him."
Not waiting for his answer, I pull the burner phone from my pocket and call Storm, immediately putting it on speaker.
He picks up almost instantly.
"Get here now. We’re fifteen minutes from the detention center, on the main state road. The three alphas escorting him tried to rape Salt. I stopped it. They’re incapacitated."
Storm swears viciously. "All right. I’m calling Gessler and Gomez. Stay where you are."
The call ends, and only then does my gaze finally settle on Salt’s face.
If I was expecting any kind of grateful look, I was very wrong.
Salt looks at me darkly, his lips pushed out slightly, almost like he is offended and humiliated that he needed help at all, and from me of all people.
I decide to ignore it for now. Salt cannot easily pull his jeans up on his own with his hands cuffed in front, so I step in behind him, catching the scent of his warm skin and prison shower gel.
I grab his jeans and yank them up in one quick motion, my hands briefly settling around his waist as I fasten the fly.
Then I cuff the three unconscious alphas with their own restraints and drag them toward the front seats of the bus.
Two of them are already starting to come around.
"Shit…" one of them mutters, while the other spits blood onto the floor.
"What the fuck is this, Gross?" the bleeding one snarls. "Why did you let him cuff us?" He turns his fury on the beta driver, who is still standing there, uncertain and clearly torn about what he should do next.
"Did you try to rape him? Why were his pants pulled down?" the beta asks.
"That’s none of your damn business. You were only supposed to get us to the destination," one of the alphas snaps.
"It is my business. I’m responsible for the safe transport of prisoners too," the beta replies through clenched teeth. His morals are clearly intact, and he has no intention of protecting would-be rapists.
That is when the tallest alpha finally fully regains consciousness. He lifts his cuffed hands, stares at them for a moment, then wipes blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You’ll regret this, Gross. You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong. This had nothing to do with you. Do you even know that this beta killed four alphas? The fucker is called Alpha Slayer!" He scoffs.
"Are you confessing here?" I erupt. "You admit you wanted to make an example of him?"
The alpha grimaces slightly, he probably realizes it’s not wise to talk about his real plans for Salt.
"It was just supposed to be a little lesson. A scare, nothing more. We weren’t planning anything. It was just…" He pauses, a twisted, almost amused smile crossing his face. "A joke."
"A joke?" Salt speaks for the first time, sitting in one of the front seats now, his face pale, his jaw muscles twitching. "Saying you wanted to see the Alpha Slayer take three alpha dicks didn’t sound like a joke, you bastard!"
The alpha rolls his eyes. "That’s exactly why I didn’t want that idiot coming along on this transport," he growls, glancing at his companions. "It was nothing. Just a joke. We were only going to scare you a little. No big deal."
It is obvious he is trying to downplay it, and I am not buying it for a second.
"The only joke here is what’s going to happen next. You’ll pay for this, scumbags!"
"Relax. A joke is a joke. We can continue the transport like planned."
"No. We are not continuing anything," I say flatly, folding my arms across my chest. "We wait until the right people get here to handle this. And I’m not taking my eyes off Salt, not with you anywhere near him."
Salt suddenly rolls his eyes and gets to his feet.
"I’m not sitting in here with them, in the alpha fumes. You got a cigarette?" he asks the older beta, who nods. "Mind sharing?"
"Sure."
Salt heads for the bus exit, walking a little awkwardly since his ankles are still cuffed.
"Well…" the beta hesitates, then gives in and follows him out.
I have no intention of staying inside with those assholes, so I step out as well.
Gross lights a cigarette for Salt and hands it to him. Salt takes a quick drag.
I stand nearby, watching him closely, a hint of challenge in my stare, curious what he is going to say next. Instead, he turns toward me unexpectedly.
"You’re probably expecting a thank-you."
"Expecting is a strong word. It would be nice, but I didn’t do it to earn your favor, Salt. It was my duty as your new husband."
"Good. Then don’t expect one. You know I sat in that damn hall for hours convinced you ditched me, asshole? And I still haven’t cooled off from that."
"Fair." I shrug and turn away, and there is more than one reason for that.
I can hear Salt’s heart pounding hard. I get the sense he did not let himself show how scared he really was. He is clearly trying to act tough, but his body is telling a different story. He leans against the bus, pale, his fingers shaking noticeably.
After a brief moment of hesitation, driven by a sudden impulse, I step toward him, grab the waistband of his jeans, and pull him against me, wrapping him in a hug.
But it becomes something else almost instantly.
For a brief moment, when my fingers brush his bare skin where his T-shirt has ridden up, a wave of intense, blissful heat rolls through my body. It is deeply erotic. I gasp, and he does too.
I expect him to fight me, to pull away, but he goes slack in my arms. I hear his uneven breathing, the wild rhythm of his heart.
He’s shaking. My alpha instincts take over.
I protectively wrap my arms around him, then I lower my head and press my mouth to his neck gland, scraping lightly with my teeth.
He lets out a sharp, breathy sound.
I respond with a rare sound, an alpha purr designed to calm distressed omegas, but I dare to use it on Salt.
That sound, resonating deep in my chest, seems to have an effect.
He strangely melts into me, his body reacting on a physical level, almost like his adrenaline is leaving his system in real time.