Chapter 9 #2
“That’s fair,” Maddox says, slapping his hand over Aled’s mouth when he attempts a retort.
“Hush, Aled. He’s right. Also, don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, Gareth.
Distancing yourself from Dad. I understand why you’re doing it, but you’re fucking stuck with us.
Forever. Now, let’s plan our next moves, because Dad won’t be sitting around with his thumb up his ass in the meantime. ”
“Four days may not mean that,” Cai agrees. “And he really wants Olivia. There’s no fucking way that’ll happen. I also did something that’s going to piss you off.”
“You crushed up something and put it in the water jug,” Maddox says, dropping his hand with a scowl. Aled looks smug, meaning that he definitely licked Maddox. The way that our older brother scrubs his hand on his pants shows that I’m right.
The words take longer to register, but I suck in a breath as they do.
“What the fuck did you do?” I ask Cai.
“Dad handed me these baggies of pills,” he explains quickly, pulling them out of his pocket. “He said it’ll cleanse the heat blockers out of her system fast—”
“I practically forced her to drink that shit!” I whisper-shout. “You did this on purpose.”
“I did,” Cai says, appearing ashamed. “She’s not taking that shit anymore since she doesn’t have it. It seemed like the least fucked up thing that he wants to do to her.”
“Any other confessions?” I ask, pulling a knife from my pants.
As soon as they leave, I’ll be putting up every weapon in my room so that Olivia can’t get to it. My little omega is on suicide watch until I can convince her that we won’t be handing her over to her worst nightmare.
“The antibiotics will also fuck with her heat blockers,” Cai admits. “It wouldn’t surprise me if being around us pushes her into a heat. I imagine that she’s been on these for a long time.”
Motherfucking shit.
“I’ll add a cock ring with a knot to my online cart later today,” I say nonchalantly. “None of you fuckers are allowed near her unless she specifically asks.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Maddox lies.
I guess that’s the best I can ask for.
“Are we looping the Irish assholes into this?” I ask. “I don’t know how many men Dylan may have brought with him.”
My brothers wince as I distance myself more and more from the man.
“I’ll look into it,” Cai sighs. “I’m locked in, I promise. I won’t get distracted.“
“He missed a ton of important stuff when looking into Olivia,” Maddox explains.
“I don’t think it was all on Cai,” I say.
“Olivia lives off the grid. I bet she doesn’t own any part of the home she lives in, and that’s done on purpose.
If you choose to look, you’ll see that she’s been a ghost. Someone who’s been this terrorized by her abusers wouldn’t have any kind of digital thumbprint. ”
“That’s true,” Maddox grunts.
“Whatever we decide,” I say, moving away from Olivia as our topic of conversation. “We need to decide when we’ll hit Dylan and his men. We also need to figure out who is loyal to him on our own property and who isn’t.”
At my words, Maddox closes and locks my door.
“I’m with you,” he says, getting comfortable on the ground. “Let’s plan a little patricide.”
OLIVIA
My eyes flutter open, and I sigh as I see that I’m hooked up to an IV. My arms are stitched up, and I feel really floaty, which means that I’m on really strong pain medication. There’s also something different inside of me that I can’t put my finger on.
“Yes, you’re still here,” Gareth says next to me. My head rolls to the side to gaze at him, and he looks exhausted. “Are you not going to say anything to me?”
“Do you expect me to apologize?” I ask, my voice cracking. “I told you exactly what would happen. I can not do this again. I won’t be raped for the pleasure of an alpha who believes it’s his right.”
“I swear, I won’t allow that to happen,” he says, turning on his side to prop his head up on his fist. “I’m going to kill him before it can.”
“He’s your dad,” I remind him, needing him to think about this.
“Not anymore,” Gareth grunts. “I don’t owe that man anything.
My brothers and I have all been hurt by him in one way or another growing up.
Hot pokers, knives, Aled has a brand on his hip, Olivia.
That one happened when he was ten years old and didn’t move fast enough during a training exercise.
We’ve been indoctrinated to believe it’s normal, even loving behavior. ”
“I think it became so prevalent that it became your normal,” I allow. “That’s how abusers get you to stay.”
“Hmm,” he says. “You didn’t stay.”
“I tried to leave the second I found out I was pregnant,” I correct. “I don’t know that I would have been able to keep trying if it was just me.”
“Then one day, I want to formally thank your daughter for saving your life,” Gareth says, making my eyes water.
Fuck, do I want to hate him. This entire situation is anything but a meet cute, and yet, he’s still the only safe place to land here.
“I think you saved me this time,” I whisper, the first tear catching on my lashes.
“So I could yell at you,” he agrees, moving so that he can cage me under his body.
I’m not wearing the outfit that Dylan trashed from earlier, and I’m glad for it. I’ll never forget the smarmy smile he gave me when he introduced himself to me downstairs. There’s something evil inside that alpha.
“Are you?” I breathe, gazing up at him.
“Not right now,” he murmurs. “I’m reserving the right to yell later, though.”
“That’s fair,” I sigh. “I really need to brush my teeth. I puked before I grabbed the knife. You may not want to get too close.”
Rolling his eyes, he gets up to root around in his nightstand. Pulling out a bottle, he shows me the label before shaking out a couple of peppermint beads.
“Open,” he instructs.
“I’m not a dog,” I mutter, feeling as if it’s an old argument. I still open my mouth to allow him to drop the beads in.
They pop in my mouth, and I can immediately feel the cooling minty flavor coat my tongue. Swallowing, I find that it even settles my stomach from my anxiety.
“Better, thank you,” I murmur.
“You can be sweet,” he teases in a shocked tone, laying back down beside me. As he does, I notice that he has to nudge the dog over. “Balthazar hasn’t once moved other than going outside to use the bathroom. He hasn’t wanted to leave you. I’m telling you, he’s going to like you more than me.”
My lips twitch in amusement, but it is sweet that Balthy is worried about me.
“Now, we need to chat, baby,” he says, his thumb moving over my hand. “What are you feeling?”
“That’s a pretty broad question.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Indulge me,” he suggests. “Close your eyes and think about it.”
Sighing, I close them and look within. I can feel my vein protesting against the prick of the cannula, I’m sore from my protest against staying another second on this godforsaken earth, and there’s something else…
A pulse of worry flows through my mind that doesn’t belong to me, and my eyes slam open. I know that’s not mine. Years of feeling emotions that don’t belong to me have made me hypersensitive to anything that isn’t mine.
“What is that?!” I squeal. “How…”
Swallowing hard, Gareth acknowledges my words with a sigh. “I didn’t think anything would happen when I did it. I was mad and I wanted you to open your eyes so I could see how beautiful they are. It didn’t make any sense, but as I said, I wasn’t thinking.”
Lifting my hand closest to the edge of the bed, he shows me my thumb. There are still indentions from his teeth there, despite the time that must have lapsed.
“So I bit your thumb,” he says sheepishly. “The doctor said that the bond wouldn’t have snapped into place if you didn’t want me. I’m still really sorry that I bit you without permission. I desperately want you, but not without your consent.”
“I think my body consented for me,” I say softly.
The bond doesn’t feel wrong…
“So I guess this means that betas definitely can bond to omegas. Which, I knew by the way, because Cerenity is bonded to one,” I add.
“I don’t want to apologize for it, but I’ve been freaking out that you’d be really mad,” he says with a wince.
“I don’t think I’m mad?”
Gareth chuckles at the giant question mark at the end of my words, yet I don’t quite know how else to explain it. I can try though.
“Forced bonds feel like there are snakes in your mind,” I begin.
“There’s a foreign, unwelcome person whispering to you, corrupting something that omegas are told is supposed to be a blessing and miracle.
We want to feel loved, adored, and cared for.
However, my abusers could send images of all the awful things they’d do to me when they found me.
They didn’t know that Cerenity existed until very shortly before their deaths. ”
“So what do I feel like?” he asks, moving closer until he’s once again caging my body with his.
Raising my free hand, I graze my fingers over the patchwork of ink and scars.
“Mine. I can tell what emotions aren’t mine, but this doesn’t feel malevolent,” I explain. “I also know myself well enough to know that I’m not upset about this. I could pretend if it’ll make you feel better…”
“Don’t be a brat, that’s my job,” Gareth grins, kissing me hard. “Please don’t leave me. I lost my mind when you collapsed when I found you. I ran down with you in my arms as if there was a banshee chasing me.”
“Who stitched me up?” I ask.
“Dr. Adrain Royal,” he replies.
“Oh fuck,” I gasp. “Ugh, why did it have to be him?”
“He seemed to have the same reaction when he saw you,” Gareth says, frowning. “Why?”
“He runs in certain circles of the Irish mafia. He does a lot of work for a charity in Minneapolis for omegas, and I’ve run into him occasionally. Dr. Royal is…nice,” I say.
“Nice? That’s like the kiss of death, isn’t it?” Gareth teases me.