Annie Nicholas - The Omegas

“Then the Omegas are doomed.”

He laughed. “Hardly. I’m here, Sugar.” He continued tracing his thumb along her jaw. Her skin was satiny. Her eyes tore through a tender part of him long ago buried. She needed to learn to trust him. Have faith in him. “I’ll take care of you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” She ignored his invitation. It hurt, but maybe she didn’t understand what he offered.

“They make you happy?”

“Of course.”

“So I’ll take care of them too.” Her sudden direct stare made him feel shy for a moment, like a human. He chuckled at himself. “I like the Omegas, Sugar. They cling to their humanity, like they should. Eric knows what to do. I’m teaching him well.”

“In one month?”

“It doesn’t take much to make a king, Sugar.”

Daedalus reached across the rug and set one of Sugar’s books on top of a pile. Another romance. He didn’t know what triggered this need to organize the mess of books in her apartment. A disgraceful habit for a librarian, but a cute idiosyncrasy.

Boredom drove him to continue. The pre-dawn was always a lonely time. The Omegas and Sugar slept. She needed to work in the morning, and the small pack rarely stayed up this late. He usually did his own training when alone, yet tonight he needed to be close to her.

She read a lot of fiction. No history or philosophy, nothing of his taste. Books with aliens, fairies, or wizards sat in the second largest stack, since the romance stuff dominated the books.

He shook his head. Whatever demon created him must be laughing his ass off right now. He’d fallen in love with a gentle, loving dreamer. At least he could admit it to himself.

She, on the other hand, still had issues. He saw her cringe every time he or one of the Omegas experienced a paranormal situation. He doubted she knew about this habit. Heck, she didn’t even let him feed, one of the most intimate acts a couple could share. Instead she made him turn to the Omega males for sustenance. Technically, he could use Katrina. His stomach turned at the idea. She smelled too much like abuse for his taste. He didn’t need to hear her story to know what she’d suffered at the hands of her old pack.

If Sugar conquered her prejudice their relationship could bloom. Since they’d met he’d become aware of how tired he was of his present life, of being the leader, the provider, and the warrior to his people. With her he’d become the lover, the protector, and the teacher. If she agreed to it, he’d turn her to vampire, then take her as a wife.

His wife.

It had been a very long time since he’d wanted one or even thought of having one. He sighed and placed a poetry book on a small stack by his leg. At least they held one thing in common, except she liked the modern poets.

He’d leave Pal Robi Corporation in capable hands, move to Chicago, maybe into this cozy apartment. Eric could use his advice to tread Were politics and keep from drowning in it. They could make a difference, bring the Ayumu under control, teach them the old ways, the right ways. Then hopefully, with some guidance, it would spread.

Who was the dreamer now? Maybe he and Sugar shared more in common than he admitted to himself. He laughed.

“I don’t see the comedy in Frank Herbert’s Dune .”

Daedalus fumbled the book, trying to catch it before it hit the floor. It slipped between his fingers to land back in the unsorted pile.

Sugar leaned her luscious body against his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He glanced over his shoulder into her crystal clear, green eyes. Even this early in the morning they sparkled with clarity. “You didn’t startle me. I heard you coming. The book slipped.” He must be off center to get surprised by a small human female. He deserved to get staked if he allowed his defenses to drop.

“Sure, I always grease them up when I’m done.” She kissed the back of his neck.

He sighed at the light, feathery touch of her lips. “That explains why they’re always scattered everywhere.”

She giggled. The gesture made her breasts bounce a little against his shoulders. He was tempted to tear her tight t-shirt open and set them free.

“Why were you thinking so hard?” she whispered close to his ear.

“Worried about tonight’s challenge.” The lie didn’t hurt as much as the truth. Eric would do fine tonight, their plans were set solid. His plans for Sugar made him worry.

“Daedalus? You said they would be okay.”

He’d chosen the wrong thing to say. She’d made him a bumbling idiot. “It will be all right. Doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking about it.” He reached back and pulled her to face him. An idea formed to help him with his real problem. “You should come.”

She shook her head. “I don’t like fighting, and I don’t want to watch anyone get hurt. There will be plenty of both tonight.”

He ran his hand through her tangle of messy curls. Their color reminded him of spun sunlight, something he’d only seen when he was human, a very long time ago. “The Omegas could use your support.”

“They have you.” She rubbed her face on the palm of his hand.

The silky touch of her skin stirred his hunger. He wanted to taste the tender flesh in his mouth, feel his teeth puncture her white, milky hide.

He exhaled in frustration.

She glanced up at him. “What?”

How could he explain his need without scaring her away? He smiled, careful to hide his fangs. “Maybe I want you at the challenge.” He allowed enough of his hunger in his voice to convince her of his desire. She needed to face her fears. To get over being surrounded by sentient beings other than humans, who developed different ways of surviving. The challenge would be a perfect place.

“I’m scared, I’m not ashamed to admit it.” She stared down at his chest.

He lifted her chin and kissed her. She looked vulnerable, resistance was impossible with his sweet Sugar. Her eager response to him ignited his cock to a full salute, but the dawn’s approach tugged at the unconscious clock built in his make-up. He groaned as he pushed her away. “We don’t have time, the sun is almost here. Come tonight, for me.”

She met his stare, her eyes clouded with worry, and nodded. “For you.”

The abandoned warehouse stood outside of town. No one in their right mind would be out there at night, including the police. What did that make them? Nuts? Sugar scanned the secluded area, left for nature to reclaim. Nobody would hear their screams if things went wrong.

“I heard the mob uses this place to get rid of the trash,” Tyler whispered to her.

She elbowed him to be quiet. He didn’t need to add to her vivid imagination or feed her fears. The crunch of gravel under her boots sounded loud as they drew closer to the warehouse. She would have felt better if Daedalus had come with them instead of with Eric. They needed to arrive later, so he sent the rest of them to represent the pack.

Eric begged her to come with them to the challenge when she started to doubt her earlier decision. He’d said, “I need you to be there. I won’t be able to concentrate if I don’t think the others are safe. If you’re there they’ll be too busy protecting you to get into trouble. Especially Sam.”

Sam draped his arm over Sugar’s shoulders, waking her from the memory. He gave her a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Sugar. Daedalus sent me to protect you.”

She sighed. He didn’t stand much taller than her, but the training had added some bulk to his body. Even though Daedalus released the others from training, Sam insisted on continuing. Eric told her they didn’t mind. He needed a sparring partner and appreciated his company.