Page 8 of Lion's Crossing

Tomorrow, yes, I had to work on the upcoming album for the new group. In the meantime, I had to figure out how to woo an omega before he was gone from my life forever.

Chapter Nine

Knox

I nearly shouted with glee when the train started moving. But the last thing I wanted was any more attention. Especially from the alpha beside me. Linc was friendly enough as a seat neighbor, but I needed to stop having any kind of attraction to him. He was a celebrity who could get any omega he wanted, and I was nothing more than a naive small-town omega who had no chance at anything more than a one-night stand with him. If even that. Maybe I’d fooled myself into believing he saw me as more than the person he got stuck sitting beside. So what, he pulled me onto his lap to protect me from the guy who flew over the seat and into mine. That was what any chivalrous alpha should do. I’d just been around the fools in Shifter Crossing for too long, those who had no idea how to treat an omega. Besides, he didn’t flirt with fans. He said as much. And I’d admitted to listening to his music, so that ruled me out.

With Linc’s attention on his phone, I returned my focus to the scenery outside, as I had during the first part of the ride. Didn’t need him to try talking to me again. Or to get close enough for me to smell his delicious scent. But first, I needed to stop thinking about him. I was on vacation, ready to visit Saramto for the first time in my life, and to tour museums and eat foods I’d never tried before. My mind wasn’t supposed to be elsewhere.

I reached for my phone then pulled up my itinerary and clicked on a link for the first museum I was supposed to visit. Good thing I checked. The page showing the hours of operation had changed, indicating the museum was no longer open on weekdays but only on weekends. I had to find another destination for my first full day in Saramto. Maybe I would visitthe Natural History of Shifters Museum Linc had recommended on my first day instead of right before I left. I checked its hours to make sure the switch worked before making the change in my itinerary. Maybe I would eat at the diner he told me about as well. I imagined him meeting me for lunch there then shook away the thought. He didn’t want anything to do with me. He was only being cordial. Yes, it was a change from what I was used to, but I couldn’t confuse his kindness for anything more.

Right before I went to put my phone down, I noticed a new email notification. It was from the hotel I was to stay at. As I read the email, dread filled my body like I’d swallowed burning liquid. My reservation was canceled because I hadn’t checked in before their deadline. They took my deposit for the entire week. All that money and no place to stay. I thought the train delay had been bad, but the hotel canceling my reservation for my whole vacation proved much worse. I had to fix it.

Dialing the number of the hotel, I hoped I could simply tell them what happened and get the situation resolved.

“Hello, this is The Vista. How may I help you?”

“Hi, this is Knox Anderson.” My hand shook as I spoke. “I had a reservation for the week, starting today, but I just received an email that it’s been canceled.”

“Yes, you missed the cutoff time for check-in, and the system pulled your reservation.”

I gulped as my stomach twisted with worry. “I didn’t purposely miss it. The train I’m on broke down. We’re finally on our way again, and I should be there within an hour.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s nothing I can do once the system cancels the reservation. That’s out of my control.”

My heart pounded, ready to jump out of my chest. “I understand, but can I get a room for when I get there. I don’t care if it’s not the same one.”

“Again, I’m sorry, sir, but I just sent a guest to the last room available. We have no vacancy.”

My head spun. That was my room. My reservation had just been canceled, and there was already someone in it. My vacation had just started, but it was already off to a horrible start.

I hung up without saying goodbye, quickly searching for other hotels in the area. With tears in my eyes, I could barely see the screen of my phone, simply hoping someone had a room for me.

“Stay with me.”

I froze, a new panic filling me. Had I really heard Linc say those words? Or had I imagined his voice, my mind thinking up the impossible?

“I mean it, Knox.” He shifted in his seat to face me. “You can stay in my condo tonight.”

Unsure whether to be relieved for a place to stay or offended for him thinking that I would jump at the chance for one night with a celebrity, I slowly shook my head. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

“I’m not asking you to sleep with me.” He chuckled as if the idea was preposterous, like he would never consider having sex with me. “I have a spare room. And since we’re both from Shifter Crossing, I thought I was a little less of a stranger.”

I mulled the idea over in my head, unsure what to tell him. I did need somewhere to stay the night until I found a hotel for the rest of the week. But his offer only made my deer excited with the prospect of spending more time with Linc. False hopes that led to heartbreak weren’t a part of the vacation I’d imagined and spent so much time planning. Yet, those plans had already been squashed, twice over. “I…”

“The guest room has its own bathroom, and it’s on the other side of the condo from where I sleep. C’mon, Knox, it’s getting dark. By the time we reach Saramto, the sun will have set. Not atime to be out on the streets looking for a place to stay, especially as an omega who doesn’t live in the city.”

As much as I hated to admit it, Linc had valid points. He was the safest person to be with in all Saramto. “Okay. One night. Tomorrow, I will find a hotel for the rest of my stay. And…thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

He nodded. “Good.” Glancing past me, he looked out the window. “We should be there shortly.”

I wanted to be relieved, but I had a bad feeling that my first day of vacation was only a preview of how far from the itinerary my time in Saramto would stray.

Chapter Ten

Linc

As the train pulled into the station located in the middle of Saramto, I peered over Knox and out the window to see the makeup of the crowd on the platform. I didn’t know if the fan who had confronted me earlier would have corralled a group to wait for my arrival. If so, I needed Knox to exit the train before me and meet me somewhere. I wasn’t ashamed to be seen with him, only wanted to protect him from the handful of groupies who would see a picture of the two of us together and do everything in their power to find out who he was and look up everything they could about him. Not what he needed while alone on vacation in an unfamiliar city. But I didn’t see that type of crowd, only people waiting impatiently for a very late train, some looking like they were ready to board, and others relieved the passenger they’d been waiting for had finally arrived.

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