Page 30 of Omega Shattered
"In pain?"
"No, just pissy because I won't fall for her tricks." A pang of worry ran through me. What if she was in pain and just not saying anything? No, she would use every tactic she could to stay out of the center, so if she was in pain, she'd be writhing and whining to get my attention.
"Take her some food, at least," Archer said, sliding a plate across the table. It was piled high with chicken, toast, and salad. "We're pretty much out of decent food, so that's all we have. Unless you want chips."
"Where's mine?"
He passed me my plate and I headed back upstairs.
I hadn't even reached the bedroom when the aroma of spiced apples hit me so hard, I could barely breathe. She was perfuming more than she had all day.
Pushing the door open with my elbow, I walked into a space that was thick with her aroma, but there was no omega in the bed. It took me a split second to realize she was in the bathroom, standing at the counter with her head under the faucet, water running over her hair and neck.
"What are you doing?"
My voice startled her, and she jerked her head up, cracking it on the faucet and yelping in pain.
"I needed to cool down," she whispered, standing up and wringing out her hair. She left it to hang down her back, still damp. The front of her shirt was damp, too, but she didn't seem to notice. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, despite the water.
I reached out to cup her face. Icy drops of water dripped from her hair and ran down her fiery cheeks. She really had been using cold water, not hot to trick me into thinking she was in heat.
"Food's here." I handed her a plate and walked back out to the bedroom.
"Not hungry," Quinn muttered, leaving the plate on the bathroom counter and following me out. She curled up on the bed again, panting slightly. Her perfume spiked, making my pants tighten with an unintentional hard on from the scent. It was just a physical reaction, though. I could ignore it.
"Eat. You need your strength." I brought her food and set the plate on the nightstand by her head, but she just turned away. Whatever. I could provide the food but I wasn't about to shovel it into her face, either.
I ate my food and took the plate down, leaving hers. Maybe she'd want it later.
When I returned from the kitchen, the omega was in the bathroom again, this time under the shower, with ice cold water pouring over her. She had stripped off the clothes Archer had lent her and left them scattered on the floor. Hunched over, she was just skin and bones, the scars from her punishments stood out on her pale skin.
"You good?" I asked gruffly.
"Fine," she gasped out. "Just hot."
"Now you'll want a knot, I'm sure." The words came out bitterly, but she only lifted her head to bare her teeth and glare at me.
"Never."
I snorted. "Sure. We'll see what you're saying in a few hours." I knew how this went. Omegas begged for you when they were in heat, then they turned their backs once your rut died down.
Quinn didn't say anything, so I reached down and rested a hand on her back. She was burning up to the point it was almost painful to touch her skin.
"Shit!"
"Leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere," she muttered.
Finally, I left her in the bathroom with the door open. While I worked on my phone, I kept an eye on the still figure in the bathroom. She didn't beg or cry, though I heard a tiny whine escape at one point.
There was a knock on the door around eleven.
"It's me," Archer called. "Everything good in there?"
I went to open the door and found him frowning there.
"It smells like fucking heaven everywhere in the house, how are you holding up?"
"I'm . . . I'm worried about her," I admitted. "She's burning up."
