Page 38 of Deadly Ties

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Kelly goes on, like he hasn’t been planning this for twenty-four hours. “We can dress up and look pretty. Or we can just hang back and watch the show from the wings.”

“Oh, yeah?” She turns and arches a brow in my direction, a clear challenge in her eyes. “So why you look like sex on a stick, my love? Am I supposed to get down on my knees and worship my alpha in the middle of the audience?”

“Is that what you want to do, little wolf?” Rory asks before I can respond, and a tense silence fills the car. I’m not sure how many words have passed between them in the last few days, but it can’t be many. Doesn’t stop them from eating each other up with their eyes whenever they think they’re not being watched. But instead of backing down, the wolfling leans across the seat and pins her with his electric gaze. “Your mate looks a little like that guy you picked out last time we were here. Remember him? He didn’t quite fill out his suit the same way, but he was big and handsome, and the blonde on her knees seemed to think his cock was something special.”

I smirk at the emotions flitting across Elvana’s face. There’s annoyance, unease, but mostly lust, and we all watch as she licks her lips. But the longer she stares at Rory’s face, the more conflicted she feels through the bond, and I know she’s perfectly balanced on the edge of wanting to kiss or slap him. But when she finally breaks their heated stare, she says dismissively, “He couldn’t be that amazing, because I barely remember him. Or maybe I’ve just blocked the whole thing out.” Her eyes gleam with snark. “For some reason, my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

Her verbal blow hits its mark and Rory turns his face to the window, his shoulders slumping. The prince sends me a worried glance, as if he can see his plan unraveling before we’ve even got in the door, but he can’t read my mate like I can. I can feel everything she’s feeling through the bond, and she’s not as unaffected as she’d like to appear. It might take a while for the wound of betrayal to truly heal, but her desire to both kiss and slap comes from the same place.

One day, my princeshë, I’d like the whole world to see me down on my knees before you. I’d kiss my way up your perfect thighs, then prop them on my shoulders, and nibble at your needy clit until you gush all over my face.

“Arben!” she huffs, but her perfume now hangs heavily in the air. As if to dispel it, she throws the door open, catching the driver unawares, and leaps out onto the pavement. Rory scrambles after her like they’re connected by an invisible thread, but the prince gives me a hooded look, his cheeks perfectly flushed. “Were you just sexing up the bondlink?”

“Simply getting the evening back on track,” I reply with a wink.

Rory and I sign our omegas in as guests, then Kelly takes over, leading us to a backstage entrance and asking a stage hand for Chloe Quentin. It’s the new identity Tasha Kuzmin has been living under since she was put under the protection of the Underground. She’s now one of the star performers of the theater, and a rarity, being an omega, so she’s also under heavy security. Elvi and Kelly are free to go backstage, but alphas have to wait in a small lounge. I spend the time watching Rory, who is pacing more than an omega in heat.

“Can you feel her right now?” he asks me, rubbing a hand over his hair. “Does your bond work that way?”

“Oh, yes. I can feel her.” I cock a brow at him. “She’s looking at your mate like he’s a precious jewel about to be hung between her perfect breasts.”

Rory rolls his eyes at me, then kicks the wall behind him. “For an assassin, you’ve got a pretty smooth tongue.”

“Don’t be jealous,” I purr. “Your tongue is more than adequate. And you did quite well back there in the car. You painted a very interesting picture in our little wolf’s mind.”

He grins at me, but the mood changes abruptly as the door to the lounge flies open and Tasha Kuzmin struts towards us with the grace of a natural dancer. She’s dressed in a silk robe over sheer tights and is beautiful, but our gazes go straight to our mates.

And I hear Rory suck in a painful breath. I can’t blame him, since they’re both dressed in sheer scraps of nothing, Kelly’s chest painted white and Elvi’s hair sprayed with a silver mist. Instead of smothering their beauty, the pale canvas makes their eyes glow, the princes’ hair a living flame. “Holy shit,” he mutters. “Fucking angels.”

But as they enter the waiting room, they’re clinging to each other and it isn’t a passionate embrace. Elvi looks frightened out of her mind and the bond is foggy with panic.

“I think I’ve convinced them to take my spot,” Tasha tells us, her eyes sparkling despite the tension behind her. “It's a short duet right at the beginning, but they can do whatever they want. The way they look – not to mention how they move around each other – will probably do me out of my job, but I can’t resist. The world needs to see omegas like this.”

My beast purrs at her assessment, but Elvana looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Hold on a minute! I haven’t agreed. We’re probably just going to watch you from the wings.”

Tasha makes a dismissive sound. “Kelly can dance. I saw his moves in the Tower.” Her eyes flick over Elvana. “And you’re both so damnomegayou won’t have to do much more than twirl under the lights. They’ll be begging for an encore.”

The dancer leans over and gives Kelly a soft kiss on the mouth, making our princess twitch. “Now, I’m going to go and relax for a change, and watch the show.” She gives them a sly wink. “Break a few hearts out there, okay?”

With an amused glance in our direction, she heads backstage and I check in with our mate. Elvana’s hard to read through the bond, but I’m pretty sure smoke is coming out of her ears. And then our little princess is on her prince in a flash. “What the hell have you gotten us into, Kelly?”

Link

I’m barely through the front door before Cam has me shoved up against the wall, his arm rammed against my throat. “Where the fuck have you been?”

As much as I don’t like being ambushed in my own hallway, it’s a fair question. Not only have I been dodging his calls, but I’ve been in wolf form for more hours than I care to count. Meals have been whatever I’ve been about to catch on the run, and I didn’t exactly clean up afterwards. I stink of old blood, dirt, musk, and despair. I’m surprised he can get this close to me without puking.

“Looking for him,” I manage to get out around the pressure on my throat. My voice sounds rusty as hell and he eases back, but it doesn’t help much. Hours of howling will fuck up your vocal cords, even in wolf form. “He said pine needles. I’ve been checking them.”

“What? Every pine tree on the East Coast?” He takes a step back, looking both sad and irritated. “That’s not a fucking plan, Link.”

“I know.” I’d snap back at him if I had the energy. “But I can’t trust myself anymore. I fucked up with the database. He was so close, and I lost him. I have to let my wolf do it now.”

“You’ve been in wolf form?” Cam wrinkles his nose, like my stench is just hitting him. “Shit, Link. You’re half-feral, you know that?”

I laugh. It’s raspy and raw and hurts like hell. It also starts to spiral into a howl, but I swallow and manage to keep my wolf at bay. By the skin of my teeth, which in my case is a real thing. “I’ve got blood under my nails that’s definitely not rabbit, bro. And there are patches of the last few days that are only moonlight and meat. Is that feral enough for you?”

Cam frowns, but I don’t think he’s pissed at me. Maybe he just pities me too much to hate me right now, but that will pass. I lost our omega and fucked up our pack, after all. That’s a memory that will stick around.

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