Page 12 of Terror

He laughs. “I take it Kitten wants her Betaren?”

“Omega,” I correct. “Do not use nicknames on the job.”

“Is that what you’re doing?”

“Of course.” Not.

“I’d do anything for a hit,” he says.

“Anything?”

“Yeah.”

“Like what? Be specific.”

“If I couldn’t get it myself, I’d have it delivered.”

“The tech goes out in a few hours.” From my bag, I retrieve the tiny stickers Dreikx gave me and walk around the kitchen, positioning the lenses as he said I should. Those are monitors. Moving to the living space, I do the same, but pause at the small living room I intend to use. I’m not gonna give anyone eyes into this room or her bedroom. Just thinking about Alphas watching her makes me want to kill someone. Retracing my steps, I peel off the stickers and throw them all away. Sitting down, I rest my face in my hands. What the fuck am I doing?

“Arkin?” Sotay says.

“Here.” What were we saying? Serpent help us all. “She can’t call and have it delivered. I’m gonna extend the tech hours.”

“Don’t do it,” Sotay warns.

“No choice.”

“It’s a bad idea, and I’ve dicked with the gate too many times already. Even Dreikx is sweating balls about knotting up the gate again.” Powering the tech depends on the space gate. The gate can either provide extraordinary free-flowing energy or suck the life out of the tech around it. I don’t know as much as Dreikx and the Guardians do about how the gate works, so I don’t press Sotay on this issue. All I know is that I need Kitten to be able to sneak out of my sight and make whatever phone calls she makes, and I need her to do that tonight, because I know when she wakes, the tremors of withdrawal will start, and she’ll be desperate for both my dick and the pills.

“Did you put the eyes inside the house?” Sotay asks.

“Mm-hm,” I lie. I walk outside, take one look at her sad garden, and open the tool shed.

“Are you gonna garden?”

They’re already spying on the house. “It’s relaxing.” My uncle and I share a passion for this hobby. He says it’s therapeutic, and I agree. Making things grow and thrive is therapeutic. Knowing how to handle delicate needy things like flowers and Omegas is an art.

“If I may?” Sotay says.

“Go on.”

“Now that you’re out of her way and outside, she’ll try to make contact.” He pauses. “Dreikx is shaking his head. Hold on. The surveillance is lighting up. There’s no Omega. Where is she?” The surveillance is in the living room I don’t intend to use. The ones I put in the kitchen, I trashed.

“Upstairs.”

“Great. Doing what?”

“Sleeping.”

“Why don’t we have eyes up there?”

“Because.”

“She’s got an hour of tech left. Wake her up and get out of her way.”

“Negative.”

“You’re gonna make me tweak the gate and extend the tech for half the country so the Omega can sleep?”

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