Page 7 of A Very Knotty Halloween
“That’s so random, I love it.” I might sound a little too eager, but that’s because I am eager. I’m eager to get to know her, tofind out all her idiosyncrasies, her likes and dislikes, what makes her tick… and of course what she likes in bed.
Marnie takes another sip of her drink, then runs her hand through her long, wavy black hair. “What do you guys do?”
“I’m going to school, actually,” I tell her. “I’m getting a business degree before I hop in the family business. Dad’s orders. And Damien has an internship at Alabaster Security. If he proves himself—”
“If,” Damien cuts in, shooting me a frown. “I think you meanwhen. It’s only a matter of time until they see what I’m capable of.”
“You guys have a house together?” she asks.
Damien and I share a look, and he’s the one who answers her, “We’re renting right now, mainly so we’re out of our parents’ houses. But don’t worry, a good alpha saves every penny he can so he can make sure his omega is comfortable.”
“I think what he’s saying is that,” I pause, “once we have an omega in our pack, we’ll look for a house together.”
She chuckles softly. “You guys sound like you’re in the market for an omega.”
“Maybe we are,” I whisper, leaning closer to her. “Are you in the market for some alphas?”
Her dark eyes are wide, and she runs her tongue over her teeth—mainly over her two sharp canines. “I… no?” As she says it, it comes out more like a question, as if she’s wholly unsure of herself. “I mean, tonight’s supposed to be just fun, right? Not about finding a pack. This isn’t the Omega Garden.”
“So, are you saying you’re going to be at the Omega Garden looking for matches soon?” I say with a grin even though she can’t see it.
“No—”
“Why not?”
She looks down at her lap and fidgets. “That place is for… not for omegas like me. Founding families, the rich ones—I told you, my family is average. We’re not poor or anything, but we aren’t well-off, either.”
Damien speaks, “Pretty sure there’s no cost to be a part of it, if that’s what you want to do.”
Marnie laughs. “My dad still doesn’t face the fact that I’m an omega, so talking about that place is off the table. I’ll be fine. There are other ways to find packs—”
I nod sagely. “Like coming to the Halloween Hunt.”
“Yeah—wait, no. No—”
I grin like a madman, and Damien sounds like he’s matching my grin with one of his own, although his is probably a bit more wicked as he says, “Don’t worry. By the end of the night, we’ll show you exactly what it means to be our omega. Call me psychic, but I don’t think you’ll be able to resist us, omega.”
She forces out a laugh, but it’s weak, and I can tell her willpower is already crumbling. “You guys are… something else. Are you sure there isn’t another omega here that you’d like better? I’m really not that interesting.”
“Stop saying that,” I tell her, setting a hand on her knee. I meant it as a comforting gesture, but then I realize we just met tonight. Crazy how easy this all feels. Like I’m caught in a dream and I don’t want to wake up.
“If you don’t want to talk about yourself, then let’s talk about what’s going to happen later tonight,” Damien muses, setting a hand on the chair behind her. The way he studies her, he eats her up, and he doesn’t even try to hide it. “We’re going to claim that scarf, and we’re going to hunt you down. You a fast runner, Marnie?”
It’s only because I’m hyper tuned in, but I notice how furiously she blushes, as if her mind is already in the gutter. Good. Mine sure is, and I know Damien’s is, too.
“I don’t know,” she whispers. “I’ve never played this kind of game before.”
“Oh,” Damien says, his voice dropping an octave, “it’s no game. It doesn’t matter if you’re fast. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best hider. We’re going to hunt you down, and when we find you, we’re going to tie you up with that scarf and take turns feasting on you.” He growls out, “Fuck. I’m getting hard all over again.”
The omega between us blushes harder at his crass words. “You’re pretty confident in your abilities.”
All Damien does is shrug and say, “When you know, you know.”
“Ignore him,” I tell her, although he’s not lying. Once we’re on the hunt for our omega, it won’t be a game anymore. It’ll be real. It’ll happen fast. And once things start, there won’t be any stopping. “Are we making you nervous? Are we… being too much?” The last thing I want to do is scare her away, but dulling down our personalities isn’t something I want, either.
“Yes,” she breathes out, and I swear my heart threatens to crack in disappointment, but then she adds a hushed, “and no.” Yes we’re making her nervous, and no we aren’t being too much? Or is she so confused she doesn’t know how to answer either of those questions?
Either way, I’ll take it.
