Page 14 of Rome's Mate: Hunted Omegas

“How is Ariella?” Rome asked, stepping onto the porch.

“She’s perfect. Do you want to hold her?” Rome held the child eagerly, cuddling her into his thick arms.

“Amelia, this is Janice and Mark. Janice and Mark, this is Amelia.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Amelia said.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Mark held out a hand, which she took.

“I’m all about the hugs. It’s nice to meet you.” Janice hugged her tight and gave her a friendly smile.

It was hard for Amelia to keep the look of shock off her face. No one was calling her an abomination, and they weren’t overly dramatic, scenting the air. What was going on here? Was she still dreaming and would wake up in the motel? There were no mentions about her hair or eyes except the ones that Rome made. His were all complimentary.

Amelia looked at the baby in Rome’s arms. She was a cutie pie. She’d never thought of having children. The thought of a male touching her gave her the creeps. What would a child with Rome’s hair and her eyes look like? She’d gone from zero to one hundred in no time flat, and it was scaring her.

“Your baby is beautiful,” she told the couple.

“Thank you,” Janice grinned. Rome handed the baby back, and they left.

“I’m going to take you to the pack house,” he said when they were far enough away not to be heard. “Then I’m going to ask you what’s wrong. Don’t tell me nothing, I can scent the confusion and the fear coming from you.”

Chapter Eight

A strident buzzer wentoff through the whole complex. It woke some, and others actually fell out of beds and chairs. That’s how loud it was. It wasn’t pleasant; it was the fingers on a chalkboard magnified by one hundred.

“What the hell is that?” Reed asked. There was a scowl on his face guaranteed to frighten children.

“That is the signal that a filthy abomination has entered the world,” Connor told him. He was an old man pushing ninety, but he still ruled the Hunter’s complex. “An omega.” He practically spat the word out.

“Do we know where this child is?”

Connor opened the door to the room all Hunters thought of as sacred. In here, they could give thanks to the goddess of the Black Night, who protected them. There was also a tracker for all children born as omegas.

Reed followed his mentor into the room. They both went to the center, where there was a glowing crystal. Connor placed his hands on it, then frowned. He stepped back.

“Reed, see what the crystal has to tell us.”

Reed placed his hands on the crystal, mumbling a few words, and then stepped back, a look of shock on his face.

“This can’t be right.” Reed inspected the crystal, wondering if someone had tampered with it. “What did it tell you?”

“The same. This isn’t a newborn child, but a fully grown omega. She has transformed into a vile creature.”

“The humans?” He knew the stories from the past before the hunters came to be. The abomination would turn into a vile animal and go on killing sprees, targeting women, men, and children. It would tear them apart, drinking their blood, and then look for another until it filled its belly on the flesh and the blood of humans. Only then would it find a place to rest, to start again another day.

“We have to stop this woman. You know what happened in the past,” Conner said, stroking memories that had been taught to Reed as a child.

“How can this be? We take care of them at birth.” Reed was the highest hunter after Connor and would one day take his place as the leader of the Hunters. They weren’t called on the way they were in the past when Connor and others were young. The number of omegas being born dwindled to one or two every fifteen years. A hunter was sent out to kill the child and to bring back some of the blood to go into their vault. The Hunters were still there, knowing they had to be diligent. The protection of human life was their mandate.

He still couldn’t understand how an omega went without being identified at birth.

“There must be black witchcraft involved. It hid her from us, and now we are on the clock. Hundreds may already be dead.” Reed’s voice of doom filled the room.

“Where do we look for her?” Connor wrote the coordinates he’d received from the crystal and handed them to Reed.

“Use a circular grid. This will get you into the vicinity, but it won’t pinpoint her. Remember, she’s a vile creature who may wear the face of an angel.”

Reed stopped for a minute before acknowledging what Connor said with a nod. How could a vile female look like an angel? Then he thought of the devil and how they said that Lucifer had the face of an angel and the soul of evil. Maybe this omega was born to be Lucifer’s mate. It was a good thing he was in hell, because she’d be joining him soon.

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