Annie Nicholas - Omegas In Love

“Stop joking.” She hugged him tighter. “I am very worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” He really was. They’d won and he’d gotten her back, all by himself. Maybe a warrior did exist in him.

Tires squealed around a corner and she stiffened in his arms. Eric’s pick-up drove toward the ship. “Better late than never.”

Hospitals carried the scent of blood and it was driving Daedalus mad. Sugar’s health stressed him out, which in turn made his hunger worse. Trapped in a vicious cycle, he eyed the staff as they came into his fiancee’s room. However, snacking on a med student would be bad.

The stiff, cheap chair provided for visitors gave him the impression the hospital didn’t want them staying long. Even the undead developed sore backs.

Why did he hesitate to turn Sugar? Sure, she would hate him, but then she’d have forever to yell, kick, and scream at him for betraying her wishes. Her present silence, lying in bed, reminded him all too well of her frailty. Being tied to life support only postponed her inevitable fate. Even if she pulled through, she would still die one day.

Leaving him alone for an eternity.

No one compared to her. Over the millennia, he’d known his fair share of females, yet none had ever made him consider following them to the grave. Without Sugar in the world, life didn’t seem worth fighting for.

A quick walk outside on a nice sunny day would fix his problem if Sugar passed.

Daedalus shifted on the seat, relieving a cramp. Dumbass. Falling in love was a huge mistake. Like a cancer, it rooted in his heart and grew out of control. Too bad there wasn’t a cure. No chemo or radiation to prevent heartbreak. His gaze wandered from Sugar’s still form on the bed to the covered windows.

Hospital maintenance had just finished nailing thick black plastic over them to prevent the sunlight from creeping in. Money could buy the best customer service. All protests about him staying at Sugar’s bedside disappeared with a nice donation.

He glanced at his watch. The funeral home would be delivering the coffin soon. With enough effort, he might resist the need to rest, like some of his older brethren, but he wanted a plan B in case he caved and needed to sleep.

Daedalus sensed Spice close by and steeled his expression. Her presence plowed ahead of her arrival into the room like a storm of grief and suffering. She didn’t need to know he endured the same emotions. She’d been through enough the last twenty-four hours.

Her swollen lip and black eye matched Sugar’s, her identical twin. “Any change?”

“Not in the last hour.”

Sugar wore her curly, blond hair long like he loved it. The thick, heavy waves fell to the middle of her back. Her twin cut her hair short, making the curls tighter and out of control.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Spice held her sister’s hand. “Eric just called. He has both Katrina and Tyler. They’re in the emergency room getting patched up, then heading here.”

He nodded. The monitor continued to beep in time to Sugar’s heart. After spending the whole evening here, the rhythmic noise faded into the background, yet his gaze still drew to the machine. Maybe he feared that it would stop without his notice? He closed his eyes.

“What are we going to do?” Spice whispered her voice hoarse.

“I don’t know.” The sheets on the bed rustled. He glanced across the room where Spice had twisted to face him.

“What do you mean? You always have a plan.”

“Not this time. My only option would go against her wishes.”

Spice clutched Sugar’s hand to her chest. “She’d hate you.”

Sighing, he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know. That’s why she’s still human.”

Spice chewed on her lower lip and winced. “What if I make the decision for you?”

He raised a non-existent eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Displaying her hand for him to view, she grew claws from her finger tips. “I could make her pack. She’d live and wouldn’t blame you.”

He tilted his head to the side and frowned. “I know you’ve offered to infect her before today.” Spice had a good heart. However, she could drive a vampire to pray. She’d never liked him and thought her sister too good for a vampire. “I also know Sugar refused. She’d hate you instead.”

She blinked away tears. “We’re twins. She’d eventually forgive me. We share a special bond.”

“She wants to stay human.”

“And you’ll sit there and watch her die?” She let go of her sister’s hand and stood with her hands on her hips.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged and shifted again on the uncomfortable plastic chair. His plans weren’t anyone’s business. Hell, he didn’t know if anyone from the vampire council would respond to his request. “But you can’t make her a werewolf. In her state, she would never survive the infection.” He stared at his boots, not wanting to give anything away. “Just be patient. Let the doctors work their magic medicine.”

“Fuck that.” Spice reached for Sugar.

Before she moved an inch, he made it across the room and grasped her wrist. “Don’t make me break it.” He wanted to shake her. Bad pup. The original Omegas trusted him, but Spice had vampire issues. “I love your sister and have her best interests at heart.” On impulse, he brought her clawed hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. “Please, trust me.”

Brows drawn together, she slid her hand from his. “Fine. A little more time.”

Someone knocked on the door. “Am I interrupting?” Robert’s glance darted around the room. “Do you have a minute, Daedalus?”

Nodding to Spice, he followed the beta from the ICU to an empty waiting area and sat across from him.

The werewolf leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “I finally traced the email’s source.”

“What e-mail?” Daedalus rubbed the spot above his nose that ached. “Do we have to do this now? Can’t you deal with it?”

Robert’s mouth fell open. “I guess, I can.”

With a heavy sigh, Daedalus slumped in his chair. “This place is getting to me.” He gestured to Robert to continue.

“The email you had me trace, the one Esther got doubling the price on your head. You know, the one that sent an arrow through my chest?”

The tension in Daedalus’s shoulders doubled. “What did you find?” The slayer, Esther, had given them access to her professional email account so they could track the assassination contract on him. She’d shed her old life when she’d become a werewolf and part of the pack. Her obvious commitment to Robert was the only thing that kept Daedalus from making her dessert after she had tried to kill him.

“You’re going to get pissed. I’m warning you.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it, Robert. I’m already pissed.” He chuckled without mirth. Bad things always happened in threes. This sounded like it would be number two on his list. What next? “You don’t get to my age without making enemies. Spill it.”

“I know, but I want to keep my head attached to my shoulders.”

“Robert!”

“Pal Robi, inc.”

“Shit.” He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Fuck.” Staring at the announcement board behind Robert on the wall, Daedalus couldn’t move, like the planet’s gravity surged all of a sudden.

“Do you know who in the company would do this?” Robert whispered.

When vampires had become legal citizens, twenty years ago, he’d started the security company and named it after himself under orders of the vampire council. As Prime of the Northeastern America, he needed an excuse for prowling the area.

Pal Robi was his company, but the money and power flowed from above him. Just because humans had finally acknowledged their existence didn’t mean they’d abandon their ancient political structure. The council still held sway over the world, the humans just didn’t know about it.