The Omega and the Assassin (8 page)

Finn threw up his hands. “I’m not even going to continue with this conversation. I obviously can’t get through to you, so I’m not going to even bother.”

“I forbid you from seeing him,” Tate said in a no-holds-barred voice.

“And I told you, I don’t give a shit what you say,” Finn shot back in the same tone.

“You would go against my wishes on this. Even knowing how I feel about him?”

“Yes,” Finn said, not even pausing a beat.

“Why?”

Finn took in a shaking breath. “Because I care about him—a lot. So much so, that I’m not letting anybody, not even you, get in between us. I’m not giving him up, and it’s that simple.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s your first. There will be more. I promise you.” Tate moved forward and tried to put a hand on Finn’s shoulder.

Finn shook him off. “There won’t be any others. Simon is it for me.”

Finn didn’t know who he shocked more by that statement, himself or Tate. Sure, Finn and Simon had been getting closer, but they had never talked about anything permanent. Finn just knew at that moment that he could never imagine himself with anyone other than Simon. In fact, just the thought of Simon touching anybody other made a cold pit form in Finn’s stomach.

A look of shock passed over Tate’s face. “You can’t mean that. You don’t want to tie yourself to an assassin forever. Just think of what kind of life that would be.”

“Stop talking about him like he’s some kind of criminal or something. He’s just as much as part of this pack as you or me, and you should give him the respect he deserves.”

“Not when it comes to one of my brothers. I only accept the best for you.”

“No, it’s just like always. You want to keep us locked away from the rest of the world. Well, this time it isn’t going to work. I’m going to keep seeing Simon, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

With those parting words, Finn stormed out, making sure to slam the door behind him. He walked down the hallway, toward the parking lot to meet Simon, so they could go out to on their mission.

So far, they had just had been finding small amounts of Spiders here or there, leading them to believe in Shane’s nest theory more and more. Now all they had to do was find the sucker and blast it. Finn hadn’t shared with the others that just the mere thought of finding the nest made his stomach churn. All he could think about was all those wiggling bodies together, and his mind went right into nightmaresville.

He had kept from everyone, Simon included, that he had a secret phobia of spiders. Finn hoped he could keep it that way, too. It wasn’t just because they were fighting ones that were the size of a dog, either. Even the small, everyday ones made him jump like a rabbit. He had once almost slipped and knocked himself out while in the shower when he’d found one in the tub with him. Kline had to come in and save the day on that one.

Finn found Simon waiting for him by the SUV. As soon as he saw Simon, Finn’s bad mood dissipated. But, Simon must have seen that Finn had a sour on his face beforehand because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Tate found out about us,” Finn said.

“Let me guess. He doesn’t approve of you dating me, because I’m an assassin.”

“Bingo. Although, he’s so damn protective of me and Kline, I don’t think that he would like anybody we went out with.”

Simon reached out and put his arms around Finn’s waist and pulled him in close. Usually, they saved such displays of PDA for private, but since the cat was out of the bag…ha, ha…there wasn’t any harm in showing open affection anymore.

“Well, Tate will have to get over it. I’m not giving you up,” Simon said.

Finn ducked his head, so Simon wouldn’t see the elation that was sure to be there. While he was certain that he wanted to get serious with Simon, this was really the first time Simon had stated it outside of the bedroom.

“I’m not giving you up, either. I told Tate as much, too,” Finn replied.

Simon gave Finn a breathtaking kiss. “Good. Now that’s settled, let’s go to work. Then we can get to the fun part after we’re done.”

Finn could hardly wait for that part. For somebody who had started out inexperienced, he’d come to look forward to his nightly sex sessions with Simon. In fact, one could even go as far to say that Finn was addicted to them. So much so, that the other day when they had to skip one because Simon had to go out on an extra mission, Finn had been grumpy the whole next day.

They got into the SUV and made the long drive to the State park. Finn and Simon kept up a pleasant conversation the entire way. The time of Finn being quiet during the drive was long gone. The thing Finn loved about Simon was that the Tiger seemed to like talking as much as Finn did. They didn’t discuss important things, mostly gossip about the pack and other nonsense things. But it was still nice and made Finn feel all the closer to Simon.

The fact that Simon had confided in Finn about his painful childhood and his nightmarish past had also made Finn feel closer to the Tiger. It couldn’t have been easy for Simon to have done so. But, a couple of nights before, after they had made love and were in each other arms, Simon had confided everything. It had suddenly all made sense to Finn why Simon acted the way he did. Especially when Simon told him that it was a Wolf pack that had killed off his birth family and sold him to his master in the first place.That in addition to the time he was attacked by the group of Wolves later on his life and had to be saved by Toby. Finn couldn’t believe Simon had been able to stomach being around any pack at all, let alone swear allegiance to one. “Do you ever regret being with me?” Finn asked, suddenly.

Simon looked away from the road to give Finn a strange look. “Not at all. What would make you think that?”

“Because I’m a Wolf.”

“When I look at you, I don’t see a Wolf. I just see Finn. That’s all that matters to me.”

It was one of the sweetest things Finn had ever heard. It made him think back to his conversation with Tate. When Finn looked at Simon, he didn’t see an assassin, he just saw a man he’d grown to care very much for. It was funny how life worked that way sometimes.

“So, do you still think I’m a jerk?” Simon asked, a sly smile coming over his face.

Finn laughed. “Far from it. In fact, I’ve come to really enjoy your company. You’re my favorite person to be around.”

“You just say that because I give you amazing blow jobs.”

“No, it’s because I feel like I can be myself around you. Everybody else expects me to be the stereotypical Omega, but you accept me for who I am,” Finn said.

“It bothers you that they are always trying to make you fit into a certain mold. Doesn’t it?”

“Wouldn’t it you?”

To tell the truth, it bothered Finn a lot. He was sick of always being treated as weak and helpless just because he’d been born an Omega, especially when he could fight better than a lot of the Betas. When he’d first come to the pack, there hadn’t even been a discussion as to where to place him. They had taken one look at him and placed him in the Omega ranks. Tate, on the other hand, had his choice of assignments. Sometimes it just didn’t seem fair.

Simon thought about it a moment before he said, “Yeah, I guess it would. People look at me and instantly are afraid of me. I mean, for me it’s a good thing, since it helps out with the job I do. But, sometimes it does get a bit irritating. So, I could understand how it would hurt if you didn’t want the label at all.”

That was one of the things Finn liked so much about Simon. He got Finn when so many others didn’t. And to think there was a time when Finn couldn’t stand the guy. What a difference two weeks could make. Now Finn didn’t even want to contemplate life without Simon being in it.

“That’s it exactly,” Finn explained. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Omegas. I know they have their place in the pack and all. I just wish we had more options open to us. For example, I wouldn’t mind going out into a real battle a time or two and really getting my hands dirty.”

Simon cocked a brow. “I think I’m starting to be a bad influence on you. You’re getting downright bloodthirsty.”

“Nah, I’d just love to give the Ravens some payback for all the heartbreak they’ve cause all us. It wouldn’t exactly feel bad to get lay some hurt on Rand, too. That asshole really needs to be taken down.”

“I want you to stay as far away from him as possible.”

When Finn opened his mouth to argue that he could handle himself, Simon held up a hand.

“It’s not that I don’t think you could hold your own in a fight. Rand has himself surrounded by some of the most bloodthirsty assassins out there. I’m even uneasy at the thought of having to tangle with them, and I’m trained in that kind of thing,” Simon explained. “Besides, Rand plays dirty. He’s somebody you don’t want to tangle with, no matter how experienced you are.”

Finn hated to admit it, but Simon did have a point. Rand was a shifter with no honor, and he was willing to go to any lengths to get their pack’s lands. He had even bombed their building, full well knowing they had woman and children inside.

“Okay, I promise to stay away from Rand. But, if I see any Ravens, all bets are off,” Finn conceded.

They arrived at the park. As soon as Finn and Simon got out of the SUV, the Betas were on them. The Wolves looked equal parts excited and terrified. Finn wondered what had them so worked up. Whatever it was must be good, because the men were usually steady as stone.

“We found it!” Avan said.

“Found what?” Simon asked, as he opened up the rear of the SUV.

“The nest. We know where the rest of the Spiders are. Now we can go take them out!”

Finn’s stomach flipped both in excitement and dread. While they would finally be able to finish the mission, he was about to face one of his worst fears. A whole nest of creepy crawlies. He only hoped he didn’t scream like a girl and make a fool out of himself.

Simon was feeling equal parts of excitement and dread as they followed the Betas to the spot where the Spider’s nest was supposed to be. While he wanted to have a successful end to the mission, he wasn’t looking forward to facing pile of squirming spiders. He only hoped he didn’t do the heebie-jeebie dance and give all assassins a bad name.

“How did you guys find it anyways?” Simon asked.

While he liked the Betas, it was in his nature to be distrustful. It’s what had gotten him by this far alive. Plus, it had been beat into him by his former master to never trust anybody. The bastard hadn’t even liked it that he had trusted the other assassins in his group, but they still had formed a bond that not even that asshole had been able to break. Much to his eventual demise.

“We decided that we were sick of always having to watch you guys make dopey, moon eyes at each other, so we came out early and started searching,” Avan said.

Simon started to get mad, until Finn put a hand on Simon’s arm. “He’s telling the truth. I don’t scent any deceit on him. He really was getting sick of us being sappy around each other. I thought we were hiding it better that way.”

Clark, another one of the Betas, let out a snort. “Are you kidding? We’ve known something has been going on with you guys for a while. But, don’t worry, we weren’t the ones who blabbed it to the pack. Somebody else back there must have figured it out and talked. We kept your secret.”

“Yeah,” Avan added. “We respect you both too much to gossip about you. What you want to do on your free time is your own business.”

Simon’s view of the Betas rose even more. While he didn’t trust them as much as he did his fellow assassins or Finn, Simon did like them enough to call friends. Which was a first for him. He was glad to hear that they hadn’t been the ones who had spilled their secret.

Then Simon thought about it. Why should he and Finn have to keep their relationship a secret anymore? Now that Tate knew about it, there was no reason that they couldn’t go out in the open about it. That was, unless, Finn didn’t want to be seen with an assassin.

Simon shook his head. Finn wasn’t like that. He was too honest and innocent to let something like that bother him. Still, Simon decided to test the waters a bit. Reaching out, he grabbed Finn by the waist and hauled him in for a kiss. Sure, everybody there already knew about him and Finn, but they had never shown any affection in front of them. Slanting his mouth down, Simon brought his lips down to meet Finn’s.

Finn didn’t fight it for a second. He instantly went pliant in Simon’s arms, letting Simon take over. Simon only kept the kiss brief, not wanting to give the watching Betas too much of a show, but it let him know Finn had no trouble with the letting the world know they were together.

“Are you two done?” Avan asked with a cocked brow. “Or are we going to wait for the nest to come to us and line up in a nice neat row and let us off them one-by-one?”

“It would make things much more convenient for us,” Finn said, “But I don’t think that they’re going to do that. So, I guess we better go to them.”

“I do love your sarcastic mouth,” Simon said.

“Probably because he’s just as much as a smartass as you are,” Clark grumbled.

Simon had learned pretty quickly that Clark had zero when it came to a sense of humor, which of course made Simon ride him hardest of all. Simon gave the Beta a soft bat on the back of the head.

“You know you love me, Clark. Life is going to be so dull for you once this mission is over,” Simon teased.

“No, my life will finally be back to normal. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to that.”

Finn laughed. “You better watch out. You’re going to end up with a mate who is more sarcastic than me and Simon put together.”

The thought of that must have horrified Clark because he turned two shades paler as his mouth parted in shock. “I think I would jump into the Detroit River if that ever happened.”

“Do you know how to swim?” Finn asked, with a laugh.

“Nope,” Clark answered.

“You really need to learn how to lighten up a bit, Clark. You would see life is more entertaining that way,” Finn said.

“I like my life dull, thank you very much,” Clark drawled.