Page 30 of Cause Of Death

Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to wallow in option d for long. Kimmy slams open the bathroom door, wrenches back the shower curtain, and twists the faucet to turn the cooling spray of water off.

“Stop your sulking, Henley managed to pick up some omega pads while he was out. Steve and Leslie aren’t too far away with Adam, and we all need to have a discussion about all the things, before you and Kieran lose all of your brain cells. So, get your ass up off the floor, get dressed, put these on, and come on out.” She punctuates her orders by throwing a packet of heavy-dutystrength omega pads at my head, giggling as they bounce off my face. I glare at her retreating back as I pick the packet up and scramble to my feet, grumbling dire threats and insults under my breath.

It doesn’t take long for me to dry and dress myself, moaning with relief as the thick pads suck away my excess fluids. I’ll probably need to change them in the next hour or so, if not sooner.

I truly havenotmissed this aspect of being an omega.

I’m sore, tired, hangry, and anxious by the time Steve turns the Suburban into the driveway of a rather large corner block in one of the outer subdivisions of Redding. The moment the garage door lowers behind us, I want nothing more than to fly from the car and seek out Kieran, but I’m prevented from doing so by Leslie. They turn and face me, reaching out to gently grasp my arm as they speak.

“Adam, I know you want to get in there and check on your omega, but before we allow you to do anything, ground rules need to be established. So, when you go inside, by all means check on Kieran, but then you need to sit your ass down, meet the rest of our pack, and hash out the important shit with Henley.”

Our drive up to Redding hadn’t been conducted in silence. While they had avoided answering questions about the woman I’d seen Steve with the other week—other than to tell me that her name was Wisp, she’s twenty-six, and that she was the other omega—they had answered a lot of others I’d asked.

Henley Armstrong is the eldest of their group at twenty-nine, and thanks to his age and alpha designation, is the de facto head of what will become their pack. Steve is a sigma, only a year behind Henley in age, and is actually a lot more docile than his appearance leads people to believe. In fact it’s Leslie and Kimberly who are the so-called “attack dogs” in the pack. Leslie—a delta just like I suspected—is the same age as Steve, but thanks to their line of work in the “import/export sector”—which is code for dealing with the black-market—Leslie has a lot of “friends” who can—and have—helped them dispose of bodies. Kimberly Lovelace is the baby of the group at twenty-five, is a gamma, and can end a person’s will to live with a simple keystroke. She’s also apparently quite vicious and vindictive when she feels those weaker or in need of protection are being exploited or abused. The five of them, including Wisp, grew up together in an orphanage. While not all of them enjoy a sexual relationship with one another, they consider each other family and pack. All they’re waiting on is for Wisp to finally be ready to accept Henley as her alpha, and it seems that Kieran’s oncoming heat has just moved up their timeline.

As I don’t want to start what could end up being my future with this group on the wrong foot, I give Leslie a curt nod, then gesture toward the still-locked door.

“Mind letting me out so I can take a piss, set eyes on my omega, and then get something to eat? I’m unlikely to be the best company until I do those three things, and I’m sure Henley would appreciate not having to deal with a surly, antagonistic alpha when in truth we want the same thing. I don’t care about the order of the pissing and eating, but seeing Kieran takes precedence.”

Steve unlocks my door before Leslie can even open their mouth, and I stagger slightly as I step out of the SUV and stretchout my sore and aching joints. Sitting in one position while still healing hasn’t done me any favors.

Zero out of five stars, donotrecommend.

The welcoming, homey aroma of lemongrass, beeswax, and newly-cut wood reaches me just as another deep voice emerges from the gloom of the garage.

“Mr. Knight. Do you mind if I call you Adam? No? Good. Thank you for coming, Kieran has been waiting for your arrival quite anxiously. We still have some time before his and Wisp’s heats arrive in full, so come in, let’s get you settled, and then we can talk while you eat.” The behemoth who steps forward has at least three inches on my own six feet, five inches, and would be one scary motherfucker if it wasn’t for the peace and calm radiating from him. His smile is gentle, his brown eyes kind, and he evokes the image of an oversize teddy bear in my mind. I might be older than the guy by almost a decade, but he exudes an aura of authority that makes me want to take a knee and pledge him my allegiance.

This is a man who will never demand someone’s trust or obedience, because it’s not necessary. You can’t demand what has already been freely given.

“You must be Henley,” I greet in return, holding out my hand to shake his enormous mitt. “Thank you for looking out for Kieran, and not taking advantage of him while he’s in such a vulnerable state. It’s gratifying to know that there are other honorable alphas out there who can overcome the temptation of an omega nearing their heat.”

“Oh, you have no idea how controlled and in command Henley is, hero. His willpower is fuckinglegendaryin certain circles, isn’t it, Hen?” Leslie snarks as they walk past carrying my duffel, and I grimace at the thought of them going through it and discovering all my weaponry. I’m torn, uncertain whether I should speak up and inform them of my hidden stash, or remainquiet and hope they don’t go searching. The decision is taken from me by a voice I’ve been anxious to hear in person.

“Hey, Leslie, be careful when you go through that. Knowing Adam, he’s brought half of his personal armory with him, and will happily exist with only a couple of changes of socks and jocks.”

I don’t even remember moving. One minute I’m standing in the dark garage with Henley between me and the door, the next I’m in an open plan kitchen-dining room, crushing Kieran to my chest with my good arm and inhaling his mouth-watering orange and spices scent.

“You fucking disappear on me like that again, and don’t call methe fucking momentyou get a hold of a phone, and I’ll have you over my knee and tanning your ass so you can’t sit for a fucking week. JesusfuckingChrist, Kier. I thought you weredead.”

Tears clog my throat, making my voice hoarse as I give Kieran a dressing-down I hope he’ll never forget. My body is trembling with reaction, and I can’t find it in me to let him go, not even so I can check him over.

Linen, cut grass, and hops fills my nose as a pair of arms wraps themselves around Kieran and me, the heat from Steve’s body chasing away the cold dread that had settled in my heart. While sigmas don’t have a true purr like alphas and omegas, it doesn’t stop Steve from doing his best to mimic one. The soft, deep rumbles vibrate through my body, and along with his calming scent, I’m quickly soothed to the point where I’m no longer trying to absorb Kieran’s body into my own.

“There you go, now. Kieran’s safe and as healthy as we could get him without his medication. Henley likes to be prepared, so our med-kit has a couple of different types of antibiotics inside it that we were able to use. We patched him up pretty good and have been keeping a close eye on him. Now that you’rehere, we can get back on top of Kieran’s schedule, and everyone can relax.” I sag against Steve in relief now that one of my greatest fears has been assuaged. Kieran takes advantage of the loosening of my arm to pull away from me slightly, just enough to glare up at me and jab a finger toward my face.

“While you might smell like a walking, talking advert for all things masculine, Idoneed to fucking breathe, Adam! I don’t think my dad would appreciate hearing that I survived kidnapping and assassination attempts only to be done in because youliterallysmothered me with your protection. Now, come and meet the rest of the gang, get some food into you, and then we can all sit down and figure what the next week is going to look like. We don’t have a lot of time because Di—uh, Wisp’s and my heats are feeding off one another, and I’m starting to think any and every surface looks like a suitable alternative to a bed. Lemme tell you now, I’mnotspending my heat fucking on a hardwood floor, thank you very much.”

Reluctantly, I allow Kieran to step out of my embrace before pulling myself away from Steve. Thankfully, they’re both careful of my arm. I shoot Steve a small, abashed smile, then allow myself to be tugged over to the large table set in a corner of the room.

“Okay, so you’ve met Henley, Steve, and Leslie. Wisp is in the shower at the moment, trying to cool down a little, so you’ll meet her later. This is Kimberly. Don’t let her diminutive size fool you, though. She’s the secret head of this pack and one of the most bloodthirsty people you’ll ever meet. The only way to truly stay on her good side or pacify her is to provide her with copious amounts of coffee.”

The gamma leans back in her seat, her hazel eyes roaming over me in an obvious once-over. The sweet curve of her mouth twists in a sneer, her nose wrinkling and sniffing dismissively once she’s done. I don’t know whether to be offended or not,until Henley obliterates the entire act by walking around the table, hooking his arm around Kimberly’s neck, and giving her a noogie to end all noogies.

“HENLEY! Get off me!” comes the muffled shriek from the direction of Henley’s armpit, and with a final rap on her head, he releases her.

“Let that be a lesson to you, Kimmy. You might be able to ruin a person’s will to live when you sit down behind that keyboard and monitor, but you don’t scare me. I have every single embarrassing photo ever taken of you, and I’m not afraid to share them with the world. Plus, I will happily drag your stunted ass out of bed every morning at the ass-crack of dawn and make you come for a three-mile run with me. So, behave.”

Henley punctuates his order by pressing a chaste kiss on top of Kimberly’s hair, her russet strands a messy tangle dangling around her face. She glares up at him for a heartbeat, then dissolves into tinkling giggles, one hand lifting to cover her mouth as she offers me the other.

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