OmegaMine (34 page)

Ava huddled into Diskant’s chest and lifted the protective
mental barriers that kept Caden’s emotions—as well as Moses’—from washing
through her. Her part was done. She’d promised to help the pack and now it was
up to them to take what information she’d provided and use it to their
advantage.

“He’s yours,” Diskant repeated and resumed his trek, calling
over his shoulder, “No matter what happens from this moment forward, you’ll
decide how he goes. I give you my word.”

* * * * *

“Thank you for choosing Delta. Enjoy your flight.”

Thomas accepted his ticket, nodded to the attendant and
began the short walk down the narrow hallway littered with chatty passengers.
When he reached the plane and was directed to his seat in first class, he
pulled a box from his pocket before he placed his suitcase in the overhead
compartment and sat down. People filtered past but he didn’t pay them any
notice. His mind was on one thing and one thing only.

He opened the lid, revealing the key to his future. The
locket shone as the overhead lighting struck the surface, the engraved lines
prominent. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up at the attendant smiling
down at him.

“Is that a gift for someone special?”

He returned her smile, closed the box and sat back. “You
could say that.”

The second influx of passengers began boarding and when she
turned to greet them Thomas gazed out the window and stared at the plane
landing in the distance.

For years he’d existed in Ava’s shadow as the brother who
could never do as well as the younger child—the consummate fuckup and
deviant—while she was lavished with praise and adulation. It probably stemmed
from DNA and genetics. After all, how much could you love a child if he or she
wasn’t truly your own? Obviously not all that much.

If only
her
parents could see her now.

Even after he’d read the file he couldn’t believe that Ava
was attached to a shifter—a goddamn werewolf—of all things. It seemed
absolutely improbable, but in light of everything else, not impossible. Their
parents had always been quirky, their habits perpetually secretive.

“Excuse me.”

Thomas turned from the window toward the brisk voice and
found himself face-to-face with an obese man dressed in an expensive business
suit. His rounded belly nearly made contact with Thomas’ shoulder as he
struggled to put his carryon in the overhead compartment, the unsightly swell
jiggling as he strained.

So much for the daydream he’d had of a beautiful, educated
woman taking the empty seat beside him.

The oversized man eventually got his eggs in a basket and
plopped his wide girth into the adjoining seat. He squirmed a bit, ensuring his
weight distributed evenly, Thomas assumed, and went for the suitcase he’d
placed on the floor. His heavy breathing reminded Thomas of a taxed pig, forced
to make a run for it just prior to the slaughter.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” The attendant was forced
to lean over the man seated in the aisle when he grunted and told her what he
wanted. Then she turned to Thomas.

“No, thank you.” Thomas tried to provide a smile but
produced a thin grimace instead.

A heavy vibration pulled his attention from the attendant
and he lifted his hips to pull his cell phone from his pocket. The name on the
small screen changed his grimace to a grin. Well, surprise, surprise. He
pressed the small red key and waited until the phone shut off before sliding it
back in his pocket.

There was no way for Aldon to know what he had, although now
Thomas understood the strange man’s—the
vampire’s
—interest in him. It
was rather fucked up, in retrospect. The bet he’d placed during a lengthy card
game with Aldon had forced him to steal the locket from his unknowing sibling
and sell it to Craig Newlander in the first place.

Serendipity was indeed alive and well.

A couple of layovers and he would be in a safe place in Mexico.
The money he’d obtained from Ava for the cabin would allow him to live
comfortably until he could put the locket on the market and wait until the
highest bidder claimed their prize. Afterward he would take his fortune and
relocate to a place he would never, ever be found. For once he would have the
chance to start over, to live the good life, to become an important person who
people turned to.

The captain’s voice came over the intercom and he relayed
the weather they were due to pass through and the expected arrival time at
their destination. Placing the locket inside his empty pocket, Thomas relaxed
in his seat, closed his eyes and began dreaming of his bright, happy future.

Epilogue

“Hurry up with those drinks, slacker.” Ava swatted Brett
with the hand towel she’d swiped from beneath the counter, landing a blow
directly to his left ass cheek, and a warning growl echoed in her head.

Haven’t I warned you about touching other males, mate?

Ripping her attention away from the friend standing beside
her, she met the lethal stare of the imposing eye candy who rose from his seat
amongst his newly acquired pack and started stalking her from across the club.

Technically I didn’t touch him.

Even across the distance she could see Diskant’s annoyed
scowl.
It was close enough.

Brett unknowingly interrupted their conversation, unaware
that he was in the line of fire. “Since my best bartender left me high and dry
and I’m the lone slinger, I’m afraid you’re just going to have to suck it up.”

“Okay, if you say so,” she responded quickly and stepped
from the bar, rushing to intercept the two hundred-plus pounds of possessive
Omega striding in their direction.

It was still difficult to believe that only two weeks had
passed since Diskant had ascended to Alpha, taken control of the pack that he’d
been born into and assumed responsibility of the wolves who’d decided to stay
behind instead of continue forward with Trey to eradicate those responsible for
cutting their numbers in half. A lot had changed in such a short span of time,
in ways she never would have believed possible a month before, and it was only
the beginning.

I should take you over my knee and tan that pretty little
ass of yours in front of everyone. If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re
intentionally provoking me.

I’m not provoking you, Neanderthal. And you wouldn’t
dare.

They met halfway, a collision of groping arms, eager hands
and hungry mouths. That saintly attribute referred to as modesty had long since
fled, replaced by a hunger she couldn’t—and didn’t want to—control. When
Diskant touched her there was nothing else. She had no pride, no restraint, no
concept of right and wrong. He centered her, grounded her and provided all of
the things she needed even when she wasn’t sure what they were.

Diskant groaned.
You’re driving me mad.

His large hands cupped her ass, kneading the globes. He
lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding against him,
turned-on by the feel of his fully erect cock pressing against her. Damn if she
didn’t want him here and now. She didn’t care who saw, who watched. This man
was all hers and she wanted everyone to know. There would never be another for
him just as there would never be another for her.

“Good lord, Ava.” Delmar’s deep, disapproving voice broke
through the sexual haze. “Get a fucking room.”

Diskant pulled away and nailed the bouncer with an annoyed
look. Then he turned, striding back to the booth, keeping her trapped in his
arms. She heard the chuckles of the pack as she approached. They teased her
with familiar taunts, displaying the camaraderie they shared. They were more
than a unit, their connection far stronger.

“They’re here,” Nathan said in a tone that was anything but
joking, causing the group to quiet down.

Diskant turned and lowered her to the ground, allowing Ava
to see Trey, Emory and the wolves accompanying them. There were over a dozen of
them, some of whom were males who had lost their mates in the explosion. Their
expressions were grim, lines creasing the outlines of their mouths, jaws and chins
shadowed by thick stubble. Caden brought up the rear, remaining close yet
apart, just as he had since he and the pack had come to an understanding,
struck a tentative truce and bartered an agreement for his aid in tracking down
the Shepherds responsible for his wife’s death.

Ava’s gaze unerringly drifted to Zach. Long gone was the
playful shifter who’d snatched Katie by the waist and whispered sweet promises
into his mate’s ear. She felt his pain, his anguish, and she intuitively
reached out with her mind and the pack connection, soothing him though he
wasn’t aware of it, calming the wolf and providing some small semblance of
peace. His stern frown eased and he paused for a moment, no doubt stunned by
his reversal in feelings.

I wish he wouldn’t go.
The thought went out before
she could stop it, her connection with Diskant so strong it was almost
impossible to completely shield herself from him.

You’ve helped him survive the first two weeks.
Diskant wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
It’s up to him to
decide if he wants to give life another chance.

The notion didn’t bring her comfort but then, not much did
the last few days. Although the pack was out in force, the meeting at
Liminality was a final farewell to their former Alpha. Tensions continued to
run high and all of them were on full alert. She chanced a glance at the bar,
feeling the weight of Brett’s stare. He was studying all of them closely while
wiping down the counter. The tray with their drinks was ready, perched at the
empty serving space.

Standing on tiptoe, she kissed the hollow of Diskant’s
throat. “I’m going to get the drinks.”

“Don’t get too close to the warlocke.” Diskant’s low grumble
in her ear made her smile. “You don’t want the night to end in a brawl,
Pinkie.”

She laughed, warmed by the verbal display of possession and
dominance. The slap he delivered to her ass as she walked away caused her to
hiss and nail him with a look that promised payback. He grinned, those full
lips curving at the corners in a manner she adored.

Delmar was shaking his head as she crossed the room but his
good-humored smile was intact. The club was crowded, the floors flooded with
people. A majority of them were human patrons but, as was the norm, there were
also shifters.

Directing her attention to the top floor, she saw the prides
seated at their usual vantage point high above the world. One in particular
lifted his glass to her, his green eyes luminous across the distance. Kinsley
had managed to bring the cat shifters together, vowing to aid Diskant in his
transition to Alpha. It wasn’t an easy feat, however. The cat breeds didn’t
care about any other shifting race aside from themselves. With the exception of
Kinsley, they were an extremely arrogant and elitist group.

Are you calling me an elitist, Ava mine?
She could
have sworn she heard Diskant chuckle the thought. The nosy bastard.

She grinned but didn’t turn.
If the shoe fits.

You’re so going to pay for that. As soon as I get you
home I’m going to tie you to the bed and torture you until you swear to treat
me as I deserve.

The thought made her wet, so hot it was difficult to
breathe. He would tie her to the bed and cover every inch of her body with
kisses and warm licks, among other equally delightful, pleasurable things.

Get the drinks and hurry back. It’s too distracting when
you’re not at my side.

The spring in her step had nothing to do with the command
but the desire to be near him, to hear, smell and touch him. Being apart from
Diskant in any capacity was hell, something neither of them enjoyed. For the
last two weeks she’d gotten a crash course into what it meant to be an Omega,
an Alpha and the mate to one of the most important shifters in the city. They
remained locked at the hip, completely inseparable with the exception of times
when he met with Alphas who demanded a private audience.

Private.
Now that was a laughable notion.

If only the Alphas knew that she was privy to everything,
able to hear not only their words but their thoughts. It didn’t matter if she
was in another room, another vehicle or another location. If she concentrated,
her mental connection with Diskant was so strong they could communicate even if
they were miles away from each other.

Brett glanced up as she approached but promptly went back to
cleaning the bar. She didn’t pry into his head, able to sense his displeasure
at her present company. When she’d ventured to the club with Diskant to quit
her job a week before Brett had been stunned and demanded to know what in the
hell was going on. She’d since learned that he
wasn’t
exactly human.
She’d come clean with him in a very strange, very surreal conversation. Their
friendship had been strained ever since, no matter how many times she tried to
reach out to him.

She stopped at the counter, studying the drinks on the tray.
The weight of the mugs wasn’t a problem but with her small size someone might
notice and wonder what she was eating for breakfast nowadays.

“JT!” Brett barked and stopped cleaning.

“Boss?” JT walked from the other side of the bar, wiping his
hands on the towel at his waist.

Brett grasped the tray and shoved it into JT’s chest. “Take
this to booth twelve.”

As JT scuttled off she placed her elbows on the counter and
tried to make conversation for the second time. “Thanks.”

Brett’s response was a grunt, a nod and the presentation of
his back as he turned to the backdrop and pretended to busy himself by cleaning
the shelves. Nope, he was still unhappy with her.

Releasing a dejected sigh, she’d turned to make her way from
the bar when a flash of blonde snared her attention. The woman was standing
near the hallway to the restrooms, dressed from head to toe in black, and her
gaze was riveted across the room. Recognition struck, taking Ava back to the
alley, the smoky sky and the angelic face that stood over her as Nathan cradled
her injured body in his arms. Ava followed the direction of the woman’s stare
until her eyes rested on Trey and Emory. She wasn’t aware she’d started walking
toward the woman until she heard Diskant in her head, angry and afraid.