Page 35 of The Blind Hordesman

I trudge through the snow. “If you put me inside a compound, all I’m gonna do is plot my escape. So you know, I won’t let you rest.”

“Omega, you are going to Regha.”

I spin around. “What?”

The male nods. “King Father wants to meet you.”

Well, fuck. That’s the Collector who became king, a Sewa male Grandma has been hiding from all her life. “Why?”

“Because.” Arkin runs a gloved finger over my brow and fixes my hair.

His touch arouses me, and I can’t help it, but I can step back and let him know he should not touch me. And so I do. “What’s on Regha for me?”

“A nice big fortress. The one your great-great-grandpa built.”

There’s no way I’m going there. Turning, I make to run away, but the male grabs my elbow. I kick him, and he catches my boot, pulls, and grabs me. He carries me, and as I scream and kick, he lifts me onto the hound, then takes the rope and tries to strap me down. The other Collectors surround us, effectively caging us, and their Alpha lifts his hands. “Stay calm, Omega.”

I swing.

One hand catches my wrist, the other my throat. He squeezes, face impassive, cold, and so many things Seer’s not. Seer’s warm and smiles, and he’s funny and brave, crazy and bold, and I miss him. My oxygen-deprived brain shows me darkness over my eyes, and I stop struggling against his brother’s hold. The Collector steps back and waits for me to recover, namely breathe again.

“Don’t defy me,” he says. “I have you, and I am not letting you go.”

His features… I can’t stop looking at him. It’s like talking to Seer but not. They even smell the same, though Seer’s scent is more familiar somehow, more soothing. “Seer is more handsome,” I tell him.

“My Omega would disagree.”

Dear Serpent. “Given how charming you are, I didn’t think you had one.”

“I do.”

“Did you collect her too?”

“On day one, I moved into her house. Nowhere to escape. Mm-hm.”

He tied my hands, so I clap awkwardly. “Bravo. The Asshole Globe goes to you.”

“My family collects those kinds of trophies. You better get used to it.” The Collector Alpha purrs and runs a gloved hand over my cheek. “Seer is many things, but gentle isn’t one of them. I would bet a twenty he came at you like a bull on red.” He leans in, purrs in a way I’ve never heard before. It’s enticing and arousing, and I lick my lips, my eyes glazing over. “The trouble is, Omega, you like it hard. I can tell, and good for the two of you. I’m happy for him. Now, he is my brother, so you should know I would defend his claim with my life. Don’t get any ideas. I will secure you for Seer’s return.”

“I’m to be kept for months or years or however long?”

“Yes.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Doesn’t what?”

“Return.”

The Collector winces, clears his throat. “Then you may do whatever you wish.”

From the corner of my right eye, I see something green fall from a tree. I narrow my eyes as if that’ll make me see better. Maybe it does, because a Regha male in the forest winks at me and presses a claw over his lips. In a blink, he’s gone, and I frown, thinking I imagined him.

Behind the Collector, out of thin air, a Telean pod pops up. Seer’s brother spins around. The black pod approaches, making the hounds growl.

“Ambush,” Arkin shouts and jumps on the hound behind me.

The hound takes off.

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