Both my eyes opened. “What?”
“For me.”
“Enough.”
“Klonis never gave you an amount.”
“Don’t worry. It’s enough for the whole night.”
The music still pounded, so Cassius had to speak louder to be heard. “If it was my money would it be enough for me to go away and live the wayIwant?”
It was. At least to get him by for a few months. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. “You have no rights. You can’t.”
“I mean far away where no one would find me.”
“You could be chained up for even thinking that.”
He lifted his head, face scrunched up. “How am I supposed tonotthink it? That should bemymoney.”
“Well, it isn’t, angel.” I reached for my glass.
“Duh!” Cassius’ head flopped back and his arms crossed over his chest.
“If you’re going to be unpleasant, I’ll give you back to Klonis.”
“What kind of threat is that? Do you think I care? You alphas are all alike.”
What was I supposed to say to that? Things were going from unpleasant to unpleasanter, which wasn’t a word but should be.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to give you back,” I said heatedly.
He may have been pouting, but his body visibly relaxed. The earlier fight with Klonis was going to get him punished and he knew it. He was better off with me.
Cassius was quiet again, which was good, because having to yell to be heard over the music meant others might eavesdrop. For myself, no big deal. For him? He could be in even more trouble.
“Why are you doing this?” Cassius asked. “To fuck me? I assure you you could get it cheaper and better elsewhere. Probably even free. You said you wanted your friends to be jealous. Is that really why? Is it working?”
Without a word, I got up and walked away. I didn’t look back. I went to the pool and curled my toes over the edge before giving a hop and dropping like a stone straight into the water.
For a moment, the liquid swirled and drowned out all sound. The sensory deprivation transported me to another world. For a moment, time stopped. For a moment, there was sweet and utter peace.
4
Cassius
The water splashed up where Malin had jumped into the pool to get away from me.
What was happening to me? Why was I provoking him?
First and foremost because he was an alpha. Second, I’d earned my anger and grief a thousandfold as well as the right to take it out on anybody I pleased, damn the punishment. Third, well, that was a harder reason to admit. Because it told me things about myself I didn’t like. Such as, I was attracted to him for reasons I couldn’t fathom. There were little things worming their way into my skin and blood. Like when he called me angel. And the way he’d told me to avoid stepping on the glass in the changing room. How he, a gorgeous rich alpha with all the privileges, had said the world was fucked up when I’d admitted they drugged us at Brimstone.
Right now, I wore swim trunks against my naked skin that had belonged to him. All because I’d protested about showingmy junk. What alpha would ever let a stranger, let alone a set omega, wear their clothes?
He had made it clear he didn’t like sets. And that he had an anger problem. It was as if my brain didn’t care. I watched him come up for air in the middle of a group of alphas, pushing his dark hair back from his face.
Laughing alphas splashed at him, gestured to him, yelled to him.
“Malin’s in!”
