GOD, HE HATES me.
Well, too fucking bad. He can get over it, because Luc needs to “discuss” some things with the both of us. As I click down the black, marble-floored hallway toward the elevator in an effort to keep up with Omega, I attempt to push away some of the unease in my gut.
“Discussions” with Luc are always tricky and riddled with deception. I’m worried on Omega’s behalf that he wants the both of us there. So far, I’ve managed to keep Omega off the radar by distracting Luc, if you will, but it would seem he’s now ready to play puppet master.
And I’m sickened by the very idea of it.
Betraying Omega was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Unfortunately for Omega, his timing was off. I have an agenda I cannot be deterred from. If only we could have met sooner. Or later. Just not when we did, when I needed to stay focused.
I’ve always been extremely disciplined when it comes to focus. All I have to do is set my mind on my goal and everything else along the way blurs into the background. When my eyes first landed on Omega’s dark curls, for once, my focus was interrupted.
Omega had a captivating pull that distracted me, even if only for a moment. But he was still a distraction, which means only one thing.
He’s dangerous.
He’s a threat to everything.
“Are we meeting in his office?” Omega questions without looking at me once we step inside the elevator. He stands as far away from me as he can, his hand poised to mash a button.
“Yeah,” I acknowledge in a whisper.
That’s another thing that has me worried. I’m not sure Omega has ever been in Luc’s office. Luc doesn’t trust many people, so very few have seen where he works.
Omega pushes the button to the basement and then folds his thick arms over his chest. Since he’s staring at the numbers on the panel and ignoring me, I take the awkward moment to greedily drink him up.
Damn, he smells good. After having spent some intimate time with him six months ago, I know that it’s his natural scent. He doesn’t smell like he fell into a bath of cologne like most men do. The way he smells is earthy combined with his own unique musk. And the way he smells after sex is downright addicting. His body produces some hormone or endorphin that mixes with his scent and makes him mouthwateringly delicious. It’s like he’s some magical creature with spell-casting powers—and I’m not immune to them.
The ride down is a long, hot one. I know this from experience, as I come down here often. We’ll be trapped—together—for a bit longer. My heart does a flop of excitement from knowing that he has to be in close proximity whether he likes it or not while we’re in this sweat box of an elevator.
“When we get there, try to ignore the screams. And it will only piss him off if you ask about it,” I tell him in a firm tone despite the waver in my voice.
He glares at me with furrowed eyebrows. He doesn’t want to speak to me, but questions are dancing behind his chocolate-colored eyes. Those eyes used to dance with something that could make my knees go weak in an instant. Of course, I don’t see that look anymore, and I’m not too proud to admit that I miss it.
“What screams?” he asks gruffly. The deep timbre in his voice sends a shiver down my legs even though sweat is beading at the small of my back.
“Them,” I tell him, keeping my features cool and emotionless. “The damned.”
Those screams still haunt me if I think about them too hard. But Omega doesn’t need to feel my anxiety. I need him to keep being the badass he is if he has any hope for surviving under Luc’s reign.
“Also, Luc will bait you. He’ll try to piss you off. Just ignore it, please,” I sigh.
He watches my mouth as I say the words but then angrily looks away from me as if my lips are the Devil—and not the man we’re about to go see. “Why are you telling me all this? You don’t care, Lovenia.”
A deep ache in my chest rattles me. I’ll never get tired of him calling me by name. I still remember the way it felt to have him owning my body while he whispered it over and over again as if I were all he ever wanted to worship in this life.
Clearing my head from those distracting thoughts, I give it a shake. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to keep you calm. You’re kind of a hothead at times,” I say in attempt to keep things light.
He physically flinches at the smile in my voice. I shudder at the pain I caused him.
Suddenly, his head snaps to mine and he stalks over to me in two short strides. His thick chest is just a hair from brushing against my breasts. After taking a deep breath, I exhale so that they just barely touch.
“I don’t need your help. Do you understand me? I don’t need anything from you ever again,” he snarls at me.
I should be scared or pissed that he’s being an asshole and trying to intimidate me by his size. But I’m not. The only thing I feel at the moment is heat—and not because of where we’re headed.
When he doesn’t move away, I study him. His eyes are furious, and fury is rippling from him with each ragged breath. That’s one of the things that drew me to Omega. He’s so passionate—whether it’s loving or hating, he puts all he has into it.
“Omega,” I whisper, a satisfied shiver overtaking me when his eyes drop to my lips again. These lips spent a fair amount of time learning every inch of his body. He knows how dangerously addictive my lips are.
“Don’t speak to me unless you have to,” he huffs. Then he turns to step away from me.
Instinctively, I grab his massive bicep to keep him from going too far. He eyes my red-polished nails digging into his shirt as if they’re talons of a monster. I guess he’s not too far off.
Before I can say another word, he peels my hand away from him. My hand tingles as if it’s been zapped by the electricity that is always him and I gasp. I’m thankful to be granted a reprieve from our exchange when the elevator pings at our arrival and they doors part open.
“And don’t ever touch me again,” he growls before storming out of the elevator and far away from me.
I exhale in frustration, hopefully loud enough for him to hear, and follow him out. He doesn’t know where he’s going, and if he opens the wrong door…
“No!” I shriek when I see him about to blast through one of them. “Do not open that door. Come on.”
His jaw clenches, but he slowly removes his hand from the knob. Down in the basement, things can be dangerous. Instead of giving him a reason why he can’t open the doors here, I stride past him, flicking my hair over my shoulder. His growl only serves to make my knees wobbly, but thankfully, I regain my composure before I make it to Luc’s door.
Knocking briskly, I swallow the fear that seizes me every time I come here. To my delight, this time I’m not alone. And while that is both a curse and a blessing—because I’m with Omega—I still draw strength from having him with me. Something about him makes me feel protected.
When he flanks himself beside me, my safety is further insured. Something inside me cracks from my knowing that, even though he hates me, he’ll stand next to me in the face of evil. And I know without a shadow of a doubt he will still defend me to his death if it came to it because that is who Omega is and always will be. Loving, protective, and good. That should thrill me, but it scares the hell out of me, considering what we’re about to encounter.
A buzz indicates that Luc has granted our entrance. Turning the warm, metal knob, I push forward into his office.
God, it’s always so fucking hot in here. His office really fucks with my hair.
Omega is right on my heels as we enter the luxurious space. Though it may feel and look beautiful, I know the truth. I refrain from wincing because I know it’s coming.
Luc’s “music.”
My God, it’s awful.
Sinister.
Evil.
“Lovenia, darling! Omega, my son,” Luc says from behind his desk with a jovial wave.
It’s so much more difficult to turn the Lovenia charm on when Omega’s around because I feel like an actress in a play. I have to though. Everything rides on the fact that I can be charming for Luc.
Everything.
“Please, follow me into the lounge.” Luc smiles as he stands from his desk—a desk I’m eager to get my hands on. His sleek, black Mac is turned just so that I can’t see the screen. I’m dying to know what he works on all day. But I’ll figure that out at another time—when I’m alone.
As we follow Luc, I’m surprised when Omega’s palm brushes against the small of my back to guide me.
He dips his head down to my ear and whispers, “Is that coming from speakers?”
I nod curtly and throw a nervous glance at Luc. Thankfully, he’s still striding down the corridor, seemingly uninterested in our conversation.
“Where is it coming from?” he hisses.
I try not to shiver from the way his hot breath tickles my hair as he speaks. “Remember the door you almost went into?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“There.”
His eyebrows bunch together in a furious scowl. “He listens to them scream in agony? That’s his fucking ‘music’?”
Luc turns right and disappears into the lounge.
So I halt and put a finger on Omega’s chest. “Stop. Right now. Whatever you’re about to blow up about, don’t. He’s our boss and he’s far too powerful for you to start criticizing his musical preferences. Please, just bite that tongue of yours until we get out of here. Promise me, Omega.”
He clenches he jaw and presses his lips into a firm line. Fortunately, he nods before stalking after Luc.
God, this is going to suck.