Page 17 of The Alpha: Part Two
Talia ties off the braid and goes to lean into Devon. “Yes, you would. But it’s okay.”
Devon will never forgive himself for his part in what happened to Talia, just like I won’t. But that doesn’t stop her from trying to convince us that it’s okay. I reach up to touch the snug braid that goes from my temple, down my hairline and across my nape, and stops on the other side under my ear. She left the braided tail of Desir’ee’s hair to dangle onto my shoulder. I really look like a pirate now, but I don’t care. I can smell Desir’ee, and knowing that I’ve got part of her with me really does help.
“So, what?” I ask. “She kills Flores and leaves him laying, then she calls us to help her get out? Then what? When do we go for the twins? It will have to be that same night. Lopez will do something to them after he finds out Flores is gone. We need to get to them before he finds out.”
“We will,” Talia says.
“What will we do, bella?” Corso says as he comes into the room. He steps in front of her, crowding her against Devon, and leans down to kiss her.
Devon answers for her. “We’re going to sneak into wherever it is and steal Pratchett’s twins while his omega is busy killing Flores.”
“Oh,” Corso purrs, straightening. “Is that all?”
“That’s the plan,” she says, sounding a little breathless. A blush starts creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, making it perfectly obvious what effect being sandwiched between Devon and Corso has on her. “Unless you have a better one?”
Corso tilts his head, looking deep into Talia’s eyes, his hand cupping the side of her face as he contemplates a better version of the plan. “We,” he dips his head for another kiss, “are going to watch a fight. And by we, I mean Kaleb, Trent, and myself. You, mio tesoro, are going to remain here with Jasper and Reid.”
Devon runs his nose up her neck before nipping Talia’s earlobe with a soft growl. “They will be waiting in the stands (jellyfish- seats?) until it’s time to get to the twins. Alex, Nathan, and I will go get Desir’ee’s out. Seth is going to be very busy, because he will likely need to be in both places as efficiently as he can get there.”
I’d argue with them, but there’s no point. Devon’s right about me needing to be in two places at once and the way everyone’s divided up works as well as it’s going to. I don’t want Talia and Jasper here with only Reid to guard them, but hell will have to flood before Jasper will let anything happen to Talia; and the devil himself will have to make it past Reid to get to both of them.
Chapter thirteen
Desie
I have been going through the motion of existing here since I saw Talia. Seeing her, and learning that Seth is fighting for us after all has been enough to keep me calm. But this morning a twinge of an early heat spike woke me up and now I’m back to being anxiety ridden.
Flores and the rest mostly leave me alone as long as I’m not doing anything to draw their attention. Lopez has been particularly observant, though. He walked into my room last night with Ben’s stormy scent on him. It was wonderful and very inconvenient. I think that’s what triggered the minor spike this morning. He came into the room and stood near me without saying anything for a few long minutes while I took in deep breaths, then he nodded at me and left. It could have been kindness on his part.
It’s almost time for dinner. I hate having dinner with them. It’s almost always just Flores, Lopez, and me. Everyone else is either out doing whatever it is that they do, or they take their meals in their rooms. I wish I could do that. I might be able to actually keep something down if I could eat in my room.
As if on cue, Flores taps on my door frame. “Dinner is ready, Desir’ee. I’ll walk down with you.”
I bristle every single time he says my name. It isn’t so much that he’s saying my name, it’s that he’s saying it the way Seth does. Seth says my whole name, not an abbreviation, not a nickname. Desir’ee. Every time he says it. I hate it coming out of Flores’s mouth.
“You don’t have to wait for me, I’ll be right down,” I try to sound pleasant. Docile. Agreeable. I’ve been trying to maintain a level of neutral cooperation since the fight. I can’t be too happy about the circumstances, obviously; but I can’t fight them too hard for the same reasons.
“I don’t mind waiting,” he says, and comes into my room. He picks up the remote control for the television and holds it up. “I don’t suppose you’ll need this anymore, will you?”
I haven’t turned on the television since the last fight. I haven’t been brave enough. I’ve been operating under the assumption that Ben and Michael are alive and well enough, I was too afraid of having a huge reaction if I saw them on the screen. But the idea of Flores removing the television and taking the option away from me causes me to react. Violently.
I make a grab for the remote control, but I can’t pry it out of his hands. He holds it above his head and tilts his head to look down at me. “What’s the matter with you?”
“You can’t take it,” I hiss.
“The remote control?” he asks, thoroughly puzzled.
“Give it back.”
“No.” He smiles at me like we’re playing a silly game.
“Give it back,” I repeat.
“Why?” his eyes narrow. “You never watch television, and there’s no longer anything to see on channel twenty-three.”
“Give it back to me.” I can’t help the quiver in my voice. Common sense tells me that I wouldn’t be able to see them even if I tried, it would be stupid for Flores to leave me the option of seeing them if I’m supposed to believe they're dead.
“Why, Desir’ee?” He starts squeezing the remote control in his hand, the plastic popping in his grip. “There’s nothing to see. You don’t watch anything and Michael and Ben are dead.”
