Page 55 of Vendetta

My hair uncoiled in lank strands, held in knotted loops by the odd hairpin, still clinging on for dear life. I pulled them out as best I could, but some bits were so tangled with sticks, grass, and leaves that there was no way I could do it on my own. Abandoning that, I grabbed the neutral scent shampoo. Anything would be better than the stubborn bits of crunchy hair-product and dirt that wouldn’t rinse out like I wished they would. But even so, the suds soothed my brittle nerves as I massaged them into my scalp.

What right did I have to feel nice? Even as the soap and water washed the dirt from my skin, I felt hollow and stupid for walking right into Cruz’s trap and leading Claudia with me.

Tears crept from the corners of my eyes, slipping down my cheeks. I let the warm spray rinse them down the drain, where no one would see them fall. A sob broke free as I rubbed the conditioner through my sable strands, and I slumped against the tiled wall, letting the water soak into the cuts on my feet. Emotions swept through me, and I let the evidence of my pain run freely down my face, just for right now, while I was alone.

Chapter 36

Oliver

Why the fuck did I bring her into my nest? I didn’t want anyone in my nest, let alone another omega.

Scent-match.

Why was she in my shower sobbing, and not in the guest bathroom across the hall, far away from me?

Scent-match.

I ran my fingers through my hair, balling them in frustration. Her pheromones were intoxicating. If I didn’t already know it, I had no doubt now.

She was our fucking scent-match.

I flopped into my nest and draped my arm over my face. In the dark, behind my closed eyelids, her spiced floral perfume was like a siren enticing me into oblivion. Of course she was perfect. She was made for us.

Letting her out of her cell was a calculated risk. I needed to know if I’d been imagining it last night when Cruz carried her past me and my dick stood at attention. This was supposed to prove me wrong, but it was doing the opposite. Now all I wanted was to snuggle the shit out of her until she stopped crying.

The muffled sound of her tears eased under the harsh noise of rushing water, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Fuck Nico for leaving me alone with her. He had to know what I’d do. Except I’d never done anything like this before. I hated unbonded omegas. I was far more likely to kill one than to cook for one. They smelled like dumpsters baked in the sun. But not this one. Rosa made everything inside me come alive. I just wanted to be near her, touching her, breathing her in like my life depended on it.

The water stopped, and I groaned. Now, what was I going to do?

She was rubbing herself all over my extra-fluffy towels. That mouthwatering scent was never going to come out. Not that I wanted it to, not yet. I wanted to hold on to as much of her as I could before we had to hand her over to Francisco.

A pit settled in my stomach just thinking about it. Under no circumstances could I let myself get attached.

Nico had left to meet up with his father to get more info. Maybe he’d give us some sort of instructions on what we were supposed to do with their enemy’s daughter. Until we knew the plan, being anywhere near her was a huge mistake, but I couldn’t help myself.

The door to the bathroom cracked open, and her pink-cheeked face inched out. “You don’t happen to have anything I could wear? My dress is uhh… in pieces.”

Most of my clothes would be a little baggy on her, but should work well enough. I pulled open a drawer and grabbed a soft white T-shirt like the one I was wearing and another pair of sweats. When I approached the door, she shied back, but her arm poked out to grab the stack of clothing. Her concentrated scent smacked me upside the head, and I bit back another groan. All the blood in my brain fled at high velocity, straight to my dick, leaving me dizzy as fuck.

Scent-match.

I was starting to understand the others’ aversion. Everything I’d done since she’d arrived revolved around her. Every thought I had was about her. She was making things very hard—my cock, my life.

After a moment of staring blankly at the door, it opened, and she stepped out. Her long dark hair hung in tangled strands, the moisture dripping from it turning the shirt I’d given her translucent in spots. The dusky curve of her nipple peeked through and puckered under my gaze. Shit.

Her face. I needed to look at her face. Her beautiful face, glowing and clean of smudged makeup, with pouty, kissable lips.

Okay… that was not helping. I turned away from her and kept my attention on the top of my dresser and off the mirror above it, showing a perfect reflection of my nest.

“Uh, do you want a brush? For your hair, I mean? Not that you need to brush your hair if you don’t want to.” Oh my fucking god, what was wrong with me? My brain was broken. My dick throbbed, reminding me that all the blood in my body had changed zip codes and was no longer residing in my head. Well, not the head that I needed to be working right now, anyway. I was having trouble responding like a rational adult.

“Sure,” she replied, her eyes darting around the room.

I really had to stop looking at her in the mirror.

Was she judging my nest with those searching eyes? I didn’t even like Nico and Cruz in here, and we were a bonded pack. Having Rosa in my most personal space made me feel self-conscious and vulnerable. But I found that because it was her, I wanted her here anyway.

I grabbed a brush off the dresser and held it out. “Do you want to watch a movie or something?”