I'd never seen Marcus looking this... vulnerable. Sure, he projected the innocent but slutty omega look like a champ, but I'd been watching him for a while now. I knew it was just a look. The innocence was truer than the slutty part. But right now... he was... broken. I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and tell him it was okay. But I had to be real with myself; we'd only had one actual conversation, if you could count that as a conversation. It would be weird to pull him into my arms, right?

It wouldn't be weird to pummel that dude who was his look-alike who made him cry, though, right? Not that I could leave Marcus right now, not until I knew he was okay. He was staring down at his sugar monstrosity with the most open and heartbreaking look I'd ever seen, and when he finally glanced up into my eyes, fuck. I may have been a little obsessed with him before, but with that one look, I was gone. Something in that look shot straight through my heart like Cupid's arrow, and I knew it would take a long time to pluck it out, if I even wanted to get rid of it.

"Are you going to drink that, or just whisper sweet nothings into its fluff?" I asked, trying to put a smile on his face.

His lips twitched up at the corners. "Well, I was planning on a cuddle session first, but if I need to get right to the main event..." His tongue darted out and swirled around the whipped cream, lapping up all the sprinkles. I swallowed hard and looked away. Even with his sad eyes, that tongue was dangerous. When I looked back, his eyes held the hint of a smirk that said he knew exactly what I was thinking, but instead of playing it up like I'd seen him do countless times at Club Royale, he turned to add more sprinkles and then slapped a top on his drink.

"If you need anything, Lola will be out in just a second, but I'm clocking out early."

Because of whatever had happened with that alpha double. Curiosity burned my gut, but I could tell Marcus wasn't interested in discussing the tear tracks down his cheeks. "I was actually just leaving. Can I walk you to your car?"

"Oh, aren't you sweet?" A hint of the flirty omega I was used to infused itself in his words, but his shoulders remained hunched in as he took off his apron and picked up his drink. "That's okay, though, sweetie. I'm just going to grab the bus, but thank you."

He came around the counter and patted my arm with his last words, and I captured his hand with my own. "You're not riding the bus right now."

I could see through the thin mask he'd been able to draw up over the last few minutes to the terrified man inside, which only strengthened my resolve.

"How else do you propose I get home when I don't have a car?"

"I'll take you." It didn't even take a second thought. I had a car. He didn't need to worry about weirdos or pushy alphas or whoever he might run into on the bus. Besides, the Marcus I knew, Blondie, he wouldn't be caught dead in public with the evidence of his pain so clearly marked on his face.

"How do I know I can trust you?" His voice had dropped to nearly a whisper, but he didn't pull his hand away.

"You already know you can trust me. I'm a Red Knight. I've been watching over you for months at Club Royale."

Marcus's hand trembled in mine, but he still didn't pull away. "Okay." He lifted his chin, the confidence I was familiar with returning to him. "But write your name and license plate down for Lola here so she can report you if I go missing."

I laughed and let go of his hand to do as he asked. "Sure." I would never hurt an omega, any omega, and certainly not this omega, but it pleased me that he knew how to take care of himself, that he was cautious. I wrote down the information he requested and he handed it to Lola, telling her that if he didn't text her in the next thirty minutes to call the cops on my ass.

As we stepped out of the building, Marcus slipped a hand through the crook of my elbow and leaned against my side. "You know, Killian, you picked the worst day ever to find out where I worked."

I loved the sound of my name on his tongue; he tripped over the syllables like a song. "I actually found out where you worked last night," I admitted.

"What? Really?" Marcus squinted his eyes as he thought. "Oh... that big bruiser you work with... he came through yesterday, right?"

I nodded.

"Did you come all the way out here to see little old me?" Marcus drew one hand to his chest like a southern belle and batted his pretty eyes at me.

I blushed, and he dropped his act, his mouth falling open. "Oh. My. Alpha. You totally did! You totally came just to see me! That is so adorable. And you definitely picked the absolute worst day to visit. Not that I had pictured anything like today turning out this way." He nearly mumbled the last sentence.

"From my point of view, this was the best day. I hate the idea of you alone on the bus after... that." Whatever that had been. I left the door open for Marcus to choose to explain, but he was silent until we reached my car. I opened the door for him, and he slid in.

As I closed my door behind me, I asked, "Do you want to put your address in the GPS, or do you just want to tell me where to go?"

"Oh, GPS for sure," Marcus said. "I barely know how to get there myself."

I could feel his flirty omega mask descending again, and a cloud wrapped itself around my heart. I hated seeing Marcus so upset, but it had been a privilege to see him so open, so real. I wanted to figure out how to get back to that Marcus. The tiny glimpses he'd afforded me over the months, even though he hadn't known I was watching, had piqued my interest, and today, he'd captured it. I had to know more about this adorable, flirty, complex omega, and I didn't care how many layers and masks I had to work through, I was going to figure him out.