Page 99 of Where the Current Takes Him
“How dare you,” he whispered. “How dare you talk about him that way. Have you not done enough damage?”
Ashford pushed himself upright with a snarl. “Can’t damage what’s already broken. His kind should have never existed.”
“You meanyourkind.”
Ashford’s face went completely slack. “What did you just say?”
“Yourkind,” Loriun repeated, more slowly this time. “Omegas. That’s what you are, isn’t it? Nothing but a self-hating Omega.”
“Who—How did you—”
“You think all that musk you coat yourself in is enough to hide your scent?” Loriun lied. “I can smell what you are, Omega.”
Ashford pushed himself away from the towering Mer. “No. No, I’m not. I am a man. A man who had a wife and a child.”
“A man, yes.” Loriun closed the gap with a single stride. “But an Omega nonetheless.”
Ashford’s lips were trembling under his thick, graying mustache. “What do you want?”
“You will step down from your position. You will let someone who is worthy of being a liaison between our species take over the role. You will never attend a Natural Order event again. You will remove all photos of Beau from public spaces, and you will never speak ill of him again. You will hold a funeral for Beau’s mother at a time he is able to attend, so that he receives the goodbye he deserves.”
Fear and hate clashed in Ashford’s flat gaze. “Is that all?”
Loriun crouched down, his eyes burning into Ashford’s. “Just one more.” His claws bit into his palm as his fingers curled into a fist and he struck. A sharp crack split the air and Ashford let out a howl. Scarlet blood gushed from his now-crooked nose, where it vanished against the bloodred scales of Loriun’s fingers.
He stood, shaking out his hand. “Think back on this moment, next time you feel the desire to do more harm.”
Loriun turned away from the crumpled man and returned to the marble-lined pool without a backward glance.
Chapter 41
Beau
It was dark when Beau woke. He was still lying on the sofa. A warm hand was resting at the center of his back. Warm…
Beau yelped and jerked upright.
“Woah woah, calm down, it’s just me.” The outline of Jaime’s raised hands was visible against the red glow of the stove clock.
“Jaime? What are you…” Beau paused. There was a much larger figure seated on the floor. “Vuos?”
“Yes,” a deep voice replied.
Beau blinked, trying to piece together what had happened. His eyes were swollen and painful. He’d been crying. His mother…
A sharp inhale lanced through Beau’s lungs. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes.
“Mymamá…”
Jaime’s hand returned, resting on his shoulder this time. “I know. We heard the news and came to check on you.”
“Where’s Loriun?” Beau’s voice was choked with grief.
“He will be here soon,” Vuos said. “There was something he needed to take care of.”
Pain stole Beau’s breath away.
How could he leave menow? After what just happened?
