What did he just call me?“I have a deeper understanding of whoever gagged you.”
He thrust his chin up in defiance but swallowed his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Just pointing out facts.”
“Thank you. They’re useful.” I touched his hand to get his attention, but he flinched away. “I won’t gag you, don’t worry. And I’ll get you home.”
“I don’t want to go back. My sister sold me, remember?”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re dead. My sister is an alpha, so she inherited their farm and me too.”
Ah, that explained his musculature and strength. No one would want a strong omega unless he used the muscles for his work. “Where do you want to go, then?”
“I don’t know. I have no place to go, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Poor little omega not strong enough for farming and not nice enough for the sex trade? That’s me.” He opened his arms before he crossed them over his chest.
I wasn’t going to pity him. That would be the last thing he needed right now. “Did you help your sister on the farm?”
“I was her property.” His voice was clipped as he spoke through his teeth. “All manual labor was my responsibility, and whenever the sun went down, I was a hole she could sell or trade for goods.”
“I’m sorry.” Fuck, I wasn’t supposed to say it, but it was true.
“That means shit to me. You’d never understand it, so you can shove your sorry up your—” He doubled over with a grimace, screwing his eyes shut. “Ahfuck! It’s starting again.” When he opened his eyes, unshed tears swam in them.
My heart hurt and beat faster at the same time.Protect.
“Ole... I’ll help you.” Hopefully, he heard the sincerity in my tone.
“I’m so stupid. I just insulted you, and I know damn fucking well what alphas do after an omega insults them.” A lone tear slid down his cheek. “It’s very hard to forget.”
Ouch. He’d been through some serious shit. “You said it yourself, I’m not like that.”
“Maybe you’re pretending. I don’t know! You’re a stranger. Ah!” He yelped, clutching his waist.
“What if you tied me up?”
“Huh?” He searched my gaze, a frown creasing his forehead.
“See these?” I pointed to the steel hoops at the sides of the tub. “They’re to tie someone to them. You can cuff my hands if that would make you feel safer.”
“You’d be able to wiggle out of them.”
“Not out of handcuffs, no.”What the fuck am I saying? I’ve gone completely crazy.
He took my hand, tracing a thumb over my wrist, then dropped it into the water. “I could cut your throat.”
“And be back at Snake’s mercy for him to sell to whomever he wished.” I looked him square in the eyes. “But only after you’d been punished for killing an alpha.”
He swallowed, scooting away. “Yeah, good point. But I could kill you, then myself.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. The will to survive was too strong in him.
“I’m willing to risk it. You have so much fire in you, snuffing it out would be a loss for the world.”
“You’re insane.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” If slowly falling for this feisty omega within hours made me crazy, then that was probably what I was. Batshit.
“Where are the cuffs?” The smirk on his face was positively evil.
