OmegaMine (24 page)

The shivering that had overtaken her body vanished, gone in
the instant she heard those ever important, all-changing words.

Donna and Nathaniel went into town
.

Oh dear god, it couldn’t be.

It was just her and John.

An opportunity like this would not come again, not by the
time she’d be forced to sacrifice a portion of her soul in order to save her
life. She’d always known that when she made her dash for freedom the
opportunity would come when she least expected it.

If she wanted to get out, the time was now.

Moving away from the door, she hurried to the closet and
pulled down the blankets, uncovering the backpack with a few carefully
collected items inside. There wasn’t much, just a small amount of cash, a
couple changes of clothing and her ID, but it would be enough until she
contacted the attorney to retrieve the safety deposit box key and make the trip
to Florida.

After sliding into her sneakers and retrieving her thin,
weathered jacket, she tossed the backpack on the bed, returned to the closet
and searched blindly with her hand until her fingers wrapped around the rubber
grip of the wooden baseball bat she’d smuggled from the garage. Lifting it
carefully, she took a quiet step backward and inhaled a slow, jagged breath,
trying to soothe her nerves.

She listened to John as he continued prattling on. When she
heard him hang up the phone she walked over to the door, opened it and took her
spot on the left side of the entranceway. Her heart was racing, beating so hard
and fast she could have sworn that it echoed throughout the house. She held the
weapon with sweaty hands, increasing her grip until she felt the skin pinch in
protest.

This is it.

Game on.

“John?” she called, clenching the bat, feeling it bite
against her fingers and palm.

“Yes, Mary?” he called back, obviously moving about in the
kitchen.

“Can you come here please?”

She shifted her weight, getting a feel for the length of
wood in her hands as she got into position. His heavy footsteps sounded from
the hallway until they were just beside her, and he stepped into the room. He
didn’t see her upon entry, his gaze resting on her backpack just long enough
for her to take aim.

It’s now or never
.

Hefting her weight into her right leg and shoulder, she
gained momentum as she brought the heavy bat around, aiming for the base of his
skull. The wood kissed bone, creating a sickening crack that seemed to rip off
the walls. He went down immediately and a huge swell of blood formed in his
blond hair, cascading down the back of his neck and into the collar of his
shirt. He didn’t move, completely motionless, and when she took a closer look
she could see a solid flash of white where the skull was now dented inward.

Dropping the bat, she sank to her knees and went for his
pockets. The keys to the old, battered Dodge would be there—her only escape out
of purgatory. When she had them in hand, she snagged the bag on the bed and
made a beeline down the hall. It wasn’t dark yet, the sun just sinking below
the horizon. Hopefully by the time she made it onto the road it would be too
dark to distinguish the vehicle, buying her just enough time to ditch the
ancient piece of junk before making way to the Greyhound station.

As she ran from the house to the truck her conscience reared
its ugly head, reminding her that there was a young woman trapped in a cage who
was doomed to die. Mary shook the memory aside and climbed into the truck,
throwing her bag into the empty seat beside her. Her heart was racing,
adrenaline causing her to shake, making it difficult to breathe. The motor
stalled several times before it roared to life. Pressing on the brake, she
grabbed the column shifter on the wheel and yanked it into drive.

For the second time, her guilt surfaced. She pictured the
young girl in the cage, her face caked with dirt, tearstains streaking in
winding paths down her cheeks.

“If you don’t help her, you’ll regret it,” she muttered and
turned her head, staring in the direction of woods. “You’ll be no better than
them.”

The sun was setting. If she was going to do something, she
had to make the decision now.

To hell with it.

Punching the gas, she swiveled the wheel and drove through
the grass in a direct path. The building loomed ahead, coming closer as the
odometer hit 60 mph. Mary slammed on the breaks just outside, put the truck
into park and left the motor running when she jumped from the truck. She pried
opened the door and the stench was unbearable, so rancid she gagged as she
stepped inside. Staggering to the wall, she reached for a large, bloodstained
axe on its appointed peg.

“Please don’t,” the young woman started to beg as Mary approached.

Mary ignored her and strode to the cage. She lifted the
blunt edge of the axe and brought it down on the lock until the thick latch and
casing ripped away, leaving behind a mess of metal and splinter. The moment
Mary had the door ajar and the woman could flee, she dropped the tool used in
ways she didn’t want to imagine and returned the way she came.

Time was passing too quickly. If she didn’t hurry someone
could show up and stop her.

There was no way she’d survive another night in this place.

As she ran from the building and climbed into the truck the
shifter walked through the entrance and came into view. Her clothing was
shredded, her hair was a mess and there was a panic that Mary understood all
too well written all over her face. She stumbled as she ran for the truck.

“Don’t leave me here,” she cried, swaying on her feet.
“Please!”

Damn it.

Mary drove forward so the woman could climb into the
passenger side. The moment the door was closed Mary gunned the gas, spraying
loose gravel and grass all over. As they drove through the field and past the
house, Mary stared at the porch, terrified that John had come around and would
call someone to stop them. To her relief, no one appeared. The house remained
quiet with no outward signs of life.

Mary’s skin crawled when she imagined how Elijah would react
when he returned home and found his rogue niece gone and was forced to track
her down. And he would track her, of that she was certain. She remembered his
warning before he had left with his kin, had clung to it almost as much as the
pain she received via the cane for releasing the shifters and betraying her own
family.

“
Don’t force my hand, Mary girl. I don’t want to kill you
but I will.
”

“Thank you,” the shifter whispered and Mary glanced at the
woman in the seat beside her. She was swiping at her tearstained cheeks,
smearing mud all over her face.

“Don’t thank me.” Mary punched the accelerator, put on speed
and drove as fast as she could in the direction of the state line. “Not yet.”

Chapter Sixteen

Ava shifted on the barstool and watched the shifters around
her as they paced, shining eyes taking in everything, motions seamless but
anxious.

Hours after dawn, the beautiful shifter with the dark hair,
green eyes and a sexy Scottish brogue had come to the apartment to inform
Diskant that the exchange was set to take place just before sunset. Kinsley
would deliver Emory to the Shepherds and the pack would trail them at a safe
distance until Aldon intercepted them at the state line.

Since she had been a shadow in Diskant’s and Kinsley’s
minds, she understood why they felt the Shepherds had to be eradicated. The
religious hunters were a group of crazed zealots who truly believed they were
doing god’s work, each one completely immersed in the cause of ridding the world
of Lucifer’s taint. Once they disposed of Emory they’d spread the word to
neighboring congregations about the large pack in New York strengthened by an
Omega, asking for volunteers to come to the city to begin a thorough cleansing.

That meant they had to be taken out before word spread.

When she recalled the strange, all-consuming bloodlust that
had rolled through Diskant and Kinsley as they contemplated the impending
confrontation, her stomach heaved. She could almost taste the metallic
rustiness of fresh blood on their tongues and feel the heaviness of the thick
fluid as it trickled down their throats.

Shaking off the memory, she reached for the bottle of water
Dougan had placed in front of her. The bartender gave her a small smile when
she glanced at him, grabbed a rag from under the counter and started cleaning
the bar. She knew that Diskant had entrusted him with keeping an eye on her,
ensuring she didn’t get into any trouble while he, Trey, Kinsley and Emory
prepared the rest of the group for what was coming.

Lifting the bottle to her lips, she stared out the window of
the bar.

The sky was turning orange, which meant soon everyone would
leave to do what had to be done.

“Hello.” An incredibly soft, feminine voice tore Ava’s
attention from the window. Katie smiled nervously and motioned to the empty
seat beside her. “May I?”

The woman was a far cry from the one she’d seen carried in
the arms of her mate at the club months ago. Her skin was glowing and radiant,
her complexion healthy and pink. Up close she didn’t appear frail or weak. In
actuality she was very tall and her frame was long and lean.

Ava masked her shock and returned her smile. “Sure.”

“It’s really great having another bloodbonded mate in the
pack,” Katie said quietly as she sat down and accepted the bottle of water
Dougan handed to her.

“It is?”

Katie nodded. “Before I came along there was only Raelyn.
The rest of the women were all shifters.”

“Raelyn?”

“Raelyn Chavez.”

“Chavez…” She recalled when a beautiful girl with flowing
black hair, big green eyes and the most beautiful face she’d ever seen had come
into the club to visit her father—the infamous head chef and resident wise-ass
of Liminality.

“You’ll like her,” Katie continued. “She was the only one of
us for a long time so she’ll be excited there’s one more person in the pack who
understands what it’s like.”

Ava knew exactly what Katie was talking about. While some of
the pack embraced any female one of their members mated, there were several who
looked at the bond negatively, feeling as if humans weren’t worthy of such a
gift.

“Where’s she now?”

Katie’s winsome smile wavered. “In California.”

Saying goodbye to her family
.

Ava picked up on the second thought accidentally, along with
Katie’s sadness, and opened her mind to listen. Soon Katie would have to do the
same thing. You could only stay the same age for so long before someone started
to notice, and she and Zach had decided it was time to finish the bloodbond.

As if he sensed his mate’s distress, Zach suddenly appeared.
His brown hair was longer, his blue eyes a darker shade of indigo now that he
was no longer worried but determined. He marched up to Katie, wrapped his arms
around her waist and lifted her from the seat. Although he whispered something
into her hair, Ava knew he was about to carry her into the office, lean her
over the desk and significantly alter her mood. Katie’s passion-laced eyes met
Ava’s and she blushed when she was tossed over Zach’s shoulder and carried away
without so much as a goodbye.

Diskant’s unique scent assailed her just before Ava felt his
hand snake around her waist. She went soft at the contact, relaxed against him
and placed her bottle on the counter. The entire situation was surreal,
unbelievable, and made no logical sense but she was beyond caring. In the span
of a couple of days she’d found the one place she wanted to be.

At Diskant’s side, in his arms.

“We have to leave,” he whispered into the shell of her ear.

“I don’t want you to go.” It wasn’t fair to tell him that
but it was true. The danger he was placing himself in terrified her. She had
only just discovered how wonderful it was to be cherished by him. If she lost
that, she wasn’t sure she would survive it.

“I’ll be back,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “Don’t
worry. Everything has been planned. I just need you to wait in the apartment
until I return.” He nipped at her lobe and growled, “If you promise to be in
the bed—naked, spread out and ready for me—I’ll be sure to return as soon as I
can.”

“Is that all you ever think about?” She tried to sound stern
but the question came out husky.

He chuckled, nuzzling her. “Don’t try to fool me, mate. I
can scent your heat.” His hand came down until it rested between her thighs. He
cupped her sex, causing her to groan and lowered his voice. “Your cunt is
dripping for me. If I were to lay you on the bar and strip you, you’d be
soaking wet and eager to take whatever I wanted to give you.”

Her entire body shook at the thought, embarrassment fading
as desire took its place. Glancing at the mirrored backdrop behind the bar, she
noticed that none of the shifters batted an eye at what was taking place before
them. She’d learned rather quickly that sexual displays were the norm, not
taboo. In fact, earlier that morning she’d gotten a bird’s eye view of exactly
how open shifters were with their sexuality.

She shuddered at the memory, flushed as her nipples went
hard, the sensitive beads pressing painfully against the lace of her bra. Her
clit started to throb, a dull, insistent pulsing that matched the steady hammering
of her heart.

“I know what you’re thinking about,” Diskant purred. “You’ve
been thinking about it all morning, haven’t you?”

She met his gaze through the mirror and nodded, recalling
the precise moment she descended the stairs and happened upon a newly mated
pair christening the stairwell. She’d been mesmerized by the sight of the
half-clothed male’s bare ass going taut as he pumped into the woman from
behind, holding her by the back of her hair so that her head was turned to kiss
him. They never stopped, not even as she and Diskant squeezed past.