Page 3 of Facets of Attraction (Betas in Waiting #30)

H oney smiled as she watched the fight between them and the different costumes that Asel had put on as the music drove their attacks and retreats.

The audience watching laughed, clapped, and had a great time. Honey wished that Asel could watch this, but since she had come back, she had been a stickler for anchoring herself to society. That meant a job where she saw people but not too many.

Honey frowned. Since Asel had been taken and had come back, she was different. Her sister refused to explain more than she and the others had been turned into a battery. Honey didn t know how that had worked or what was involved, but Asel wasn t her normal happy-go-lucky self. Asel used to tease alphas for fun and flirt with everything. Now, she went out of her way not to be involved with men. Her time as a stripper was over, and the money that she was making now didn t even touch what she had made on stage.

Asel had become timid and locked into rules. It scared Honey. Rules used to be her least favourite thing.

Honey looked at the gorgeous man, who was sitting next to his dark and grim bodyguard. They were Asel s mates. She knew that Asel was going to hide behind the stunning man and hope that she wasn t noticed. She did the same thing around Honey now. They had the same face, but no one saw the true Asel anymore. There were flickers of it in the video clips, but she always went back to her contained self. Honey just wanted her sister back. The uptight woman in the tailored uniform bore little resemblance to the woman who had just cannonballed off a cliff in the videos.

Honey felt a shift next to her and glanced over at Alen and Baran. She couldn t believe Asel had told them, but as Asel had stated, it was fair. In one night, they both had their mates, but Honey knew that her sister wasn t going to stay around for a polite introduction. Fine. She was going to bring them home, where Asel couldn t get away.

She wanted her sister back, and if Asel needed mates to feel secure, she was going to deal with them.

* * * *

D awn was starting as Asel pulled into home, and she took a shower, changed into PJs, and climbed under the quilts. Honey was better at people. She could deal with all the mates showing up on the same day.

Asel woke up mid-afternoon, stretched, headed to the bathroom, and brushed her teeth before walking downstairs for coffee and food. There was a weird feeling of tension as she descended. Honey?

Yes, goober. Want coffee?

Asel came around the corner and blinked at the collection of dark elves. Uh. Yeah. I would say make it black, but that seems dangerous... considering. You had to bring them home?

The pretty man smiled. She led us here with the promise of candy. Our people didn t have stranger-danger warnings.

Asel said weakly, Oh. Okay. She looked at pretty boy s companion and started to hyperventilate. She ran outside.

He didn t deserve death, but she wanted to hurt him so very much. The sight of him filled her with rage, and she wasn t at work, so she didn t need to hide it.

Her two followed her onto the porch, where she was holding the railing and trying to get control of herself.

The man in question touched her cheek. Didn t they tell you not to run?

She whirled on him, her eyes blazed, and her body burst into flame. He stumbled back. I screamed for help. You heard me begging, but you released him and left us to die!

He flinched and stepped back. I didn t know you were there. I had gone through halls of illusion and thought that it was just a distraction to keep me from getting him.

Asel nodded. You got him. You carried him out of there, and we were still there when the rescue was over. They were gone, and everyone left us there to die.

The pretty one said, You escaped.

I used everything I had to get out of my cell and then broke the others out. The silence was deafening, and I brought them all home but two years ago, so we had a chance to heal.

Honey was crying. Why didn t you tell me?

What? That I wasn t worth saving? That no one was coming for us? I heard you roaring, and then you didn t come either. She couldn t stop the tears and the fire pooling around her. I have needed help once in my life, and there was no one there.

Honey blinked. I forgot about you. I was lost in the rage and madness, and I forgot. I went to look for you, and I couldn t find you, and then I was home and you were home, and I only remembered you missing for eight years and then coming home wasted away and tired, with the others.

The pretty one asked, Others?

There were four of us stuck in our glass prisons, our magic drained away to feed the Elite. She felt numb, and the black flame was still coursing around her. She swayed; it was hard to use that much energy in her beta form. Her omega form was better able to manage, but she didn t want to let them see her. They didn t deserve it.

Asel? Honey s voice was concerned.

Hm? She looked at her twin and saw the horror in her expression. Is it the eye thing again?

Honey nodded.

Aw, fuck. She felt herself falling, and then the thud of the floor hitting her never happened.

The bodyguard had caught her and lifted her. I will not let you be hurt by my actions or lack of them again. What is causing this distress?

Too short for this much power, she mumbled and then fainted.

Her head was throbbing, and a cup of coffee was slid in front of her. The table was at a weird angle. She reached down to get the cup, but another hand snagged it and brought it up to her. She was sitting on the lap of the pretty one.

She looked at him as she sipped and checked out his ears. You have familiar ears.

He smiled. I saw yours in the video clips. Yours are magnificent.

They aren t nice and pretty like Honey s.

Hers are elf ears. Yours are not.

She blinked. What?

Did the Elite see them?

No. They did a power test and shoved me in the case.

Ah. That hall was heavily enchanted to keep anyone from going in for us. By the way, I am Vemel; our third is Themak.

Okay, Vemel. What are you?

He grinned. Like your form, my alternate form is my business and isn t just shared casually. There needs to be bonds before you will see me as I am.

That s cryptic.

You are still a cute beta. So, it s fair.

My clothes will shred, and I haven t washed the stuff from the vacation yet, so nothing fits.

He nodded. Fair enough. You don t know how to make your own?

Only if I am already in the other form. I can t start cold.

You have no training?

She grimaced. It wasn t offered. I think there might have been a reason for that.

My cell was tight. Yours?

It was made to fit this body.

He nodded. And you can t use magic with focus in this form. How did you get out?

I had lost fifty pounds and was able to get my feet up in front of me. I used the dark fire and pushed with my feet until I burned a hole that was large enough for me to crawl out of. Then it was easy. I unlocked the other ladies, and we huddled together and decided that we wanted to go back far enough that we could recover but could still be considered released during the take down. No one would know they left us behind.

He looked at her and asked, Why was that important?

Two of the ladies had children with the Elite, and they don t want their kids to know how they came into the world, and the third was taken in place of her tween daughter because that lady had no aversion to sex. The higher-ups found out about her and tried to go back for her daughter, but the woman s son had manifested his enhanced alpha, and he s a demon alpha with a sideline of blacksmithing, so they weren t going anywhere near her. He expressed his opinion most decidedly.

Vemel smiled. That would be an effective deterrent.

The ladies are all living together at the home of that last lady s family. They welcomed her back with open arms, and the other ladies have taken their little cottage business and chickens with them.

Vemel sighed. So, what is your biggest point of distress?

Men.

He winced. Any specifics?

The regular at the club that saw me flicker once and sold me to the Elite. The Elite who used me and hurt me to try and force my shape to change while they laughed. The bastards who locked me in that glass-fronted cell and left me there to leech power for a decade.

He sighed. You were going to add Themak to that.

Yes, but if Honey couldn t find me, there is no way anyone else could find me. She sipped more coffee. I just have to keep repeating that until I believe it. My rage was what let me burn through that fucking window. Maybe I should get him some flowers.

Vemel laughed. I think he would like that.

Where is he?

He s with your sister and her two, discussing everything about you and how to calm your ire.

Ouch. He s going to be really depressed really soon. So, how long have you been out?

We went back fifteen years. I needed more time to recover.

She nodded. That explains the modelling. I just have one more question for you.

Please.

How can you be an omega?

His grin was slow. You caught that, huh?

Yeah. The extraction units worked on sex drive, but no one treats you like an omega.

I am a special case.

I would say. Your conditioner probably costs more than my car.

I am from the royal family. I choose my partners and my bond family.

Oh.

Yes. Now, if you were a simple beta, I would not go near you, but I saw you in action, and your markings are definitely in line with what I would expect in my mate.

But you can choose.

I can, but I would like to meet you before I do.

So Themak is your mate?

Vemel chuckled. He is not. He is a friend from childhood. We have been bound for a long time.

What do you do during your heats?

I confine them. Bottle them. Remove them from me and put them on a shelf. He chuckled. It is old magic, though I hear there is one of yours who can do it.

She blinked. Oh, that would be handy. I hate them. They are frustrating.

Vemel nodded. I do recall that they are. I will do what I can to mitigate your difficulties.

Good. She paused. Thank you.

He smiled. Do you trust me a little? Enough to be you?

She grimaced. I am going to have to cut my clothing off, but yeah. She tried to ease off his lap.

Where are you going?

I am gonna get bigger.

He chuckled. I know. I am braced for it.

Right. I don t want to get in trouble for squishing an Elite omega.

I am not an elf. Close but not. So shift.

She slammed down the last of her coffee, took a deep breath, and formed into the pasty elf he had seen on the video.

He exhaled slowly. Oh, Asel. You are everything I dreamed of. He smiled. And a princess as well.

He carefully traced the markings on her forehead. Lovely, and it may as well be a property stamp.

She flinched. Great.

Not unlike your sister s wildling mark.

She exhaled slowly. Right.

He stroked the neckline of the tight tee, and the black diamond was clear to him. He smiled. That is Themak s mark. It is also where you get the fire from.

Why does it have to be black on white?

As you age and use more magic, you will shift to soft grey and then continue on until your skin is as dark as mine right now.

Um, interesting.

He grinned. And because you trusted me with your features, you can now see mine.

He shifted, and instead of black, his skin was navy blue. His hair was the dark red of old blood, and stars sparkled in it. His ears had the strange ridges that hers had, and his teeth were all sharp up front, not just canines.

Blue. There was something about blue. Wait. There... I remember... are you a djinn?

He nodded and chuckled. Prince Vemel of the royal house of Akamora. We have spent the last decade and a bit in Asia. When the time was lined up with the escape, we returned.

Why do you use black instead of this?

Oh, many cultures have biases against red hair. In many places, it is the sign of a demon or devil. I prefer a serene life, and this is a simple illusion. I keep the ears.

She blinked. Illusions. She used them all the time.

He smiled. You use illusions.

She met his gaze and made her marks disappear.

His gaze got warm. His eyes should have been red, but they turned into a molten bronze.

She sighed and twisted. I need to change.

So, do it here.

She winced. Preferences on style?

He grinned and leaned to get his phone out of his pocket. He quickly scrolled through images and showed her the outfit she was wearing in the video. This one?

She shrugged and was wearing the Egyptian-style outfit a moment later. The wrap around her breasts left her mark bright and visible. The dark grey with the bronze trim was flattering, and she felt she had walked off the side of a pyramid.

He smiled. You are stunning. Gorgeous. Spectacular. Can we go find Themak?

Asel nodded. Okay. They aren t in the house.

Honey took them for a walk.

Then, dear one, lead the way.

Asel got up and stood next to him. He was eight inches taller than she was when he stood up, which is why she had thought he was a pretty alpha, but his presence in the battery indicated that that wasn t the case. It was something she had forgotten until she saw him here.

He took her hand and smiled. Thank you for trusting me.

I am working on it.

Thank you. Shall we?

She sighed, led the way out onto the front porch, and then found Honey without looking. She was always able to track her sister. It was one of the things that had hurt that day. She didn t know that she couldn t be found.

Asel walked across the yard to the trees with the picnic table. Two people shot to their feet when they saw Asel and Vemel. Themak and Honey.

Honey ran toward her and hugged her. I was so scared when you fainted.

Asel hugged her sister. I am fine. I am just working through a few things.

Themak took a few steps toward her and paused cautiously. She focused and produced a bouquet of flowers. Peace offering?

Themak smiled and accepted the flowers. Not necessary, but I am grateful.

She nodded.

He looked at the flowers and grinned. These are my favourites.

Asel was startled. They are?

Anything offered by you is my favourite. His expression was cute. It was like he was a shy obsidian wall. His gaze looked at the mark under her collarbone, and his smile turned wondrous. Oh.

She saw his fixed gaze and touched the mark. It was on the video.

I thought it was a special effect, he whispered, and his free hand curled as if he wanted to touch the mark.

They didn t have time for that. Honey chuckled. Our marks are our marks.

Asel smiled and glanced over at her sister. Uh-oh.

Honey blinked. What?

You are unfurling.

Honey blushed. Oh. Yeah. So, less than seventy-two hours.

Asel blinked. Well, we are going to get out of your way. I am sure we can go to eat or something.

Honey laughed. You aren t too far off either.

Yeah, but... I am out of sync.

Vemel asked, You are?

My body was...

Emaciated. The others weren t nearly as bad, but she wasn t there as long.

Vemel paused. Ten years?

Asel sidled away. Yes.

Ten years ago, I was able to regain strength, and it let me contact Themak for the first time. When the attack at the Stronghold commenced, he was able to reach me, and I was surprisingly fine.

Honey blinked and then looked at Asel. What did you do?

Asel took another step away. Nothing.

Honey moved toward her. Asel, what did you do?

Asel looked at the pointy-ear convention and said, I will tell you but not here.

They walked to the other side of the property, and Asel explained why the others were all in better shape than she was. They were dying when she arrived, and she had more resources, so she gave them to the others.

Honey crushed her in a hug. You are an idiot but a thoughtful idiot. Did you lose any of the others?

Two. They were so weak when I arrived that I couldn t do anything for them.

Oh, sweetie. I am so sorry.

She looked at Honey. I felt them die.

Honey held her close, and Asel shivered.

* * * *

V emel sighed. Would it be rude to pull Asel away?

Themak snorted. Probably. I still want to, though.

Alen looked at the women. She said seventy-two hours, right? And we are wasting time here?

Vemel looked at him. She is comforting her sister. Much about her return was concealed to save feelings, and I am here as proof that things progressed past what she had mentioned.

Baran sighed. But you don t know how frustrating it is to catch her scent while she gets closer.

Vemel snorted. You do know what they were consuming from Asel, myself, and the others.

Magic?

Sex. They drained it all out of us, and then she arrived, and they plugged her into the system, and everything they took from then on, they took from her. For over ten years. The entire Stronghold drew their strength and lust from her . Vemel looked at what would be his in-laws. The price of our survival was her strength.

Honey s voice spoke. And we are twins. Identical twins that morphed into different creatures when the power kicked on. Until then, we were two bodies and one heart. When she left, my heart left, and it didn t return until she did. My mates will need to understand that she comes first until I have a child, and then she is second, and my mates are third. There isn t any doubt about it.

Alen sighed. Fine. I accept that your bond is closer than most siblings, but my beast may feel differently.

Asel smiled slightly, walked up to Alen, and stared at him. There was a ripple of fur that ran over his body. She stared into the beast s eyes, and they both blinked slowly.

Alen nodded slowly. Asel smiled and patted his arm. I am glad we have an understanding.

He shuddered again, and the alpha elf was standing there. You talked directly to him.

Yes. He understands the bonds cubs have and is very excited that we are close to a heat. He s not going to let Honey out of his sight until then.

Honey snorted. Did you tell him that, too?

Asel laughed. He can smell it. He told me all about how pretty you smell with curls of musk coming in. It was very detailed and kinda gross.

Honey covered her cheeks with her hands. You can stop talking now.

Okay. But always remember, you started this. Bug. Asel s voice was soft. And now, you go and get used to that rough tongue.

Honey made a startled sound, and Asel laughed.

Vemel pulled Asel back against him. I believe we should separate and reconvene after Honey s heat.

Asel muttered, That doesn t sound better no matter how many times you hear it.

Alen pulled Honey over and wrapped his arms around her. I think it sounds wonderful. We will be at my home.

Asel nodded. I will come to Honey if she needs me, but as ya ll are about to get naked, I am hoping that she doesn t.

Honey muttered, I am going to kick your ass you pearly tw-

They were gone.