I finish my protein bar, and he smiles softly. He slides one hand in mine and pulls lightly.
When we get to the lab, he is methodical as always. Bustling about while I wait for him to instruct me. Neither Gage or Diego show up. Part of me feels agitated about this. Why have they not chased me down?
Do they not wish to comfort me?
After a good twenty minutes of questions ranging from physical symptoms to a strange review of inkblots,I watch as Olly brings a sharp object over. With one hand, he grabs my finger.
“Just a prick, Sleeping Beauty,” he says with a lopsided smile, and I cock my head.
“Sleeping Beauty? What is that?” I ask, and his expression falls.
“Nothing,” he says too quickly and strokes the pad of my finger with his thumb. “Eyes on me.” Then I feel the prick.
The blood rushes to the surface, warm, wet, and almost a relief. My finger is pressed against something cold and hard. Glass.
He holds it still with one hand, while swabbing it on several glasses, laying them on the counter as he does so, until there is but a faint drip. When he is done, he still holds it between us, looking at my finger, then at me. The look in his eyes is curious, but also dark.
It’s so different from how he usually looks at me.
My heart is in my throat, and there is a tension between us that is so thick, I think you could slice it with his scalpel.
And then he does what I don’t expect at all. He sticks my finger in his mouth and cleans the last drop of blood with his tongue, before pulling it out and planting his lips there.
“All better?”
I nod, feeling flush. “I think so.”
He drops my hand and prepares his slides, and the door opens. Gage and Diego stare at us from the doorway.
“Auryn,” Gage says, clearing his throat. “I need you to come with us.”
I turn to look at Olly, who is already slipping away into his studies.
Something inside of me swirls with challenge. My shoulders hunch, and I want to bark. To growl. To assert a dominance I’ve never felt before. I will not let these alphas sideline me. I will not—
“Cálmate, mi amor.”
Diego’s words are like a balm to my soul. I step in front of him, and his gaze falls on me with a softness that pushes away the challenge. For now. He grabs my hand, pulling me into his space, and I relax just a fraction. His spicy scent makes my omega purr.
“Fine,” I say, glaring at Gage. And as I follow him down the hall to a room I’ve never seen—one full of weapons and equipment—I can’t help but feel like there is more at stake than just Emmett’s rescue.
Something is changing. In the air, in me.
I only hope that Olly can find the answers in time before it’s too late.
Chapter 28
Gage
I’ve never met a pushy omega before, but Auryn is trying my patience.
I understand her desire to rush out and rescue Em. To find her injured mate and protect him. I get it; I really do. Time is of the essence … but she’s so small. So tiny. The thought of her racing into a house full of vicious alphas terrifies me.Me. Terrified.
Sometimes being the guy in charge sucks. Who’s left to comfortmewhen everything goes to shit?
I shake my head to clear it and make a sweeping gesture at the weapons locker. “Well? Take your pick.”
Auryn gives me a suspicious glare. She doesn’t trust much, despite us showing her the best care we can these past few days. Again, it’s something I understand on a primal level. She’s been through so much, endured so much, and until we can eradicate the Orions, she’ll never be free of that pain and suspicion. She’ll always be guarded until she can truly trust that she is safe. And safety means the return of her mate, and the heads of the men who took him away. I get it.
