Somewhere outside, fresh air and green leaves and nothing but the wilderness surrounding them.
Roman checked the rearview before pulling over, digging the map he’d pilfered from the last gas station out of the glove box. “What did you have in mind?”
“I just need to walk around somewhere we don’t have to worry about being seen. That’s all. And you need to stretch those long legs.” At least, Sidian knew he did, and he wasn’t that tall.
Roman was quiet for a moment, alternating between glancing in the mirror and studying the map, finger dragging along squiggling lines in various colors. As long as Sidian got what he wanted, he was content to wait as long as Roman needed him to, his head resting against the cool glass of the window next to him. The Ultima stayed warm, but he’d still rather be curled up in a cozy nest somewhere than out there on the road. Maybe after all of this was done, he could do just that.
Roman had said something about a fancy nest for him one day, hadn’t he?
“There’s a state park not that far from where we’re driving. We’re heading in its general direction.” Roman folded up the map and slipped it into the glove compartment, satisfied. “Some trails look easy enough. We can walk around for a while before finding another motel. I doubt many people are going to be hiking in the middle of the work week, anyway.”
“Lifesaver,” Sidian murmured, letting his eyes fall shut. “Wake me up when we get there. I’ll give you a treat tonight since you’re being such a good dog.”
The sharp little inhale of breath made him chuckle. Roman was a good boy.
They pulled off into a small parking lot with just a couple of other cars. Sidian took the time to stretch before zipping up his jacket, letting Roman pull him in close without a word as he steered them toward the trees. Roman was warmer than Sidian was; being close to him was nice. And even better were the fresh air, the wide open space, and just the two of them to enjoy it.
Despite the other cars, they didn’t see anyone else on the trail Roman chose for them. It wasn’t much of a trail, more like a little dirt path that led to a walk along a river, but it was beautiful. The water had a clean, fresh, metallic scent, and the trees were lush and green, leaves rustling in a breeze that was only slightly chilly.
It was what Sidian needed. “Thank you, alpha.”
“It’s not a problem. I like it out here more than I do in town or in the city, anyway.” Roman rubbed his hand up and down Sidian’s back, though it resumed its place at Sidian’s hip as if Roman thought he was going anywhere.As if.“I’m sorry for that, by the way. I should have been clearer about what this was going to be. About how much patience it would demand.”
It would have been nice to know just for the sake of preparation, but Sidian could never be angry with Roman. Not in a way that mattered. “It’s fine. I mean, I’d rather drag ass onthe way to Jersey than get picked up by the cops. I don’t even know what they’d end up doing with me.”
“I don’t know, either,” Roman admitted, his hand tightening just enough that Sidian could feel it. Oh, he wasworried,and that was fucking adorable. “We take all the omegas from the centers somewhere safe. I do not know what would happen to them if we didn’t do that.”
It wasn’t a surprise that the trained mercenary chose caution, then. Sidian didn’t know what that life demanded of Roman, but he knew he could at least trust him to understand the danger they were in. “How many alphas do you think would be pissed off in their unborn children vanished?”
Roman wrinkled his nose. “The children do notbelongto them. They belong to their mothers. And I don’t know. I guess it would depend on whether the packs in question wanted children. Breeding centers are used as brothels just as much as they are anything else.
“And some of ‘em just wanna be cruel for the sake of it,” Sidian muttered, and Roman’s grip tightened further. “Relax. I’m not going anywhere. It’s not like they’re hiding in the trees.”
Roman’s head jerked as a breeze rustled some leaves nearby. “Don’t put that into the universe.”
A wooden bench appeared on the path ahead, and Sidian wriggled away from Roman’s side to sit down on it, letting himself lean back against the wide, comfortable slats. The river stretched out before them, the rushing waters adding a nice ambiance without being too loud or distracting. If they were just traveling, Sidian might have liked to stop there just to take a breather.
Roman draped his jacket over Sidian’s shoulders before sitting down, and Sidian burrowed into the smoky, metallic scent that clung to the fibers. “Wearegoing to kill that pack. No matterhow long we take to find them. I want to repay them the favor for what they’ve done to you.”
“I know, big guy.” And what would he do when he learned the truth? Sidian didn’t want to think about it. Instead, he shifted closer to lay his head against Roman’s arm, purring when Roman lifted his arm and tugged Sidian’s head against his chest instead.
The low, steady thrum of his heartbeat, elevated as it was, was comforting.
For just a moment, Sidian gave in to his omega’s instinctive need for comfort and touch, letting Roman hold him close and just basking in his presence. He could not have mated a better alpha, but he knew that the moment he realized he was scenting Roman through the blood and flesh. No alpha could ever compare, but it still felt like the universe threw the worst possible alphas at Sidian to mock him.
As if he ever needed a reason to appreciate Roman more than he already did.
“The Pit’s not as forested as this, but it’s in the countryside,” Roman said, stirring Sidian from his relaxed state. “The boss wanted us to make sure we got fresh air when we needed it. Some vitamin D bullshit, but we can walk around there like this. If you want to go back, that is.
Sidian thought about it for a moment. “Is the Pit what you call your guys’ house or something?”
“It’s the name of the entire collection of buildings. The main buildings, the dorms, the storage, and so on.” Roman gestured with his hand, the other cupping Sidian’s elbow and tugging him closer. Maybe teasing him about the trees was the wrong move after all. “The names are silly. I’m not sure who came up with them, but that’s what we call it.”
Themed naming for a collection of mercenary groups was indeed stupid as fuck, but Sidian found it charming in animmature way. “The guys wouldn’t bother us if we went, would they?”
“No,” Roman said, his brow creasing. “If they tried, I’d chase them away. You don’t deserve to be harassed when you’re just trying to take a walk. They can be a bit much.”
Goddess, he was so stupidly protective, and it was cute. Not threatening or off-putting at all. It was so sweet. “Are you gonna snap and growl at them every time they get too close to me?”
