I stiffened. "Did he do anything to you?"
"Well, he did a pretty damn good job of scaring me," he said with a weak laugh. "He grilled me about my intentions with you and why I was here. He's not a big fan of alphas, is he?"
I grimaced. "No. Where did he go?"
Quinn shook his head. "I don't know. He seemed distracted by the Society."
The idea of Animus harassing Quinn when I wasn't around pissed me off. I held my mate closer. "Come with me. I don't want to split up again."
Quinn smiled and pressed into me with his warm body. "Me neither. Now, what's the plan?"
I quickly told him that we had an ally in David, the alpha guard, and that he was currently spreading the word about the escape among the omegas. I also told him the bad news – that security was tight.
"It might be dangerous," I warned Quinn.
He swatted me with his paw. "I should be the one tellyouthat it could be dangerous. You're the one who might be pregnant, Farley."
He was right, but I couldn't let that stop me from doing this. It was important to me. Still, Quinn knew that and he didn't argue.
"Let's go talk to Emory and David," I suggested. "For this to work, they have to be involved."
Quinn nodded. "Right. Let's go."
I shifted back to finch form, then Quinn and I snuck back to the aviary. Thankfully, Emory and David had a good handle on the situation and had warned everyone in advance about the fox in their midst. As the rest of the omegas acted natural, the four of us gathered to discuss the plan.
"As it stands, I think our best bet is to create a diversion in the main building," I said.
"Why can't they break the mesh in the flight run?" Quinn asked, poking it with a paw.
"I thought about that, but it's too hard. Literally. It'll cut up your fingers," I said. "Here's my plan. The alphas will be guarding the aviary, not the front hall. When their focus is weakened, David can release as many leg bands as he can. When the omegas are in human form, they can charge the front hall and escape."
David frowned. He was kneeling on the ground to speak to us, and up close, I saw the bruising on his face clearly. "I don't know if that's a good idea. The alphas are angry. What if the omegas get hurt trying to get out?"
He was right. We didn't know what they were capable of anymore.
"Okay, then I'll take out as many alphas as I can," I said.
Quinn cackled. "Now I know you're joking. You don't seriously think you can do that all by yourself, do you?"
I faced him. "I can shift. The other omegas can't. I need to do this."
Quinn's expression turned sharp and serious in a way I'd never seen it before. Powerful alpha energy seemed to radiate off of him, but not in a way that intimidated or frightened me. Rather, it seemed to say that he was stronger than I was giving him credit for.
"I know I'm smaller than you as a human," Quinn said, a growl laced in his voice. "But that doesn't mean I'm weak. Besides, have you seen my fox fangs? If push comes to shove, it doesn't matter how big those alphas are. My teeth can rip through skinandfeathers. None of you can boast that."
I was actually impressed. I'd never seen Quinn so fierce and determined. Honestly, it was pretty sexy.
I grinned. "Well, can't argue with that. Then you're coming with me, right?"
His lips slid into a smirk. "Can't believe you even have to ask."
16
Quinn
We leftEmory and David in charge of the omegas, then carefully made our way towards the front door. The whole place reeked of alpha. My sensitive canine nose was flooded with the stink of it. It was a good thing the finches had an inferior sense of smell becauseyikes.
"This is it," Farley said, shifting to human form as he reached the door. "This is how I escaped and how we’re going to get everybody out."
