Page 42 of The Feisty Omega

I sighed. She was dressed in the clothes she usually wore for council meetings. The red power suit inside the sleek white sportscar made for quite a statement. No wonder my friends took off. I wasn’t intimidated but I knew better than to push her. I went around to the passenger's side and got in.

With aroar!of the engine, she pulled out and accelerated down the road.

When we came to the fork in the road where we usually turned right to head home, we turned left instead.

I cocked my head at my mother, curious. Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. I tried again.

“So… what’s going on? Where are we going?”

“To the estate. I thought we’d spend the weekend there. For your birthday.” She took her eyes off the road long enough to flash me a terse smile that didn’t even reach her eyes.

The estate was like our country house, but we rarely went there. It was an older style mansion, three stories high, with extensive grounds, set in the middle of a forest. On those occasions where my parents entertained, this was where they did it, hosting weekend parties or get-togethers with important members of various committees. At those times, the house and grounds would be bustling with people, and I either had to play the role of host’s son or wander around the forest for hours to get some peace. It was a strange place to come for my birthday. I had no particular attachment to it.

“Oh, how come? Do you have a party planned or something?”

“No. Nothing like that,” she replied, but didn’t offer anything more.

I shrugged. My parents often did things for reasons I couldn’t figure out, but it usually had something to do with their all-important careers. I was a little annoyed that I couldn’t have maybe gone out with my friends to celebrate, but decided that was poor-spirited of me, and said nothing. She obviously had something planned.

When we pulled into the familiar driveway that curved a long winding trail up to the house, it was uncharacteristically deserted. Usually there would be a flurry of staff preparing the grounds for an influx of visitors, but today all was quiet. If there was to be no party, I couldn’t help wondering why we were really here. My alpha mother wasn’t one to seek the peace and solitude of the countryside.

An unfamiliar car was parked at the rear of the building, but I didn’t think too much about it, since there were often tradesmen working here. An historic building, it took a lot of resources to maintain it in elegant condition and there was always something that needed doing.

“Go to your room and I’ll be up in a minute. I need to talk to you,” said my mother, finally revealing that there wassomepurpose to our visit here. It didn’t seem like we were actually going to be celebrating my birthday, but I figured I was about to find out what was going on. When I went to get my suitcase from the trunk, she waved me away.

“James will bring that up for you,” she said, referring to our longtime house manager.

My curiosity was piqued. She was clearly in a hurry of some sort. Entering by the back door, I stopped to pull off my shoes. I loved the feel of the plush carpet slipping between my toes as I made my way up to the third floor. I padded along the hallway, my footsteps deadened by the thick fibers.

I paused at my bedroom door, my hand on the cold metal of the old-fashioned knob. The quiet was unsettling. It was strange not to have seen a single staff member. Why weren’t they here? Or if they were here, why were they staying out of sight? A prickling sense of unease crept its way up my spine.

When I entered the room, all was as it should be. The four-poster bed was in its usual place, the bed made up and the filmy curtains pulled halfway along the sides. The wooden desk in the corner was as I had last left it… neat and tidy, pens standing upright in the penholder carved into the wood. The ornate legs were shiny and dust-free… so the staff had to be around somewhere.

But the silence… the silence was oppressive, weighing on me like a living thing. It draped itself over me, pulling my spirits down, down…

I jumped at a noise from the doorway, my gut churning, but it was only my mother. My shoulders relaxed again. Why was I so jumpy?

“Where is everyone?” I asked, unable to stand it any longer.

My mother shrugged as if it was of no consequence.

She waved away my query with an airy hand. “That’s of no importance. What I’ve come to speak to you about, however, is.”

“O-k-ay,” I drew the word out, wondering where this was going. I wasn’t exactly worried – yet – but a coil of anxiety was starting to form low in my gut. Something did not feel right.

It made no sense because this was my home, or at least one of them, but my instincts were screamingrun! run!

“Sit down.” It was a definite command, and I felt the slight tug of a compulsion. I stiffened.

“What is it?” I demanded, covering my sudden foreboding with anger.

“Sit.” My mother’s features had sharpened, her eyes hardening with fine lines appearing at the corners. Her lips had thinned. This was how she looked when she was doing business. She was a formidable force and I knew not to obstruct her. I’d seen how she tore her opponents to shreds in Council meetings.

If she was prepared to use her compulsion on me, it was pointless to resist, so I spared myself the unpleasantness of trying and sat. As the silky plushness of the upholstery gripped my thighs, I felt trapped. My instincts were still yellingrun! run!but there was nowhere to run. And anyway, how could I?

I brushed away my unease. Really, what could happen to me here? This was my family, after all.

Silence dominated the room. My eyes tracked my mother as she took a few paces towards me. She was standing tall and confident, a self-satisfied look on her face. Her sharp, knowing gaze pierced me, and I felt a sudden chill. She knew about Talius and I, of course. My father would have told her. Was she planning some sort of retaliation?

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