Annie Nicholas - Omegas In Love

“You should have come to Eric. He would have helped.” Tyler glanced at the bruises on Spice’s face and didn’t think his alpha would be so generous now.

“Screw that, he’d start spouting off on the accords again. You think Chen cares about old laws?” Tony shook his head. “When he offered my sisters for Spice and Katrina…my parents…this is the only way.”

“You think Chen will keep his word?” He wanted to shake the younger idiot.

“I’m not stupid. My sisters are on that ship. I’ve seen them.” He took a shaky breath. “Leave, Tyler. I don’t want to hurt you, but I’ll yell for help if I have to.”

“Don’t want to hurt me? You set me up.” Clenching his fists, Tyler glared at Tony. He wanted to pound his head in. He wanted to break his bones. He wanted…Katrina back.

“Set up? I didn’t–I mean, I told them you were coming…” His voice faded. “Oh.”

“A shifter was waiting for me at the warehouse, wanting to separate my head from my shoulders.”

Tony’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t know.”

Spice rose behind him.

“I wouldn’t–” Tony shook his head.

The surprise must have shown on Tyler’s face, because the traitor wheeled around just in time for Spice to sucker punch him.

Knees wobbling, Tony flopped to the ground, out cold.

“Were you trying to talk him to death, Tyler?” She rubbed her fist. “Fuck, that hurt.”

“How did you–”

She lifted her left hand. Sharp, long claws had grown from her nail beds. “Robert’s been teaching me that trick of his. I can only grow the nails on this hand, though.” The sawed ropes lay in a tangle at her feet. “Help me carry him.” She took Tony’s legs as Tyler grabbed his shoulders. They placed him in the back of the van.

Spice shut the doors and locked them. “What now?” She glanced around.

He blinked. His alpha didn’t have a plan? Shit, that meant he was still making it up as he went. “Well, we’ll deal with Tony later.” He gazed at the dark ship. “I’m assuming Katrina’s on there.” No plan, no back up, and no skill, this was the worst rescue ever. “I had hoped Eric and Daedalus would be here by now.” He scratched his chin. “They don’t even know where we are.” Pulling out his cellphone, he turned it on. “Take the van and my phone. Get out of here and call them.”

“I’m not leaving you. I’m not doing this again.” She planted her hands on her hips.

“If they get you, Spice, they’ll have a bigger bargaining chip than just Katrina. They’ll have Eric by the balls.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and bent to make eye contact with her.

She opened her mouth, determination clearly in her thoughts, then it faded. “Shit on a stick, I hate this.” She shrugged out of his hold and hurried to the driver’s side door. “Come on, you’re coming with me. We’ll need to hurry. The ship might leave.”

“I know. That’s why I have to stay.”

Skidding to a stop, she spun on her heels. “Tyler.” A play of emotions warred on her face: concern, anger, confusion, until she frowned. “Get her.” She jumped into the van and a second later, the engine roared to life.

He couldn’t watch her leave. Instead, he sprinted to the side of the freighter, where a steel ladder was welded. Climbing, he kept praying nobody would see him. He jumped the side rail and hid between some of the cargo containers.

Short of breath, he sounded like a heavy breather crank call on a THX sound system. The cool metal stung his hot flesh. Deep down inside, he couldn’t blame Tony, but wished the idiot had come to them first. In a similar situation, Tyler might have done the same.

Tony’s sisters were on the ship with Katrina. That meant he had three females to rescue. He sighed. Shit, what next?

Katrina could be anywhere on this huge boat. He closed his eyes and inhaled through both his mouth and nose. Tasting the air, he started his search.

If he found her and they escaped, what would keep Chen from taking her back?

This could start a war. The casualties marched through his imagination. Humans would be caught in the crossfire. Shifter relations in Chicago would spiral back to the dark ages. The peace they’d fought to win and keep would vanish.

He came across a rope winch and ran his hand over the cool machine. The Rube Goldberg machine he’d won the contest with contained simple string strategies. There wasn’t much difference between string and rope. What if he took Chen out of the equation for good?

The cracks in the ceiling paint created an intrinsic pattern. Katrina followed the lines with her sight, trying to find a way out of the maze. Her eyes were the only thing on her body that didn’t hurt.

Chen hadn’t held back on the hits once she’d defied him.

She shuddered, then hissed at the sharp pain in her chest. Each deep breath stung. Her ribs were probably cracked. She couldn’t even shift to heal her injuries. It would take her at least a day to recover.

The pain distracted her from the growing need between her thighs, though. Thank goodness, for little miracles. But how long before her heat took control over her body?

They’d laid her on a bed inside a cabin on a cargo ship destined for China. She suspected the room was more for Chen’s future comfort than for her injuries. If only the ground would swallow her whole before he returned.

They’d left the collar around her neck without the chain, a reminder of her status as a dog, and locked her room door. She squeezed her eyes shut. All her tears had been shed. They didn’t do her any good.

The freighter would set sail soon, and all those who’d helped her wouldn’t be bothered anymore. She would return to China. A thousand terrible possibilities loomed in her future.

How pathetic that she couldn’t break out. Without her beast, she wasn’t any better than a human. Every time she reached for her animal self, she found nothing. She’d never been so alone. How did humans cope?

The doorknob twisted and rattled slightly. Someone snuffled on the other side.

Moving slowly, she sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to appear weak when Chen entered. She swallowed the pain and tried to take strength from it. No more groveling. She was Vasi now. The old Katrina had died when she ran from Chen.

“Katrina?” A familiar voice whispered.

Her spine snapped straight. All her pain vanished while her heart did a pirouette into the sky. “Tyler?”

Tyler leaned against the door at the sound of Katrina’s voice, as if he could pass through the metal. He had found her. Lightheaded, he took a deep breath. The lock didn’t appear heavy duty, just a simple thing to keep humans out. The muscles in his back and arm contracted while he applied pressure to the knob. If he broke it, the lock would go too.

It took all his willpower not to bust down the door, but noise would attract attention. Concentrating supernatural strength in his hand finally snapped the knob. Its shattered pieces tumbled into his palms.

He shoved the door open.

Katrina stood on shaky legs. The most radiant smile spread across her face like moonbeams and night skies.

In three strides, he gathered her in his arms and squeezed tight. Nothing short of a crowbar would pry his arms from her.

Or her flinching at his touch.

He let go right away. She hadn’t reacted to him this way since they’d first met. Stepping away, he scanned her from head to toe. Torn dress, bruised face and limbs, her bottom lip swollen with a split. That bastard! She splinted her side as she moved toward him as if it hurt to walk.

“No.” The denial grated in his throat with contained rage. His pulse pounded behind his eyes. Had she already gone into heat? Was he too late?