Neil nodded, snagging his coat off the back of a chair and pulling it over his shoulders. “Guess that means I’d better find out if they got him or not, doesn’t it?” Neil grinned, glancing over at Cameron with a sigh. “You should stay here with him. Just in case something happens.”
“Are you out of your mind? No, I’m going with you,” Kayden insisted, pulling on his own coat and picking up Cameron. “We’ll drop him off with Abby. Let’s go,” he ordered, moving out of the room before the man could object. Just because the man was his alpha, didn’t mean that he was in charge of him.
Dropping Cameron off with Abby, Kayden managed to come up with an almost-believable excuse as to why he and Neil needed to disappear for a few hours. She didn’t seem entirely convinced, but didn’t argue. The old woman knew when to ask questions, and when to leave things alone. She did insist that Kayden remember to not do anything that would put Cameron at risk of losing his remaining family.
He didn’t need to promise that for her to know that he wouldn’t. No matter what happened, he would always come home for Cameron.
Pulling up in front of the burnt remains of the rundown building, Kayden felt anticipation building in his stomach. He had no idea what they were going to find in the ashes. Moving out of the car, Kayden followed Neil towards the remaining half of the structure. His eyes flicked over the gaping hole in the opposite side.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that my brother made that hole,” Neil muttered, pulling a mask up over his nose and mouth before moving inside and inspecting the damage.
Stepping over the crumbling wood and tiles scattered over the floor, Kayden frowned as he spotted a few metal bars jammed clean through the wall and melted in place. The scorch marks surrounding the metal poles left Kayden’s stomach churning nervously. He couldn’t help but think that the scorch marks resembled human bodies.
“Enlighten me as to why you might think that?” Kayden muttered, watching the man sift through the ashes. Neil chuckled, pulling a charred backpack from the rubble and tossing it over to Kayden.
Snagging it out of the air, Kayden frowned as he looked down at the nametag stitched onto the side of the burnt material.
A. Hynes
“A. Hynes,” Kayden frowned, looking over at Neil while the other continued to sift through the rubble. “Aiden?”
“The only A name in the family as far as I know,” Neil grunted, straightening and dusting off his hands on his pockets. “That means he was here, and that the military knows that he was here.” He grumbled, moving back towards Kayden only to hesitate, his eyes flickering towards the door behind Kayden.
“What’s wrong?” Kayden asked, looking around in confusion.
Neil didn’t have time to answer. Before either of them could move, a form darted in from the shadows. A powerful arm wrapped around his waist, and Kayden’s heart stopped dead in his chest when cool steel pressed up against his temple.
“Drop the bag,” a voice commanded in his ear, the powerful body behind him reeking of sulfur and burnt wood. He didn’t have to be told twice. Without hesitation, he let the bag topple into the ash below him. “Who are you?” The man demanded, the gun pressing firmly against Kayden’s skull.
“M-my name’s Kayden,” Kayden stammered out, his breath hitching in his throat when the other turned towards Neil accusingly.
“What the hell are you doing here?” the man demanded, his attention completely on the man in front of him.
“Listen, let him go. We aren’t here to harm you,” Neil explained, holding up his hands as he remained completely still. “I’m just looking for my brother, Aiden.” He kept his hands up as he shifted closer.
“Don’t move!” the man holding Kayden ordered. The omega squeaked when the man’s hold on his waist increased. “How do I know that you’re telling the truth?” he demanded, his voice not wavering as he glared over at Neil.
“I can prove it,” Neil pointed out calmly, “I’m going to have to reach in my pocket though. I promise you I am not armed.”
“You better not be, or your bitch is dead.” The man holding Kayden grunted. Kayden let out an indignant noise at the title, but said nothing to protest. He really wasn’t in a position to do that.
“Alright,” Neil stated calmly, slowly reaching in his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Gingerly, he knelt down, settling the leather fold on the floor.
“Kick it over to me,” the man ordered, sounded relieved when Neil immediately obeyed. Forcing Kayden onto his knees, he reached out and plucked the wallet from the ground. “Move and you’re dead,” he snapped at Kayden, flipping open the wallet and looking over the contents with a discerning eye.
“We aren’t a threat to you,” Neil promised, looking back at the man as he waited for the man to finish with his wallet.
For a tense moment, the gun pressed against his skull didn’t seem ready to go anywhere. Finally, the man behind him let out a sigh, retracting the gun and placing it back in the holster at his hip.
“What the hell are you doing here?” the man demanded, snagging the backpack off the ground and shouldering it with a glare over at Neil.
“As far as I can see, we’re here for the same thing,” Neil pointed out, pulling Kayden into his arms when the omega stumbled to his feet. “You know where my brother is?” he asked, looking over at the man who snorted and shook his head.
“If I did, I wouldn’t be here,” the man explained, glancing over the pair over a thick blue scarf draped around the bottom half of his face.
Now that he wasn’t pressing a gun to his head, Kayden realized that the man looked far smaller than he thought he had. He was close to Kayden’s size, but well-muscled. It was hard to tell exactly how the man was built. The only part of his body that Kayden could actually see was a pair of iridescent navy blue eyes. Otherwise, his body was covered with heavy clothing: a pair of worn military boots, black cargo pants, and a black hooded jacket that looked bulky in areas. He assumed that covered a bulletproof vest. The man looked dangerous, and that made Kayden hesitant to stick around.
“It’s not safe here, if you’re telling the truth. And you’re looking for your brother? Follow me,” the man ordered, turning around and making his way towards a side door which had been obscured by a pile of rubble.
For a moment, Kayden stood watching the man go. There was nothing about this situation that seemed safe. He was more than ready to turn around and make his way back towards Abby’s house. He still had a chance to not get involved. He could forget what he saw, and go back to his normal life.
“Are you coming?” Neil’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts, his mouth opening to protest only to snap shut when the other raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think that he’s going to stick around and wait for us,” he pointed out, jumping over a fallen beam and heading towards the side door after the man who still hadn’t even given them a name.
He still had a chance.
“Yeah,” Kayden whispered, his hand fluttering over his stomach for a moment. Despite his internal struggles, he knew that he had already made his decision. “Let’s go.”
The man didn’t speak to him as they moved outside. Instead, he loaded the backpack up into a nondescript bag before turning towards them and thrusting a pair of blindfolds into their hands.
“Put them on, then I take you,” the man insisted, looking impatiently back at them.
Neil didn’t hesitate, immediately lifting the blindfold up he slipped it over his head. Kayden had a million protests building up in his throat, but they died away when Neil reached out and took his hand.
The other wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
Reluctantly, Kayden pulled the blindfold over his eyes. He let the man who had moments before been holding a gun to his head help him up into the truck. Clinging onto Neil’s hand desperately, he pressed his face to his lover’s shoulders and let the reassuring scent flood his nose. He had no idea where they were going, or if this man was even an ally. F
or whatever reason, Neil was still perfectly calm.
He just hoped that the other knew what he was doing.
They drove for what seemed to be hours, and eventually he could hear the truck pulling to a stop.
“We’re here. You can take those off,” the man said, sliding out of the truck and waiting for them to join him.
Wherever they had been brought to was obviously underground. Whether it was a garage, or some sort of storage area, Kayden couldn’t tell. There were several other trucks and vans in the space, as well as crates filled to the brim with food and other supplies. It almost looked to be a bunker.
“Where are we?” Neil asked, his arm wrapping around Kayden’s waist as the stranger led him down a hallway and pushed open a door, stepping to the side to let the other two men move into the room.
Instantly, Kayden felt his mouth fall open.
The cavernous open space was awe-inspiring. Like a city built under the ground, buildings towered around them. People of all ages rushed from place to place. There were children playing in the streets, men and women bickering in what appeared to be a market place. Kayden had been living in Lais for his entire life, and never heard about people living beneath his feet.
“Welcome back, commander,” a new voice grunted. A man wearing a uniform similar to the man who brought them there saluted as he approached.
“At ease,” the cloaked man grunted, reaching up and pulling off his hood and slowly unwinding the scarf wrapped around his face. Turning to face them both, a smirk formed on the man’s delicate features. Kayden felt his eyes widen in confusion as he stared back at the man. “Welcome gentlemen, to Nox.”
Chapter Nine
One of the most important laws in Lais that had been in place longer than anyone remembered, was that omegas were not allowed to hold positions in the military or government. They were seen as weak, fragile. They were encumbered by emotions, and never by logic and hard fact. It was for that reason that there were very few changes in the government. It was hard to make changes when there was no one who could see from the point of view of one of those the laws effected.
That didn’t seem to apply to the people of Nox.
The man who had found them was not just a commander, but an omega. The idea baffled and amazed Kayden. He couldn’t wrap his head around an entire population who took their commands from an omega. He couldn’t even find a low end manual labor job without being considered a liability by most employers.
Yet the Commander had managed to build a city beneath the feet of the government. A thriving economy that ran without the knowledge of anyone above ground. From what Kayden had seen, there was easily three hundred people surviving in their subterranean paradise. It was extraordinary.
“This place, it’s amazing,” Kayden breathed as he followed the Commander into one of the many buildings surrounding them. “Why is all of this here?” he asked, clinging excitedly onto Neil’s hand as they moved into a fully furnished living room. The Commander gestured for them to sit.
“This is Nox, and we’ve been here longer than most people have been alive,” the Commander explained, sitting down in a refurnished armchair and grunting as he peeled off his boots. “We’re a place for the outcasts of society. The omegas who have children but no mates, the alphas who aren’t considered dominant enough for their kind, shifters with gifts like your brother,” he paused, looking up at Neil pointedly. “Anybody that society treats as less than human, or in your brother’s case, as a useful tool, are welcome down here.” He grunted, sitting back and running his fingers through his tangled black hair.
Neil looked as amazed as Kayden did, his eyes blown wide as he looked around them as if the entire city was going to disappear if he looked away.
“Are there others like my brother here?” Neil demanded, looking excited as he glanced over at the Commander.
The Commander looked hesitant to answer, his iridescent eyes flickering towards them both as he seemed to debate over how to respond. Letting out a long breath through his nose, he nodded, leaning forward a bit and grinning wryly.
“More than you can imagine, myself included. There are entire generations that live down here. That’s why this place was built,” he admitted, looking up at Neil with a grin. “They…We are hunted. Men, women, and children. It doesn’t matter to the government. The council sees shifters like your brother as dangerous unless being utilized by the military.”
Neil stared back at the man as he spoke, a thoughtful frown on his lips.
“So you hid,” Kayden pointed out, looking sympathetic as the Commander nodded.
“For now, that is all we can do. We were being prosecuted aboveground. Both of my parents were murdered for refusing to comply with their demands,” he admitted firmly, shrugging his shoulders and sighing as he leaned back against his chair again. “Your brother had just recently joined us.” He explained, looking over at Neil with eyes that temporarily shone with grief. “He was on a supply run when he, and two of our soldiers were attacked.” Beside him, Kayden could feel Neil start to deflate.
“So you’re saying that-,” Neil started softly, barely daring to speak. Reaching out, the Commander rested his hand over Neil’s.
“He was captured so that the others could escape,” The Commander explained softly, looking back at the man with obvious sadness in his eyes. “We are not letting this attack go unpunished. We are already planning a retaliation for his abduction, and we will get him back.” He said it so firmly, a fierceness shinning in his eyes, that Kayden recognized the emotion as something more than someone would feel after losing a good friend.
“He was your mate,” Kayden whispered, smiling sadly when the man flinched at the words.
He didn’t have to say anything to know that he was right. The look of hopelessness that crossed over the Commander’s face was apparent only for a moment, but it was as clear as a beacon to Kayden. The man didn’t just miss Aiden. He was pining after him. He needed him back as badly as Kayden would long for Neil if he were gone. Losing a mate could easily kill the deceased partner with grief. It took a special sort of strength to keep pressing onwards.
“Yes, he was,” the Commander whispered, looking down at his hands and closing his eyes for a moment. When they opened again, the same fierceness that Kayden had come to expect had returned to the man’s face. “Which is why I can honestly tell you that I will do everything I can to ensure that he is returned.”
Neil nodded, leaning back in his chair and rubbing slowly at his stubble-coated chin. Closing his eyes, he slowly sat up and grinned back at the Commander.
“You know you haven’t told us your name,” He reminded the man, “I understand if you prefer it if we just call you the Commander.” The Commander chuckled at this, eyeing the men in front of him and shaking his head.
“Normally, I would just make you call me Commander, but given the circumstances you are permitted to call me Cyrus,” he explained, accepting a handshake from Neil when the other extended his hand. “Don’t get used to first names. I am still in charge of you, Alpha.” Cyrus moved to his feet and dusted off his clothes. “There are rooms upstairs that you are allowed to use. Feel free to utilize the bathrooms, and whatever you can find in the kitchen.”
Kayden felt his heart drop at this, his mind racing automatically to his son. If he didn’t go back for him, Abby would think that something happened. He had no way to contact her from underground.
“I would love to stay, but I really need to get,” Kayden insisted, moving to his feet as Neil stood with him, the alpha’s hand resting cautiously on his shoulder. “My son, he’s only two, I can’t leave him alone.”
Cyrus frowned as he looked back at them both, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.
“There isn’t a planned run to the surface until tomorrow,” he pointed out, “We can’t move too many times. It draws attention to our existence.” He didn’t seem sympathetic to Kayden’s situation. “We also can’t take the ris
k of you being compromised and giving out information.”
“We won’t tell anyone,” Kayden insisted.
“How could you possibly prove that?” Cyrus demanded, “I cannot permit you access to the surface, not until I can confirm that you are loyal.”
“You can’t keep us down here!” Kayden snapped, going to move forward only to have Neil pull him back gently.
“Cyrus, tell us honestly, are we prisoners?” Neil asked patiently, his hands resting on Kayden’s hips as he stared evenly back at Cyrus. For a brief moment, Cyrus didn’t respond to either of their outbursts. Then, the man moved to his feet as he lifted up a piece of paper and a pen, shoving it into Kayden’s hands.
“Write a note to your sitter, and your son shall be retrieved and brought to you,” Cyrus said, gesturing towards the stairs where their rooms were waiting. “As I said before, I cannot risk having our existence be revealed. I have too many people relying on our success. Your brother, my mate, included,” he mumbled, looking up at Neil, silently pleading for him to understand.
Kayden was ready to run, was ready to shove Cyrus back and make a break for the surface, but before he could open his mouth, Neil was answering for them both.
“Do as he says, Kayden, he’s just doing what we would do if one of us were in danger,” Neil insisted, pressing his lips gently to Kayden’s neck. “It’ll be ok, remember. Aiden isn’t the only one we need to worry about.” He breathed, letting his hand wander over Kayden’s stomach. “This might be a chance for safety, you don’t need to trust him, just trust me.”
Everything in Kayden’s mind told him to argue. He wanted to run for the exit and get to Cameron, but the moment that Neil’s gentle words sounded in his ear, he felt his resolve falter. Neil was right, they had to think about more than just temporary safety. If their child was like Aiden, then they might never have the chance to find safety like Cyrus offered again.
Omega Wanted: Bad Boy Mpreg Romance Page 44