Crawling across the stiff carpet, she used the knob and wall for leverage to gain her feet. Fumbling with the locks, she managed to get them open.
She screamed when Jamie burst in, too much violence and Beta musk assaulting her. Falling back into the room, she held up her hands to hold him off. Fear dumping adrenaline into her thick witted limbs, making them move with jerky imprecision as she tried to get away.
“It’s okay, Elena,” Jamie ground out, slamming the door behind him and throwing all of the locks. His lip curled as he made a cautious sniff. His roughhewn features fell into a cool mask as he turned his attention to her. Kneeling several paces away, he pushed at the air to calm her airy sounds of panic. “Take a breath, kid. It’s only me. You’re safe now.”
“He was here. I’m not safe. I was never safe,” Elenastammered out as she wedged her back into the small corner between bed and nightstand.
“Who was here, Elena,” Jamie asked, the gruff sounds grinding from his throat attempting to be a calming purr.
“Marchetti.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! I can still smell him on me and I?—”
“Okay, okay. I believe you, Elena.” Jamie sidled closer, running a callused hand over her bare feet. Only when she stopped flinching, the low whine dissipating, did he try to get closer. “Let’s get you to my room, okay? Can you do that for me?”
“I can’t go out there like this. Everyone will know,” Elena wailed, realizing that the staff at the very least would grasp what had happened here. They’d smell it, see the blood on the sheets. People talked.
“I’m going to need you to get dressed. We’ll figure it out from there.” Jamie slowly rose, his hand out to help Elena up to her feet.
With Jamie’s gentle encouragements, Elena was able to dress and make herself look more presentable, despite the fact she shivered so hard her teeth chattered. Amidst his promises to make everything all right, he guided Elena to the second room that smelled strongly of gun oil and the flat herbal scent of Beta male. He situated Elena in the uncomfortable chair, chafing her hands to bring some warmth back into them as she stared off into the ether.
“I’m going to go fix the other room, okay?”
Elena nodded her head, though she didn’t really understand him. She sat where he put her as Jamie left the room, too caught up in her worries and the nightmare to note his exit.
Her life was ruined. What little hope she’d had gone now. Her body was in excruciating pain, between her legs throbbing with the stuttering beat of her heart. He’d hurt her. Badly. Itwasn’t enough for him to have taken such a thing from her, but he had to damage her.
He’d taught her a lesson, by Gods.
She had nowhere to go, no one to count on save Jamie. Perhaps he was right, and she could learn a trade. Omegas did it every day, going to work and earning a living. It would be difficult at first, her pampered life having never prepared her for any of it, but she was a quick study. It was possible.
What would she do? Live in a squalid apartment in some seedy neighborhood as she waited tables? Worked in some factory? Elena shuddered at the thought. Not for the hard work and discomfort she would surely endure, but for what dangers lay for her down that path.
Omegas out in the world had no real protection. She’d read the papers. Seen the articles of what happened when an Alpha got it in their head to take one of them. The only thing that stood between her and a vicious fiend was a thin layer of civility that all too often crumpled at the slightest provocation.
This night alone proved even her circles of society weren’t above such things.
“Jamie,” she whispered, voice tremulous as the door opened slowly. Not paying attention, Elena failed to note the knock he always performed when entering a room.
“It’s me, kid,” came his gruff voice seconds before he appeared at the corner of the short hallway where the bathroom was. “It’s just me.”
“I need,” Elena started, having to pause to take another shaky breath as she steeled her nerves before being able to continue, “I need you to tell me what all it takes. Out there.”
“That can wait, miss.”
“No, it can’t. How much does an apartment cost? Food, electricity? I… I don’t know any of that.”
“Miss Costanzo, now’s not the time. Let’s get you seen toand then we’ll worry about tomorrow.” Jamie rocked back and forth, lips pulling down into a thin grimace.
“I can’t afford a doctor,” Elena whispered, fingers ghosting over the points of red hued throbbing staining her chest and arm. Refusing to acknowledge all the other many hurts. “There’s nothing they could do anyways. Omegas heal fast.”
“Miss, I… I saw the sheets…” Jamie wouldn’t look at her, gaze sliding over her hunched form.
“Omegas heal fast, Jamie,” Elena said, putting more force into her voice as she dredged up some measure of strength she wasn’t sure she had.
“All right, miss. If you say so.”
