“Forgive me for my ignorance, but how are we to find these omega males?” Adriel asked. There was a hint of disgust in his voice.
“I’m assuming you just go outside and find them,” I offered. “Their scent differentiates them from human alphas. I’ve smelled many in passing whenever I leave the mansion.”
Adriel didn’t seem convinced.
“Doesn’t the pregnancy… hurt them?” Theodore asked with a wince.
“You should seek a suitably strong omega,” Margaret answered. “One who can withstand the pregnancy, yes.”
This was getting complicated fast. I didn’t want to admit it, but mating with an omega just to ensure our safety was an unpleasant idea. I’d always worried about finding someone and falling in love when I was a human, but now that I was immortal and had all the time in the world, being rushed into it felt cheap and abhorrent.
As if reading my mind, Margaret added, “You do not have to love these omegas. Remember, they are just a tool.”
“That’s kind of harsh,” Theo mumbled.
“It is not harsh to do what we must to survive,” Margaret snapped. “We use humans all the time, if you have not forgotten, Theodore. We drink their life essence and kill them. This is no different.”
Theo glanced down at the table, sounding melancholy. “I guess…”
Adriel stood from his seat. “I understand, Margaret. I will do my best to find a suitable omega and mate with him.”
“Whoa, really?” I said, surprised. Adriel had seemed so off-put by the idea just a moment ago.
“Yes,” Adriel replied. “If it’s to ensure our survival, I will do what I must.”
“But what will happen to you, mother?” Theodore asked, his eyes wide.
Margaret paused and watched us, unblinking. In a distant voice, she said, “I do not know, my child. I am weak. My powers over the fog will not last much longer.” Her voice suddenly got louder. “That is why youmustbreed the humans! Do you understand?”
“Yes, Margaret,” Adriel said, bowing his head. Theo and I nodded as well.
“Good,” Margaret said in a wheeze, leaning back in her seat. She suddenly looked small and frail in the grand Victorian-era chair. She coughed into her hand, then sighed. “We do not have much time. If you wish, I can arrange the abduction of some human omegas for you three.”
The idea appalled me. “No, Margaret, I’d prefer you didn’t.”
Glancing over at my brothers, they seemed relieved that I’d spoken up. Both of them were probably thinking the same thing.
Margaret grunted. “Suit yourselves. But don’t dally.” Unsteadily, she rose to her feet and headed for the door. “I am returning to my chambers. Don’t bother me unless it is an emergency.”
“Yes, Margaret,” Adriel said.
The door creaked shut behind her, leaving my brothers and I alone with our racing thoughts.
Theo was the first one to speak up. He turned to us and yelped, “What the hell?”
* * *
Noneof us knew how to react to the news. Theo kept pestering me with questions, and Adriel seemed to be trying his best to ignore it, despite his promise to Margaret earlier.
As the winter sun set early, I prepared myself for a walk. I needed to go out, get away from the mansion and collect my thoughts. I wasn’t hungry - I’d drank a violent felon dry just a few days ago - but all this commotion was making me want to stress-eat. Still, I mostly wanted some time to myself.
I slipped on my black peacoat and leather gloves. In the coat pocket was an antique wooden dagger, thin and beautifully crafted from centuries-old blackwood. Just a precaution in case I ran into any other vampires who weren’t quite so friendly. I didn’t enjoy killing my own kind, but some of us were truly better off dead from this world.
“Where are you going?” Adriel asked, appearing so suddenly that he seemed to melt from the shadows.
“Out,” I replied.
“Looking for a mate already?”
