Chapter 8
Keld
The Omega was still shivering. His scent was weak, his body begging Keld not to notice him. Typical fear response. It was a shame—Grayson had some sort of sugary flower smell that would have worked wonders on Keld had it been at full strength.
Keld pitied the young human to an extent—he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go from a life surrounded by humans to a world where Mer were the dominant species. He’d never known a homogenous existence.
On the other hand, he couldn’t help the flares of annoyance that spiked each time Grayson avoided his gaze. Why had he bothered coming if he was this terrified?
Faint, pink patches had bloomed on the Omega’s pale, freckled face. He was on his second glass of wine and their food had only just arrived.
“How’s the pasta?” Keld asked, jerking his chin at the plate.
Silky blond hair fell across Grayson’s light eyes as he peeked up through equally pale lashes. “It’s really good. Do you want to—Or can you even eat—”
Keld shook his head. “Gluten doesn’t play well with Mer digestive tracts.”
“Oh.” Grayson twirled his fork in the noodles. “How about yours? The green salt is matcha?”
Keld dusted a thick slice of raw tuna in the powder and popped into his mouth. Warm salt imbued with a distant bitterness melted into the savory, rich flavor of the fish. This was one of his favorite dishes. “It’s incredible. Try some.”
Keld used his chopsticks to pat a smaller piece of fish into the dish of green salt and held it out toward Grayson.
“It’s… raw, right?” The Omega looked, if possible, more nervous. “I’ve never had raw fish.”
Keld shrugged and retracted his offering.
They finished their meal in a staticky silence that set Keld’s teeth on edge. In his periphery, he could see Duion typing furiously. An update on this disastrous date for his nosy Omega father, no doubt.
“Why’d you agree to meet me?” Keld asked, his tone harsher than he anticipated. “You’ve looked like you’re on the edge of bolting all evening.”
Grayson flinched, eyes going wide. Keld noted irritably that his irises were the shade of shallow water on a cloudless day. Annoyingly beautiful.
“I—” The Omega’s tongue darted out across his full lower lip. “Beau seemed to think it was a good idea.”
“Beau?” Keld scoffed. “A man you knew for all of a few minutes?”
Grayson’s face went redder under the blanket of freckles.
“Listen, I know uprooting your whole life to come here must be a lot to handle.” Keld took a steadying breath. “But maybe you should hold off on dating until you’re not completely terrified of Alphas. It’s a little insulting, watching you shake like a cornered rat.”
His mind flashed to a vague memory of his childhood, one where he was the cornered rat, watching his mother hurl things across the room. Now, it was his very presence making someone else feel the same way.
“I’ll get the bill,” he muttered. Before the shocked Omega could say anything, Keld pushed to his feet and strode off. Duion jumped, fumbling to print the bill and accept the credit card Keld shoved into his hands at the same time.
“That good, huh?” the kid muttered.
“Fantastic.” Keld snatched his card back and stormed out into the humid night air.
∞∞∞
Had he overreacted? Yes. Was he embarrassed? Yes. Was he just going to bury his feelings in the soft body of a pliant Omega sub at Siren? Also yes.
Kir eyed him as they filled a glass with gose. “You look like you’re in an abnormally bad mood.”
“I am always a delight.” Keld accepted the glass and took a swig. “Just a bad day. Need to blow off some steam.”
“Blow off or get blown?”
“Both, ideally.”
Kir smirked. “Well, it’s a good night for it. Your fanclub’s had a good turnout tonight.”
Keld glanced over his shoulder and noticed a group of five or six Omegas at a corner table, eyeing him. He recognized Dakota’s small, slim figure among them, though he was pretty sure he’d fucked all of them at least once.
“They’re not my fanclub,” he said, turning back to the bar. “Options are limited, that’s all.”
Kir jerked a shoulder. “Maybe. Regardless, the result is a fanclub.”
Keld took a sip of his drink and tossed another casual look at the Omegas. “Think I could convince all of them to join me?”
“Probably.”
Keld heaved a sigh. “That sounds like a lot of work. Lots of orders to be given. Holes to be filled. You know how it is.”
“No, I don’t, but it sounds like a truly terrible problem to have. You must suffer a great deal, Tuiket.”
Keld placed a hand over his heart. “Thank you for saying that, Kir.”
The bartender rolled their eyes and went to take another customer’s order.
A familiar scent filled the air. Keld turned to smile at Dakota, who’d left his envious friends in the dust.
“Hi, Tuiket,” he said softly. “See anyone you like tonight?”
Keld propped an elbow on the bar and feigned looking around. “Hmm, there’s one. But his friends don’t look too happy about it.”
Dakota laughed quietly. “They were arguing over who would go, so I volunteered myself.”
Keld brushed the Omega’s cheek with his knuckles. “Miss me that much?”
“If I say yes, will you play with me?” Dakota’s wavy hair clung to his lashes as he gazed up at Keld. He didn’t so much as shiver when Keld slid his hand around the Omega’s throat, over the top of a leather collar. He pushed Dakota’s slender jaw up, forcing the sub to look at him.
Dakota’s lips were parted, his pupils overtaking the blue of his irises. Not the predawn blue of Grayson’s—more like staring out into deep water.
“What do you want, Dakota?” Keld asked softly. He knew exactly what he wanted.
Dakota’s mouth quirked in a smile. “I want you to tie me up.”
Keld’s cock twitched behind its protective slit. “And?”
“Use me,” the Omega whispered. “Tease me. Fuck me.”
Keld’s fingers tightened, where blood pulsed through the arteries of his neck. “I had a bad day, Dakota. Are you sure you want to spend the evening with me?”
“Even better.” The words were barely a breath on Dakota’s lips.
“Good Omega,” Keld murmured. “Can I get you a drink before we go?”
Dakota murmured his order and slid into the seat beside Keld. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Keld shot him a wry smile and caught his chin in his fingers. “You’re sweet. But hearing you beg is all the talk I need.”
Dakota’s eyes darkened with lust as he took his drink from Kir. “Let’s finish these quickly then.”
The moment both glasses were empty, Keld seized the heavy collar around Dakota’s neck and dragged him down the hall, where private rooms stood waiting. He picked a random door and thrust the Omega inside. He flicked the door shut behind him and leaned down to press a kiss to Dakota’s throat.
Keld lost himself in quiet moans and the shush of rope across skin, but even the sight of Dakota’s delicate frame trussed in the half-light wasn’t enough to chase Grayson’s piercing gaze from his mind.