Page 119 of Omega's Flight

Only if I wanted that darkness that Holland had fought back to be my life.

Footsteps crunched on the new gravel that had been laid down on the pathway that ran between my step and Ori's, and moments later Cas was standing on the top stair, his eyes bright and fixed on...me. "Evening," he said in an overly casual tone.

"Evening, Cas," I said cautiously. He had that look on his face, kind of the same as Pip had when she was holding onto a lawyer joke, and it made me suspicious.

"Hello, sir," Pat said respectfully.

Ori nodded and said, "Hello."

"You two know Cas, don't you?" I said, to make sure they'd been introduced. I knew he’d met Pat, but I wasn’t sure if Pat had told Ori about that…introduction.

“We've met," Cas said easily, still with that odd light in his eyes. "I've had my head buried in books since before you got here, I think. How are you liking Mercy Hills?"

"I like it a lot," Ori said. "This is a very fine house."

That appeared to startle Cas and I laughed at him. "Rich boy," I teased.

He made a flicking gesture with one hand, as if to dismiss the implied insult. "They are historic. You should talk to Abel—he'd be delighted to have someone come down on his side that they should be restored."

"I thought that had been decided?" I was certain that they'd come to that compromise.

"Oh, alphas. You know," Cas said airily, and I laughed at him again. He grinned in my direction before turning back to Ori and Patton. "I hate to be rude, but can I borrow Raleigh? There's something I need to talk to him about."

My heart began to race and I felt sweat dampen the underarms of my t-shirt. It couldn't be bad, though, could it? After all, he was grinning like a loon.

Ori flicked a glance in my direction, so quick and subtle I doubted that Cas and Pat noticed it, but it was clear as day to me. I nodded back, Yes, it's fine. The corners of his lips turned down a fraction then he pasted a smile on his face. "It's probably time for us to get Rose to bed." He stood up and held out his arms for the baby. Pat passed her over then got to his feet himself.

I waited for them to move past me, then took the hand Cas held out to help me up. Before I could even ask what it was he wanted to talk about or say goodnight to Pat and Ori, Cas pulled me to him and kissed me.

Definitely not a bad thing.

Past the distraction of Cas's lips, I heard Ori laugh and Pat urge him through the door to give us some space.

And then we were alone on the porch.

Cas leaned back against the post when the kiss ended and raised his eyebrows at me. "You know, my brother is a shitty liar. At least around me. I don't know how he survived as Alpha."

"Oh." I felt the heat burning up in my cheeks and was glad of the darkness to hide it.

He put his arm around me and turned me toward the stairs. "Let's go home and figure this out."

We were already down off the stairs when it hit me. He'd called my house home. Did that mean...?

My feet stumbled to a halt of their own accord. "Cas, did you mean that?"

He turned to face me on the path. I wished the moon was more full, so I could see his face. As it was, he was just a pale blur in the night, but his voice was warm as summer sunshine when he spoke. "I'd always thought it was the alpha that did the asking, but I'm okay with this. We'll have to get Degan to tear up your contract as soon as he gets here."

Uh oh. "Cas, wait. I don't know what Abel told you..." My heart pounded and I felt faint.

"Raleigh? What's wrong?"

"I'm such a bad omega," slipped out and then I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep anything else stupid from leaping out into the open.

"No, you're not," he said softly and slipped an arm around my waist. He stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers and leaned his forehead against mine. "What am I not understanding?"

Lysoonka, I was trapped. This is it, this is the end. I could feel my heart breaking even as I opened my mouth to strike the first blow against it. "I don't want to be mated. I don't want that piece of paper that makes me a thing instead of a person. I want you, so, so badly it's like a bruise I carry everywhere with me. But the thought of giving myself away again terrifies me."

He went quiet for a moment, just long enough for my panic to really take hold. Then he kissed my forehead and hugged me. "Not a bruise, please. I don't want to be thought of like anything that Degan left on you. So tell me true, now. You were asking Bax about me moving in with you. Is that still true? If I promised to never ask you to sign a contract with me, would you still want me here? Consider carefully, this will be a binding verbal agreement and if you wake up some morning wanting to be mated in the eyes of the pack, you'll have to do the asking." He gave me a quick squeeze and then stepped back and my silly, smart aleck Cas returned. "Of course, I'd expect you to do it up properly. Flowers, jewelry, a nice romantic dinner, and of course down on one knee. Since Dad is dead, I suppose you can ask Quin as my oldest brother for permission to mate me." He took on that thinking pose, with his chin in one hand and the other arm crossed over his chest supporting it.