Omega's Savior (Omega Destiny, International Book 3)

by Kian Rhodes

  I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Without any family, the social workers pulled my birth certificate and took me to his house one night with all my stuff. It, ah, didn’t go well,” I said weakly.

  Sylas wrapped his arms around me. “You weren’t welcomed with open arms.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “No. His wife lost her ever-loving mind which is how I found out that she didn’t know about me. He tried to tell her that it wasn’t his fault, that my Dad had seduced him to blackmail him and ruin his career, but I don’t think she bought it.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “The state forced them to take me in, but he made several attempts to have me committed to a mental hospital because I said I was an Omega. In the meantime, they gave me a sleeping bag and let me sleep in the garage. When I turned sixteen, he brought me here and dropped me off.”

  Sylas was flooding me with comfort and I curled into him. “Apparently my Dad had put every penny the Senator sent for my care into a trust fund for me. And when he died, there was life insurance that went into it, too. That’s what pays my tuition here. Until my twenty-first birthday, the Senator is the one in control. I have to ask him for any money, but he can’t pull anything out without my signature, so the only time I see him is when he wants me to sign a check.”

  “Which is probably why he was here today without warning,” Sylas said.

  I nodded. “Yeah. And as soon as he finds out that I am pregnant, he might just have what he needs to have me committed. He’ll be rid of me and get the money, so, a double win for him.”

  A tiny spark of anger flickered in the back of my mind, but I shrugged it off and stayed snuggled against the Alpha holding me.

  “What about the father of your child?” Sylas asked softly. “Will he help you?”

  I forced back a sob. “He, uh, won’t talk to me and when I called his house the other day, a woman said he never wanted to hear from me again, so I don’t think he’s an option.”

  “I see.” Sylas brushed a kiss over my head and then sat back, his eyes catching my own. “Paul, I know this is sudden, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Will you marry me?”

  Chapter Six

  To the casual observer, proposing to an Omega to rescue him from a desperate situation might have seemed impulsive bordering on crazy. After all, who makes a lifetime commitment to someone they barely know just to help them? The answer to that question is someone who has already had and lost the love of their life and still has more years to waste than they even know. Or, for the short answer-me.

  “I..what?” Paul was staring at me in shock.

  “I asked you to marry me,” I said calmly, slipping my hand under his shirt to stroke the bare skin of his back. “Your father can’t have you committed as incorrigible for being pregnant if the baby’s sire marries you.”

  “I..but it’s not yours,” Paul disputed, still seeming shocked. “Why would you do that?”

  See? Crazy.

  “I don’t want to see you hurt, Tiger,” I tried to phrase my response in as logical a way as possible. “I don’t need your money, so there’s nothing to worry about there. And as soon as the baby is born and you are comfortable going out on your own, we can dissolve the marriage and you can move on with your life. In the meantime, both of you will be protected and kept safe from harm.”

  “But why?” Paul asked again. “I don’t understand.”

  I winked at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s just say I came here to save an Omega and I’m not leaving without doing it. What do you say?”

  “I..” Paul seemed poised to argue again, but he surprised me by wrapping his arms around my neck. “Thank you.” He pulled away and stood up. “If you’re certain, I’d be honored to marry you, Sylas.”

  “Excellent.” I stood and reached for the waxed hemp cord that always hung around my neck. Untying it, I slipped the dull metal band on the fourth finger of Paul’s left hand before kissing his fingers. It was a perfect fit. “We can go ring shopping once we get through this, but for now, my good luck charm will have to do.”

  Paul stared at his hand for a long moment before a small laugh bubbled out of him. “I can’t believe this. Now what?”

  “Now,” I said, reaching for the phone I’d tossed on the desk when I’d entered the room. “I think it’s time to make a call to a professional.”

  Luckily, I had Haldrian Christoff’s number programmed into my contact list. Luckier still, Drey answered on the second ring.

  He listened carefully as I raced through the story, only interrupting to ask for facts I’d missed in my rapid telling of events. When I’d finished, there was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Drey began to bark instructions. Instruction number one? Get the hell off the ODI property and head for the county courthouse.

  I was still listening to Drey’s rapid fire instructions as I pulled a backpack from a hook in the closet and passed it to Paul.

  “Hurry and pack anything you can’t leave behind,” I whispered. “We need to go.”

  Without a word, Paul began to move about, opening drawers and tucking items into the bag. By the time that I’d finished with Drey, he was standing by the door, shoes on, bag over his shoulder, and clutching a light coat.

  “Very good,” I praised him, pecking his cheek. “Now, just to be clear, we are not running away.”

  Paul cocked his head. “We’re not?”

  “No. You’re of legal age to marry, so we are going to slip out to visit the courthouse and then return to deal with your father once we’ve tied the knot. We’re just taking your things in case there’s a bump in the road, okay?”

  Paul sighed, but nodded his agreement.

  “Good. Do you know which truck is mine?”

  “Um, yeah. The restored antique one?”

  I laughed. I’d paid cash for that truck in the nineteen-fifties and treated her like the treasure she was. She was showroom fresh, not restored, but whatever. “Sure, let’s go with that.” I handed him the keys. “I need to detour past my room to grab my bag, but I don’t think anyone will expect you to be trying to get away. Go wait in the truck and I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.” Paul exhaled sharply and I could see fear in his eyes.

  “You’ll be fine, Tiger. Go out the back door and she’s waiting in the front row of the parking lot. I’ll be right there.”

  Paul straightened and then surprised me by planting a kiss on my lips before easing out the door and disappearing down the hall.

  “What the fuck is going on, Sy?”

  I wasn’t even mildly startled to find Chuck waiting for me in my suite, although the sight of my go bag fully packed and sitting at his feet surprised me a little. “It’s a long story, but I’m guessing that you already know part of it, don’t you?” I heard the accusatory note in my voice but couldn’t help it.

  “I’ve done the best we could to help the kid, Sy,” Chuck said with a muffled groan. “We only accepted Paul into the program so young because his father seemed determined to unload him. Honestly, I’m pretty sure that the only reason he wasn’t sent to the Omega Auction was his age. That or his asshole father didn’t know how much a human Omega was worth.”

  “Then you should understand that I can’t walk away from this.” And suddenly my packed bag made sense. “You do understand.”

  Chuck rolled his eyes, the behavior completely at odds with his perfectly polished business persona. “I told his father that he had to wait for the police before he could speak to Paul or you again. That will buy you a little time, but probably no more than an hour before the sheriff’s office arrives.”

  “That should be plenty.” I hiked my bag over my shoulder and clapped Chuck on the back. Not wanting to put my old friend in any tougher of a spot than I already was, I kept the details to myself. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter Seven

  Paul

  Afraid to draw attention to myse
lf, I tried to look casual as I slowly ambled toward the parking lot. As Sylas had promised, his truck was sitting in the front row under the shade of a towering oak tree. I took another quick look around but the handful of students and staff that were out in the heat weren’t paying me any attention, so I slipped into the passenger seat and quickly locked the door behind me.

  The heat was stifling, but I was afraid that the sound of the engine starting would announce me, so I rolled the windows down a few inches -enough to get some air, but not enough for an arm to snake in- and prayed to every deity that I could ever remember hearing of that Sylas would be out quickly. It must have worked because he was suddenly standing on the driver’s side of the truck, waiting patiently for me to flick the lock up.

  He climbed in and slammed the door, much less concerned than I was about drawing attention to our presence.

  “You ready?”

  I nodded and drew in a shaky breath. “Is it okay if I’m terrified?”

  Sylas laughed as the truck roared to life. “Sure. I’ve been told I’m a scary guy.”

  That made me laugh and I rolled my eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Sylas gave me a fake hurt look as we pulled out of the parking lot. “I’m not a scary guy?”

  I shook my head. “Be serious.”

  “Okay,” Sylas surprised me by agreeing as he reached over to pat my knee. “It makes perfect sense for you to be scared. You haven’t had any real control over your life and this is a huge step, but I promise everything is going to be okay.”

  We rode in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again. “If we’re not running away, why did we need our stuff?”

  “Just in case,” he said softly. “Technically, your father is currently your guardian until we have a marriage certificate filed, so he is entitled to remove your belongings. I didn’t want you to get back and be missing anything that is important to you. There’s also a chance that we won’t be going back for a day or two, so this way we’re prepared.”

  “Oh.”

  “A friend of a friend is going to meet us at the courthouse with all the paperwork that we need, but that’s still a little over an hour from here. We’ll stop in the next town and get some food, but why don’t you rest until then? All of this stress isn’t good for you or the little one.”

  Suddenly exhausted, I mumbled my agreement and leaned my head against the window. Sylas maneuvered the truck to a stop on the shoulder of the road and leaned over me, his body blanketing mine in a way that had my heart rate speeding up, but all he did was recline my seat so I could rest more comfortably.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Tiger,” he murmured, pressing a light kiss to my cheek and stroking his hand over my flat belly. “Rest well.”

  I must have been more tired than I thought because by the time that I woke up, we were parked in front of a huge marble building and I was alone in the cab of the truck, a bag that smelled like tacos on the console next to me with several bottles of water.

  Raising my seat, I caught sight of Sylas talking with the attorney that had met with Bari at the compound a few days earlier. They were standing at the front of the truck as the attorney pointed out various lines on papers that he had spread over the hood. Sylas turned his head, smiling when he caught sight of me and walking swiftly to open my door.

  “Good, you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

  I nodded and tried to stifle a yawn. “Is it time?”

  Sylas smiled and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “Almost. Why don’t you come out here so Drey can explain some of this paperwork to you?”

  “Okay.” Sylas helped me down from the truck and led me over to the other man to make the introductions.

  Once the pleasantries had been exchanged, Mr. Christof jumped right in. He handed me a pen and began a rushed explanation of each form. There was one that said I hadn’t been kidnapped and was marrying Sylas of my own free will. Another one that said all my money would stay mine and be given to me in full. There were several more that I didn’t really understand, but finally Mr. Christof seemed satisfied. He piled them all up into a stack and shook Sylas’s hand, giving me a smile.

  “Here’s your marriage license,” he announced, passing an envelope to Sylas. “You have about forty minutes before the justice of the peace is done for the day, so hurry.” He started to walk away and then turned back with a frown. “Sylas, you do know the union has to be consummated before you return to the compound?”

  “Wait here, Tiger,” Sylas instructed, walking the short distance to where the attorney had stopped.

  I watched in confusion as the two men whispered furiously back and forth before Mr. Christof stepped back and raised his hands in defeat.

  “Then I can’t guarantee that this will work.”

  I swallowed hard. Sylas was willing to marry be but only if he didn’t have to have sex with me? Not even one time to be legal? I mean, my father had never wasted any chance to tell me how unappealing I was, how little I had to offer, but even the thought of just once was that bad?

  “Okay, Tiger. Let’s go,” Sylas called out to me as he walked back, his smile a little forced.

  I stayed where I was.

  “Paul?” Sylas stopped before me. “Did you change your mind?”

  “I..no,” I said slowly. “But I guess I don’t understand what the point is of going through all of this if it isn’t going to work.”

  “It’s going to work,” Sylas said before understanding dawned on him. “Oh, you mean what Drey said? I didn’t know you could hear us. Don’t worry about that. He’s just concerned that since it’s too early to use a paternity test your father might try to request a court-sanctioned lie detector test to verify that we’ve been intimate. I doubt he’ll go that far.”

  “But what if he does?” I asked, chewing on my lip.

  Sylas frowned and gently eased my lip free with his thumb. “I don’t want you to have to do that, Tiger. To give your body up to get your freedom. Not even just once. It’s not a fair exchange.”

  “I don’t think I would mind,” I mumbled. “Not much, anyway, if you don’t.”

  Sylas seemed to stifle a grin. “If I didn’t mind having dirty, sexy times with a beautiful young Omega? It would obviously be a terrible sacrifice on my part,” he teased me. “Why don’t we worry about that later? It’s not a decision that needs to be made right now.”

  When I nodded, Sylas wrapped his arm around my waist.

  “Let’s get hitched.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sylas

  Hearing Paul offer his body up to me to ensure his safety damn near broke my heart. And when he squared his shoulders to argue the point, it took everything I had in me not to gather him to my chest and promise him that I’d never touch him like that. In truth, Drey saying that consummation might be what it took to fully protect Paul’s future was the only thing that kept me from making promises I wasn’t sure I could keep.

  With all the paperwork out of the way, the trip in to file it with the county clerk followed by a detour down the hall to be legally married only took another fifteen minutes. When the Justice of the Peace pronounced us husbands, I leaned down and caught Paul’s lips in a long, slow kiss, telling myself that the only reason was to put on a good show for the witnesses.

  That was probably the point where it should have been obvious that I was really only lying to myself.

  Paul was nearly vibrating with nerves as we stepped out onto the front steps of the courthouse, our marriage certificate duly filed and the two copies that the clerk had considerately made for us tucked into my pocket. “Now what?”

  Threading our fingers together, I squeezed his hand lightly. “Now, we drive back to the ODI compound to face the music.”

  Paul drew in a shuddering breath but didn’t speak.

  “It’s going to be okay, Tiger,” I tried to reassure him. “Your father can’t do anything to you.” I helped him up into the truck before
walking around to my door. Looking down at the sad little bag of cold, soggy tacos that we hadn’t gotten around to eating, I snickered. “We have a long drive ahead of us, so why don’t we stop and have dinner?”

  Paul nodded and I pulled out of the parking lot and we headed off in search of food before starting the long drive back to face my new father-in-law.

  ~*~

  Back at the ODI compound, Paul and I walked into chaos. Not only had the Senator called in the sheriff’s office and a bevy of attorneys, there was even representation from the local National Guard and the Texas Rangers. Add in a few elephants and we would have had a full-blown circus. Of course, the one thing that the Senator was missing was the knowledge that none of that was enough to forcibly remove Paul from my side if push came to shove.

  Chuck, on the other hand, did know who -or what- I was and what I was capable of which probably explained the amused glint in his eyes as the Senator blustered about and threatened me, all the while careful to keep the law enforcement people between us. For my part, I seated Paul on a comfortable chair behind me and waited.

  When the Senator finally seemed to run out of steam, I stepped forward and handed the copy of our marriage certificate to one of his attorneys.

  “If you’ll excuse us, my husband and I are tired and will be retiring,” I said calmly.

  “Husband?” the Senator gasped in seeming outrage. “You kidnapped my son and forced him to marry you? I won’t stand for it!” he snarled, his beady little eyes flashing as he turned to a sheriff’s deputy who was standing silently by the door. “Do not let them leave! I want that marriage annulled!”

  Behind me, Paul choked on a sob, his already high distress level rising to the point that my nerves were thrumming with the need to soothe him.

  “We can’t do that,” the deputy muttered in response. “Not unless the boy says he wasn’t willing.”