Alpha & Omega Read online

  It isn’t until he’s long left the building that the temperature falls a few degrees and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

  “What an arrogant prick,” she mutters as she finishes up. “Why did you go to see him?”

  Her question catches me off guard, but I attempt to answer her as honestly as I can.

  “I owed Lovenia a favor. She wanted me and Ome—Omar to meet her boss. We ran into that guy in the elevator. I thought Omar was going to kick his ass then, and I was afraid I was going to have to kick his ass tonight. Anyway, we won’t be taking them up on their offer because they’re bad . . . businessmen.”

  She searches my eyes for lies but finally nods her head in satisfaction. With a ragged breath of relief, I bend and retrieve her purse.

  “I don’t like him.” She’s blunt about her feelings toward him as she snaps the light off.

  Sliding my arm around her, I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head. “I don’t like him, either. Now, let’s get you home so I can have my dessert.”

  The entire way back to the apartment is spent playfully flirting, and I love the fact that she lightened up after Luc left. If I could freeze the mood she’s in and let her live in it forever, I would. No sadness. No anger. Only the two of us laughing and touching—how it should be.

  “Climb on, Twiggy. Time for a ride,” I tell her when we get to the stairs.

  She giggles—which is music to my fucking ears—and slides her palms up my back to my neck. I bounce extra hard on each step, causing her to squeal and my booming laughter to echo in the stairwell. When we reach the top of the stairs, though, the laughter dies in my throat.

  A Reaper.

  Same fucker as before.

  When we left Lark’s apartment earlier, I saw this asshole prowling around in our hallway. Either way, he’s not getting Pedro or Lark. It’s too fucking soon.

  His dull, red eyes find mine, and he grins a toothy grin at me. All Reapers are the same. They wear all black and look like greasy-ass weasels. They’re the lowest on the totem pole at HEL, and they may as well be shit on my shoe as far as I’m concerned. I’m used to dealing with them as a Minder, but they come when the assigned time says that they’ll come. Never earlier.

  So why in the fuck is this fucker here? Two months early?

  Thank fuck Lark can’t see him. Reapers aren’t visible to humans. And even though Omega and I are in human form, there are some powers that haven’t been fully taken from us. Seeing their kind and our kind is one of those powers. We need that power in order to do our job properly.

  My glare is menacing as I warn him to leave us the fuck alone. With a smirk, he simply folds his arms across his chest. It makes me want to wring his neck and beat the hell out of him, but Lark will think I’ve lost my mind. Instead, I prowl past him without taking my eyes from him. Before I make it to Lark’s door, I bang on ours.

  “What are we doing?” she asks.

  “I just need to tell Omar something,” I say, attempting to reassure her.

  “Hmph.”

  Damn, her ability to sniff out lies is annoying.

  The door swings open to Omega’s smug grin. He’s only wearing a towel around his waist, and his hair is a wet mop.

  “What’s up, brother?”

  “Maybe you should be a friendly neighbor and check on your friend,” I warn him.

  His gaze falls beyond me, and when he sees the Reaper, his back straightens. “Motherfucker,” he grumbles and pushes past me into the hallway.

  The Reaper chuckles darkly but disappears down the stairs.

  Lark observes our unusual exchange but doesn’t say a word. I have a feeling I’ll get grilled once inside her apartment.

  “I’m on it, buddy,” he assures me.

  I nod and stride over to Lark’s apartment. Once I set her down, she fishes her keys from her bag and then hands them to me. I unlock the door and toss a glance down the hallway while she steps inside. The asshole is gone, but that doesn’t mean I’ll drop my guard. He’s two months early and that scares the fuck out of me. I want to hope that he’s here for Pedro, but that means Omega would be in deep shit.

  And if he’s here for Lark . . .

  I can’t even finish that thought. Following her in, I shut the door and throw the deadbolt in place.

  “Al.”

  I groan because I know what she wants. Turning to her, I shrug my shoulders. “Just a hunch?”

  She tosses her purse on the kitchen table. “Not a hunch, Al. You’ve been spooked ever since we left for work. What’s going on? If you tell me more government bullshit, I’ll kill you. And what the hell was up with Luc-I-Am-The-Devil-In-Person?”

  Shit. Only if she knew how right she was on that last point.

  “Take a shower with me,” I say, changing the subject. God, I want his tainted scent off her.

  Her small hands rest at her hips and she glares at me. “Stop. Right now. I have been far too lenient with you, but I have to protect myself at some point, Al.”

  I sigh and yank my shirt off. Her eyes drop to my chest for a moment, but then they’re back on mine, still questioning me.

  “We’ll talk in the shower, baby.”

  She huffs but stalks past me toward the bathroom. I follow after her, depositing the rest of my clothes and shoes along the way. My cock thickens when I see her pull her dress up over her head, and her tiny ass slightly jiggles in her black panties before she disappears into the bathroom. By the time I make it in there, she’s started the shower and is completely naked. I glance in the mirror and see the fatigue and worry in my eyes. Diverting my eyes back over to her the moment the nausea churns my stomach, I stare at her beautiful body which soon settles my stomach.

  With a kick, I shut the bathroom door and climb into the small shower with her. Her eyes are on mine, full of questions, as the water soaks her hair. I’m slightly distracted by the way the water is rolling down her beautiful breasts, but I know I have to give her something.

  “Come here,” I instruct. If I’m going to speak to her about things I feel uncomfortable speaking about, I want her close.

  When she steps forward, I envelop her in a tight embrace. My palm strokes her back under the hot spray. God, why can’t things be easy for us?

  “I love you,” I remind her.

  An annoyed huff. “Crazy boy, you can’t love me yet.”

  I do though. Whether or not she wants to believe it.

  “I can too and I do. That’s what got me into this mess in the first place.”

  She lifts her head to look up at me. “Mess?”

  I hold her stare for several moments and drink in her every feature. If time would just hold still for one damn minute, I could freeze this moment and keep it in my memory bank forever. I may not have had any memories when I became a Minder, but I sure as shit will have memories now. They’ll all be about her. I will die to protect those memories—no matter what happens between her and me.

  “What if I told you I was sent here to look after you?” I question finally.

  Her brows furrow. “I figured that one out on my own. Did the government really send you? Does this have to do with my husband?”

  I wince when she says the word “husband” but shake my head no. “Actually, this is a private sector.” I sigh. “Lark, you have to promise me something. Whatever I tell you has to stay here in this shower. Anything I reveal to you could destroy not only me, but us.”

  My words are cryptic, but she senses my seriousness because she nods.

  “Tell me, Alpha.”

  With a rush of anxious breath, I tell her.

  HE’S LOOKING DOWN at me as if it will physically pain him to say the words. It only further piques my curiosity. I don’t press him, and he finally begins his story.

  “Several years ago, I was recruited to do a very important job. They considered me heroic and one who possessed qualities perfect for the job of guarding people.”

  Okay . . .

  “We’re more or less
in training mode until we’re given our final assignment. Then, we can advance and become what we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

  I frown. “It sort of sounds like government work.”

  He shakes his head. “It’s not. However, I work for a very good company. Only the best work there. My job, though, requires me to protect people until our sister company takes over the guardianship but the people I protect aren’t the good ones. Make sense so far?”

  No.

  “Not really. I sense that you are being purposely vague, but I’ll take it for now,” I say as I run my fingers down his spine.

  His eyes briefly close, but when he reopens them, he continues his explanation. “Well anyway, it doesn’t matter. I had a job to do. Lark, you were my job.”

  Were.

  “But I’m not now?” I question with a pout.

  Dipping down, he chastely kisses my lips. “Baby, I will die to protect you. But that’s the problem. You were supposed to be a part of my job, but now, I want to tell them all to fuck off because you’re all that matters to me.”

  “So quit,” I tell him simply. “That weirdo Luc said he had a job for you. Can’t you work for him?”

  He groans. “I can’t just quit. These people don’t just let you quit. I’m not sure what they’ll do, but I fear my life might be on the line for betraying my superiors to be with you. Besides, Luc is not one of the good guys.”

  Life on the line.

  The bathroom spins and I sway in his arms.

  “Shit! What’s going on, Lark? Are you okay?” he demands as he presses me against him, so that my cheek rests on his chest.

  I can’t formulate words though. I cannot go through this shit again. A tear rolls down my cheek, and my nose burns with more unshed tears. My breaths are shallow as the dizzy waves won’t stop.

  “Lark!”

  I finally drag my head up to look at him again. The worry on his face warms me and scares me all at once.

  “They’ll k-k-kill you?” I sputter out.

  “God, I hope not, baby. That’s the thing. I don’t know what their plans are. There’s another part to this though.”

  I can’t handle any more sides to this.

  “Let me wash you and I’ll tell you in bed,” he coos.

  My knees wobble beneath me as I nod. I need to sit down for this. The teensy-weensy heart inside me threatens to nosedive off the steepest cliff.

  He washes our bodies and my hair while I stare at him, numb. I hardly even process that he turns off the shower and bundles me up in a towel—I just know I’m suddenly dry.

  “I’m taking you for a ride, Twiggy,” he murmurs before scooping my body into his arms.

  I rest the side of my face on his shoulder and inhale him. He may smell like soap, but he also smells like him. His scent is comforting and safe. I love his scent.

  He strides out of the bathroom and into my room. Gently, he sets me down and removes my towel first before his. As I crawl into the bed and under the covers, I look at the man whose presence fills every square inch of my quaint bedroom. He’s quite beautiful naked. If he weren’t moving, I’d swear he were a perfect statue created only for me. With a sad smile, he climbs in after me, disturbing my unusual thoughts, and covers my naked body with his so he can look into my eyes. His elbows rest on either side of me so his entire weight isn’t crushing me.

  “What’s the other part of this whole mess?” I finally ask. My voice sounds braver than I feel.

  His normally kissable lips press together in a firm, anxious line. “The other company that is supposed to take over your guardianship is the bad company.”

  I stare at him and blink several times as I process his words. “Wait. Why does some bad company want to watch over me? I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  “I know, baby. That’s the fucking problem. This is all a clusterfuck. Everything they told me about you is wrong. You don’t deserve this. And now that I know this—know how perfect you are—I can’t let them come near you. I swear to God I will die to protect you, Lark.”

  His words slice me open again.

  “S-stop with the dying talk, Al. I can’t fucking take it,” I sob. More tears roll down my cheeks as I push away any thought of losing this man too. I can’t take any more loss. I simply can’t.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispers and presses a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you, Lark. Both companies can kiss my ass. I’ll kill anyone who even looks at you wrong. Do you understand that? I. Will. Kill. Them.”

  I believe he will. His black eyes are pulsating with anger, and I’m glad I’m under his protection.

  “Why do they want me?”

  “I don’t know, but they won’t get you, baby.”

  I sniffle and process his words before coming up with more questions. “So, the timeline is three months? Now, we have two left? Maybe we can run away,” I suggest hopefully.

  He growls, and I sense that things may have changed. “Those were the original plans, but I’ve been alerted to the fact that I have a week to make a decision before all Hell breaks loose—literally.”

  My eyes dart back and forth, searching his for answers. A week? Holy shit. That’s not enough time.

  “What decision?”

  His eyes fall shut as he brushes his lips against mine. “The bad company wants me to work for them. They’ve literally promised me the world, but they’re known for being liars. I don’t trust them one bit. We’re on our own, baby.”

  “What about Omar and Lovenia? Do they know about this? Can they help us?”

  He shakes his head. “Lovenia works for them. And Omar is my partner. His real name is Omega.”

  Omar is Omega. Lovenia works for them.

  “I knew I hated that bitch,” I snip out. “But wait? Oma—Omega worships the ground she walks on.”

  He nods sadly. “Like I said, Lar. It’s just me and you, baby.”

  Surely there has to be someone who can help us. None of this makes sense.

  “Can anyone help us?” I wonder aloud. My mind flits to my mom and dad, but I know they would be useless for this sort of thing. Mom works part time at their church as a secretary, and Dad is a professor at UCLA. Those two wouldn’t know the first thing about competing agencies going after their daughter.

  “There may be someone. Father Lester mentioned something to me that day we went to the church. I think he may be able guide us in the right direction,” he says in a hope-filled voice. “Tomorrow, we can go see him. I’ll swing by my old place and pick up your file. Maybe, together, we can find some answers.”

  I hug my hands around his back and wiggle my legs out from beneath him. The need to be close to him is strong. He just revealed some very important information, and I feel more connected to him somehow.

  “After that, we go to my parents’ house. They’ll provide us a safe shelter.”

  His eyes widen in surprise. “You want me to meet your parents? What if they don’t like me?”

  A soft giggle escapes me. Only Alpha would be worried about my parents’ impressions of him in the midst of the chaos we’re dealing with.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll love you. It’s me I should be worried about. I haven’t seen them in a very long time.”

  His black eyes soften and they almost seem grey. “You’re just misunderstood, but you’re very easy to love. I’m sure it will be fine, Twiggy,” he teases. His cock twitches against me, which makes me grin.

  “You’re not so bad yourself, Al.”

  His face falls a bit and causes my heart to seize up. I want to give him those words—yet at the same time, those words belong to someone else. Alpha may have my body and that tiny piece of my heart, but he will never have those words. The problem is that, deep down, I know I’m lying to myself. Each time he tells me that he loves me, I physically have to swallow down the knee-jerk response to tell him the same, because I do love him. And that scares the shit out of me.

  Loving him changes me.

  Loving him mea
ns I was never Connor’s true soul mate—that I let him down.

  Loving him means taking my heart from my husband and giving it to Al.

  I want to give Alpha those words one day, but not now. I’ve barely admitted it to myself, so I surely don’t have the courage to utter them aloud. But there is something I can give him. Something I have desperately wanted to give to him for some time now.

  “Roll over, big boy,” I command saucily.

  His melancholy face morphs into a silly one as he does as he was told. I sit up and admire the amazing man stretched out taking up most of my bed. The dark, wet hair on top of his head is beginning to dry, and it sticks out in a million different directions, making him look incredibly adorable yet fuckable at the same time.

  “You’re a feisty little thing. You know that, woman?” he laughs.

  I beam at him but don’t give him an answer. Instead, I slide down the bed until I’m positioned above one of his best assets. His eyes widen in realization, and a tremor quivers through him when I grasp his length. A little blow on the glistening tip causes him to groan out my name.

  “I’m hungry, Al.” I pretend pout. “I wish I had something to taste.”

  “Damn you, evil woman. You’re a tease,” he growls and slips a hand into my hair. His grip is firm, but he doesn’t move me—he just holds on for dear life.

  I dart my tongue out, my eyes never leaving his molten ones, and slowly taste him from the base of his cock up the shaft until I make it to the tip. With a flick, I lick the bead of pre-cum and find that he tastes both sweet and salty. Before I take him fully into my mouth, a wicked half grin tugs at my lips.

  “Hold on there, Just Al. I’m about to take you for a ride.”

  As I slide my open mouth over his impressive cock, I am distracted for just a short while. Right now, the only thing that exists is the two of us.

  My mouth and his cock.