The omega—Fable, Sidian reminded himself—brightened at the question as she handed the receipt to him. “Are you looking to stay for the day? We have an inn just up the road before you get to the campgrounds. Some people have reservations, but it always has some rooms available. You can still call ahead if you want to make sure. I can even give you the number if you’d like.”
Roman smiled just as he set a healthy wad of cash down on the table. “That would be lovely.”
“Of course.” Fable flipped the receipt over, scrawling a number across the smooth white backing. “You should ask if they have any nesting rooms available. It’sjusta nest, no bed, but it’d be more comfortable for you and your mate!”
Was it that obvious, then? “Thanks for the tip. We’ll ask about that,” Sidian said.
“I sleep in my nest all the time, no matter what. It’s warm and cozy, so why would I ever change it?” Fable glanced between the two of them, and for the first time, Sidian noticed how it seemed like she had to contain herself. “How long have the two of you been together? Male omegas are so rare around here.”
Ah, that explained it. “Uh, we’ve known we were mates for the past two years, but we were kinda fucking around with each other even before we knew.”
It struck Sidian then that he’d never been able to talk like that with another omega. A normal conversation, talking about normal relationship stuff. Other omegas avoided him in school because he was a freak and an outcast, and he’d been too angry in psychiatric care to make friends.
No one made friends at the center. They were just poked and prodded by the nurses. How was he sleeping? How did he feel, how were his energy levels? Any mysterious aches or pains? Could he please stop wriggling around in the stirrups so they could do an ultrasound?
“Hold his legs open for me, boys. If he wants to put up a fight, we’ll show him how powerless a bitch in heat is.”
Sidian’s stomach roiled, and he shoved the memory away.
Fable’s smile dimmed, her gaze sliding to Roman for a half-second before she leaned down and hooked her arm with Sidian’s. “Hey, why don’t you come up to the counter with me real quick? I think we just pulled a batch of cookies out of the oven. We give them to little kids as a treat to take home, but I’ve never met an omega who could turn down fresh, warm, chocolate chip.”
Roman gave Sidian a brief nod as he slipped out of the booth, receipt in hand as he fished his phone out of his pocket. Looked like they were staying in town after all.
Unease prickled at Sidian’s skin as he allowed Fable to draw him out of the booth and lead him up to the counter. It wasreasonable to believe that Roman would have known if she was some kind of threat, and even without mercenary training, Sidian wasn’t stupid enough to think she was dangerous. Whatever she wanted, it had to be borderline harmless.
As soon as they reached the counter, Fable dropped her voice so low that Sidian almost did not pick up the sound of it. “Are you okay? Because we have two alpha chefs in the kitchen who can hand your alpha his ass if you need them to do that for you.”
“What?” Sidian almost barked a laugh at the thought.
“You just seemed upset for a second, is all.” She gave his arm a gentle squeeze while she flagged down one of the chefs. “Sometimes, alphas… They act better than they are until they get their claws into you, or their teeth, or a baby, and then you feel you have nowhere you can go. But if your alpha hurt you or scared you or anything like that, we can help. I promise.”
She wasn’t dangerous. She was as far from dangerous as possible, and that only made her more charming. “It wasn’t him I was thinking about. He’s the only good thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Her face softened. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you have him.”
Sidian didn’t know what to say about that. Roman was the only constant in his life for a long time; he’d been fourteen years old, surly and unmanageable at the psychiatric ward until Roman came along and gave him something worth behaving for. He’d been a rare spot of light in a lifetime of darkness, and when Sidian had lost him… But he had him now. He had Roman back, and nothing was going to separate them. Nothingcouldseparate them.
Except for Amey, right?
No. Bullshit. Roman wouldloveher. He just needed to meet her first, that was all. And he needed to continue not noticing the pregnancy, which Sidian would get away with for another fewweeks until he started to show. But that was something to worry about later.
He forced himself to take a deep breath, offering Fable a smile that he knew didn’t reach his eyes. “I was in a pretty terrible place before I met him, but he’s safe. I guess I’m just not all the way out of it yet. Takes a fuck of a long time to get out.”
She glanced back at Roman with his stupid little flip phone pressed to his ear, then to Sidian, before pulling her notepad out of her pocket. “I know how that feels,” she said, scribbling something down before tearing off a sheet of paper. “I don’t know how long you two are in town for, but if you need anything, you just call me, okay? It’s a small town, but I promise everyone’s friendly.”
Considering Sidian didn’t know how long they were staying anywhere, he accepted the number without an argument. “Thanks.”
She sent him back to his mate with the cookies she promised, and Roman offered nothing more than an absurdly handsome, bemused smile.
The Angel Ridge Inn was the nicest building Sidian had seen so far, at least compared to the rest of the town. Two stories and large, situated so that the back-facing windows had a pretty view of the forest beyond. The lot was half full, and Roman only needed to sweep by the front desk long enough to grab their key before he led Sidian toward the set of wide wooden steps that led upstairs. The staircase was at least twice as broad as a normal one, with a balcony that wrapped all the way around the secondfloor. It shadowed the entrance, the front desk, and the sitting area situated before a cozy fireplace.
“We’re in the back of the building,” Roman informed Sidian, leading him down a hallway. “Got one of the nicest rooms they have. What did the girl want with you beyond the cookies?”
Sidian snorted. Of course, Roman noticed something unusual going on. “She thinks you beat me.”
“Thinks,” he echoed. “Did you tell her it was the other way around?”
Sidian gave him a half-hearted shrug before snickering at his indignant little pout. “Nah. Told her you saved me. She seemed to think a little better of you after that.”
