Granted, I’ve been pushing them for days about this grift. Nik and I did the legwork, introduced ourselves to the omega’s family and offered our services, but Kip and Kaden still could use some instruction on the finer points of the arrangement.
“Sorry, Mags. We’re listening.”
Kaden grunts in affirmation of his brother’s comment, so I continue.
“As I was saying, this family needs an heir soon. Their omega daughter should be going into heat any day now, but they haven’t found any good matches as of yet with the local alphas. That’s where Nik comes in: The parents have approved him as a, uh, donor. He’ll do the deed—knot, lock, and done. Our job as betas, at least on the surface, is to provide whatever other comfort the omega needs during her heat. Help her with her nest, pamper her, massage her, anything she wants.” I narrow my eyes at Kaden. “The family hasnotapproved any other mating besides Nik. They want to be certain that the kid is sired by a quality alpha.”
“Are you going to lord that over me every job? It was one time!”
Kip rolls his chestnut-brown eyes. “You’re just lucky we got out of that one before they realized you knocked up their precious omega princess.”
“There is zero proof that I was the father. It could’ve been Nik …”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and fan myself with my other hand. “You can’t be serious. Nik could smell the pregnancy on her before he even had a chance to do his job.”
“Well, it’s not my fault that omega was a Fertile Myrtle! Betas aren’t supposed to be able to—”
“Enough!”
Nik’s shout has enough of his alpha presence behind it to make both twins recoil, and even I’m tempted to cower before him.
“Mags knows what she’s doing. If you two would just listen for five minutes, we could already be in bed and getting some rest. I want to get this job started so we can have a few months’ leave before the next one.”
Twenty minutes later, we break for one final night of sleep before the job starts. We head off to our separate rooms, but it’s not long before I find myself knocking on Nik’s door.
He opens in a pair of loose pajama pants and nothing else. His long blonde hair, usually pulled back in a messy bun, flows free, and those emerald eyes gaze right into my soul as I stand there, sweating. “Yeah?”
“I, uh … I need your help before we do this job,” I say, wiping my brow.
Nik’s eyes flit from my hand to my mouth, and he licks his lips. “Your suppressant is wearing off. Again.”
I nod slowly, feeling a bit woozy. “Yeah.”
“Fuck, Mags, why didn’t you say something sooner? This job won’t work if there’s another omega around.”
“I know, I know.” I fan my face with one hand while pulling my mop of dyed pink hair off my shoulders. “Look, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need it. It’s just one night, just to take the edge off. I’ll be able to take another suppressant dose in the morning, but it’s too soon right now.”
Nik frowns. “The doses aren’t lasting long enough. You need to think about other options, Mags.”
Though his pupils dilate with desire, the statement feels like a rejection.
“You don’t want to help me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He didn’t have to. “But you want me to find another way to get through the heats.”
His strong arm wraps around my shoulders and guides me into his room. Nik closes the door behind us, and as soon as we’re completely alone, I lean back into his broad, bare chest.
“Your meds aren’t working well enough anymore. You know suppressants are only effective for a short time. There’s a diminishing return on those drugs. Eventually, they won’t stop your heat at all.” He says all this while nuzzling my neck and rubbing my shoulders. “I will never complain about helping you through your heat, but I’m trying to look out for you. One of these days, the drug won’t help, and we’ll have to time our jobs even more carefully.”
I’d argue, but one of his hands slides down to my waist and toys with the hem of my shirt, fingertips brushing my stomach and distracting me from logical thought. Combine that with his heady scent of pine and wood-smoke, and wording becomes hard.
“I … I …”
Nik’s lips ghost over my neck. “Bubblegum and cotton candy. For someone who’s so jaded and sour, you sure smell sweet.”
“I-is the nest ready?”
