Page 87 of Glass Omega

Like most of the formal dresses in my closet that seemed to grow by the day, the material of the dress draped along my lower back, just above my butt. By comparison the front of the dress was much more modest, cutting into an elegant square neckline that highlighted the topaz jewelry on my neck and ears.

“Because I love to look at it so much,” Edison’s voice came from the doorway where I turned to find both him and Rhodes standing. Edison crossed the space quickly, taking my hands in his as he leaned down to press a kiss to my lips. “You look beautiful, pet. You are going to make everyone at the Gala stop in their tracks.”

Reaching up, I wiped away the shiny gloss that had transferred onto his lips and grinned up at him. “Even if it means a bunch of random men are looking at me?”

Edison grimaced before lifting his hand and snapping his fingers. “You’re right. Rhodes, get the nun outfit.”

“The only nun outfit we have on hand is definitely less appropriate than what she’s wearing,” Rhodes said as he joined us, a small grin on his face.

“Oh, you two stop teasing. She looks lovely and if other men look at her then it just means that you have the prettiest omega of the bunch,” Oona insisted, already brandishing the lip gloss wand to touch up my makeup.

Oona was the only other soul in the house that knew about our freshly formed pack, though I was absolutely certain she’d known about Edison and Rhodes for far longer than she let on.

“I’m not opposed to a nun outfit if you’re both in priest ones,” I told him innocently with a flutter of my lashes, as I let Oona apply more gloss.

“My goodness,” Oona muttered, crossing herself. “I am going to go out and pretend like I heard none of that before the goodlord strikes the three of you right down. You three better hurry or else you’ll be late.”

Oona hurried from the room still muttering something under her breath about us being heathens. Edison and Rhodes at least had the decency to wait until the door shut to start laughing.

“You’ve been watching far too muchFleabag, kid,” Rhodes teased as he leaned down to get his own kiss, frowning when I ducked away from him. “What gives?”

“I’d like to at least be wearing some of my lip gloss when we step out of the car at the venue and that won’t happen if I keep letting you both kiss me as much as you want,” I told him primly, slipping out of Edison’s grasp to grab my gold clutch and my black camera bag. “Now, let’s head down before we really are late.”

“You’re bringing your camera?” Edison asked, though he immediately took it from me and slung it over his shoulder.

“Yep, midterms are next week and I barely have half of a portfolio to present.”

I hated to admit it, but I was struggling with my professor’s assignment. Every student had pulled fifteen random words from a hat and our job was to present each of those words translated into a photograph. The rules were that no two pictures could be in the same room and that it couldn’t be on the nose what the word was.

I loved taking pictures, figuring out settings and lighting and everything physical about it… but abstract was definitely something I had a hard time with.

“Besides,” I told Edison as I tugged Rhodes, who was still pouting as much as a man as stoic as he could pout, down for a feather light kiss. “I can’t wait to capture picture evidence of the look on the branch head’s faces when you irritate them tonight.”

This was the first time they would all be in the room with Edison since they’d decided to bully Rhodes during the three-day rut. I wasn’t sure what Edison had planned for them, but I’d watched the vein on the side of his head pop as Rhodes filled us in, so I knew it would be good.

The annual Charity Gala was a chance for the richest people in the city to come together and do some good for the underserved communities that made up the metropolis that they all benefited from out of the goodness of their hearts…

I’m just kidding.

It was actually a night for people to wear their most expensive clothes, not eat any of the fancy food that was brought out because said expensive clothes were too tight, and to donate just enough money that they were able to manage tax breaks for the upcoming tax season.

I hadn’t been to one since I was seventeen years old, right before I was diagnosed with my leukemia, but they didn’t look as if they’d changed much upon stepping out of the car.

“Don’t stray too far from me or Rhodes tonight, pet,” Edison said, his mouth close to my ear as he gently pressed a hand to my lower back, leading me towards the double-doors. Rhodes trailed close behind us, ever our constant shadow.

I hoped that, one of these days, he would be on my other arm and we’d be able to attend these things as a pack.

Gripping Edison’s arm, I smiled up at him as we stepped through the doors and into the ballroom. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Twenty Five

“Where has my wife gone?” I whispered to Rhodes as I only half-listened to whatever Liam was droning on about.

As much as I couldn’t stand the branch head, he at least made an attempt to kiss my ass like the disloyal rat he was. The rest of the branch heads were clear across the ballroom in a clump, only glancing over every once in a while to glare at me.

It was obvious that the topic of their conversation was me and I also knew what it was probably about.

After learning the shit they’d tried to pull, I’d banned them from the estate unless they were there for a scheduled meeting or for one of the many ridiculous family parties coming up for the holidays.

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