Page 7 of Omega Captive of the Golden Dragon (Alpha Dragons #3)

VARIK

T he gate alarm went off, notifying me of Val’s arrival. I’d been looking forward to his visit all week. I’d prepared a big late lunch of warm, newly baked bread, cold cuts, fruit and a tossed salad. The food delivery had arrived yesterday and everything was still fresh.

Val always brought me gifts. Usually, food and other supplies I could use.

He knew I hated dealing with delivery guys.

I always made them text me at the gate to leave the supplies and go.

Then I’d drive down in my truck to pick up the packages.

Luckily, with Val’s arrival, I’d be well-stocked for the next couple of weeks.

I set up a table in the living room by the fire. Though the house was sufficiently heated, it was a particularly cold day, and I knew he’d like the added warmth.

Val was the only visitor I ever had here. He had tried, over the years, to get me to go out. “If you’re truly afraid there are gold brokers out there I missed dealing with, or that our parents are looking for you, you can afford a bodyguard or two. Right?”

I couldn’t disagree. But the truth was, I didn’t trust anyone. Even if Val vetted the guards, I would still be terrified.

Val was kind-hearted. He never criticized me.

But sometimes I saw it in his eyes. I was his pathetic older brother who needed more help than he could give.

Emotionally. Spiritually. He’d made sure I had all the comforts, but the rest was my own problem.

My experiences had backed me into a corner I was unable to leave.

Today, though, I wasn’t going to think about any of that. I was going to enjoy my brother’s company for as long as I could beg him to stay.

The garage door opened, making a slight purring through the wall.

I clapped my hands together once and headed for the inner door.

Maybe he’d brought enough gifts he would need my help bringing them in.

I wasn’t greedy. I could order whatever I wanted.

But it was such a thrill for me when he brought me surprises.

I was starved for excitement in my life.

I opened the door and peered past my truck at his pretty black car just as he was getting out of it. My heart pounded.

Someone to share a meal with. Someone to talk face to face with. Every visit from Val was like a holiday.

I started to smile and take a step forward. Until I heard the passenger door open. All the air left my lungs.

“Val?”

Val took a step toward me. “Before you say a word, let me explain.”

I saw motion on the other side of the car, someone moving out of the passenger seat. “What is—is that?”

“I’ve brought someone I’d like you to meet.”

“I—I don’t understand. Someone?” Familiar fear from my past started to prickle my insides. The flight instinct nearly overcame me. I wanted to run for the inner door and slam it shut, locking it from the inside. Instead, I stood frozen before my traitor brother.

“Please.” Val held out his arms. “He’s a lot like you. Afraid. No place to go.”

“No.” I shook my head fast. “No, no, no.” He knew my rule about no guests.

“Listen to me.”

I kept shaking my head, but Val wouldn’t stop speaking.

“You’re alone up here. It’s not healthy. Caylen is an outcast. Like you. Please just meet him.”

“You don’t get to do this.” My lungs began to burn. I took deep, heaving breaths, but my fury only grew. “You don’t. You didn’t even ask. How dare you?”

Val let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. I didn’t ask or warn you. I’m a terrible person. You can yell at me all you want. But first, can we talk? Civilly. Please. Give me the afternoon to hear me out. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Okay?”

What was he saying? There was still a stranger here in my garage. I wasn’t going to stand for it.

“Take him away now. Then we’ll talk.”

Val threw back his head in the biggest eye-roll I’d ever seen from my usually soft-hearted brother.

“Take him where? You want me to make him wait outside? No. Not going to happen. You’re going to be polite and invite us into your house.

It’s safe. I promise. I would never compromise you. You know that.”

I did know. But that logic failed to soothe me. Varikan rustled deep inside.

I smell an omega.

My dragon stated it as a fact with no emotional response. Now things had really gone too far. “Really, Val? An omega? What the ever-fucking fuck?”

“Fuck you, big bro. He needs help. You remember when you needed help? And I gave it?”

Not once had Val thrown that subject in my face to manipulate me. “Fuck.”

“Seriously, can we talk? Just let us in. It’s cold out here. Don’t you keep your garage heated?”

I did. Just not as hot as the rest of the house. I rarely used it, or my truck. To keep the driveway plowed, I’d go out the front door after dark, strip, shift, and use my dragon fire to clear the snow to the gate so I could use my pickup to get deliveries.

Now I had a big decision to make. Every emotion inside me told me to send Val away. This was too much. Too hard.

“Please,” Val said, voice lower. “Caylen has nowhere else to go. I’m not making him wait out here. Let us in. Give me one hour. Then you can kick us out.”

“I don’t know.” With all my warning bells and fears, I could barely hear myself think. Varikan spoke up.

He’s an omega in trouble. We are lonely.

Something squeezed deep in my chest. My eyes suddenly stung.

I’d never heard my beast say anything like that before, not even during the years we were locked in the shed. He was afraid of others. He had only ever been hurt by everyone we’d met since we’d been caged.

“One hour,” Val repeated.

One hour is all he asks.

With Varikan siding with Val, what other choice did I have?

“Besides,” Val continued. “What harm can a small omega who can’t shift do?”

Oh, he’s a set-omega. That’s interesting.

“You have forty-five minutes. Then you go.” I made a slicing motion through the air.

Just then, a petite male came around the front of the car, head bowed.

He had on a new purple parka. Val must’ve bought it for him.

His hair was golden brown, bangs swept up with some sort of product, though coming loose, strands hanging down.

He looked like he had slept in the car. I knew how that felt.

I’d slept in many cars whenever I was taken to faraway spaces to have my scales ripped off.

Damn Val.

Without another word, I turned away from them and walked toward the door. I was tempted to slam it in my brother’s face, but Varikan shot me a rare command.

No! We are safe. He can’t shift.

That was when what both Val and Varikan had said finally settled into my own brain. He’d brought me a set-omega. What had my brother done?

Behind me, I heard bags being unloaded. Two sets of footsteps followed me. I heard the door close and lock. We walked through a short hall to the kitchen. I still didn’t look back when the bags crackled as they were set on the center island.

I heard Val mumble to the omega. “You can take off your parka and scarf and hang them here. Wait here at the dinette. I’m going to talk to him.”

I was outraged. He was leaving the stranger alone in my kitchen? With no one watching him? No way.

I whirled on my brother, not realizing he was now right behind me. My long hair nearly hit him in the face. In seconds, my words piled up.

“He’s a set-omega? Really, Val? That means he’s not even here of his own free will.”

Val had the audacity to grip my shoulder and guide me out of the kitchen. “Let’s go into the other room. Now.”

“And leave him alone in here?” I glanced around him to see the omega sitting, head still down, at my breakfast nook. That was my breakfast nook and no one else’s.

“What do you think he’ll do?” Val asked, tone carrying a little hiss.

“I don’t know.”

“Damn it, let’s go.” Val spoke over his shoulder. “Caylen, feel free to grab water if you’re thirsty, or anything else. The fridge is open.”

“Hey, that’s my food!”

Val shoved me again, harder, as together we walked into my living room. He let out a small sound as he saw my table carefully set up with our luncheon by a warm, roaring fire, and the games stacked on the coffee table.

“That looks good.”

“It’s not for you,” I grumbled.

“Oh?”

“Not anymore.” I glared.

We headed for the couch and sat. I kept my glare on him hoping he’d feel guilty and leave immediately.

The fire snapped in the hearth but no longer felt warm and inviting.

“Okay.” Val took a breath so deep it lifted his shoulders. “Now. Where do I start?”

“Maybe start with saying you’re sorry and you’ll be leaving and taking that omega with you. What did you do? Kidnap him? That’s not right. And it’s not right that you brought him here.”

“What was I supposed to do with him, then? He has nowhere else to go. And frankly, we’ve had this discussion before. You are too isolated, too alone.”

“I have the Internet. And I do my sculpting and goldsmithing, which you broker for me.”

“The Internet, right. Which you hardly use for anything social. And your artwork goes into the world under a nom de plume.”

“It’s not my fault our parents had me declared dead.”

But he was right. We’d had this talk so many times I’d lost count. It always ended with me saying I’d try harder to socialize. But I was always lying. I had no intention of going back to a world that was so cruel with people who would hold me captive and torture me just to steal my scales.

Val took care of everything. My accounts, my livelihood, even my home… all of it was under his name. I had access, credit cards, everything I needed, but all of it came to Mr. V. Destrial. My I.D. had my photo but only that name, with the V technically representing Valcor.

He’d tried to get me to take back my name and have me legally declared alive again. He had friends who were on the police force; some of them had privately helped him take care of my tormentors. He told me he could get that done at any time. I’d refused.

“There are good people in this world,” he said.

“I only know one. You,” I replied.

He settled himself more comfortably on the couch, knee bent up and faced me. “Caylen needs asylum. I have no one else to turn to.”

“How do you know him?”

He glanced at his hands which were folded across his stomach.

“Val? Where did you meet him?”

“Well, I—I?—”

“He’s a set-omega from one of the wolf countries. I can smell the wolf blood in him even without his beast. Those heathens always sell their sets. What did you do, buy him?”

He cleared his throat. “Technically, I suppose. Yes.”

“What?” I banged on the arm of my side of the couch. “You bought him? For me? What did you do, go to a set auction?”

“You can’t be mad. Technically, I rescued him.”

“You’re using the word technically too much for my liking.” At that point, I got up and walked toward the living room window, my back to him. “Those auctions are seedy and disgusting. Did you maul him first like I’m sure all the other alphas did? Did you pick him from a lineup of sex slaves?”

“For all the gods’ sake, no!”

“Well, Val, mighty hero and rescuer, if you bought him, you keep him.”

“Kiro doesn’t know. There’s nowhere else he can stay.”

“Does your husband like when you keep secrets from him?”

Silence.

“Val, I’m grateful for all you’ve done. You know that. But you also know me. And this has gone too far.”

“I disagree.”

“I’m not actually dying of loneliness. I’ve got a routine and lots of projects. I’m fine. And I’m not a hotel.”

“So, what would you have me do? Return him to that slaver to auction off again?”

A sour taste filled my mouth at the prospect. I hadn’t even met the boy, but it disgusted me to wish that fate on anyone. Val knew all my buttons and didn’t hesitate to push them when he wanted.

“Just the same, he’s also in this house against his will,” I pointed out.

“I can’t fix that. That part of it was always out of my hands,” Val replied tonelessly.

Without warning, a medium-pitched voice spoke from behind. “Please don’t send me back to the auction. I’ll go anywhere else, but not there.”

I turned to see the omega standing at the edge of the living room. How long had Caylen been listening from the shadows?

Booted footsteps sounded as he came forward.

Val and I both stared. He was graceful in his gestures, beautifully put together in his new sweater and trousers.

The boots looked a little big for him, but that only added to his charm.

The firelight wavered over his fawn-like features. He looked so small, so innocent.

My heart swelled. Damn Val to every hell imaginable.

“We don’t intend to send you back,” Val said, turning to me. “Do we, Var?”

Caylen stood now with the fire at his back.

He glanced about again, at the food all set up, at the games on the coffee table, at us.

“I—I can be useful. I’m smart. Strong. I can clean.

I—I can learn to cook. I can learn just about anything, I swear.

I got good g—grades in school. I’ll stay out of the way. All I need is a—a bed and food.”

It was a quick, if broken, speech. Quite brave after everything he’d been through.

I knew how it felt to escape torment. Up here in the cold frost of the mountains where the world was quiet and serene, where time seemed to stop, I could breathe.

I could be myself. No one threatened me. No one judged me.

Caylen was more of a mirror than I wanted to see.

And that made me mad. Val had decided for me that I needed this.

I couldn’t help but fight that sort of control.

I didn’t need him deciding what I felt, what I needed.

I’d been having that fight deep inside ever since he’d found me.

Trying to get my spirit back. I’d been so young when my life was stolen.

I was still years away, if ever, from reassembling that essence I’d had before.

Now everything is changing again. You are no longer the na?ve fifteen-year-old. You know he can’t go back. And you have many rooms.

My fingers curled into fists against my thighs. My eyebrows narrowed. I shook my head. Now, even Varikan was siding with Val. “Damn it,” I whispered under my breath.