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“Yeah,” Emiel agreed, managing a wan smile for Mia. “’Course.”
The rest of the preparation was every bit as clinical as the room itself. At least until Emiel frowned and said, “Wait. Why’s Luca the only one who has to take his shirt off?”
The nurse smiled her professional smile again as she hooked wires to a monitor. “That’s only because most omegas prefer not to risk getting blood on their clothing. Nothing to do with gender designation.”
“Doesn’t seem right, though,” Emiel said, and stripped off his shirt to reveal broad muscles.
“Yeah, it really doesn’t,” Mia agreed, pulling her blouse off as well, and popping her bra clasp for good measure. “There. Now we’re all equally exposed.” She sent me a cheeky wink, and a tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying eased.
“It’s however you’re most comfortable,” said the nurse, not batting an eyelash at them. “We’re just here for your safety, but I’ve got a feeling you two are going to be absolutely fine.” She bustled around, checking switches and connections, then headed for the door. “Now, take as long as you need. There’s a call button right here by the bed. If any of you have any concerns whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to use it.”
“Thank you,” Mia said for us.
The nurse’s smile this time seemed more genuine. “You’re more than welcome. And congratulations in advance on your mating.”
With that, she left us alone.
My uncertainty flowed back in as the door clicked shut. I shot Emiel what was probably a slightly panicked look. He, too, seemed to be at something of a loss, now that the nurse was gone. Why had this felt so much easier when I’d been half-drunk and clamped around his knot on New Year’s Eve?
“Can I kiss you both?” Mia asked, into the increasingly thick silence.
I nearly fell forward into her arms at the promise of the sweet distraction of her lips. She made a startled sound, her bare breasts pressing against my chest. For the ten thousandth time, I wondered why I couldn’t have been born an alpha—strong enough to stand up for myself and not be a victim.
Somehow, I found myself falling sideways onto the bed, still with Mia’s tongue in my mouth. The mattress dipped behind me as a heavier weight settled onto it, a large body pressing up behind me. With a jolt, I remembered that being an alpha hadn’t saved Emiel. He was as much a victim as I was... it was why we were here now, together.
Mia hummed and broke the kiss with me in favor of pressing her lips to Emiel’s, trapping me in the warm space between them. When she switched back, Emiel’s soft mouth brushed tentatively along the side of my neck. His warm breath sent goosebumps along my skin as he explored lower.
“Do it,” I demanded into the bare space between Mia’s lips and mine. “Please, Emiel... please just do it now!”
Emiel stilled behind me, his big body thrumming with tension. Then, without any further warning, blunt teeth closed around the juncture of my neck and shoulder, clamping down with a terrible force. I felt my skin give way... felt the shock of pain, and the sharp sting of alpha saliva entering my bloodstream. I could only imagine what the heart monitors in the doctor’s office were showing as I cried out in surprise.
And then, all thoughts of the outside world fled as a rushing sound filled my ears, my awareness whooshing inward.
I was in a place so dark that I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. It was endless, echoing, a sucking void of nothingness...and I was not alone here. That horribleawareness prickled at my nerves like tiny jolts of electricity. There was analphahere with me.
I was trapped with an alpha.
An overwhelming sense of danger sent adrenaline crashing through my veins. How could I get away when I couldn’t evensee? I flailed and stumbled backward, my body feeling small and weak andwrong. My arms and legs were too short; thin from hunger and shaky from drugs.
The limbs of a malnourished teenager, barely out of childhood.
I cried out in terror as my back thumped against flesh and bone, and there was an answering cry of fear in return. Spinning around, I came face to face with a scrawny, dark-skinned boy of perhaps seven or eight. He was even shorter than me, and he had the same starved, scared look that I instinctively knew I was wearing.
My mind struggled to make sense of what I was seeing. The boy stared at me with wide brown eyes.
“Y-you’re an omega,” he stammered. “You gotta run—it’s not safe here! He’s gonna come. He always comes at night!”
Something about the utter terror in his eyes jolted me partway out of my panic. “You need to run, too,” I told him, reaching out to take hold of a skinny arm. A surge of unexpected protectiveness rose in my chest. “Come on, I’ll get you out of here. I’ll get you someplace safe!”
It was a stupid thing to say. I had no idea which direction we should run in this dark and featureless place.
The boy balked, refusing to move, even as I tugged at him. “No! You’re anomega! I have t’protect you. You gotta go—I’ll keep him from coming after you!”
Some spark of recognition flared to life inside me, but it was crowded out by fresh terror as the shadows around us coalesced into a towering silhouette. It was as pitch-black as the rest ofthe void around us—an unseen impression of broad shoulders, immense height, and the ugly, choking scent of blood and sandalwood.
A hand like the cold depths of hell itself reached for the boy in front of me.
“No!” I screamed in rage, at the same instant the boy snarled, “Don’t you hurt him!”