Page 57 of Fallen Omega

“She does.” Reaper shrugs, turns a page of the book. “I heard her walking by her room.”

“What the fuck?” Dante rubs a hand over his closely trimmed beard. And eyes both of us with evil intent.

“It shows she’s innoc?—”

“If we have to have her around, we could use her. We have a stage,” Reaper says, cutting me off.

“And if we need to bring people to us, then she might be the drawing card,” I add. I don’t particularly want to do that, but earning keep or sent away are the only current options.

If I was Liz, I’d choose the stage.

“I vote for Reap’s idea,” I say.

“Why not utilize her talents while she’s here?” Reaper turns another page.

“Yeah, and it’s better than her being a prisoner.” I shrug. “If we want to know who might be interested in her, what’s wrong with offering a little honey from the pot?”

“Honey from the pot?” Dante looks disgusted. “And I’m not keeping her as a prisoner. The moment we know what’s up and that mark’s gone, I wanthergone. In the meantime, I’llthinkabout having her sing.”

In Dante-language, that means no.

I turn to Reaper, looking for some kind of back up. “She’d bring in a crowd. Her looks can pack the house alone. Add in her singing and the money… It’ll rush in.”

“Fuck, Knight.” Dante huffs.

“Because she’s clean, you mean. And pretty.” Reaper doesn’t look up from the book.

Well yeah. “Also, her father was shunned by the Council, but she wasn’t. His death brought about her coming to their attention. To the point where they rushed to find her a match. It’s a bit weird, if you ask me. So it stands that they have something…”

As I say this, I start to falter.

It isn’t about sweetness and innocence or a new omega falling into the Council’s clutches at the right time. It’s something else. Something I’m not seeing.

“What is it, Knight?” Dante asks.

“The timing’s all really convenient, isn’t it? Dead father, discovered omega, a mate in the wings… an ancient mate at that. Also, if the Council knew about her father, then why not just take her?” I frown. “Unless there’s a bylaw that states a shunned societal member’s offspring out of reach until the parent dies or they go into heat.”

“I don’t think so,” says Dante. “If there is, it’s so arcane and buried that someone might fight them on it.”

“Just like I doubt there’s a clause about pairing her off immediately to an old dude,” I snort.

“Even if there was something like that, which there isn’t, people would fight. Relatives for one.” Dante crosses his arms.

“No one fights the Council,” I say. “You’re talking court? No one takes them to court.”

“He’s not talking court.” Reaper’s face is shadowed. “He means a different fight.”

“That’s what I mean,” I say. “There’s something off.”

“No shit.” Dante shakes his head. “But maybe you’re right. They wouldn’t be seen dead in court, and I don’t think the council wants to actively fight us over a girl who doesn’t want to be handed over to someone she didn’t pick.”

“So, she stays?” I ask.

“There’s a difference between stay and hold.” Dante’s mind is clearly ticking. “We can’t hold her here forever. Not against her will.”

“She could work for us.” I repeat, looking at them both. “Sing.”

“Even if she doesn’t want to?” Reaper says.

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