Chapter Six
Bari
Standing on the edge of the massive stone bridge, I stared down at the highway in front of me before turning on the overpass bridge to look into the black waves dancing and roiling far beneath me. The wind was brisk, whipping the water into a swirling froth as I worked up the courage to take the final step to freedom.
As I’d promised Galen, I’d left a letter on the bedside table explaining what I was preparing to do. It had been left with a second letter, this one addressed to Jan at the hospital in the expectation that she could arrange for the precious eggs I carried to be harvested and placed in incubators until they hatched. As much as I feared the water, drowning was the only method of taking my life that could reasonably be expected to spare the babes, assuming my body was recovered in time. That explained the charmed rope I’d fastened to the bridge support before tying the other end to my ankle. Not only would it prevent the dragon inside me from breaking free to save us, it would also allow them to recover my body from the inky depths to save the lives I carried after I was freed.
It was a foolproof plan, but apparently not analphaproof plan.
“I really wish you wouldn’t do that,” an unfamiliar voice came from behind me.
I turned to find an attractive young man with a sweet smile who was absolutely exuding Alpha comfort pheromones.
“You want to make me happy, don’t you?” he continued in an almost hypnotic tone, stepping closer to me as he continued to talk in a low voice dripping with Alpha control. “I want to help you, Bari. Will you please come closer so I can?”
I watched in confusion as he took a step closer, then another, until he was standing next to me on the ledge.
“My name is Mitch,” he said in a soothing tone. “Your friend Jan called us to help you.” He reached for my hand, pulling me against his body and wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t stop myself from burying my face in his chest, greedily absorbing the comfort I’d needed desperately for weeks. Then I realized someone had untied my ankle and Mitch was carrying me to a vehicle.
He continued to murmur to me as he settled into the back of the car and cradled me on his lap. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve got you now.”
The stress and anxiety of the past weeks drained away and I fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by a flood of comfort pheromones that assured me I was safe.
~*~
“Why are you here again?”
The voice seemed slightly churlish, but I ignored it. After all, the boy wasn’t speaking to me, but rather to the young Omega who had taken to following me around.
“It’s your business why?” The Omega, Paul, snapped back.
My sensitive nose caught the instantaneous increase in distress pheromones and I glanced up, catching the eye of the person addressing Paul. “He’s keeping me company,” I said quietly. “Is there a concern with that?”
“Um, no,” the other Omega, a young brunette with nearly elven features seemed surprised when I spoke on Paul’s behalf. His reaction was logical, though, as I had rarely spoken unless spoken to since being brought to the compound. “I, ah, was asked to check on you. By the director.” The youngster hesitated again. “He, ah, was wondering if he could have a word with you.”
“He may,” I agreed, holding back a heartfelt sigh. “I’ll be here for another hour or so, if you’d care to inform him.”
“Um, right.” The Omega shuffled his feet for a moment, his eyes widening when I raised a curious brow at his continued presence.
“Did you need something else?”
“No, I guess not,” the boy said. “I’ll, um, go tell him.”
The boy had barely crossed the threshold when Paul began to snicker and I turned my raised brow on him. “Something amuses you?”
“Oh, it does,” Paul agreed. “You know that the director was summoning you to his office, right?”
Oh.
“No, I suppose I didn’t realize that,” I acknowledged. “As long as I’ve lived in this country, some of the intricacies still escape me at times.” I considered rising and following the boy, ultimately deciding that the sun warming my body was more appealing. “As I’ve already sent word of my location, there is no point to changing it,” I said with a yawn.
Paul shook his head but made no verbal response, so I continued. “Although rude, his question did hold merit,” I pointed out. “While I’m certain my scintillating personality and rapier-like wit are extremely appealing, I have to wonder if perhaps another reason for you to have begun seeking out my company could be for camouflage?”
Taken by surprise, Paul began to cough and glanced nervously at the door. “What?”
I patted his hand and offered a small smile. “Your secret is safe with me, dear,” I assured him. “I’m simply curious as to why there is a need for discretion when this charity doesn’t seem to be adverse to assisting pregnant Omegas,” I explained, patting my large belly.
Paul’s brow knit together in a small frown. “How did you know? My scent shouldn’t have changed yet.”
