“Hey,” Cassian says softly, taking Simon’s hand. He uncurls my beta lover’s tight fist and presses a kiss to his palm. “You don’t know that that’s what happened, and you’re working as hard as you can. Our enemy is sophisticated. We all knew Graeme’s safe houses could never be a permanent solution.”
“Then what is?” Ian wonders.
We’re left to ponder that as we sit around the infirmary in our finery. I’m so restless that I want to kick off my heels and pace the stone floors, but I remain tucked in Simon’s arms, wrapped in the warm wool of Cassian’s suit jacket to ward off the early April chill that seeps into the infirmary this late at night.
Marcus sends me a searching look, but I duck away from his gaze, my thoughts roiling in my head. Even with everything going on, I can’t forget that Marcus lied to me. That he’s kept his lack of immunity a secret from me since the very first day we met. How can I trust him after that?
“You’re troubled, my darling,” Ian observes. “What is it?”
I’m saved from answering when Cassian’s phone rings. He immediately puts it on speaker and sets it on the bed.
Graeme’s voice comes through loud, clear, and utterly exhausted. “It’s done. The Soldiers retreated when it was clear that the omegas were gone. We got them out and to another safe house just in time. Jack and I are getting everyone into a single safe house for the night. It’ll be tight quarters, but more defensible. We’re spread too thin to protect multiple locations right now. Recapturing the omegas was definitely their priority. The Soldiers wanted to take them alive, but they’re all safe. A few with minor injuries.”
“And you?” I ask. “How are you and Jack?”
“Getting by,” Graeme grits out. “The Soldiers got in a few good hexes, but so did I.”
“That’s our cue,” Daniel Huong says, helping Mai up from her desk chair. “You’ve got patients, honey, and we can help guard the omegas for the night.”
“Pack Huong is coming to assist,” Ian tells Graeme.
“We’re on our way,” Mai chimes in. “Bringing supplies.”
“Thank you, Doc. You’re a lifesaver. Often literally.”
Graeme ends the call, and I slump back against the bed. So, the Soldiers wanted the omegas taken alive. It backs up my belief that my father is experimenting again and needs his precious test subjects back. Villain of a man. Simon is right.
We gatherin the family room back at the pack house, sprawled out on the couches, still in our ball finery, Marcus pacing behind a couch. Simon hunches over his laptop, typing away at the keys and swearing as he works on his new script. Cassian strokes his back, trying to soothe our beta love, but it’s no use.
“It’s possible the Soldiers found out through other means.You’ve made technological miracles happen keeping all of us safe,” Cass reasons.
Simon scowls at his laptop screen. “We can’t be too careful. What if Junes had been there working with the omegas when it happened? She could have been taken.”
“They could fucking try,” I seethe.
“Our girl’s not going down without a fight.” Luca pulls me back against his hot, hard body, and I let him, sinking into his arms and into the scent of red wine and cherries.
“I want to teach the omegas how to escape from omega traps,” I murmur as I nuzzle into Luca’s neck, breathing him in. “I’ll have to get better at doing it myself first.”
“Which means you’ll want me to cast them on you,” Ian surmises with a frown. “You want me to knowingly hurt you.”
“I have to help them somehow, and I have to get stronger to do that. I have to train in escaping omega traps. I need to train in shielding my mind from attacks like Kel’s. I need to getbetter.”
Cassian goes to protest, but his phone chimes from the coffee table. He picks it up to a text from Graeme and then flashes Simon the photo on the screen.
“Tracker?” Cass asks.
“Sure fucking looks like it,” Simon growls, snapping his laptop closed. “Where was it?”
“Graeme said a resistance member found it at the safe house that was raided. It was in with a shipment of clothes for the freed omegas.”
“Then the warehouse is compromised, too,” Ian says quietly, bending forward to inspect the image on Cassian’s phone. “What now?”
“That’s exactly what we need to determine,” Cassian replies. “What we need to determinetomorrow. It’s late, andJunes had a taxing evening. I think we should all get some rest.”
I begrudgingly nod and let Ian help me up from Luca’s arms. The headache that started at Kel’s attack and worsened with my father’s still pounds behind my eyes.
We head up to the nest, all of us but Marcus. I turn back at the top of the stairs to see him gazing up at me. Whatever I see in his eyes, it’s gone in a flash as he bids me good night and goes into his room.
