by L. V. Lane
It had been exhausting on the ship. It was worse here, and yet I had gotten myself so deep down the hole, and I did not know how to extract myself from this misery of my own making.
On top of the Ryker-Ethan angst, my father was due to return to Chimera tomorrow and had said he would pop by the research center to see me…like he could casually pop by anywhere. My building would turn into a circus the moment he arrived, and everyone would gawk.
Then an hour after receiving news of my father’s imminent arrival, a laboratory assistant had cross-contaminated a batch of samples. Two weeks’ worth of work was lost, and I was in a foul mood when Ryker arrived to collect me. He was his usual amiable self until we got home when he sat on the sofa, placed a tube of lube on the coffee table, and patted his lap.
“Ethan’s not going to be back until tomorrow, so we’re going to have a little playtime.”
I stared at the lubricant, trying to decide if he was messing with me. Ethan had told Ryker he couldn’t have my ass, and I had presumed this also meant touching.
I froze where I stood and swallowed. All I wanted was to have a nice hot bath, and to pretend I was having a good day for an hour.
“Take your clothes off, Lilly,” Ryker said, and my eyes snapped back to meet his.
I shook my head. No, this wasn’t happening. I remembered the last time he had done this when we were on the ship, and I really hadn’t liked it.
Okay, I was lying to myself. I had liked it, especially when he had put his thumb in my mouth like he had done when Ethan was fucking me on the kitchen island. I hated that he’d made me enjoy it. I couldn’t let him do that again without imagining them both taking me together. They hadn’t fucked me together—yet. On occasion, one or the other might watch, but never together.
That innocuous tube seemed to represent a forbidden step.
It also represented a fear that Ethan would return and find Ryker doing this, and might actually kill him this time.
The mere thought of violence brought a dull thud to the back of my neck.
Ryker sighed, it was his heavy, significant sigh, and it made my blood thud even quicker. I knew that damn sigh.
“I’ll need to talk to Ethan about this.”
Red rage consumed me. I’d had the mother of all shitty days. I was not letting him set conflict back into the tentative calm. “Tell him then!”
Those three little words seemed to bounce off the walls and echo in my mind as Ryker’s face morphed from his playful coaxing mode to the empty expression that genuinely made me nervous. I wasn’t sure which of us was more shocked by my statement. I wanted to snatch it back the moment the words left my mouth, but it was too late. And we both recognized it.
He stood, and I took a shaky step back, but he merely grinned as he passed me on the way to the front door.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To tell Ethan, of course. He’s ah—busy, so I dare say he won’t be happy about the interruption. But he’ll make an exception for you.” He winked.
I stared blankly long after the door had closed. It was done, for better or worse it was done.
On the one hand, I was relieved, a deep to the core level of relief that he could not hold this threat over me anymore.
On the other hand, I was terrified. Ryker had built Ethan and his abominable belt up to monstrous proportions in my mind, and I sank into a cycle of escalating angst imagining what was about to come.
I found myself at the door before I could fully assimilate my intentions. But if he thought I was going to wait around for this terrible fate, he had another thing coming.
It took me several confused minutes to realize he had locked me in the suite. I didn’t know such a thing was possible, and although I considered myself reasonably tech-savvy, escape defeated all my attempts.
Fleeing the room wouldn’t help me, but there wasn’t a great deal of rational decision making going on. It was probably for the best I couldn’t get out—my flight would make things worse.
I paced while I waited, working myself up and knowing a flush was imminent. I wasn’t sure there was any happy path for an Omega, but I thought my singularity to be one of the worst. That and the fact my darling Daddy, in his distressed state after the hospital fiasco, had made decisions leading to me having two Controllers.
I wasn’t one for bad language. My father’s position meant I had lived my life under the kind of spotlight where such expressions were frowned upon, and I had conditioned myself accordingly. But as I sat on the edge of my bed, my mind struggling to process this calamity of my own making, the only words that once more came to mind were, “What the fuck have I done?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HAVING LOCKED LILLY in the suite, I headed off to track Ethan down. He’d been busy delving into Tsing’s activity, and it was turning into a significant undertaking. I could have called him, but I’m a sick fuck, and I thought making Lilly wait and worry alone for the punishment would add a nice touch.
Ethan was at Peppermint Moon for a meeting with the infamous Lucian, who made less effort than Ethan to mask his dubious side.
I was shown into his office by a thick-necked Alpha mongrel in a black suit. Seriously, where the fuck did Lucian find these men?
I’d never been in his office before, but it was all polished metal and black like I imagined a business mogul’s den. I supposed he was a business mogul of sorts. Outside the windowed wall, strobe lighting and a mass of gyrating bodies confused the look.
Heads turned my way, Ethan with a scowl; Lucian with a raised eyebrow.
I plastered on a grin and plonked myself down next to Ethan.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ethan demanded. “Who the fuck is watching Lilly?”
“I’ve locked her in.” I was distracted by the tiny redhead beauty kneeling demurely at Lucian’s feet. She was wearing a pink babydoll outfit, and there was a diamond-studded collar at her throat. The end of her leash rested in Lucian’s hand. I gestured at the woman. “What’s with the pet?”
Lucian growled. The pet shivered.
I held up both hands. What the fuck? “Fine, don’t tell me. I’m not fucking interested. I’ve got enough trouble in my life with a fucking high-maintenance doctor. You’ve normally got two or three Betas crawling over you…I didn’t know you were into single digits…or pets.”
The pet growled.
I chuckled. Possessive little thing. It was a cute growl.
Ethan thumped my arm. It wasn’t a playful thump.
I ignored the thump. “Does she have a name?”
“Pet,” Lucian said through gritted teeth, flashing me a scowl.
Turning to his bristling pet, he stroked a hand over her hair and asked, “Would you like to get on my lap, Pet?”
She nodded, climbed up, and settled.
“Ryker, what the fuck are you doing here?” Ethan asked again.
“Oh, yes. Almost forgot, I was thrown in a loop by Lucian’s pussy-whipped transformation.” I thought Ethan and Lucian were both on the verge of committing a felony if I didn’t get to the point—and both of them were more than capable of covering it up. “Lilly was asking for your belt.”
Ethan scowled at me. “I seriously doubt it.”
“She’s been lying and disobedient…and very fucking defiant.”
Ethan surprised me by smirking. “I like her defiance—it gives me an excuse to spank her. Did you have any influence on her other two failings?”
“I might have,” I admitted. “She’ll pretty much do anything under the threat of your punishment with a belt.”
Lucian started chuckling, the fucker.
“How long has this been going on?” Ethan asked. He had an impressive ability to appear calm when he was pissed.
I shrugged, trying to think of a way out of this. “I’m not sure how many days,” I hedged. I wasn’t actually looking to be offed.
“How about you tell me when it started.”
Yeah, he was r
eally pissed.
I scratched my head. There wasn’t much chance of a reprieve. Lilly wouldn’t hesitate to divulge the details under the threat of Ethan’s belt. “Ah… Tolis…When I picked her up…While I was in the vehicle, actually. I couldn’t help myself. Seriously, she folds with even a vague insinuation I might report her behavior to you. It’s way more fun than forcing her to do it some other way. I’m amazed she lasted this long before she called my bluff. Must be really scared of your belt.”
With hindsight, I should have made this confession in stages. One minute Ethan was sitting beside me semi-rational, and the next the sofa was knocked over, I was on my back with Ethan’s heavy-ass weight on top of me, and his hands around my throat. I dimly registered a feminine scream. I got a couple of punches in, but the bastard had a grip like an anaconda, and the world started fading to black.
A pained grunt preceded the vice-like grip and his heavy weight disappearing.
“You’re not suitable,” Ethan growled. “I thought I could deal with your bullshit, but I don’t know if I can. If you were capable of feeling anything, you would walk the fuck away. This is all some fucked up game to you, isn’t it?”
Wheezing, I blinked reality back.
I had no answer for him because it had started as a game, except it wasn’t, not anymore. Now I didn’t know what the fuck it was.
Three of the thick-necked freaks were holding Ethan. I rubbed my throat as I sat up, ready to defend myself because I thought he might be able to throw the freaks off if he set his mind to it.
“I’m done,” Ethan said.
The freaks looked to Lucian for approval. He was standing several paces away, lips tight and pissed as fuck. His little Omega was tucked behind him for safety. He nodded. I’d been hoping he wouldn’t because I was confident Ethan wasn’t close to being done.
I staggered to my feet as the freak-brigade released Ethan and stepped back a pace. They didn’t leave, so I was guessing they didn’t trust Ethan either.
The only warning I got was a feral grin before the bastard punched me.
I rolled over slowly. I figured I would have less distance to fall if he punched me again. A loud thump signified the paid thugs righting the sofa. By the time I staggered to my feet for the second time, everyone else was sitting down. Lucian had the little Omega back in his arms. This time she straddled his lap with her face pressed into the crook of his neck, and her tiny body was trembling.
“Ah, sorry,” I said gesturing in her general direction. I supposed Ethan had landed the first blow, but I had driven him to do it. My therapist would be disappointed by my recent behavioral choices. It wasn’t entirely my fault though, Lilly and everything about her had made it difficult for me to think objectively.
I once again sat beside Ethan. His right eye was swelling shut, which made me inordinately pleased. “Oh, and Lilly’s father is visiting tomorrow,” I said. Distraction was my go-to trick when I’d pissed someone off.
Ethan sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “We have enough shit going on. Don’t think this is going to stop me from disciplining her for allowing you to manipulate her, or beating the shit out of you after I’m done with her. Tsing and his deviant activities are turning into a fucking minefield. Do you ever take anything fucking serious?”
“What’s happened with the mad Doctor Tsing?” I said, feeling unusually serious. “I thought you said you were closing in?”
“His connections to Salvation go deeper than I suspected.” Ethan snatched up his discarded drink, which had somehow survived the fray, and knocked the contents back with a wince. I’d done a number on his eye; it was going to be a shiner.
“The insurgent group with ties to the Uncorrupted?”
“The very same,” Lucian said. “They’ve taken over much of Lyus. I still have contacts there. They moved in after the forced conscription took all the Alphas out. They’ve been steadily increasing their presence over recent years. They have taken control of several key gangs. It wasn’t pretty when we left, but there was order, of sorts. Now it’s chaos.”
Lucian’s little Omega began to fret. “Hush, Pet.” He stood with her still wrapped in his arms. “I need to settle her, then I’ll be back.”
“Why the fuck would Tsing be working with them?” I asked as Lucian left via an elevator, I presumed to his private suite.
“Because they pay good money for research information related to dynamics, but particularly Omegas,” Ethan said as the elevator door closed. “There are rumors they’re experimenting with the virus. And if the rumors are true, they have only produced Alphas.”
“Does the government know?”
Ethan nodded. “I warned them a year ago the Uncorrupted’s dynamic program had gone AWOL, specifically that they were creating Alphas. They dismissed it. Said it was too small scale to worry about. If Tsing is connected to this, he won’t want Lilly interfering in the program.”
“We need to get her the fuck out of there.” I stood and did some mindless hair gripping while staring around the room before I realized how ridiculous I was being.
Ethan smirked at me. “Maybe you will crack. I’m betting on it being spectacular when you do.”
Huh? “I’m not going to fucking crack, fucktard. We need to get her out.”
“She’ll be going into heat soon. If I breed her, it will sort the problem out.”
I cut him a glare. He was baiting me, and I hated to spill blood again so soon after I had apologized to Lucian. “That won’t make her quit, at least not immediately. And didn’t you help to get her project reinstated? Why the fuck would you do that if you wanted her off the program?”
“Because it made her fucking happy,” Ethan snapped, eyes blazing with a fury that took me by surprise.
“I make her happy in other ways,” I said, trying to work out the logic in his action. There was no logic.
Ethan gave a disdainful snort. “Happy? Do you think your bullshit manipulation makes her happy? It doesn’t make her happy.”
I frowned. No, clearly my bullshit manipulation didn’t make her happy. “She said she missed me?”
“I’m going to strangle you for real if you don’t shut the fuck up. If you had any idea how often I fantasize about ending you, you wouldn’t keep pushing me.”
“I can’t help myself,” I said.
“Of course you can. That’s you giving yourself excuses to be a dick.”
That threw me. I was still trying to wrap my head around his statement when the elevator door opened and Lucian returned.
Ethan stood.
“You off?” Lucian asked.
“Yes,” Ethan said. “I’ll need to deal with this.” He gestured at me. “And we need more information before we can act. See if your contacts on Lyus have any details. I think I might need to take a trip there, after all.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I LOST TRACK of time sitting on the foot of the bed, staring out the window at the twinkling city lights awakening as the sun slowly set.
There appeared to be something about Ryker that brought out my stupid side. He was always going to keep baiting me until he found something I would balk at.
Fear and anger battled with common sense; Ethan, while unquestionably violent, wasn’t about to leave permanent damage…which left a lot of scope for pain.
I wasn’t lying to Ryker when I told him I’d missed him. I might be the one in need of counseling.
The door opened, and I jumped off the bed. I turned about on the spot and realizing how ridiculous this was, managed to still my feet as they both entered the room.
The war god and the movie star—with a personality disorder. They made other Controllers look like amateurs. Ethan was his usual implacable self, despite a black eye, which hadn’t been there when I last saw him.
Ryker was thrumming with edgy energy. He looked ready to pounce.
I eyed them both as they came deeper into the room, two huge dominating presences that filled my senses to capa
city and beyond.
Ethan stepped up before me and tapped my chin to gain my eyes. “You have anything to say?”
I puffed out a frustrated breath. “Will anything help?”
He shook his head. “Nope. But you might want to tell me your side of things.”
I cut a glance to Ryker. His face was the empty one, but his eyes, they watched with interest. I shivered.
“You know he’s a psycho, right?” Ethan said, and I dragged a sharp breath in. Somehow his acknowledgment of this fact drove my predicament home. “You can’t straighten out the level of deviant going on in his corrupted brain. But he’s a functional psycho—mostly—and lack of emotion can be a useful trait in a soldier.”
“You’re not exactly warm and fuzzy,” I said, and before I could help myself, added, “More like a savage.”
Dimples flashed in Ethan’s face as he grinned. He already looked like a beautiful, avenging angel; he did not need dimples.
“I can’t remember all the specifics,” I said. “He would make some perceived failing up and threaten to tell you…if I didn’t do what he asked.”
“I’m only going to say this once,” Ethan stated coldly. “Don’t let him manipulate you again. Am I making myself clear?”
I nodded.
Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Ryker, who returned a playful smirk. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with him later. He can do whatever he wants anyway, and he would have done. You should have known better.”
He began unbuckling his belt.
My entire body ceased to function with that act. “I…was scared after you rescued me. I was half out of my mind. He took advantage of it. That’s where it all began—This isn’t fair.” My hands clasped together as I watched him unraveled his belt slowly.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ethan said, folding the thick strip of leather over in his hands. “I’m doing this because I choose to.”
“Do you need me to hold her?” Ryker asked. His hazel eyes had darkened with excitement.
Ethan’s thick fingers adjusted over the belt. “You know I’m going to beat the shit out of you once I’m done with her?”