He slid his fingers into her hair, gripping it tightly. “Nothing harmful. Will you behave?”
She licked her lips, and the nervous energy coursing through her said she didn’t care for the idea any more than he did. She tried to nod, but his grip kept her still. “Yes, sir.”
Sir. Not master.That meant she hadn’t safe worded.
What would I do if she did?
Again, he was reminded that she was far tougher than he was.
Galen came up and popped open the top on the vial. He brought it toward her, and thankfully didn’t try to touch her at all.
Trent inhaled a small bit of the scent coming from the vial—something that seemed off, chemically, but he wasn’t an omega.
Alison tried to turn her head, her nose wrinkled.
Trent tightened his grip in her hair, his other hand going to the front of her throat, to her collar. He didn’t touch her chin, but his hold was enough to keep her from turning away from the vial.
A thin whine left her, and it sounded far too real.
Trent’s heart pounded, his stomach rolling and forcing him to swallow to not throw up. His fingers, wrapped in her hair, trembled.
Still, he kept his face clear, swore to himself he wouldn’t fail, wouldn’t have the deaths of those omegas on his shoulders.
Galen closed the bottle after about thirty seconds, then put it in his pocket again.
He leaned in, still not touching, and inhaled.
His groan was low and lecherous, making it perfectly clear how he felt about whatever the vial had done to her scent. “Omega,” he growled out.
“As we said,” Daniel answered.
Which Trent was thankful for, because he doubted he could have spoken right then.
“You did. Alright. Expect another call for a meeting in about a week before the auction. We’ll make sure you still have her—sometimes the less-controlled scouts can lose an omega or two before the actual date. The day of the auction, you’ll get the exact time and location.”
Kyle and Daniel walked Galen out, giving Trent the chance to release Alison’s hair and pull in a shaky breath.
He couldn’t seem to feel his fingers. His feet felt heavy, clumsy. Nothing seemedright.
When the door shut, Alison pulled at her cuffs, hands struggling to undo them herself.
Trent unclipped them, and she tore the blindfold off.
She sniffed hard, then blew air from her nose as if she could dislodge the remaining scent of the drug.
Trent watched, stepping backward, his heart racing and his breath short. He couldn’t seem to pull in a full breath.
He turned his gaze to Daniel, who nodded, as if he understood and expected the reaction.
Trent fled, like a coward, leaving Alison to Kyle and Daniel.
They could take care of her, because if he didn’t get out of there, he’d either throw up or pass out.
Useless.
Alison couldn’t remove the wretched scent from her nose, from where it had crept into her sinuses. It burned into her, and no matter how much she rubbed at her nose, she couldn’t get rid of it.
“You okay?” Kyle caught her cheeks in his hands, forcing her face to his.
