Page 5 of Dual Nature

Time and time again, I’d been told that I wasn’t detached enough for this job, but I was good enough in situations like this that they needed me in spite of that flaw. So far, I’d never let it affect my work, but I was starting to get a weird feeling in my gut. This job might just push me over the edge.

“Look, I don’t belong here any more than you do. I got roped into coming by Maxwell, and I can’t afford to upset people of his status. My family is lower on the totem pole, so having an association with any of these people will help my family’s business.” I sighed and looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “I could use an inside man to help me navigate through this weekend. I’ll do whatever I can to help you out, too.”

“Omega. I’m an omega,” Cory whispered as he dropped his eyes back to his hands. Horror slammed into me at his words, distracting me so much that I almost missed when he kept talking. “I wish I could assist you with that, but I’m practically prey in this house. If you had picked anyone else, they would have been more helpful.”

Omegas were rare in the shifter world—so rare they only happened in wolves. When I first learned about them, I didn’t see what was so important about omegas. They were the bottom of the pack, a natural submissive that couldn’t take care of themselves; they needed the alpha and betas to look after them. If they were left on their own, they would starve because they wouldn’t be able to fight for their food. Omegas were meant to be the soul of a pack, caring for everyone in a way that only someone who didn’t need to prove they were better than anyone else could. Alphas led the pack while betas protected, but an omega could come alongside someone who was suffering and nurture them, expecting nothing in return. Packs that had an omega excelled in every way, so omegas were treasured for the stability they provided.

But once people discovered what omegas were capable of, they also became the fastest way to destroy a pack. Remove the stability, and the rest would come crashing down.

Focusing my attention back on Cory, I wondered if Delilah had any idea what she had trapped away in her house.

“Cory, how did you end up here?” I asked, unable to move on until I knew.

“Ten years ago, I was taken from my pack and sold to the highest bidder. I bounced around from place to place, owner to owner, until Delilah bought me on the black market. I’ve been here for six months.” He shrugged. “It isn’t the worst place I’ve been.”

I chewed on my lower lip as I processed that information. “Does Delilah know what you really are?”

“No, she just saw a pretty face and a replacement for the last wolf she lost.”

Sighing, I relaxed a little. I could only imagine what would happen if people in this house figured out they had such a submissive in their clutches. I needed to keep him safe and alive so I could get him back to his pack… if they were even still together after losing their omega.

“Alright, give me the basics of how things work here.” I held up a hand when I saw he was going to dismiss his knowledge and usefulness. “Look, I’m not asking you to do anything other than share information. I want to protect you, but I can’t do that if I don’t know the rules of this place. Something tells me everything is a test and nothing is what it seems—just like bringing me to pick one of you. She wanted to see how I would react to the fact that she had you all here, to see if I would freak out. Now, take a seat and talk.”

Cory moved over to the fainting couch and took a seat, clutching a pillow to his chest. “Number one rule is never correct her. She’s queen bee, and what she says is law. Even if it’s illegal, don’t mention it. Just ignore that it’s happening. If she gives you something or tells you to do something, take it, drink it, eat it—just say yes. A few weeks ago, there was a girl who was a vegan. She refused to eat the steak dinner, so Delilah drugged her and fed her to the dogs.”

“Wait, real dogs?”

“Yes. She said, ‘Nature doesn’t give a fuck if you’re protecting them or not, so why should we?’.”

Knowing these types of entitled people existed in the world and having to spend the weekend with one were two very different experiences. Being an assassin, I’d studied all kinds of personalities and behaviors, but dealing with psychopaths always seemed challenging because it was harder to tell what was real and what was fake.

“Alright. I’m not a picky eater, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The illegal part I kinda figured since she’s keeping supers as pets. What else?” I pressed.

“The others here are just as dangerous, if not more, because they’re all watching each other to point out when you do something wrong. It’s like they think it’ll keep it from happening to them someday. Maxwell and Jemma are the only two that Delilah will think twice about punishing. They’re special to her for some reason. Oh—then there are the hunts,” Cory whispered, hunching his body as if to make himself smaller.

“Brad mentioned something about that,” I offered, hoping it would help that he didn’t need to explain what that meant.

He peeked up at me through his hair, fear making his eyes glow. “She’ll make you go on one. It’s the one thing that will bind you to her and her secret forever. Even if you betrayed her and went to the Senate, they would punish you along with everyone else.”

I had guessed this would be the case—nothing better to protect you than mutual destruction. It wasn’t the thought of killing a super that bothered me. It wasn’t even that they were innocent people. No, what caused me to hesitate was the Senate. Yes, they had sent me on this job, but I wasn’t living under the impression that I would get a ‘get out of jail free’ card if I were caught. The more I looked at the situation, the more it seemed like I would have to take out all the guests to make sure no one shared what happened here. I could withstand torture, but none of these prissy trust-fund babies would.

“Thank you, Cory. I would like some time alone now,” I said, dismissing him with a wave of my hand.

Without a word, he stood and exited the room, letting the door softly click behind him. Now I needed a new plan since I was adding four more people to the mission, and I would need to act fast. No way in hell was I going to let any of them get away with this; they were all to blame. I knew without a doubt that there would be a hunt tomorrow. With a new person around, Delilah would make sure we all stayed loyal to their secret.

four

I stayed in my room, planning, until Cory came to let me know that dinner was ready. He led me back downstairs to the dining room and pulled out my chair for me. Looking around the room, I noticed it was dim, with only the fireplace and candles on the table providing light. At the end of the table was a round platform covered with red silk.

The rest of the crew was filtering in as well, each followed by their ‘pet.’ Brad actually had a man and a woman who proudly flashed their fangs when they smiled. Seemed Brad would once again be able to fulfill his dark dream. Delilah walked in last, with a large, buff man, who I pegged as personal security. His bald head glowed in the dim light of the dining room, and his eyes tracked us all even as he pulled out her chair.

He was going to be a problem. Definitely a super, but what kind, I couldn’t guess. By the time the night was over, though, I would know—it was my top priority.

“I hope you all settled in and had a good respite because the party has now begun. And you won’t want to miss a thing!” Delilah giggled as she clapped her hands before taking her seat. “Alexia, I hope you don’t mind if we borrow your pet for the night. He provides the best entertainment, but it will cause him to be unavailable later. I’ll make sure a suitable stand-in will be of service for you.”

An answer from me wasn’t expected, so I remained silent. Staff in white shirts and black pants entered, passing out bowls of soup and filling our glasses with wine. It seemed fine dining was the theme of the night. Once we were all served and the staff had left, Cory walked back into the room with Brad’s pets, only this time they were naked.

Continuing to eat, I watched as they walked over to the silk-covered platform and climbed onto it so we could easily see them from our seats. The male vampire shoved Cory to his knees, securing his arms behind him with metal cuffs, as the female vampire crawled toward the omega. An evil glint shone in her eyes as she shoved Cory’s legs open wide, displaying him to us. My hands balled into fists under the table as I watched, feeling Delilah’s gaze on me as if she were waiting for me to object. Taking her time, the vampire licked and nipped down Cory’s chest, clawing her nails into his thighs.