Guess he’d just have to find out.
A middle-aged beta sat behind a stretch of cracked counter on the far side of the motel lobby, his attention focused on the phone in his hand until the bells over the door jingled. The beta glanced up before setting the phone down and standing, smoothing out his shirt. Roman appreciated the lack of a politesmile; he was too tired to muster up a facade of his own and didn’t want to bother.
“How can I help you tonight?” the beta asked, glancing behind himself at a stained, weathered clock hanging on the wall. “My, my. Cutting it pretty late tonight, are we?”
Roman noted the beta’s nametag, committing the nameLarryto memory in case it came up again in the future, though he doubted it would. Force of habit. “I drove later than I expected to.”
Larry scoffed and waved it off with a hand, the silver band of a wedding ring glinting. So he might have someone who would miss him if he were gone. Good to know. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Ain’t many places out here in the middle of nowhere. Makes it real easy to lose track of time, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” Roman drew his wallet out of his back pocket, fanning it open. The Vipers only carried cash on them in case of an emergency, but he doubted it would be much of a problem in an establishment like this one. “Do you take cash? We need a room for one night.”
Larry typed something into the computer on the counter, the monitor worn and cracked at the corners, before giving a brief nod. “Sure do. Ain’t really bother with cards out around here if I can help it, though my daughter says I need to acclimate. Anyway, gonna be fifty for the night. What name you want it under?”
“Ethan Rhodes.” The name rolled off of Roman’s tongue with ease as he extracted a crisp fifty from his wallet, then smoothed a twenty on top of it. That should keep Larry quiet. “For the trouble.”
“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Rhodes.” Larry snatched the bills before Roman could change his mind, turning to pluck a key off of the corkboard of fobs mounted on the wall. “Room One at the far end should do ya for the night. No other residents on that sideof the building, so it’ll be nice and quiet for you. King-sized bed, too, nice and comfy. Mattress is just a year old.”
“Thank you.” Hopefully, the quiet would allow Sidian to rest for as long as he needed to before they moved on again.
You need to sleep, too,Roman reminded himself, stepping back out into the cool night air of the Oregon woods. He did not know what town they were in, but for the time, that didn’t matter.You’ll be useless to him if you can’t keep your eyes open.
Sidian didn’t so much as twitch as Roman opened the passenger door of the Ultima and unbuckled his mate’s seatbelt, scooping the sleeping omega into his arms. Sidian’s head came to rest against his shoulder, lips parted with each gentle breath. Maybe Sidian would get enough rest to do something about those dark circles. If not, Roman would ensure they had long rest periods until he had recovered in at least one small way.
Room One was at the far end of the building, as Larry promised. Roman shifted Sidian’s weight as carefully as he could while he unlocked the door, ensuring the movement did not jar him too much. Inside, the room was clean and warm enough to suit their needs, and Roman’s nose detected nothing out of the ordinary that would put him off staying overnight. The scents of black mold or cockroaches, for instance, were easy for an alpha to detect. Not so for a beta, he supposed.
With one flick of the wrist, Roman drew back the comforter so he could tuck Sidian beneath it, smoothing his fingers through his mate’s dark hair. Sidian sighed in his sleep, nuzzling into the pillow, which was good enough for Roman. It wasn’t a nest, but it was something. And once Sidian had gotten some much-needed rest, they could sit down and discuss where to go next. What the plan was.
He could take Sidian back to the Vipers’ Pit, but he wouldn’t make that decision for them. Instead, he unlaced his boots,double-checked that the door was locked, and slunk into bed behind his omega.
It was time for a good night’s sleep.
Chapter Seven
The scent of sunlight warming iron tickled Sidian’s nose, the metallic richness of it drawing a purr from his lips. Beneath it was something sweet and smoky, flames licking at oiled wood. A funeral pyre.
His cunt twitched, slick gathering between his thighs as he shifted on what felt like the softest bed he’d ever slept on. Something solid brushed up against his back, and he pressed into it without thinking, a wall of solid muscle that vibrated against his back as he arched into it. One large hand gave his hip a brief squeeze, but he whined because that wasn’t where he wanted to be touched. Not even close.
Lips feathered a kiss across the top of his head. “Looks like the shower did the trick, then.”
“Hmm?” The voice was rich, dreamy, and familiar.
Where had he heard that voice before?
“Slept a few hours. Took a shower. Slept a few hours more.” A mouth trailed kisses through Sidian’s hair before pressing one just behind his ear, stubble tickling his skin. He could imaginewhat it would feel like on his thighs. “You didn’t like the de-scenting cologne. Better now, Sid?”
Only one person in the world could call him that.
Memories from the night before flooded his mind as his eyes snapped open, his head twisting back until he could see just enough of Roman’s face to confirm he was real. There was a light shadow of facial hair along his jaw, which only made him look sexier than he did last night. His green-gray eyes gazed down at Sidian with a look of such utter warmth that Sidian’s omega whined at the sight. Two years without his mate. Two years of pure and utter suffering, but Roman was there now. It didn’t seem possible, but he was solid and warm andreal.
Sidian pressed back into the solid heat of Roman’s chest, his eyelids fluttering as he enjoyed his mate’s touch. “It’s you. Holy shit. Thought I might have dreamed you.”
“A pleasant dream, I hope?” Roman grinned down at him, his eyes crinkling as he dipped his head to press a kiss to Sidian’s forehead. “You have a gorgeous purr when you sleep.”
“I purr in my sleep?” Sidian doubted he’d purred once in the last two years. If anything, he’d only purred the night he kissed Roman and licked the blood off of his tongue.
“When I was near. You were quiet on your own.” Roman’s hand crept along Sidian’s hip and feathered over his chest, fingers brushing over Sidian’s throat until cupping his chin, holding him still for another light forehead kiss. “You smell so sweet. I knew it was you in an instant. Nothing else mattered.”
“How much trouble are you gonna end up in for chasing me?” It was a stupid question; an elite mercenary group was not likely to forgive and forget, but it didn’t bother Sidian.
