Page 25 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

Blushing, I look down at his bare chest, desperate to think about anything other than our awkward frotting in the dark. His tattoos draw me in again. Wanting to steer the talk back to normal, I ask, "So, if they’re not tattoos, then what are they?"

Snow chuckles again, still gently touching my back.

"They showed up when I hit puberty. And as they grew, so did my abilities…"

I stay quiet for a moment, just staring at him.

"When I came to your room the first night… I saw the light shining through your skin. That’s your real form, isn’t it? A being of light?"

Snow lets out a sound that’s part thoughtful, part hesitant, and part amused.

"You could put it like that… to simplify it."

We both slowly sit up, and then Snow helps me stand. Hand in hand, we walk slowly toward the shore.

"I really want to show you my real form too… I’ll do it one day, Snow. Okay?" I whisper.

He nods. "I’ll be waiting."

◆◆◆

The next day we set our date for one o’clock in the afternoon, since it’s the easiest time to see all the fish around the tunnel in the oceanarium. I feel nervous, because here comes the first real date of my life.

I spend a long time deciding what to wear.

In the end, I let my hair down, brushing it so it falls in soft waves to my hips.

Its caramel-fudge shade complements my light, slightly rosy skin.

My lips are naturally pink, so I only add a touch of gloss.

My brows and lashes are brown, and I brush on a little dark-brown mascara to bring them out.

For clothes, I choose a purple, flowery shirt with a collar, hoping it hides the scars on my neck. On my legs I put on a pair of super-tight jeans Lake picked up for me during our trip to the store. They really were a good choice; the clingy fabric exposes the shape of my ass perfectly.

Then I slip into purple sneakers. A light spray of violet cologne finishes it off. I haven’t shaved, but it’s not a problem; a lot of omegas barely grow any hair, and sometimes it doesn’t even show up until later in life, maybe above thirty.

Once I’m ready, I head downstairs. Lake is curled up on the couch in Aiden’s lap, kissing him with all the passion in the world. The moment he notices me, he springs up with a wide smile.

"I’m so glad you two are going out! I know Snow likes to stay home, but it can get a bit claustrophobic after some time, right?"

I blush and say nothing. I don’t feel like talking about our date; people tend to make too big a deal out of it, especially family.

"The jeans look good…" Lake murmurs in a conspiratorial tone, but I kinda ignore it.

A few minutes later Snow appears, dressed sharper than I expected. He’s in a black suit with a dark-purple shirt, sleek and elegant, but different too; he looks more serious, more mature. His hair is pulled back perfectly, not a single strand escaping.

The moment I see him, I head his way, not wanting to give Lake the chance to toss out any more enthusiastic comments. I slip onto the porch and down the steps quickly, like I’m escaping a fire, and Snow has no choice but to follow.

In silence we make our way to the garage, where he brings out his Jaguar. He opens the door for me, and I slide inside.

For a while we drive without talking, just exchanging glances. There’s a small smile at the corner of his lips each time I catch his eye.

"You know," he says finally, "I’ve never been on a date either."

I nearly open my mouth in surprise. I have to ask, even if it costs me a stab of pain, "What about before this… twelve-year-long relationship?"

Snow gives me a look.

"Like you, I didn’t attend school, I was homeschooled, just constantly composing and playing my instruments.

I had some… let’s say, a crush at the time, but it didn’t turn into what you would call ‘dating’.

When I was nineteen, I decided to start giving private music lessons, tutoring kids.

Theo was the parent of one of my students. So. No dating for me."

Silence falls.

So that’s the name: Theo, the guy Snow was tied to for years.

"How did it all start?" I choke out.

"Nothing special, really." Snow continues after a while. "Theo has a husband; he never planned on leaving him. The guy, Tim, is an omega, so he can’t go into rut, and Theo would complain sometimes that the heat cycles were hard for them. One day Theo asked me directly if I’d help him during one.

He said his husband had agreed to open their marriage. "

I stare at him. For a nineteen-year-old, the idea of wild, passionate sex with an omega in heat must have been tempting. I can’t really blame him. And yet the way he talks about it makes me uneasy.

Twelve years, that’s not casual. There had to be some attachment.

Snow seems to sense my discomfort. He goes quiet, his face thoughtful. Then he adds, almost dryly, "Long story short, we never had a normal date. It was always just meeting up and fucking. Nothing more."

I swallow hard and glance out the window. In some ways, he doesn’t have more experience than I do. But in others… I can only wonder. Does he love sex? Is his sex drive strong? That would be awesome, since I walk around with all this pent-up energy myself, sporting wood more often than I’d like.

The thought stirs something inside me, a curiosity that feels almost uncontrollable.

I wonder if it will happen tonight. Will I finally have anal sex with another person for the first time?

Gosh, I hate forcing my closed throat to speak, but I do it anyway. I push through, "Was he your only sexual partner?"

Snow grimaces slightly, clearly not comfortable with the topic. It’s not shame exactly, but something else, as if he doesn’t think it matters or doesn’t want to dwell on it.

"No. Over the years a few other parents, mostly single omegas, asked for my help during their heats. But those weren’t relationships, Summer. No dates, nothing like that. It was only sex."

He looks at me steadily, his voice firm.

"I’ve never had a real boyfriend, nor have I ever been in love."

The silence that follows is heavy.

In love? It feels so… alien, far away. We’re only just beginning to know each other. I like him a lot, I’m drawn to him, but the thought of something more between us feels like diving into an unknown ocean. Exciting and scary at the same time.

What lies ahead of us?

Snow pulls into a big parking lot.

I notice families with kids getting out of nearby cars, and I feel a little self-conscious. Maybe this place is mostly for kids. Are we the only couple here? Looks like it.

We walk into the oceanarium and buy our tickets.

The complex is beautiful. First we pass through several massive halls, each with towering tanks of fish and sea creatures. But the main attraction is a long tunnel stretching hundreds of yards along the ocean floor, right through a coral reef.

And then something nice happens. As we step into the tunnel, Snow reaches for my hand.

For a second, I flinch; touching another person still requires some barriers in me to break, but the moment our skin comes into contact, a wave of relief washes over me.

It’s better that way; my mind clears, the fog disappears. I know I’ll be able to talk to him normally now, without pushing through the pain that comes with every sentence.

It feels a little strange but also exciting to walk through the oceanarium holding hands. It’s such a small, innocent pleasure, a sweet piece of normal life, and somehow it means more to me than I ever expected.

People walk by us, and they probably regard us as a couple, and it’s… just cute!

I blush and occasionally glance at the other omegas to make sure they see what a hot alpha I’ve snagged.

We step into the long tunnel, and the view is breathtaking. Schools of fish swirl around us, feeding on the reefs, their colors and shapes hypnotic. Light cuts down through the surface of the water in long, rippling beams, and for a while I just stare, captivated.

Inside me there’s this conflict, a pull between wanting a huge aquarium of my own and the guilt of knowing the fish inside wouldn’t be free. They’d be trapped in a small space, maybe safe but still contained.

We reach a glass wall where a stunning school of golden and silver fish glides past. I lift my free hand and press it against the glass.

A few of them swim closer, curious, as if expecting food, or maybe just drawn to movement.

I watch their shimmering bodies, and out of the corner of my eye I notice Snow watching me.

Slowly I turn toward him. Our eyes meet, and the silence stretches, not awkward but strangely exciting.

Snow's eyes shift over my face.

"You’re so beautiful, Summer… so perfect."

The word ‘perfect’ makes me cringe a little inside; some inner resistance kicks in.

I pull my hand from the glass and frown at him.

"I’m not. Don’t say that. I’m anything but."

Snow smiles almost wistfully. He lifts a hand and brushes a strand of hair away from my face.

"You know… not many people would have done what you did. You chose to live in captivity and suffer just because you knew they’d go after your family otherwise.

You had no idea how long this… slavery would last, maybe your whole life would be wasted and crushed by the mafia, and you still went through with it. "

Heat rises in my cheeks.

Wow, so he sees my past this way?

Not ‘a paid mafia whore’ after all.

I feel a strange, aching tenderness in my chest. I never did any of it to be recognized, never wanted praise, but the fact that he sees it and calls it a sacrifice makes something inside me soften. Suddenly that dark, heavy force within me seems to ease just a little.

"To me, you’re a hero," he says quietly.

And then he slowly lifts my hand, turns it palm up, and places a gentle kiss on my wrist—right on my wrist gland. A shiver runs through me. I want more of the sweetness woven into his energy, yet at the same time I feel like I don’t deserve it.