Chapter 10 #2
I shake my head. I’ve been inside his mind, albeit briefly.
No terrible dark secrets lingered, and I’ve seen my share of monsters, so I would spot the signs, wouldn’t I?
But still… there’s something off-kilter about him.
I’m reaching out, I realize, trying to read his mind, although he is gone.
And now I try, I get the sensation that he’s not as far away as I feared.
Still in the building somewhere, and that comforts me.
I shiver. It’s not cold, but it’s certainly not warm in the apartment. I need to clean up. To eat. In the past, when terrible things happened, I always felt better for being clean, washing away bad memories, my pain, and my mistakes.
Resolute, I head through into the bedroom, my eyes catching the pile of nesting material, and the bare mattress. I walk past both and head into the shower.
With the water nice and hot, I begin to wash. The steam smells faintly of him. His products are lined up neatly, and I use them liberally, washing away his scent, but replacing it with something that is his.
I feel better for being clean. The water running down the invisible drain is soothing. I’m wounded inside, the heart kind of wound… and I’m definitely sore and tender all over my body.
I’m not a virgin anymore, am I? I experienced something with an alpha—something I never thought I would. Nobody can take that away from me. That’s mine now. I’m claiming it.
You claimed him, too, didn’t you?
He still walked out of the room.
Depression has been a constant companion since I was taken, a familiar and unwelcome guest that slips into every corner of my life. Banishing it is impossible, but sometimes I can ignore it. What I’m feeling is nothing new.
Done, I switch the water off, step outside, and find a fresh towel. I dry efficiently, then wonder what to wear.
There’s a hamper at the side of the shower. Hanging out of it is his T-shirt from yesterday. As I pick it up, his scent moves through the air. I bring it to my nose and sniff, then pull it over my head. Soft against my skin. Comforting. It falls almost to my knees.
I finger comb my hair as best I can. There is a new toothbrush in a packet, so I make use of it.
Finally, I look at myself in the mirror. A little flush to my cheeks, my eyes brighter than usual, although my cheeks are hollow. My fingers slide down my throat, settling on the bruise. I depress the skin, welcoming the achy feeling.
His mark, one of many… I put my share of marks on him, too.
Back in the bedroom, my gaze drifts to the nesting material. Even among the Uncorrupted, a nest offered me some comfort. A place I would go to forget and hide.
The urge to make one now is strong. The bedroom is spacious and imposing, with the bed occupying the center of the room. No part of this room entices me to nest. It’s far too open. I return to the lounge and similarly reject the area.
There are two more doors on the other side. One is locked. The second one is a guest bedroom. I’m about to walk back out again when I notice the dressing room.
No windows. Small. Contained. And Empty. Yes. This is exactly what I need.
It takes several trips to carry everything, but I build my nest in the corner of the dressing room: pillows, blankets, cushions, even the quilt from the guest bed. I shape a little wall around me, adjust and readjust until it starts to take shape.
I try not to think about the time passing, about where he is, about whether some beautiful beta with perfect lips is hanging on his arm.
Wouldn’t I know if he betrayed me?
Not that it would be a betrayal, considering we barely know one another, and he owes me nothing.
Tears come. I ignore them. There is no place for pity here. Instead, I focus on the mechanics of making the final adjustments to my nest.
I rock back on my heels to admire it. It’s done. I crawl inside, pulling a blanket over like a tent. It’s hot and stuffy, but it feels safe. I curl around a pillow.
Tired. So tired.
My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it.
My chest aches from his absence.
He’ll come back, I tell myself. He has to.
And when he does, we’ll talk. And maybe things will be better.
I’ve escaped the Uncorrupted. I’m in Chimera, home again. The nightmare is over.
Only, some nightmares are never over because their echoes linger in your mind.
Time passes. It might be minutes or hours. But something rouses me from the nest. I push out, flushed and a little confused, but an invisible pull draws me into the lounge and all the way to the foyer where the elevator is.
My fingers touch the doors.
I can feel a faint vibration.
I jump back just as they spring apart.
Rhett
We discuss risks and thrash out some plans in light of my unsanctioned mating to the most notorious omega in the Empire.
To most people, she’s probably more of an urban myth, because who the fuck would believe in mind-reading?
As for her time in the Uncorrupted, I’ve no doubt they used and abused her and her gift.
The hints I’ve picked up from her, the marks on her body, they tell a story.
But I’m anxious as hell the whole time I’m away from her, and can’t concentrate for shit, although this is off the charts, fucking important.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lucian finally mutters. “Is the threat of the government and/or Black descending on us not enough to keep your focus?”
“I’ve been away too long,” I say, pushing off the couch and heading for the elevator. “I’ll do some digging. Check if there’s any chatter. If Ethan brought her here, he must have had some help, and a higher-up must know. They’ll be looking for her. We need to get ahead of that curve.”
Getting into the elevator takes the edge off the crazy. The floors count up one at a time. This is an express elevator, but it still feels too slow.
The door swings open directly onto the foyer of my apartment. And she’s standing right there, her eyes wide.
Her scent hits me, unleashing a primal urge to possess and claim. My nostrils flare as I take in her state of dress, everything from her little naked toes, her bare legs, and the huge T-shirt she’s wearing—one of mine that I dumped in the laundry hamper yesterday.
I growl and step out.
She squeaks as I grip her under the ass and haul her into my arms. I thought putting my hands on her would calm me down. It doesn’t; it ramps the territorial right up, and more so when I realize she’s had a shower and washed my scent off.
Her arms and legs wrap around me, and her nose buries against my throat, which eases the mania a notch. She nips my throat.
Bad fucking idea; that just unleashes my beast.
I pivot and pin her against the wall, where I pinch her chin and devour her lips. My dick is hard and wedges against her hot core. I’ve been away for an hour, tops. What if it were longer?
Nope. Being apart is not an option, not for a minute. Not again. My hand slides between us, yanking the T-shirt she’s wearing up and shoving my sweatpants down.
I pin her more securely against the wall and bear her down. Her hot, tight pussy envelopes me.
She moans.
So fucking good. I pound into her, giving into the primal command to fill her with my seed. My knot is already swelling; each thrust drives me straight toward detonation.
“Come, baby. Right now. Come all over my cock.”
Her head tips back, and a high wail leaves her lips.
She gushes around me, squeezing my length. My knot reaches the point of no return. On the next thrust, I’m locked.
I taste her blood on my lips. My teeth are embedded in her throat, and I savage her as I dump load after load of cum into her cunt.