“Not yet.” Harald’s boots thud on the hardwood floor as he walks over to stand on the other side of the cage. “How the two of you comfort each other.” He rocks forward on the soles of his feet and licks one of the bars. “A sight that should rekindle hope and melt the most cynical of hearts.” His pupils roll back showing the whites of his eyes. Fucker is insane.
“Shut the fuck up.” I should stay quiet. Now is not the time for bravado, to incite the berserker. I need to think, to find a way out of here. And yet that something inside me insists that she survived and never bowed her head to anyone so far. She is resilient my omega, and I will make sure she gets through this, unscathed.
I surge to my feet and bring her up with me.
“What do you want?” I set my jaw.
“To see the two of you engage in what you do so well. Fuck.”
In my arms she freezes, and every muscle in her body tightens, echoing the same tension that grips me mine.
Another purr rumbles up my throat and I cradle her closer.
Her shoulders hunch. Her body melts into me.
I can do this much for her. I can keep her calm, help her to stay grounded, perhaps allow her to subsume her conscious mind in my ability to cocoon her, while I try to figure out a way out of this cage.
“Never.”
“Have it your way.” He thrusts his face through the gap between the bars. “Any of my men would gladly rut your omega.” Without taking his gaze off of my face, he raises his arm. I follow the direction of it, and all of my muscles go solid. The fine hairs on the nape of my neck rise.
Gathered about the cage are Harald's berserkers.
I count at least twenty…no…there are fifty of them assembled past the bars that close us in, and that’s not the worst. Where alphas never stay quiet, definitely not in the presence of an omega, these alphas are all standing at attention.
They are silent. Their gazes are all trained on me… No, not on me, on the woman cowering in my arms. I tighten my grip around her, my purring grows more agitated, and I force myself to lower its intensity.
I don’t want these men to hear me purr for her, not what is a nuance meant only for my omega. Not when Harald means to strip us bare, to tear every shred of dignity from us, and exploit the purity of what is between me and my omega for their entertainment.
A chill grips my chest and expands out until every part of me feels like it’s carved from ice. I will not let them hurt her. I'll do anything to protect her. Anything.
I wipe all expression from my face.
Harald narrows his gaze, “I see the seriousness of my intent is finally sinking in," he drawls. "You must admit this is a coup. I have the General of London and his omega at my mercy. Nothing like watching the alpha of alphas rut his mate to get my men in the mood. Besides," he leans forward on the balls of his feet, "they’ve been promised they’ll all get a chance at your omega’s cunt...after.”
“You’ll die for this, I promise you that.”
“You’re an optimistic man, Zeus. But you must know one more thing. It’s thanks to your second that I find myself in this happy situation.”
“Ethan?” Every instinct in my body goes on alert. No, it can’t be. I form the words in my head, yet everything inside me screams that it’s true.
Harald jerks his chin to his left.
I spot the traitor, and every muscle in my body coils. I only realize that I’ve taken a step forward, when she digs her nails into my chest.
“Don’t, Alpha. Don’t give in to your rage, not now.” Her voice whispers over my skin.
My chest rises and falls, and my breath comes in pants. I need to stay calm, and find a way to shield her from the worst.
A low growl rumbles from me.
Next to Harald, Ethan strides to the bars. “I am sorry, it had to be this way.”
“I am going to kill you.” My voice is calm, my shoulders bunch.
“Sadly, that’s not going to happen." Ethan widens his stance. "Accept it Zeus, you have lost this fight."
Harald jerks his chin. “It’s time for you to begin your performance, General.”
Everything inside of me screams a protest. My body tenses and there's a pounding in my ears. I’d always suspected Ethan’s loyalty, had suspected he’d turn his back on me. I’d known it, and my ego had blinded me. I’d ignored it. I’d not trusted my own instincts, and my omega is going to pay the price.
9
Lucy
The look in their eyes…I am sure they are going to tear me apart. No, they want to tear into my body, rut me, punish me, and not for anything I’ve done wrong.
Simply because I am an omega.
Because they are alphas.
Because they can.
A soft purr rumbles up his chest, and the sound flows around me, soothing me, calling to me. I huddle closer to the heat of his body. Acutely aware that I am naked.
My hair falls over my shoulders, and I am happy that I have let it grow. When I had escaped from Russia I had contemplated cutting it short to disguise myself, but I hadn't. Small mercies. I hiccough. At least I have something with which to cover up my nakedness. That, and his arms, which he uses to shield as much of me as he can.
He’s agitated. I can tell from the way his muscles clench, his shoulders flex, his chest rumbles as he purrs continuously.
The sound is comforting, alluring, yet it also unnerves me. The very fact he’s trying to comfort me, soothe me, makes me aware that our situation is every bit as hopeless as it seems.
“You won’t get away with this,” his voice is harsh and a vein throbs at his temple.
Harald laughs, and the sound is so evil, so full of his intent to harm. No, more than that. He wants to see us suffer. He revels in our helplessness. And my alpha is not helpless. Neither am I. We are not going to die, not here. We can’t. I must stay alive for my baby.
Our child.
His voice caresses my mind, and I shiver. Comfort bleeds down the mating bond and curls in my chest. His purring intensifies, as if he is trying to cocoon me with his tenor, trying to build a wall of sound between us and those…those animals.
How had I ever thought he was like them?
He had taken from me…and yet it had been different, because from the moment I’d seen him, I’d known he was it for me. It’s complicated, of course, it is. He’d toyed with me, played with me, but he’d also protected me, tried to take care of me in his own overprotective way.
Zeus.
I can’t stop myself from whispering his name in my mind, from reaching out to him through the mating cord.
His chest heaves.
“I am here, my love.”
A shiver scrolls down my back. “I can hear your voice in my mind,” I pulse the thought back to him. “You removed the barrier on the mating cord?”
I'd heard of mated alpha-omega couples being able to communicate through the mating bond but experiencing it with Zeus...the intimacy of being able to share my innermost thoughts with another makes my breath catch. Goosebumps flare over my skin, all my nerve endings tingle.
Why’d you do it, Zeus?
I reach out to him again through our shared connection, trying to glean what he’s not saying, trying to understand the moods of this complex man. What is he thinking? What is he going to do?
I had to Omega, he pulses back.
Why? I raise my head to meet his gaze. Because we are going to die?
We are not. He narrows his eyes.
Because you took pity on this omega and thought to share the real parts of yourself before I am thrown at the mercy of those berserkers, who are going to rip me apart. I jut out my chin.
Not as long as I am alive. One side of his lips curl up.
And after that?” I force myself to say the words.
“I am not going to die. He sets his jaw. I cannot die, not as long as you are in danger.
Didn’t take you for such a dreamer, Zeus. I swallow.
I am not going to give
up hope, and neither should you, Omega. He rubs his cheek over my head.
How do you know that? How can you be so confident?
He leans back and meets my gaze. You need to trust in me. Can you?
Can I? I am not sure, I pulse the thought truthfully at him.
We just need to survive the next few hours, Omega. His features set in hard lines.
I am not sure if I can. The band around my chest tightens.
All you have to do is follow my lead. His gaze softens.
It’s so easy for you to say that. I press my palms to his chest. Follow me, trust in me, be with me. Why should I?
Because… I… He firms his shoulders. I love you.
My insides freeze. Did he just say that? Does he mean it?
Why…why should I believe you? I bite the inside of my cheek.
When a man faces danger like this, when he knows the only thing that makes his life worth living could be taken away from him, believe me, even an asshole like me will speak the truth.
Alpha-hole. I correct him.
One side of his mouth curls. I’ll take that as a compliment.
Only you, Zeus, would stand here surrounded by these hungry alphas who are going to tear us apart, with the biggest monster of them all—yeah, more of a monster than you—watching us, and choose to have this conversation.”
He grimaces. We don’t have much time, Lucia.
A shiver of apprehension spills down my back.
What would you have me do, Alpha?
I hate what I am about to do. But despite all of my bravado and my posturing, despite my confidence, I didn’t see this coming. I miscalculated, Omega, and now I have no choice but to ask this of you.
You’re scaring me, Zeus.
Let me love you. He slides me down his body until my feet touch the floor.
Here? I whisper.
It’s not how I’d have chosen it, but I have to work with the hand I’ve been dealt. It’s wrong, so wrong of me to ask you this, and yet… He arranges my hair so it flows down my back to my hips, covering my back. I know you are strong, Lucy. I know you are more resilient than anyone I have ever met. Just trust in me, allow me to take over, to block out everything else outside. Everything except us. Let me show you how it can be between us, Lucy.
He folds his arm over my butt, and I realize he’s covered most of my body from the gaze of those animals.
I know what he is asking of me and I don’t want to…and yet…if this is the only way to have him, one last time… My belly tightens, and my thighs clench. I realize my body has already spoken for me.
I don’t care if the entire world watches. They are not here, I am. In the arms of the man who was born for me, who is mine as I am his. I’ll never be anyone else’s, and if this is the way to show him how much he means to me, then I am going to do it.
I lean in, close enough for my lips to brush his ears. “Take me, Alpha. Knot me. Fuck me, Zeus.”
10
Zeus
Her words shiver down my spine, and my groin tightens. My dick throbs. I shouldn’t be so aroused, not like this, not in front of all those watching pairs of eyes. Gazes from the other alphas who want to be part of what I am going to do to her.
They want me to fuck her, to take her in front of them.
They want to experience the passion of a true alpha-omega bond through me. They want to partake of the pleasure that comes from a true couple bonding and fucking like they mean it. Like their life depends on it.
But what I feel for her is so much, for it’s this need to take care of her, to protect her from them, and if that means having to claim her in front of everyone…
Taking her is no hardship, and yet I don’t want to share what we have. I don’t want to share the purity of my emotions for her. Purity?
A chuckle grinds up my throat.
I’d have never classified what I feel for her as that. But the lushness of her scent that sinks into my blood and twists my gut, that makes my muscles tense, my breath come in pants, all of it testifies to the fact that my response to her is very real. Real enough for me to have removed the barrier on the mating bond between us so she is aware of every nuance of my emotions.
Can perceive my intentions.
Know what I am thinking at the same time I am.
She can anticipate me. I let her in when I’ve never done that to anyone else before her. No one after her either. She has my complete trust—does she know that?
“Get on with it.” Harald drags the blade of his sword across the bars. Sparks fly from the contact. The uneven sounds that the blade makes when it grates over each bar set my teeth on edge.
The hairs on my neck and arms rise.
She moans and cowers closer to me.
In that moment, I know I hate Harald even more than I ever loathed Golan.
“Forgive me, my love.” I sweep her off her feet and lay her on the ground.
Her back comes in contact with the hard floor, and she shivers.
“When we get out of here, I'll ensure that you never lack for silks for your mattress.”
“Cotton.” Her voice trembles.
“Huh?” I plank over her. My shoulders bunch, and my biceps tremble as they support the weight of my arms.
“I prefer cotton sheets.”
“You’ll have it,” I vow. “The softest of cottons that I can source for you.”
“If you are in such an agreeable mood, perhaps I should ask you for more?” Her eyes gleam up through those long, dark eyelashes.
My heart stutters. I forget that we have an audience, that we are locked up in this cage, far from London, from any friends or allies, in the clutches of a monster who is going to kill us, or worse. All I know is that… “I am going to make this up to you.”
Her chin wobbles. Color fades from her cheeks. She reaches up a hand and cups my cheek. “My alpha, my monster.” Her voice is soft, so soft. Her gaze liquid, the curves of her body are perfect, made for my arms. Why hadn’t I noticed that before? Why did I have to let things go so far before realizing what I want from her, from myself?
"Forgive me for what I have to do to you, to us. I reach down and brush my lips over her forehead. If there had been any other way, I’d have taken it."
Waves of helplessness roll off of her. “I am scared, Zeus.” Her voice wavers, and fear bleeds down the bond.
Raw anger churns my guts, and my pulse thuds in my temples. My heart stutters as I drop down into that hidden part of me and draw up a harsh purr. I fucking hate that the alphas will hear this most intimate of sounds. I grit my teeth and push that thought from my head. I will do what it takes to comfort her and calm her, just for a little while longer. Just until I get her out of here. The growl resonates up my chest. I draw it out and spill it over her, looping it around her, cocooning her.
She shivers and thrusts up her breasts. Her spine arches, and her nipples pebble. I can feel their sharpness, how her flesh trembles against mine.
Blood rushes to my groin and my dick thickens against her thigh.
Her shoulders heave, and her legs part.
I draw out another purr, this one deeper, more sensuous.
I modulate my voice just right, just harsh enough that it will tug on her nerves and arouse her, while yet packed with my craving for her.
Her stomach trembles, her thighs clench, and a stream of slick gushes out of her.
Another purr, and her muscles relax. A hum creeps up her chest, her throat, and spills from between her parted lips. “Zeus…” she says my name on a sigh.
That’s it, my love, let go of all your inhibition. Give in to me, flow with me… Trust me, my darling. I didn’t know I had it in me to call her by those endearments.
A month ago, if you’d told me that I’d be so drawn to another, an omega at that, enough to take her as my mate, enough to profess my love, to soothe her, to call her by those intimate names that mates reserve for each other…well, I’d have said that you were insane.
; Instead, it is I who lies here completely stripped of all ego, of all my bravado, those masks I had worn for the world.
All that posturing, the survival skills I’d picked up in the streets, the revenge I had nourished so carefully all these years…all of it is nothing compared to the overwhelming need to protect her from those animals, from the world, from myself even. My body stills, my muscles going solid at that realization.
She wriggles under me, parting her legs wider, bringing her arms up and over my shoulders. “Take me, Zeus.” Her breath heaves.
I want to rise and angle my hips and thrust into her, and I can’t, and isn’t that a surprise?
My needs are no longer important; this is about her.
Her desires.
Her wants.
I want to make this pleasurable for her.
The fact that there are alphas watching and no doubt getting off on this display makes me want to cocoon her further.
I draw out another purr, and another, letting the sound waves build, letting the resonance engulf the space around our bodies.
I hold the purring steady, drawing each one out from the depths of my belly, my heart, my soul, layering each surge one on top of the other, fashioning an intricate wall of sound, a shield that weaves in over our bodies, holding us within its protection.
They can see us through the disturbance, catch glimpses of our bodies, but they can’t hear us or scent us now. It’s our very own fortress, a barricade to hold back the hunger that pours from our audience.
I rise onto my elbows, making sure to keep as much of her body shielded from their gaze as I possibly can.
Balancing myself on one arm, I slide the other under her hips. “I am going to make this so good for you, Princess.” Lowering my head, I brush my lips over hers, nibbling my way up and over those closed eyelids which I kiss.
She trembles and raises those eyelids. She trains that green gaze, now drugged with need, on me. Those pupils are dilated enough to tell me she is at the edge and ready for me. It was always you, Zeus, she exhales. Only you.
Her words sink into me through the bond, warm my blood, and I know there is no turning back.
Owned by the Alpha Page 6
