He leaned back on my bed, balancing his weight on his forearms. He really was totally unbothered. I’d never seen a demon so chill. Then again, I haven’t had many encounters with demons, thankfully.
He snorted. “Billie, no. I’m here to protect you. Care for you, really.”
Yeah, my dad mentioned in the will that the demon would look out for me until I made a decision on my alpha, but I didn’t get why. Nor did I believe the demon would actually hold up his end of an apparent bargain.
Alphas were given more rights than omegas. They got away with a lot more than the average beta, particularly violence of most kinds, short of maiming and murder. And forget it if you were the omega of an alpha. You were seen as property. It was as if alphas had some divine right to omegas.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter how the pairing happened or what the laws said. I didn’t like the idea of being forced to be with any type of person. And I didn’t want to be some submissive woman who had to bow down to some primitive man who thought he could do whatever he wanted with me. I had never been raised that way, and my mother, also an omega, had always feared that future for me. She’d wanted more for me and so had my father, an alpha.
Everyone got tested for the omega or alpha change at the age of sixteen. My parents tested me before then. When I came up positive, they hid my status, placing a powerful suppression spell over me to hold off any signs. It didn’t always work on omegas, and it definitely didn’t last. We always knew we were on borrowed time. The fact that I had made it to thirty was a miracle. And now the spell was on its last leg with the death of my father.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, so if ya really wanted to protect me, then why the theatrics with the breaking and entering and messing with my thermostat, because I know that was you.”
He lifted a shoulder, a playful smile on his lips. “I thought it would be funny.”
“You thought standing in my doorway in the dark with the horns and the glowing red eyes would be funny?”
He slapped his forehead. “No, sorry, I meant funny for me, not you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. This guy was unhinged, and yet, I still found him intriguing. “Did you do stuff like that to my dad?”
“Yup, I liked to scare him. Sometimes he’d scare me. Not often. Just the once.” He stared off into the distance, a nostalgic look on his face. Had he honestly been friends with my father? That was just so weird.
“Why are you sticking around to help me? Just because of a promise to my dad? I’m not going to be able to pay you.”
He glared at me. “I’m not broke. I’ve lived too long walking between this world and my own. I’ve made many investments. You would owe me nothing. I am simply here because I have an interest in you.”
He gazed up at me, face softening with something like admiration, which was not what I was expecting. Lust, yes, but he hadn’t been flirty with me yet beyond the tail thing. Of course, that could have been in my head. Either way, there was strong emotion in those mischievous eyes at the moment, and that sent a pang to my heart. Did he know how he was affecting me?
“I have for a while,” he continued. “Your father summoned me, but I allowed it to happen. He was strong, but I had no desire to fight him. I was where I needed to be. I told him he should have introduced us earlier, but he kept putting it off.”
“I kept telling him no.” I wished I hadn’t now. It would have made this meeting less awkward since the demon was determined to meet me anyway.
Why would my father summon a demon and then befriend him? “So, you knew why my father summoned you? And why did you want to be summoned?”
Those steel gray eyes squinted, and damn if just that little movement was not the sexiest thing. My core clenched against my will.
He gave a slight smile as if he knew what he was doing to me. He probably did. Fucker. “Because I already knew what you were, kitty cat.”
Was he already giving me a nickname? I pressed my lips tightly together, my stomach fluttering. He really was getting under my skin with the barest of efforts. This was so not good. Wait, did he just say he knew what I was? “Hold up, you know I’m a…” I trailed off. I couldn’t even allow myself to say the words. I’d been running from it all since I was a child.
“Omega,” he finished. “Yes. I knew. And it’s the reason why I want you and the reason why your father called me. Did you open the box on the counter?”
I shook my head, speechless. I knew some information from my father, but it would be good to know his side, and it would help corroborate things. “Give me the high-level recap of what went down.”
He chuckled again, and the sound buzzed lower in my body. Damn him. I squeezed my legs together in a weak attempt to focus. “The high-level recap? So, business-like. Well, your father knew the magic suppressing your omega status was wearing off. He told me you’d been getting the cramping and such. Those are the signs of an impending heat. Once you get your heat, you can’t go back. You’ll be a full-on omega, and every alpha within seeing distance will be on you as soon as they get a whiff of your scent. Your father knew that he had to have a plan in action when your omega status broke free. He went on a search to find you the right alphas. Particularly a pack that would treat you right and protect you. I am part of the pack that he selected.”
I knew that much. Not every alpha ran in a pack. However, they were essentially stronger if an omega was part of it. Alphas tended to run in packs to provide accountability and balance. Lone alphas were like lone wolves and could become subject to their own version of going loupe or criminally insane. This wasn’t the case for all alphas, but it was a good measure to be a part of a pack. Not to mention, since alphas out-numbered omegas, it was the better chance to get an omega if you were part of a pack who could share him or her. A way to spread the proverbial wealth.
I blew out a raspberry at the thought, very much annoyed.
He lifted a pierced brow. “Do you know anything about us?”
I scratched my chin in thought. My dad gave me the cliff notes, but I tried my best to figuratively cover my ears and ignore it. Of course, that didn’t work, so I had the basics still in my mind. “He did. I know what you all are. Forgot the names. I know the box will have all the details. Including pictures. By the way, what’s your name? I just keep calling you ‘damn demon’ in my head.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “I’ve been known to be called that, but if you prefer, I’m Malakai. But everyone calls me Kai. I’ve known the guys in my pack for a very long time, and they all know about you, and they knew your father. We all have been fully vetted, and we are very excited about you.”
His eyes seemed to brighten at his last words, and I had to look away. My fingers actually itched with a need to touch him. Particularly his chest, or his arms, shoulders. Needing the feel of his hard body under my palms. I wiped them over my comforter instead, as if that would help. It did not. Perhaps if I rammed my head in the wall, I could focus. “So how did you know about me before my father summoned you?”
