Zeke: The Boundarylands

by Callie Rhodes

  After that, he got dressed and started out of the bedroom. He only made it as far as the door before he turned around.

  Something inside wouldn't let him leave just yet. He needed to look at her a little longer, even if it was only to watch her sleep.

  Even when she'd been hiding behind a bush in ripped clothes and scraped knees, Darcy had been beautiful. But now Zeke was able to notice all the little details he had missed before: the faint laugh lines at the corners of her eyes, the way her hair curled at the nape of her neck.

  He loved it all. The woman was a masterpiece.

  "Mine," he whispered experimentally.

  Unable to control the urge, he crept over to the bed and hovered his hand over the curve of her hip. It was such a little thing—to touch a woman as she slept—and yet it meant everything to Zeke.

  Mine. Ours. Us. We.

  All words that Zeke never thought he'd be able to use again, beautiful little words that meant he was no longer alone.

  No—more than merely not alone.

  He had his omega, and she was exactly the right woman for him. Darcy was full of life and fire, unafraid to tell him the unflinching truth in one moment, then falling to her knees and submitting to his cock the next. She was what he needed, and he would damn sure do everything he could to always be what she needed, too.

  Zeke let his hand settle gently on her hip, and Darcy sighed in her sleep, a little smile on her face. She felt it even in sleep—the faint current that was always there between them, ready to burst into flames of passion at any moment or to unite them for any challenge that came their way.

  He would never be alone again.

  Zeke couldn't keep a stupid grin off his face as he went downstairs and added a log to the fire that had burned down to embers. He was thinking about what to make for supper when he heard the far-off sound of an engine headed down the central road.

  He stood stock-still, waiting, knowing in the pit of his stomach that the sound meant trouble. Sure enough, the vehicle turned onto his drive, coming straight for the house.

  Zeke wasn't used to visitors. He could count on one hand the number of his alpha brothers he'd given standing permission to cross over his property line. But as the breeze shifted, Zeke caught a familiar scent—this visitor was one of those few.

  Troy.

  Zeke relaxed slightly, unclenching his fists. This was going to be…interesting.

  He glanced down at his shoulder. The bandage concealed the bite, but paired with the scent of fresh omega hanging in the air, and the fact that his friend was no dummy, Zeke was guessing he was about to face some questions he couldn't dodge any longer.

  Troy did not disappoint.

  "Holy shit," he said, jumping down from his truck with a huge smile plastered on his face. "I don't know what to expecting when I drove out here today, but it wasn't this."

  Zeke grimaced and gave a fractional nod. "Troy."

  "I'd ask you how you've been the last month, but—" Troy's grin only widened as he gazed pointedly at Zeke's shoulder. "—I think I know."

  No. He really fucking didn't.

  But Zeke wasn't in the mood to enlighten him. Everything that had happened over the last few weeks was between him and Darcy alone. The bastards who'd tried to kill her might be burning in hell now, and there was no pressing need for secrecy, but Zeke felt no desire to tell the story.

  Some of his brothers—like Troy, for instance—didn't give a shit who knew their business. But Zeke had never been that way. Some things were too precious, too sacred to share.

  "Was there a reason you came out here?" he asked.

  Troy chuckled as he dug into his pocket. "Good to know that, whoever she is, she hasn't changed you all that much. You're still a grouchy old bastard."

  He pulled out a set of keys and dangled it between them.

  Darcy's keys.

  After the past week, Zeke had almost forgotten his deal with Troy to fix her car.

  "That thing took a lot of work," Troy said. "A shit ton of parts, too, but I managed to put Humpty Dumpty back together again."

  Zeke stared at the keys, briefly considering telling Troy to keep them. But even though he had a claiming bite on his shoulder that tied Darcy to him in the most primal way, a sliver of doubt still nagged at him.

  Would his omega have made a different choice if she'd known her means of escape would soon appear? That she could leave him behind if she'd seen Troy's face and realized there were other, more handsome alphas just down the road?

  Zeke grabbed the keys with unnecessary force. "Thank you," he muttered.

  Troy's eyes narrowed. "So, just to be clear, we're even, right? Debt paid, and all that shit?"

  "Yeah." Zeke closed his hand so hard around the keys that the metal points bit into the flesh of his palm. "We're even."

  "Well, then I will let you get back to…business," Troy said cheerfully. Halfway to this truck, he turned. "You ever going to bring her down to Evander's and introduce her to everyone? Let her meet the other omegas?"

  The last thing Zeke wanted to think about right now was more omegas. "Go home, Troy. I'm sure Faith is missing you."

  Troy jerked a thumb up at Zeke's bedroom window. "I think someone's missing you too."

  Zeke had been trying to ignore the sounds of Darcy shifting under the covers, the soft sighs that signaled she was coming out of sleep.

  "I'll see you soon, brother," Troy said with a wink.

  As the big, tricked-out truck headed back down the drive, Zeke scowled down at the keys in his hand.

  No point putting it off.

  Darcy closed her eyes to stretch luxuriously, and when she opened them again, Zeke was standing in the doorway.

  No, that wasn't quite right.

  Zeke didn't stand in doorways. He filled them.

  The thought brought a smile to her face, and she patted the mattress next to her. But Zeke didn't budge.

  "Everything okay?" she asked. He was staring at her, but it wasn't the heavy-lidded gaze that signaled she was in for a few more rounds of ecstasy. His dark green eyes were opaque, his mouth a thin line.

  "We just had a visitor.”

  His tone was so dark that Darcy felt a chill of panic. Had someone come to take her away from Zeke? The Baron brothers might be dead, but the police department they'd all worked for might have come looking for vengeance.

  But Darcy abandoned the idea almost as soon as it occurred to her. Two rogue cops were one thing, but there was no way in hell the department would risk an official visit to the Boundarylands.

  There had been a huge scandal a year ago when the army had bungled a covert mission to pull out a senator's daughter turned omega. If the military couldn't do it with all their resources and firepower, there was no hope for the SWAT team. In fact, after a month, they'd almost certainly written Darcy off as dead.

  "Who was it?" she asked.

  "The alpha who was fixing your car." Zeke held up a familiar set of keys.

  "Oh, good," she said, wondering why he sounded so upset. "Though I'm not sure how much use it'll get since I don't think you'll fit in the passenger seat."

  "That won't be a problem," Zeke said flatly, "if you decide to go for a ride alone."

  Darcy gaped at him. That's what he was worried about? Even after she'd given him her damned claiming bite? Unbelievable as it was, apparently Zeke was still worried she might up and disappear.

  "Oh, for fuck's sake," Darcy sighed. Ignoring the lingering soreness in her legs, she clambered out of bed, marched over, and snatched the keys out of his hand. "As someone I know likes to say—what part of I never want to leave is so hard for you to understand?"

  Then she went to the window, yanked it open, and tossed out the keys. "There. Now can we start our life together for real?"

  Zeke finally stepped into the room. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  "Now we can."

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Do you have any idea how hard it is to ge
t pink hair dye shipped to the Boundarylands?"

  Darcy's friend Mia handed her a small box she'd just unpacked from a huge crate of goods.

  "Oh my God, thank you," Darcy said. "I know it's technically a luxury, but with the way my roots are growing in, it sure feels like a necessity."

  Mia smirked and went back to unpacking. "It was worth it just to see Ty's face when he opened the box and thought it was for me."

  The two of them were in the large storeroom at the back of Evander's, and Darcy was curled up in a giant desk chair that belonged to Mia’s mate Ty.

  "He was right to be worried," Darcy teased. "Pink's not really your color. But order some purple, and I'll be glad to dye your hair for you."

  "No, thank you," Mia laughed. "I'm good just the way I am."

  Darcy smiled and picked up the giant flannel shirt she was repairing after Zeke accidentally caught it in a trap. She'd offered to help with the unpacking, but only Mia understood her complicated organization system, so Darcy had gotten into the habit of bringing her mending basket when she stopped by to visit.

  The first time Zeke brought her to Evander's, she'd quickly learned that the bar was the central hub of the southern portion of the Pacific Northwest Boundarylands. In addition to providing a place for the alphas to do their drinking and socializing, it also served as a small general store. Mia was the one who managed all the ordering for the things the community couldn't build, hunt, grow, or barter for.

  "Anything else good come in this shipment?" Darcy asked as she stitched the long tear back together.

  "Not really," Mia said. "Just the basics this time—flour, sugar, a handful of special orders."

  The door opened, and another omega came in, two small paper bags in her hands.

  "Faith!" Mia exclaimed, rushing to greet Troy's omega. "What are you doing here?"

  Darcy set down her mending and joined the other two in a three-way hug. She had surprised herself by how quickly she had settled in to her new life here in the Boundarylands. Back in the beta world, Darcy had always struggled to make close friends, especially with women.

  But here, everything was different. Even though the omegas all came from different backgrounds, with a variety of personalities, skills, and points of view, they all got along somehow. Just as Zeke called all the other alphas his brothers, these omegas had quickly become Darcy's sisters.

  "Troy wanted to come by and pick up those parts that just came in," Faith said, extricating herself and handing each of them a paper sack. "And I begged him to let me come along. And besides, I was getting bulbs ready to force, and I thought you both might like some tulips for your gardens."

  Darcy and Mia chorused their thanks, Darcy tucking the flower bulbs into her bag. Little gifts like these were the norm; when one omega had extra, she always shared with the others.

  "I thought Troy didn't like you being here on Friday nights," Mia said.

  Every Friday night, a nearby madam brought her girls into Evander's to serve the community.

  "It's ridiculous," Faith sighed, rolling her eyes. "What with his past, he ought to be the one begging me for permission."

  Darcy hid a smile. Zeke had told her all about his friend Troy's history as the madam's best customer. Of course, that was all in the past now that Troy had a mate. Since meeting Faith, he apparently hadn't given any woman other than her a second look—beta, omega, prostitute, or otherwise.

  "But I got him to say yes by suggesting I could drive your old car down here, Darcy," Faith continued. "He was itching to get it out of his garage."

  "Oh Faith, thank you," Darcy said. She had put off the task much too long. After tossing her keys out of Zeke's window, she realized she was really throwing her old life away—and the car no longer seemed important. "I should have come for that old junker ages ago. I owe you."

  A mischievous smile lit up Faith's face. "If you really want to pay me back, you could make your alpha agree to a game of pool with me."

  "Not now," Mia objected. "Nicky and her girls will be pulling up any minute."

  "Like I care," Faith said. "Besides, it won't take long."

  Darcy couldn't help but laugh. "Fine by me. Go corner him, and if he gives you any trouble, ask him if he ever wants me to do that thing he likes with my tongue again."

  Faith threw her arms around Darcy and squeezed. "Thank you. And the keys are in the ignition if I don't see you before you leave."

  Mia wiped her hands off on a bar rag before following Faith. "Don't you want to see this?"

  "I'm sure I'll hear all about it," Darcy joked.

  The truth was that she wasn't in the mood to join the hard-partying crowd on the other side of the door. She'd grown accustomed to the quiet of the forest and the easy pace of her days.

  As much as she enjoyed getting together with her friends, she'd just as soon do it away from the hustle and bustle of a packed bar. She'd had her fill of that back in the beta world.

  Stepping out the side door into the cool night air, Darcy kept to the shadows, wanting to avoid being spotted. From the sound of cheers and hooting, Mia had been right—the madam and her girls were in the house.

  Darcy rested her back against the wall and gazed up at the stars, enjoying the sense of peace she'd felt ever since she'd claimed Zeke for her own.

  Here, in the middle of nowhere, was exactly where she was supposed to be. The piece that had been missing from the puzzle of her life had finally clicked perfectly into place, and she'd never been more content.

  A twig snapped somewhere around the corner of the bar. Curiosity got the better of Darcy, and she tiptoed toward the sound. But when she peeked around the corner, she didn't catch an alpha and his date tearing off each other's clothes as she'd expected.

  Instead, Darcy saw a woman standing in a pool of weak light. She looked as though she was trying to make herself disappear, hunching her shoulders, her hands twisting together.

  Darcy knew panic when she saw it.

  Even though the woman's hair was black instead of pink, and she was wrapped in business casual clothes, Darcy imagined this was what she'd looked like that day she'd crashed into the Boundarylands.

  This woman was no omega. And she sure as hell wasn't an experienced beta prostitute.

  She didn’t belong here.

  "Hey," Darcy called softly.

  The woman startled, then tried to cover her fear with an unconvincing smile. "Oh…hi. Sorry, I was just..."

  "It's okay," Darcy said reassuringly. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're in trouble, though, aren't you?"

  The woman didn't answer for a long moment, emotions battling on her face, then finally nodded once.

  "You don't want to be here, do you?" Darcy pressed.

  Another nod.

  "Is someone chasing you?"

  The woman's expression gave way to suspicion, and she skittered back a few steps, ready to bolt.

  "No, wait, it's okay," Darcy assured the stranger. "I only asked because I understand, it's how I came here too. But I can help. I can get you out of here."

  The woman's eyes narrowed. "How?"

  "I have a car—"

  "I'm not getting in a car with you or anyone," the woman said fiercely.

  "That's fine. You can just take it. It's the blue two-seater around the corner. The keys are in the ignition."

  "People don't just give cars away for nothing," the woman said.

  "The omegas around here do," Darcy insisted. "Besides, I don't need it, and you do."

  The woman looked behind her, scanning the woods nervously. "Thank you, I guess…but it won't do any good. The people I'm hiding from will be waiting on the other side of the boundary for me."

  Yet another problem that Darcy understood.

  And one she could solve…no matter how pissed Zeke was going to be.

  "Okay," she said, keeping her voice low and even so as not to spook the woman. "Here's what you're going to do. Get in the car. Turn left on the Center Road. Drive two-point-three miles
exactly. Then turn right into the driveway."

  The woman blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

  "Those are the directions to my house," Darcy said. "Around here, we help each other out."

  "But—"

  "I know it's hard, but I'm asking you to trust me." Darcy was speaking faster, worried that someone would poke their head around the corner and see them. "Take the drive another mile and a half, and you'll arrive at a house at the edge of a big clearing. The front door won't be locked, and you can let yourself in. Do you have all that?"

  After a moment, the woman nodded, her eyes still wide with fear.

  "Now, it might be a while before I can leave here," Darcy said. No matter how skilled Faith was at pool, Darcy knew her alpha wouldn't go down without a fight. "But I promise to be there as soon as I can."

  The woman hesitated only a moment before turning to go. She was halfway to the car when she stopped and mouthed thank you, then ran the rest of the way.

  Darcy watched the stranger get in the car and drive off, only then letting out the breath she'd been holding.

  Now all that was left to do was to go inside the bar, find her seven-and-a-half-foot-tall alpha, and tell him they were about to have another refugee shacking up in the woodshed.

  Welcome to The Boundarylands Omegaverse!

  Thank you for reading ZEKE, Book 6 in the series. There are so many more hot alphas from the Boundarylands waiting to meet you.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of the next book in the series, available here: ARIC (The Boundarylands Omegaverse)

  If you want to spread the word about the Boundarylands, please consider leaving a review. The more reviews a book has the easier it is for new readers to find it.

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