Page 62 of Deadly Ties

And suddenly I can’t get up the stairs fast enough.

Elvana

I’m so drained, Rory plucks me off the stairs and carries me to the nearest omega suite, and I can’t summon the will to resist. Despite the carnage of the night, he smells like wet earth after a storm, and it’s so easy to rest in his arms. I’m vaguely aware of Cam and Link trailing behind, but my mind is back in that room with Kelly and Arben. I don’t know what my dad wants to talk to them about, but I miss them both as if they’ve been gone for hours. Which is nuts. This is a big house, but they could be by my side in a minute if I really needed them. Or even faster if I sent an SOS down the bond. Not that I want to do that after Link’s little speech about how badass I am.

I peek at him over Rory’s shoulder as we enter the omega suite. It’s his first glimpse at what my dad is prepared to do for omegas in need, and I hope it sends him a clear message. He might be willing to cross any line to keep Kelly safe, but my dad’s approach is to build omegas up, not put a wall between them and the world.

“Feeling okay, little wolf?” Rory asks me as he carries me over to the bed. It’s another classic omega nest; round and deep and big enough to house an entire pack. But I can’t stop the pang of longing for my old bedroom. Or better still, for the well-used nest in Arben’s cabin. Yes, that’s where I should be. Buried under my alphas, with Kelly sucking on my lips… “What do you need?”

I frown as the question shatters the fantasy and rub at my arms in the borrowed robe. I need to shower and change and work out what we’re going to do now. But my skin feels tight and my head is throbbing. And the three alphas at the end of the bed are staring at me like I should have all the answers.

“Elvana?” Cam clears his throat, and my gaze snaps his way. We’re still weird with each other, especially after I unloaded on him at the ball, and I don’t really know how to get past that. I mean, yes, he put his body on the line to save Kelly, but he screwed with my head in the worst way. I must be communicating some of this with my stare, because he actually looks nervous. “I don’t know if this is the right time, but I have something to give you. I mean, give back. I had it with me at The Looking Glass, but… well, after what you said downstairs…”

Okay, so this is awkward, but it’s actually painful seeing Cam – the guy with a brain always plotting its next move – struggling to find the right words. So I just thrust a hand out. “What is it? Because if it’s my memories, I already got them back on my own, and I remember every fucking thing.”

Rory makes anoofsound at that, and Cam looks like I’ve kicked him in the balls, but he hands my mom’s Luna ring over, anyway. And I just stare at it for so long, he starts to huff in distress. “Shit. I should’ve waited.”

“No!” I turn the ring over in my palm, staring at the angel wings engraving. “I’m glad you gave it to me. This means a lot. But how did you get it?”

Cam looks relieved, but he rubs a hand over his new buzz-cut. “I went back to the hotel. Searched a few rooms on the floor your mom was on, and then kind of stumbled over it.”

I pull a face, remembering the potted plant and the pile of puke. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel if I ever saw it again, but I’m glad I have it.”

“Good work, bro,” Rory says happily, nudging Cam in the shoulder. “Now, why don’t you assholes use the bathroom next door, so our girl can wash in private.”

But before they can leave the room, Mrs. Lewis pops her head in the door, a phone in hand. She presses it against her hip as she tells me, “It’s a woman, hoping to speak with you. She wouldn’t give her name, but she told me to say omegas should always stick together.”

Glo. I breathe a sigh of relief, nodding that it’s okay to take the call, and Mrs. Lewis leaves as the guys gather round. Seems privacy is off the cards when to comes to dealing with mystery callers. But after what her pack did to get us to the Tower, I figure they deserve to listen in. “Glo, it’s Elvana Ferrier. Just so you know, my pack can hear you.”

There’s a long silence, although there’s plenty of background noise. Link tilts his head then mouths, “airport.”

I nod, but the others look grim. “If you have something to say, this might be your only chance. I’ve had a shit night, and it sounds like you’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Yes,” she murmurs, sounding tired and defeated. “I’m leaving the country. But I didn’t want to go without reaching out. I need to know… Will you be coming after me?”

I don’t even bother looking at the guys. “I don’t have any bad feelings towards you, Glo, if that’s what you mean.”

“And my pack?”

I think of waking to masked men in my house while Kelly was sleeping at my side. Rory downed by a tranquilizer, even though he’d torn up the kitchen to get to us. Being tossed in a van and driven to the one place Kelly should never have had to return to. But I also think of Darius, holding that picture I’d taken through their window, then watching while Glo was dragged away by the highest bidder. “That depends. Are they going with you?”

“Yes, we’re traveling together. I’ve had to slip away, because they wouldn’t like that I’ve called you. But I’m not too proud to beg, Elvana. I want to know that you won’t harm them for what they did. Your reach is now infinite as your father’s heir. Can I expect to wake one night tomjeku i vdekjesat our beside?”

I could ask her the same about her pack, although I’ll doubt Doctor Death will ever let anyone get that close again. “Look, I can’t speak for the guys, but if you’re going away for a while, maybe that will give us all time to cool off. Just make sure you ring before you get in touch again.”

The guys all shoot me different degrees of disapproval at this plan, but I ignore them. “I think you’ve been through enough, Glo. Stay safe, and look after yourself.”

She says something soft in Italian that sounds like a prayer, but then a hard edge enters her voice. “It’s my father who needs to watch his back.”

She rings off without another word, and I drop the phone on the bed. Before it even hits the mattress, I start to pace, and Cam and Link move towards the door. But Rory stops them with a look, moving around me like he thinks I’m about to shatter. I rub my arms and glare at him, annoyed that I’ve somehow gone from strong to fragile. I mean, I’m not sad. I’m glad Glo got away from the Tower, and I’m relieved any kind of showdown with her pack has been postponed. But I still feel like something is missing.

“Little wolf,” Rory says, his hands up and his smile careful. “You’re pacing a lot. And you look kind of jittery. Not to mention, you’re giving off enough heat to cook a barbecue on your sweet ass.”

I stop mid-stride and glare at him. “What are you rambling about, Rory?”

“She’s going into heat?” Kelly booms from the doorway, and the next moment I’m in his arms, his lips pressed against my sweaty temple. Oh shit, I really am burning up.But my heat?

“I can’t!” I wail, staring into Kelly’s wide eyes. “I just had one! How could I be horny again?”

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