Omega

by Brenda Trim

  “What?” Millie was certain he had to be kidding.

  Zander grunted and rolled his eyes. “Hayden stop tormenting your mate.”

  “And we can all stop making her feel as if she will be hated forever. No one is perfect. Tori tried to kill me before we were mated. And Elsie was out hunting and killing vampires before she met you, Zander. Braelynn kidnapped you, Evzen. And Bhric and Nikko died under her care. Millie might have taken things a bit far, but she isn’t evil for what she did.”

  Tears gathered at the back of Millie’s throat and blurred her vision. “Thank you, Santiago. I don’t deserve your support, but I appreciate it.”

  Orlando smiled at her, making her feel even more relaxed. Perhaps this really would work out in the end. “How were you able to cut into his heart? Twice!”

  Millie was pushed against the table as Hayden sat forward. He was going to rip into one of his shifters to defend her. He had endured enough because of her. She believed he was right that fate brought them together. It was what gave her the courage to move forward.

  “It wasn’t easy,” Millie blurted before Hayden opened his mouth.

  The room went silent and Bhric stopped pacing to listen to her. That was a blessing in and of itself. The Vampire Prince was huge. She’d never seen a guy with more muscles. He intimidated her with his size, but what set her on edge was his incessant pacing in front of the picture window.

  She took a deep breath and dove right in. “I’ve been a scientist my entire life, so when I was told there was a man claiming to turn into an animal, I had to see it. I remember the way my heart raced as fast as my mind usually does. Without a thought to the consequences, I shared the information with my boss and after that I had no choice.”

  Hayden laid his hand on her arm. “You don’t have to do this.”

  Turning in his arms, she looked into his gorgeous brown eyes. “I want you to hear this. My stomach was full of worms while I took your blood. The first time I cut into your chest I threw up in my mouth. I almost didn’t do it, but I didn’t want Jack to come in, so I chose to do the needle biopsy. I hoped it would give him what he wanted without causing you too much harm.”

  “How did you keep him under control? He’s one of the most powerful beings alive.” The Vampire King was smaller than his brother, but no less intimidating.

  Millie shrugged her shoulders. “I studied everything I could related to paranormals and spoke with dozens of people. I took what I learned about what I assumed were herbal remedies and combined them with a drug to sedate him. It didn’t knock him out like I expected, but it did weaken him. I never wanted it to make it so he was hurt by the guards.”

  Hayden rubbed her back in a soothing gesture. “You can’t keep beating yourself up for what has already happened. It’s done and in the past. We need to look forward now. Besides, it wasn’t all bad. I recall a couple very hot kisses.”

  Millie’s gaze shifted to his lips and she licked hers, wanting more of those tempting kisses. Hayden took matters into his own hands and claimed her mouth with a growl that vibrated against her nipples. No, it wasn’t all bad.

  Chapter 14

  A throat cleared, reminding her they had an audience. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized she was straddling Hayden’s lap and writhing in his arms. The movements sucked her into the tidal wave of his desire. She was tumbling head over heels as her body strained for just the right amount of pressure to relieve the ache building between her legs.

  “As fun as this might be to watch, it makes me miss Alex.” Based on the deep Scottish accent, Millie thought that was Bhric talking

  “And we have a plan to devise.” That had been Zander, proving her assumption had been correct.

  The smile Hayden gave her then was worth every second of her discomfort at dry humping him in front of his friends. She’d never done something so brazen in her life. It was like a wildfire ignited and swept through her veins like a tornado taking every scrap of common sense and dignity she had with it. Worst part was she didn’t care. She only wanted more.

  “I want to understand more of what they intended to do with my samples. We need to know what they wanted to accomplish.” Hayden’s expression was as soft as his words, making it easier for Millie to hear his request.

  “At some point over the years our goals shifted. Jack recruited me right out of med school. I specialized in genetics and he wanted me to use genome mapping and genetic manipulation in the hopes of removing the bad gene. We focused on diseases like cardiomyopathy and ALS. I loved that work, but we weren’t making progress and we lost some key pharmaceutical companies. That’s when Jack approached the military. He sold it to me as us discovering new territory and improving the lives of countless, starting with soldiers that put their lives on the line to protect our country.”

  “You were okay with using beings that put their lives on the line to protect you from horrors you can’t even imagine, to create super soldiers?” The disdain in Zander’s voice was tangible.

  Millie shifted to a seat of her own. When Hayden protested and tried to pick her up again, she shook her head. “You’re too distracting. And, to answer your question, Zander. I didn’t think of it that way. My focus has been on removing their weaknesses to give them an edge up. They face people that have no qualms about using kids strapped with bombs to kill their enemies. I was trying to level the playing field while also searching for a way to cure the sick. You have to understand until I met Hayden, I had been able to approach my work as a scientist and doctor. I hadn’t considered he would have feelings or be hurt by what I was doing. That’s my biggest shame. I should have known better, but I didn’t.”

  Hayden sat forward with his hands fisted on the table. “You don’t have to understand Zander, but you will respect my mate. Like Santi said. No one is perfect and she is trying to make amends. If I can forgive her for starving me, drugging me and experimenting on me then it should be good enough for you, too. We will become enemies if you continue to treat her poorly. I stood by your side and supported Elsie when the realm was afraid of what she had become. I didn’t taunt her or belittle her for her choices. I have fucked things up between us enough. I’d hate to see it all crumble because you’re a stubborn jackass.”

  Zander glared at Hayden for several tense seconds. Millie wasn’t the only one reacting to the leaders. Orlando and Santi stood off to the side watching while being pulled in both directions.

  Evzen sat forward with his hands clasped in front of him and kept his attention focused on her. “Ignore their posturing.” Millie knew he was talking to more than just her. “Can you tell us how high up this knowledge goes? It sounds like Hayden approached some mid-level employees and they followed protocol by reaching out to your boss. I doubt they pose a threat. It’s what your boss did with that video that has me concerned.”

  Millie felt Hayden’s gaze land on her. His eyes called to her, telling her he wanted to get her naked. No, that’s just your overactive hormones at work. Thinking past the desire wasn’t easy but neither was medical school.

  “Honestly, I have no idea. I was never part of those conversations, but it had to be someone fairly high up the food chain. Jack left me to my work until after he had the video. Then he showed up and forced me to,” Millie paused rubbing a hand over her stomach. Bile gurgled and bubbled, trying to work its way up her esophagus.

  “The asshole seemed possessed,” Hayden interjected. “Millie is right. It goes pretty high. He forced her to do experiments she didn’t want to.”

  Zander nodded to Hayden and released a heavy sigh. “We need to get Kill into their system so he can look around. Perhaps there’s a trail that will tell him who we need to deal with.” Millie took that as a good sign. Seemed as if they had already moved past their differences. She wished it would be that easy between her and Hayden.

  “Even though we are located on a military base, the computers at the lab aren’t connected to the government because we have a contract with them. I
t’s why I was able to reset the security system to get Hayden out of the lab. I’m not sure if you guys can access the military. I’d bet they have the most secure networks in the world. They’d better be. They control nuclear weapons, after all.”

  Hayden turned around and grabbed the computer off the island. “Let’s call him and include him in the discussion.”

  Millie watched as he went into something that resembled a social media platform and sent a message to Killian. “Is that a private group on Facebook?”

  Everyone laughed at her question. “No, love. Killian developed this long before that program came out. It’s private and can only be accessed if you are a member of the Tehrex Realm.”

  “Or Heaven,” Gerrick added. The scarred warrior had been quiet until that moment. He looked like he invented resting bitch face. “Killian brought angels in so Ramiel and Izzy could chat without her calling him.”

  “Angels are real too?” Millie’s voice was high enough to crack glass.

  Unfortunately ringing filled the air and Hayden answered the call. A good-looking man with golden hair and light green eyes that reminded Millie of Jade popped up on the computer screen. Loud music played in the background.

  “Killian owns Confetti Too, the best nightclub in the Tehrex Realm in addition to being our tech expert. Hey, Kill. This is my mate, Milagro Seijo.”

  “Nice to meet you, Milagro. What can I help with?”

  “What will you need to access a company’s computers? Specifically, a lab of theirs that is situated on a military base,” Hayden explained.

  “I work, uh worked for Jack Walton at Codance and my lab is located on Fort Belvoir.”

  Killian’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he looked to the left. Millie guaranteed he was searching for the company and possibly even Jack. Any IT person she’d ever known had a desk that was surrounded by a minimum of three monitors so they could do several things at once.

  “The company known for running drug trials?” Killian lifted one eyebrow in question.

  Millie’s forehead furrowed. Perhaps they still had that listed on their site. “That’s the one. Only we haven’t been doing any trials for a while. I’ve been researching anything related to paranormals for years now.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but Cadence still runs trials. And, I don’t see evidence of a contract with the military or a lab on Fort Belvoir.”

  Millie sat forward and reached for the computer, dragging it to her. “What do you mean? That’s where I have been going every day for work.”

  “We escaped from there a few hours ago,” Hayden added.

  Zander ran a hand through his silky hair like he was a child. Millie wanted to laugh at the idea of the Vampire King using his hair to pacify himself. It was more likely a way he kept his temper from launching into the stratosphere.

  “I smell a rat,” Orlando blurted.

  Zander nodded. “Agreed. Could he have known she was your Fated Mate, Hayden? Did you get the sense he knew more?”

  Hayden glanced at her and cupped her cheek, settling her racing heart so it was no longer playing ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ on her ribs. “I can’t say. It’s certainly possible.”

  “If Angelica hadn’t already been killed, I’d say she was behind this. She knew how to discover that information and was a power-hungry bitch.” Millie glanced over at Evzen at the bark in his tone. She’d assumed he was a quiet guy.

  “Assuming someone from your realm is behind this, how would it change your investigation?”

  “It would change how we handle their systems. We would need to scan it for clues first.” Zander stood up. “Is there any scotch in the house?”

  “No. I think I saw some tequila above the fridge,” Millie replied. “So, copy it before you destroy it. We can’t allow the DNA analyzer to continue. If he shares the results with anyone it would be impossible to find every trace.”

  Zander grabbed the bottle and opened cabinets until he found a glass. Millie could use a drink after the day she’d had. The last two weeks really. Not that she would change a second if that meant giving up her Omega. Hayden had worked his way into her heart and made her fall helplessly in love with him.

  Now she needed to help protect him and his friends. She couldn’t go back to her world, so she was going to have to make the best of theirs. If they’d have her. And her parents! She couldn’t leave them behind. They meant too much to her.

  Hayden rubbed her back again. “What is it?”

  “I was just thinking about my parents. They might be in danger. If what I got involved with causes their death, I will never forgive myself.”

  “I will have some of my shifters get them to safety.”

  “But how? They will never go somewhere with a stranger.” She couldn’t catch her breath. They would be kidnapped and used to force her to give herself up. They would never survive the torture Millie now knew Jack was capable of.

  “Don’t worry about them,” Hayden assured her.

  Zander poured a glass of tequila and handed it to her. “Looks like you need this. We can send them to the house on the island for a vacation.”

  “Thank you. I know it might seem stupid to worry about them when you have so much more to deal with, but they mean everything to me.” Millie wouldn’t be able to think straight knowing they were in danger.

  “I’ve already sent plane tickets to Hayden’s email along with a car rental and other details about the area,” Killian added.

  Hayden picked her up then and resettled her on his lap. “Thank you, Kill. We will be sure that the email with tickets comes from Millie. And you can call them after we’re done here.”

  Heat and desire washed over Millie in another wave. She went under willingly enjoying the heat that turned her legs into noodles and her body into a live wire. She thought maybe she managed to nod before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his.

  His tongue licked the seam of her lips, seeking entry. Before they got carried away, Zander’s voice interrupted, derailing the moment. “Och, this is going to take an eternity if they keep getting sidetracked. There’s no doubt they’re mates.”

  Millie flushed and broke away from Hayden’s mouth. His arms tightened so she couldn’t escape. “Sorry.”

  Zander waved his hand. “Doona worry aboot it. All of us understand the mating pull. In the beginning before it’s completed ‘tis undeniable.”

  Killian was back to typing on the keyboard. “It will be best to end this meeting soon. I’ll be quick. I will need you to get access to the mainframe on site. I will have a thumb drive for you to run a program from. The lab isn’t connected to Codrance’s intranet. I’ll need a couple minutes to connect and download their data before you destroy it.”

  “Getting on the base could be a problem,” Millie pointed out.

  “I can enthrall the gate guards to let us through and forget they ever saw us.”

  Millie glanced from Zander to Hayden. “It’s a vampire ability and as their king Zander is the strongest in this area.”

  “How many guards are on site?” Gerrick asked.

  “During the day there are a dozen guards on my level along with four lab assistants. But I have no idea what happens on the first four levels of the building. They could be military teams for all I know.”

  “Can you access them with your thumb print?” Hayden’s hand never stopped running up and down her back. It made it very difficult to pay attention.

  Millie shook her head to clear her out-of-control hormones. “No. I tried when I first started there. I never asked. I knew we were on a military base. Plus, I spent a lot of time traveling around the world following leads.”

  “I can cloak the elevator doors and controls as we descend,” Evzen interjected. “Gerrick I want you to add your power to ensure the spell remains active if either of us gets injured.”

  Millie relaxed against Hayden and listened to them detail their plans. The knot in her gut eased. For t
he first time since they mentioned going into the lab, she thought they might actually pull this off.

  The past twenty-four hours were catching up with her and her eyes drooped. She tried to force them back open, but they wouldn’t cooperate. Hayden’s heat and the way he was rubbing her back weren’t helping any either. When her lids finally shut, she conceded and decided a short nap couldn’t hurt.

  Chapter 15

  Hayden hated hiding like a frightened rabbit. He wanted to barge through the trees and leap over the fence then destroy that fucking building. He couldn’t or he would ruin every chance they had for a successful mission. He had to reach for patience he didn’t have at the moment.

  Evzen was hiding them from the soldiers parading through the forest on their side of the gate searching for any sign of him and Millie. Not that they needed it. The soldiers sounded more like a herd of elephants to Hayden, making it easy for them to avoid being seen. He shuffled from foot to foot and rubbed his side.

  Hayden’s mating brand hurt like a mother fucker. He’d barely been away from Millie for a couple hours and all he could think about was returning to her side. He was ready to get this mission over with so he could spend time with his mate. They’d met and established their relationship in the middle of a storm, and he had no idea how that was going to impact things going forward.

  The pressure of it all would either turn them into a diamond, making them unbreakable or leave them wary and posturing with each other for centuries to come. Hayden knew now there was no way to live without her. Just because they were Fated Mates didn’t mean they were going to have a nice little happily ever after.

  Sure, it was rare, but he’d seen too many couples destroy each other to believe he’d hit the relationship lotto and he could look forward to a life where his other half handled complaints and helped the packs so they would have time to make love at night.

  Stop expecting the worst. Millie has shown you who she is. He needed to listen to that voice rather than allow the agitation of being so close to the place where he’d been held helpless to impact his attitude toward her. He promised her he would give her a chance.