“Did you see anyone else with Tobias?”
Casey shook his head. “I heard his voice, and I called for him, but one of the men was holding me by the scruff of my neck and I couldn’t turn.”
Adam felt both worry and disappointment. It sounded like Noah hadn’t been there at all. So, where was he?
“But there was someone crying. They sounded young. Younger even than Duncan.”
Adam’s heart squeezed. “Did you hear what they were crying about?”
“He wanted his Dada.” Dark eyes glanced up at him. “What’s a Dada?”
Susan returned with a blanket, sparing Adam the pain of having to answer that question.
“Here, now. Let’s get this wrapped around you, warm you up.”
Casey seemed suspicious at first as Adam settled the blanket around his shoulders.
“It’s soft,” he said after a moment, stroking the finger of one hand across it.
“You know what might be nice? If we get off this cold floor and sit up on the bed.”
Casey looked from him to the bed as if weighing up the suggestion.
“Okay.” He stood slowly, wincing at the movement. Adam matched his slow pace, catching sight, as Casey turned, of red marks staining the back of his shirt before the blanket covered them.
“Casey, are you hurt?”
The younger Omega’s cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head. “We were supposed to hold form until Tobias came back. But he was gone such a long time, Duncan couldn’t manage it. I told Tobias it was me.”
And Adam was drawn back into the past, recalling the many times he’d tried his best to protect Luke, keep him from harm, give him extra food. The Omega’s mothering instinct flowering even in such darkness.
“You took a beating for him.”
“He’s only small. It’s not his fault he can’t hold it that long. I couldn’t when I was that small.”
“You’re very brave and a good big brother,” Adam said. Casey seemed surprised at the praise, blinking as he took in the words.
Andrew brought food a few minutes later. It was simple fare; long life bread and tinned soup. Casey wouldn’t touch it until Adam ate some, but he was clearly ravenous and once he started, it was hard to slow him down. Adam knew that feeling. The fear that the food would be taken away.
“Casey?” he said, as the Omega finished the last mouthful of soup. Those dark eyes met his again.
“We need your help to find Tobias.”
Casey nodded. “So I can go back to my brother.”
“No. So we can find your brother and bring the both of you somewhere safe. Somewhere where there’s lots of food and no beatings or having to hold your human form.”
Casey fell silent, that thoughtful look back on his face.
“And the other reason is to help find someone else. That wolf you heard crying, his name is Noah. He’s my son. He was stolen from me and Ben, my Alpha. I need your help to bring him home.”
“I can’t go back to Tobias? Back to live with my brother?”
“I was like you once. I grew up with Tobias. I lived with my brother Luke and I looked out for him too. Then Tobias gave me to my Alpha.”
“Ben?”
“No, another man. And he was cruel. Worse even than Tobias. But Ben rescued me. He is so very good to me. He’s never hurt me, or denied me food. He helped me learn to read and write and understand lots of things about the world that Tobias hadn’t taught me.”
“Omega aren’t supposed to read,” Casey replied.
“Omega are supposed to be cherished and protected. Not hurt or starved or sold to the highest bidder. Not given to an Alpha when they’re much too young to go into heat.”
“The men said it didn’t matter.”
Adam closed his eyes at the words before steeling himself. He needed to keep it together. For Noah’s sake and now, for Casey’s sake too.
“No one is laying a hand on you. There are three Alphas in this house and you are under their protection. They won’t let any harm come to you. I won’t let any harm come to you, either.”
“You’re brave,” Casey said. “I didn’t think Omegas were supposed to be brave.”
“And when you take a beating for your brother, what do you call that?”
Casey shrugged. “He’s my brother. I love him.”
He was right. Those little acts of defiance had always been more out of love than bravery.
Chapter Nine
Jay sat up at the breakfast counter next to Odin, eating the sandwich the Alpha had made for him. There was bacon in this one. Normally he loved bacon but right then every mouthful sat heavily in his stomach. He perked up when Byron walked in but the Alpha had his phone to his ear.
“Martha, hey.”
Jay had to swallow hard to stop himself from growling at her name. She was always stealing Byron away, putting things in his diary. Meetings, business lunches. Her whole life seemed to revolve around finding Byron things to do that kept them apart.
“You’re going to have to get over it someday,” Odin said as an aside to him. “She’s not going anywhere.”
Martha had arrived on the scene after Byron’s father had died. He called her his personal assistant. He thought she was great. Everyone thought she was great. Jay didn’t see was what great about having a PA. All they did was take your time away from you.
“Martha, I know you’re not going to be happy but something has come up. I need you to clear my schedule for the week. Some of my meetings can be delegated to Daniel. Others will just have to be pushed back until I return.”
He listened for a moment, giving Jay a quick smile as Martha spoke to him.
“Jay and I have something important to do. It is likely we’ll be gone at least a few days, if not weeks.”
They were leaving, for weeks? Just Jay and Byron?
Byron winced at whatever Martha was saying. “Anything that you feel can’t be pushed back, hand over to Daniel. He’s already going to be there for at least half the scheduled meetings. Just let him know he’ll be leading the negotiations with Yellow Rock.”
He listened again, frowning. “Yes, Martha, I know. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
Setting the phone down on the counter, he looked at Jay with raised eyebrows.
“That went well.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going on a little road trip.”
“To Glenoak?” He liked going there.
“No.”
There was something in Byron’s voice and the look on the Alpha’s face that made Jay’s palms sweat and his stomach churn.
“I’ll stay here, with Odin.”
Byron took a seat across from him. “I’m hoping Odin will come with us.”
“I’ll stay in the woods until you come back.”
Byron slid his arm across the table and covered Jay’s hand in his.
“I need you to come with me, Jay.”
Jay shook his head. Wherever they were going, it wasn’t any place good.
“Where to?” Odin asked.
“We need to find Jay’s forest.”
He jerked his hand away from Byron and scrambled off his chair, both Odin and Byron reaching for him. They were getting rid of him, bringing him back there.
He dived for the door that led to the garden. The woods, he’d be safe in the woods. Byron didn’t often follow him out there. As his hand touched the handle of the door, strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him back against a broad chest.
“I can’t let you run, Jay. I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t leave me out there. I won’t be any trouble. I’ll live out in your wood and find my own food and I won’t growl at anyone, I promise.”
What did he need to say to convince the Alpha not to get rid of him? He tried to push out of Byron’s embrace but the Alpha’s arms didn’t budge.
“Jay?” Byron’s voice was quiet but commanding. He hung his head.
“I don�
��t want to be alone.”
He didn’t think he could bear it, not again. The Alpha loosened his grip, and he tried to get to the door again but Byron was faster, arms wrapped tight about him, lifting his feet from the floor and carrying him from the room. They stopped in front of the Alpha’s bed and Byron set him back down.
Turning, he glimpsed Odin blocking the doorway. He wasn’t getting out. Trying to make himself look small and harmless, he sat on the edge of the bed and drew his knees up to his chest.
“He really thinks you’d leave him out there?” Odin said.
“He’s just scared.”
Byron crouched next to him, bracing his hands either side of Jay on the bed.
“Jay?” Byron called softly.
Gathering his courage, he looked up, meeting the Alpha’s eyes.
“You’re mine. My Omega. Your place is by my side. But Adam and Ben need our help to find Noah. I’m hoping if we can find your forest, it’ll be the first step to learning where you came from. I know this is going to be tough.”
“You won’t leave me alone in the forest?” Jay whispered.
“I’ll be with you the whole time. I won’t leave your side. Because your home is here, with me. But if you think you can’t do it, I won’t force you to go.”
Jay tried to get his head around what Byron was asking of him but he couldn’t shake the fear of being abandoned. The last time he’d been taken to the forest, no one had come back for him. What would stop that happening again?
“Odin, can you give us a few minutes?” Byron said over his shoulder and the door closed as Odin left.
Then Byron got up and sat next to him on the bed.
A heartbeat, two, and Jay launched himself into Byron’s arms, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around the Alpha and burying his face in the crook of Byron’s neck.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Byron murmured in his ear. “You’ll never be alone like that again, I promise. This is a journey we’ll take together.”
One of Byron’s arms was wrapped around his waist, the other was pressed to the back of his neck, stroking gently across the sensitive skin there. Tears fell from his eyes and onto the Alpha’s skin. Byron’s hand slipped under his chin and lifted his head, the Alpha pressing a kiss to his forehead, then his cheeks, kissing the tears away. Then he kissed him on the mouth, soft lips just brushing his. Jay clenched his fist around the collar of Byron’s shirt and kissed him back. He wanted this, wanted Byron so much. Byron was company, comfort, safety, and something more that sent fire across his skin and heat pooling low in his belly.
Both the Alpha’s hands gently framed his face as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue between Jay’s lips. Jay whimpered needily. He wanted this, needed it; Byron’s promise come to life, that Jay was his and no one else's, that nothing would separate them.
They broke the kiss, both panting for air, Jay laying his head against Byron’s shoulder.
“I want to help find Noah,” he said when he’d caught his breath.
“Me, too.”
“But I don’t want to go back so I might get scared again.”
“I’ll be there every step of the way. And so will Odin. You’re under my protection and no harm will come to you.”
Byron had said that before, back when Jay had been so very angry and afraid, when every word had been a struggle. And Byron had meant it, he’d kept his promise. Jay had been safe with him, safe and loved.
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as you feel ready.”
He tilted his head so he could see the Alpha’s eyes. Byron stroked a hand across his cheek. He wasn’t sure he’d ever feel ready to make this journey but, with Byron by his side, there wasn’t a lot he couldn’t do.
“I’m ready.”
Chapter Ten
After an unsuccessful attempt at talking to the first wolf, Andrew filled them in on what Adam had learned about the Omega. Then Ben and James decided to tackle the second wolf together, playing a little good cop, bad cop routine.
Gray Valley’s wolf had a grin on his face that Ben was ready to wipe clean. He let James do the talking.
“Where did you meet Tobias?”
“I’ve never met a Tobias, you must have me confused with someone else.”
“And how do you explain the Omega you were traveling with.”
“He’s no Omega. That’s Gordon’s cousin. All his family are scrawny.”
“We’ve confirmed he’s an Omega. We’re not asking what or who he is, we just want to know where he came from.”
Ben circled behind the man as James spoke. He’d been bound tightly to the chair by Andrew and Susan.
The wolf laughed in response to James’ question. “I have nothing to say to you.”
Ben crouched, putting his mouth very close to the wolf’s ear.
“My son’s scent is all over you, your car, and that blanket.” He pointed to the blanket James held in his hand.
“I’m an ex-Enforcer, you know that, right?”
By the way the wolf swallowed hard at his words, he got the inference Ben was making.
“I know all the tricks of the trade, the ways to make people talk. But I don’t know if I care much what you say. I don’t think you know anything. The only reason I can think for keeping you around is to have someone to take my anger out on, someone I can pretend is Terrance until we get hold of that bastard and I tear him limb for limb. You’ll do for now.”
For effect, he took a penknife from his pocket, flicking it open and dragging the blade lightly across the wolf’s skin. “Some people like to start with fingernails, because you can do them one by one. Me, I start with the eyes. Fingernails heal but I’ve yet to see a shifter regrow an eye.”
He pushed the knife towards the shifter’s face and he panicked.
“I was just the delivery person. Another team was sent in to get the kid. We met them, took the kid, and brought him to the arranged meeting place. Gave Tobias the kid and money, a whole heap of money. Took that scrawny wolf from his trunk and put him in our car. Orders were to take him to the Porters. He was for one of Terrance’s sons. Tobias said he’d told Terrance the boy was too young to be bonded.”
“Then why did Terrance buy him?”
“He was the oldest Tobias had and Terrance was desperate. Gray Valley have had two Omegas in their grasp and lost both. He thought it would strengthen the Pack’s position.”
“And what do you think?” Ben asked.
“Terrance has been blinded by the need for revenge since Benjamin killed Joshua. He heard a rumor one of the kids was an Omega. They were supposed to take him and kill the other but they messed up.”
Ben shared a look of horror with James. It was only luck then that they hadn’t lost both Noah and Xander.
“Where did you meet Tobias?”
Ben let James take over the questioning, maintaining his position so that the wolf would just be able to see him out of the corner of his eye.
“The edge of the Flats. Tobias chose the location. He called us and gave us specific directions once we were nearby.”
“We want Tobias’ number.”
“It’s in the phone you took from me. But I doubt it will help you. Tobias goes through phones like a drunk goes through whiskey. He’ll have dumped it.”
“How did Terrance contact him in the first place?”
“You’ll have to ask Terrance.”
“I’m asking you.”
Ben stepped forward to add weight to James quiet insistence.
“Look, I’m not privy to all of Terrance’s knowledge. They had a contact passed on to them by someone from Eagle Creek. I don’t know any more than that.”
The wolf craned his neck so he could keep Ben in sight, the whites of his eyes flashing in the darkened basement. He was telling the truth, he didn’t know any more.
“I hope your colleague tells us the same story, or you won’t like the consequences.”
“He will,” the shifte
r assured them quietly.
“Casey comes with us.”
Adam met Ben and James as they came up from the basement.
“Of course,” James said. “He’ll be well taken care of.”
“No, I mean he comes with us, with Ben and I.”
James and Ben exchanged a glance. “You and Ben will have your hands full the next while. We’ll send him back to Eagle Creek. He’ll be safe there.”
“No. He’s coming back to Glenoak with us.”
“Adam, James is right, we need to put all our energy into finding Noah. There are others well capable of taking care of the Omega.”
“His name is Casey. And he was with Tobias up until today. He might be our best chance of finding where Tobias has taken Noah. And he’s not going to talk to just anyone.”
“Luke might—” James started.
“No, it’s not fair to put this on him. Not in his condition.”
“What makes you think Casey will know any more than Luke did when he escaped?”
“There’s another child. Younger than Casey. Tobias seems to keep us in pairs. That’s where he’ll be taking Noah, to stay with Duncan. It doesn’t sound like the same place that Luke and I grew up. I think… I think that means he has more than one location that he keeps Omega. That might mean he has more.”
Ben was shocked but James looked unsurprised.
“We’ve been gathering as much information about the Omega resurgence as we can. We extrapolated based on Adam’s theory that they were being born in family lines that were derived from Omegas two or three generations ago. Based on that, we have numbers of approximately how many Omegas we might expect there to be. We think we’re missing anywhere up to two dozen. If Tobias has even a fraction of those…”
“How would he have them? Where would he be finding them and why would people be giving them to him?” Ben asked.
“Tobias may not be his real name. He may have a number of identities. Or people may simply be so frightened or intimidated by him that they keep quiet.”
“And he might know what we’ve guessed about where the Omegas are being born. It wouldn’t be too hard to target the families you expect to produce Omegas.”
“How do you get them to give up a child, though?”
The Alpha's Kiss: Lost Omegas Book Six: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 5