Annie Nicholas: The Omegas

“No training tonight?” Her voice sounded too high.

Tyler grinned ear to ear and spun his chopsticks to point at their group. “No training for us anymore.”

Katrina sat close to him, looking more at ease with herself than Sugar could remember. What a mismatched couple. Katrina’s somber, beautiful oriental features countered his crazy red curls and goofy antics.

“What happened?” Sugar held up her hand. “Wait. Where are Eric and Sam?”

Robert towered over her as he took the grocery bag and started putting things away. “Eric is the answer to your first question.”

She blinked. “What?”

Robert continued from behind the fridge door, “The night of the big storm, your boyfriend went and checked out the alpha of the Ayumu pack. I don’t think he was happy with what he saw. Since then he’s mainly been training Eric.”

The reference to Daedalus as her boyfriend caused heat to rise in her face. She turned to Tyler. “You’ve been out training all week with them, though.”

He twirled his chopsticks around his ear. “Something about keeping us as back-up in case Eric wimps out, but I’m not worried, he’s doing great. Turning into a werewolf ninja. We’re off the hook now.”

“And Sam?”

Robert finished with the groceries and ran his hand through his short, scruffy, brown hair. “Back at our place moping. He wants to be the one to fight. Did you know your fridge is listing to the left?” He bent down to adjust a wheel under the fridge.

Katrina fluidly rose from the floor and fixed Sugar a plate of take-out.

“Why does Sam want to fight? Could he win?” Sugar accepted the plate Katrina offered. “Thank you.”

Robert stood. “ Mr. Pal Robi doesn’t think so, and he’s the expert.”

Katrina touched Sugar’s arm. “Sam want protect Eric.” Her exotic, heavy accent played with her words. She lifted a box from behind the take-out. “Let play Scrabble.”

Eric would fight for the Omegas. Sugar smiled to herself, imagining a ninja werewolf taking on all the wrongs of the world. He’d always wanted to be a superhero. She hoped it didn’t get him killed.

The idea of Sam fuming by himself didn’t sit well with her. “Set up the board, I’ll get Sam.” She walked down the hall to their apartment and knocked on the door.

This meant the others could get on with life. Robert and Eric worked out of their apartment on whatever computer project the company gave them, the others took time off, and Sam lost his job.

No one answered the door, so she knocked again. “Sam, it’s Sugar. I know you’re in there, open up.”

The door cracked open and Sam peeked out with his pale gray, red-rimmed eyes.

“We’re going to play Scrabble. Tyler has the dictionary memorized, and I need you to help me beat him.” She smiled, but he stepped back.

“I’m not in the mood.”

“Sam, what’s wrong?” The sound of heavy footsteps echoed up the stair well. She could hear Daedalus chuckle at something Eric said.

“Ask Mr. Pal Robi.” He closed the door in her face.

Hands on hips, she swiveled on her lover and best friend as they arrived in the hall.

“Oh, oh.” Eric turned around.

“Stay where you are, ninja wolf. The three of us need to have words.”

“Words?” Daedalus glanced at Eric behind him. “Is that a modern way to say ménage?”

Sugar approached him and slapped his hard abs with the back of her hand. She thought it probably hurt her more than him.

His eyes flared. “Hey.”

“Words, means she’s pissed.” Eric peered over Daedalus’s shoulder.

“If Sam still wants to train he should be allowed to.”

“This is why you’re angry? They don’t all have to fight, just one. I need to be able to focus on Eric, and you need to mind your own business.”

A flash of red blinded her for a moment. She ground her teeth and attempted to form a coherent response. “My business?”

Daedalus stepped back as she came forward with her finger pointed in his face.

“You demon loving, zombie breeder. They signed a contract and paid for training. Sam lost his job because they only wanted him to work nights. The others are happy to be off the hook, but Sam still wants in. You need to keep your end of the deal.” His dark blue eyes bored into hers, and she remembered who she was confronting—a very strong and deadly vampire. She swallowed, then retreated a step.

“Eric, get your sparring partner.”

He grinned while he brushed past Sugar and went to his apartment to get Sam. As soon as the door closed, Daedalus picked her up and pressed her to the wall. His mouth found hers in a savage kiss.

She shoved at his shoulders, but she may as well have tried to push a mountain. One of his hands found her breast and pinched her nipple until it pebbled at the attention.

Her struggles didn’t last long before she surrendered to him and rubbed her hands along his smooth scalp. All her anger evaporated, its heat turned to passion.

He kissed along her jaw until his fangs rested on her jugular, firm enough to prick.

Her heart raced, and her blood went cold with terror. Trapped in his arms, she fought to get away. A scream built in her throat, but before it came out he let her go.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

She steadied herself with a hand on the wall. “You thought wrong. I never considered letting you feed off me. It surprised me.”

“Next time I’ll ask first.”

“Yes, please do.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek to take the sting out of her reaction. A door opened and closed behind her.

Eric and Sam walked down the hall. Daedalus nodded at them and went down the stairs followed by Sam. No words were exchanged.

Sugar rolled her eyes. Men.

Eric stopped beside her before descending. “You okay, sugarbear? You’re pale.”

“Yeah, fine.” He hadn’t called her that since high school.

“Looks like Daedalus is helping you grow a backbone too.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “He’s good for you.” Then he left to catch up to the others.

She returned to her apartment with new determination to beat Tyler at Scrabble.

The next morning Sugar basked in the pale morning light among her cherished plants on the patio. She noticed Katrina peeking around the patio door. Sugar never locked her apartment since the Omegas moved in, one of the perks with having werewolves as neighbors.

She patted the space next to her on the bench while she twirled a single red rose under her nose.

Katrina sat by her and pointed to the flower. “Is it from Daedalus?”

Sugar smiled and continued admiring the Chicago skyline. The sweet scent of the rose filled her senses. “Yes, I found it by my pillow when I woke up. It came with this poem.” She offered the handwritten note for Katrina to read.

Her soft giggle, a rare precious thing, shook their shared bench. “Is nice.”

Sugar took the note. She folded it carefully and placed in her robe pocket. “Who knew he could rhyme?” Their laughter sweetened the morning air. What a romantic gesture. A fire-breathing dragon sleeping in her bed wouldn’t have surprised her as much as Daedalus’s tender gift. She wished he’d woken her up, though.

“Things serious between you?” Katrina’s question broke her reverie.

“I would’ve said ‘no’ until I read the poem.” Sugar sighed, leaned her chin on her hand, and stared back at Chicago. It seemed he might want a relationship after all. The poem said he thought of her through the nights when they were apart and couldn’t wait to get back to her. Maybe she read too much in his words and he meant only the sex.