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MARLOWE

As soon as we arrived back at Elias’s Greystone, he found the big, fuzzy blanket he’d purchased the other day and wrapped me up in it, and then turned on his electric kettle to make me a cup of my favorite tea.

“Sit on the couch with Archer, I’ll be right with you guys.”

Archer pulled me up onto his lap and began to purr, lowering my head onto his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, I should have gone with you.”

“Into the bathroom?”

I joked. The shock of being pounced on by that man had started to wear off, and now the whole incident just seemed absurd. Was I really so potent that now my scent was affecting humans?

Elias handed me a mug—the creamy, light brown color indicating he’d added the correct amount of milk. I took a sip and Archer chuckled. “No, I don’t think we need to go quite that far yet, but at least we could have waited outside the door. I have a feeling, and I think Elias does, too, that there’s more to you than we realize.”

“What do you mean?”

I asked. Elias reached under the blanket and took out my feet, massaging them as he spoke.

“You’re the only omega I’ve ever known,”

Archer replied. “Aside from some much older women, of course. And maybe it’s because we haven’t had any other experiences with your designation, but the reactions you incite in us are overwhelming. And not just for shifters, but vampyrs and apparently now humans, too. It begs the question—what makes you so attractive across so many species?”

“Um, my winning personality, obviously,”

I quipped, tossing my hair over my shoulder.

Archer laughed, bopping me lightly on the nose. “Obviously. Vampyrs have a highly developed sense of smell, similar to shifters, so I could understand how one would at least clock your designation in a crowded room and perhaps become interested. When we walked through Sal’s, though, I noticed nearly every human man turn his head and follow you with their eyes. And the second you were alone, one of them approached you.”

“Oh come on,”

I replied. “I’ve walked alone ever since college, and I’ve never been bombarded by that amount of male attention before. I mean, I got the occasional pick-up line or cat call, sure. But not like what you’re suggesting.”

“Marlowe,”

Elias said. “You were on hormone suppressants before. A shifter or vamp could have picked up on your scent if they were close enough, but not humans. Now though? You’re practically a walking aphrodisiac for anyone with a nose.

I thought about my life before my mom had tricked me into taking those pills. Looking back, it probably was most likely alphas that were the boldest with me as I’d matured. It had always seemed to be the big, scary guys who’d tried to corner me on the street or at the store, sniffing and asking for my number.

Ezra had even complained to me about my “perfume,”

which at the time had confused me since I never wore any.

God, my poor brother. Having a few answers to the mysteries of my family now—the reason Ezra always felt left out, and the possible reason why dad left—didn’t make me hate my mom like Ezra had, but I could see now that she’d definitely made some mistakes. She could have found another alpha to take my brother under his wing, to let him know his body was perfectly normal, but instead she’d forced him to hide himself and feel ashamed.

It’s no wonder he’d been pulled so easily into a weirdo cult.

Archer took out his phone, reading from the strange prophetic message he’d found in my dad’s office.

“…The girl, an Omega of unparalleled grace…”

“Yeah, that’s debatable. Have you guys seen me dance yet?”

Out of all the adjectives one could use to describe me, “graceful”

was not on that list.

Archer pinched my side and continued. “…Her perfume shall tame the fiercest storms. Her bond, the key to the balance of worlds. For she is the arrow that will pierce the hearts of men and fae alike.”

The clock on the mantelpiece ticked, echoing in the cavernous silence of Elias’s large home.

“But you think it’s about me and Ezra, right? What does it say about him, again?”

“Born of light and pain, he is the sword that protects all. The boy shall rise, the Alpha of Alphas. A warrior unmatched, his strength unrivaled. None before or after shall wield such might.”

“‘Alpha of Alphas?’ Come on. Ezra is a teddy bear. He volunteered at the senior center when we were in high school, playing gin rummy with grandmas on Sundays. He’s not a hard, tough guy.”

“He radiates power,”

Elias said, looking somewhat shaken. “Maybe you didn’t notice it as much last week since the moment was so tense and emotional for you, but I’ve been in his presence enough times to know how strong he is. I don’t mean physically, either. Shifters have an innate sense for power and dominance. I hate to admit it, but I feel like if he barked at me…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, finding it hard to say the words out loud.

“I feel the same way,”

Archer said. “We watched him fight, and I felt the authority in his voice. He could command us all in a heartbeat if he ever felt so inclined. I have no idea what he’s waiting for if he means to take you, because I don’t think we could stop him. Not very easily, at least.”

I was getting sick to my stomach even imagining my brother hurting my pack or trying to take me away from them. We both knew we were shifters now, and so he must have known too what it meant to be bonded. How could he try to break us up?

“What can we do, then?”

I asked. “I love my brother, but it feels like his brain’s been scrambled. If this fae world is real, if this fae king has convinced him that he and I are meant to fulfill this prophecy, and if you aren’t sure you could beat him…”

“That doesn’t mean we’re giving up,”

Elias stated, his body growing tense. “Marlowe, we will find a way.”

Archer nodded in agreement. “That’s why I’m down here. I think some of the answers might be found in researching what was really happening during the Great War. It can’t be a coincidence that the battles took place in areas known for their spiritual connections, or that both shifters and vampyrs walked away without their abilities when it was over.”

I nuzzled my face in his neck, breathing in his calming scent of sea salt and jasmine. Archer was a researcher, a seeker of knowledge. I knew he was doing this to protect me, but I hated the idea of him being far away. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle you being gone for so long,”

I said, feeling the tears pool in my eyes. “It already feels like torture.”

Archer pulled me in tightly, releasing a resigned sigh. “For me, too. But knowing that my work might keep you safe will be worth it.”

Elias, sensing that Archer and I needed some alone time, stood up and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “I’ve got to get up early tomorrow morning, so I’ll head to bed now. Good night, you two.”

I heard his footsteps retreat up the stairs and turned to Archer, wiping my lash line and putting on a smile. I had no intention of spending the night crying. “I found an old Halloween costume when I was packing up my stuff in San Francisco.”

Archer’s pulsed quickened, and I could feel his cock harden beneath my thighs. “Is that so? What is it?”

I started slowly unbuttoning his shirt, slipping my hand through to feel his hot, smooth skin. “Perhaps it’s a bit on the nose, but it’s a sexy Little Red Riding Hood.”

A low growl of approval sounded through his chest. “Am I your Big Bad Wolf, then?”

“Well,”

I whispered, wriggling out of my blanket and straddling him across his lap. “You’re definitely a wolf.”

I ground against his erection and he sharply inhaled, his hands firmly gripping my hips.

“And you certainly are big…”

I leaned down and nipped his ear, his arousal growing. “But can you be bad?”

He chuckled darkly, fisting my hair forcefully and bringing his mouth to my now exposed neck. His teeth grazed my sensitive skin, giving me goosebumps and making my nipples harden in anticipation.

“Oh Marlowe, you have no idea…”