The Omega and the Assassin (5 page)

Simon recalled how good it had felt it have that small body pinned under him and at his mercy. He wondered what Finn would have thought had he known how close Simon had come to kissing him at that moment. Going by the waves of arousal pouring from Finn, Simon was willing to bet Finn would have been more than a willing partner.

Simon gave an internal shake of his head. The last thing he needed was that kind of complication in his life. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship, and somehow Finn didn’t strike him as the screw-them-then-walk-away type. No, Finn was too good for that. He deserved more. And why Simon felt that way, he didn’t know, he just did. Ever since he’d pulled Finn from that water, he’d developed a protective streak over the Omega and, try as he might, Simon couldn’t shake it.

He and Finn walked to the SUV, stashed their gear in the back then went to the front. Getting in, they buckled up and headed out of the park. Only this time instead of heading for the pack, they drove to the feline coalition.

Once they passed all the security checkpoints and parked in front of the massive building that the felines used for their HQ, Simon asked, “You sure you want to do this? The chances of another Spider taking you for a swim are slim to none.”

Finn was staring at the building in wide-eyed amazement. Simon held back a laugh. Wait until Finn got inside. The felines had a state-of-the-art facility. They had a huge budget, since they worked with the human government, and they had top dollar equipment that would put any sci-fi movie to shame.

“Yes, I’m positive. I want you to teach me to swim. I never want to be in that situation again,” Finn replied.

“Okay then, let’s get this done. I reserved the pool for an hour. So it’s just going to be us there. That way you don’t have to feel self-conscious or anything.

Finn gave him such a strange look that Simon began to get uncomfortable. Finally he asked, “What?”

“Nothing. I just never expected such a touching move from you.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “Just because I kill for a living doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart. I can be nice if I want to.”

“I guess you can be. After all, you did save my life,” Finn muttered.

“There you go again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes you act timid, just like the perfect Omega, yet other times I would swear that you were a Beta.”

Finn gave him a droll look. “I can assure you that I’m all Omega. While I may be great with weapons, my physical strength sucks. That’s why that Spider was able to bring me under the water so easily. You and the Betas would have just been able to flick him off. Not me. It made me its bitch.”

“That pisses you off. Doesn’t it?”

Simon never realized how hard it must be to be one of the weak ones in such a dangerous world as theirs. As it was, the stronger members always had to watch their backs. To be as vulnerable as Finn was must make things all that much worse.

Finn met Simon’s gaze. “Yes, it does. You don’t know how many times I prayed before I went to bed that I would wake up a Beta or an Alpha. But it never happened. Each and every time, I always woke up in the same weak, scrawny Omega body. Eventually, I stopped praying altogether. Why bother if he’s not going to listen to me?”

Simon didn’t know how to answer that one. For he himself as a child used to pray to the same God that he would wake up one day and find himself free of his cruel master. Sure, Simon had eventually gotten his freedom, but that had been by his own hand, not by any divine intervention.

“I guess it’s up to us to make our own paths in this world,” Simon finally said.

“Yeah, well, it sucks sometimes. If my parents had had three Betas for sons the night the Ravens attacked our house, then maybe they would have lived. Instead, they had to sacrifice themselves, so Tate could save us,” Finn spat out bitterly.

Before he even realized he was doing it, Simon reached out and cupped Finn’s cheek. A thrill went through him when Finn didn’t pull back. If anything, Finn leaned into the touch. His skin felt so soft, yet rough the same time from the day’s worth of stubble. It made for such an erotic combination that it turned Simon on quicker than anything.

“Your parents’ death isn’t your fault. If you, Tate, and Kline had all been Betas, it would have made no difference. You would have just died alongside your parents, and that’s the last thing they would have wanted.”

“Or maybe I could have stopped the attack from happening in the first place.”

Simon shook his head. “Ravens usually only attack when they know that there is no chance of them losing. They’re cowards that way. They knew what they were doing when they targeted your house.”

“Why do they hate us so much?”

The forlorn look on Finn’s face almost broke Simon’s heart. “Nobody knows for sure. The Ravens have been going after Wolves and the felines for so long that we really don’t know what first started it.”

“I just feel like if I knew the reason behind it, it would help make some sense out of my parents’ death.”

Simon fanned his thumb along Finn’s bottom lip, reveling in how soft it felt. “There is never any reason good enough for senseless slaughter.”

“You know what I wish more than anything?”

“What’s that?” Simon leaned in a little closer.

“That I was strong like you. That way I could avenge their deaths.”

“Trust me when I say, vengeance is short lived. It doesn’t take the pain away.”

“Can I ask you something?” Finn whispered.

“Sure.”

“Are you going to kiss me?”

“Are you going to let me?”

“I think I am. Which is crazy since we really both don’t like each other.”

“Yeah, but I’m hard pressed to remember why at the moment,” Simon admitted.

He covered the last few inches and pressed their mouths together. It was a bit of a stretch since they were in an SUV, but Simon was tall, so he made it work. The instant his lips touched Finn’s, Simon knew one taste wasn’t going to be enough. Not by a long shot.

Cupping the back of Finn’s head, Simon deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into Finn’s mouth to tease and lick. Finn tasted so sweet and innocent. Simon groaned his approval. Both he and his Tiger liked it—a lot.

All too soon, Simon pulled back. It was either that or take Finn in the back for some real fun, and there was no way he was going to do that in the coalition parking lot. Not with all the security cameras they had in place. Simon knew without a doubt several were already pointed in their direction since they were newcomers.

Finn had a slightly dazed look on his face, and his cheeks were flushed. He licked his lips several times, and his breathing was a bit erratic. Simon couldn’t help but smile to himself, proud that he’d elicited such a response from the Omega.

“We better get inside before they start to wonder what we’re doing out here for so long,” Simon said.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Finn agreed, still looking shell-shocked.

They got out and went to the door. The guard was expecting them, but he still made them show ID’s and scan their thumbprints before they were allowed in.

Once they walked in, Simon turned to see what Finn’s reaction would be. The Omega didn’t disappoint. His mouth parted in shock as he took in all the large screen monitors mounted to the walls, the various computer stations, and all the uniformed personal running around.

“My God, this looks like we’re on a space ship or something,” Finn said.

“More like the crazy train,” Shane said as he came walking up.

Simon let out a groan. He should have known that there was no way that they could have gone to the coalition and avoided running into the Leopard. Shane wore a cloak much like Simon’s, only Shane’s had a streak of blood across the front of it. Shane never did understand why people took issue to him running around with blood all over him, but then again that was a Leopard for you. They all were a little on the bent side. Simon should know, since his own group of assassins had a Leopard, and he acted much the same way.

“Hey, Shane. How are things going?” Simon asked.

“I just got two kills today, so they’re going spectacular, thank you very much.”

“You better change out of that outfit before your mate sees it,” Simon warned.

It was no big secret that Shane’s mate, Trevor, was trying his best to break Shane of some of his grosser habits. He was doing a pretty darn good job of it, too. It had been nearly a year since Shane had shown up at the mess hall with gore covering him. Or at least that’s what Simon had heard.

“I was just on my way to the locker room to change. So how are things going with my baby bro?”

Showing that it really was a small world after all, the Leopard in Simon’s group happened to be Shane’s brother, something they hadn’t known about until recently. While the two were civil to each other, they were far from lovey-dovey. It wasn’t their fault, it was just the nature of the Leopard to not get along with others of their own kind.

“He’s doing fine. He and Hale just moved into their own living quarters. Their mating is going great. I think Hale has a way of centering Toby that none of us ever could have,” Simon replied.

“And who is this little Omega you have with you?” Shane asked.

“My name is Finn, thank you,” Finn replied, even as he took a step closer to Simon.

“Wow, an Omega who has a backbone. I like that,” Shane said.

So did Simon. In fact, he was pretty certain that was one of the reasons he was so attracted to Finn in the first place. He reached out and put a protective hand on Finn’s shoulder. Which was stupid really. While Shane might be dangerous, it was only to the enemy, and he would never do anything to harm Finn.

Shane cocked a brow at the show of possession, but didn’t remark on it. Not that Simon expected him to. There were some areas where Shane could be discreet.

“So, what brings you here today?” Shane asked. “You’re not thinking of leaving the pack and joining up with me, because I have to tell you I’m really desperate for some good assassins.”

“That’s bullshit, and we both know it. I heard you have a group who is coming in from the north. They should be here any day now according to the gossip mill,” Simon shot back.

“Yeah, but how do I know that they’ll be any good. At least with you, I’ll have a good sharpshooter and a half-way decent fighter.”

“Simon is better than half-way decent,” Finn spoke up. “He’s one of the best fighters in our pack.”

Shane gave Finn a small smile. “You know what? I think I like you. So much so that if there’s anybody you want me to kill for you, I’m willing to do it for free.”

The look on Finn’s face was almost comical. He grew pale and his mouth opened and closed a few times. “Nobody comes to mind right now, but if I think of anybody I promise to come to you right away.”

“You make sure you do that, Omega.” Shane patted him on the shoulder, almost making Finn fall over.

“We’re here because we need to borrow your pool. I’m going to give Finn some swimming lessons,” Simon said. “The other day a Spider took him down in a lake and Finn wants to make sure he’s ready if that ever happens again.”

“That’s a good idea.” Shane nodded. “So you guys are still hunting Razor’s young then?”

“Yeah, and it’s a sucky job. Those little bastards are mean things,” Simon said.

“They’re not giving up easily, either,” Finn added. “At this rate, we’ll be hunting them until next Christmas.”

Shane grew pensive for a moment before he finally said, “I’m wondering if the bulk of them didn’t build a nest somewhere, and you’re just picking up the stragglers?”

A shiver of revulsion went down Simon’s spine as he thought about a whole nest of those things. All of the slithering around, crawling all over each other, nothing but a sea of legs and pinchers. Talk about gah!

“Great! Now we just have to figure out where the nest is and take it out without getting ourselves killed in the process,” Finn grumbled.

“Hey, I never said the job was going to be easy. Things rarely are in our world,” Shane pointed out.

“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine,” Simon drawled.

“You want all happiness and unicorns, then you go to somebody like Keegan. I’m here to give you the truth. Not to pat you on the back and say
there, there, all will be okay.
”

“You’re mean,” Finn said.

Shane gave him a sideways glare. “So I’ve been told. More than a time or two, shockingly enough. All I do know is this, you only have so long to find the Spiders before they start to wander out of the park and into the general population. When that happens, all of us will be in deep shit.”

Finn quickly got into his swimming trunks, all the while trying his best not to stare at Simon as he got changed. It was hard, though. Finn wanted nothing more than to see if the Tiger looked just as good naked as Finn imagined.

Once they were dressed, Simon led him out to the pool area. As soon as they went by the water, the smell of chlorine hit Finn hard. His nose began to burn, and he began to sneeze furiously.

“Are you sure you’re going to be able to do this?” Simon asked, as he put a comforting hand on Finn’s back.

Finn nodded, even as his eyes began to water. “Yeah, it’ll just take me a few minutes to get used to it. I will be fine, I promise.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, Finn adjusted, and he was able to breathe in without feeling like his lungs were on fire. He nodded to Simon to indicate he was ready. Simon grabbed Finn by the hand and led him toward the shallow end of the pool.

It was then that Finn was finally able to truly appreciate how buff Simon looked in his swim trunks. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and, for the first time, Finn was able to check out Simon’s chest. Day’am didn’t even come close to beginning to describe how nice it looked. With just the right amount of muscles and smooth and free of hair, Finn found it was all he could do not to reach out and rub his hands over it.

It made Finn all too aware of how lacking his own body was. Not only was he overly pale from spending so much time indoors, but he had as many muscles as Olive Oyl. It was all Finn could to not to jerk his hands away so he could cross them over his scrawny chest and hide all his inadequacies.