Page 109 of Ondine: Vol. 2

His threat sounds so sweet, but it’s as cold as death. He scrapes his teeth along my jaw, and despite the danger, I toss my head around trying to get away from him. He strokes my hair and then dips down to my neck again. This time sucking in my skin.

“He would kill you.”

“I’m not afraid of Freddie Wong.”

He should be.

He will be.

No matter what happens.

And thankfully, my stomach growls. Loud. Between us. Boone stops sucking at my neck and laughs lightly, then gets off of me.

“I want to remove Freddie from you. Entirely. Before I claim you. And I will claim you. Even if it’s a dark bond.”

In his nice-guy, charming cowboy voice, he says the most atrocious things. He’s got everyone fooled.

“Why would you accept a dark bond?”

“Then no one else could ever bond you—“

And there it is again.

I’m not sure if he’s right, that a dark bond would do that. But the idea is haunting enough. I don’t mention it.

He’s got food on the counter. Take out. Shadow told me Boone doesn’t cook. He never made any of the food he gave me.

Jake buys the groceries, so there was never anything in the house Boone provided.

Even the tea he pocketed and brought to Sky Nest was a lie. Sebastian ordered it from room service. Boone pocketed it then, claiming to have had it the whole time.

Boone just likes to take credit for everyone’s efforts.

I eat the take out because this man has drugged me into submission and I need my energy. It’s breakfast burritos and fries. He smiles at me the whole time. He gives me all his attention.

“I’ll ask you again to let me go. Find a willing omega, Boone. Find someone else. I have claims.” He doesn’t make any indication he’s hearing my words. But I go on anyway. “Give me your phone. I’ll call Jake now to come get me. I’ll even give you a head start to get out of town.”

“You know,” he says before putting his chin on his hand, his elbow propped up on the table, “I am glad they didn’t get an institute placement. Now that everything is said and done. That little contract I had you sign has a clause I’m sure you didn’t understand.”

“The contract is void. First, Shadow violated it when he used his alpha bark on me without Jake’s permission. And then again, when I found my scent match. So why are you bringing it up?”

“You’re so cute. What happens when the contract is violated, sweetheart?”

“What?

“What happens when the contract is violated? It’s ok. Omegas don’t usually think in these complex ways, so let me just walk you through it. When Shadow violated the contract, he left you, the omega, in care of the handler. You wrote in ‘self’ in the field for a handler, and since that wasn’t a suitable option, it defaulted to me, your interim handler. And I was to conduct an investigation and determine your ownership as I see fit. I decided you’d fall under the category that says I am now your legal and physical omega handler.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “But I have a scent match. Bonded.”

“But not registered. As your guardian, I determined that the bond happened under duress. He hadn’t been courting you. You were experiencing bond-sickness. His record shows he’s feral and under the handler-ship of Alpha Kam-po. You’d need his permission to register the bond. Which neither of you did. I’ve made records of all of my findings, including Dr. Chen’s original assessment. I asked her to leave out the scent match because those things can be speculative. I’ve even submitted it all to the court, so there’s a legal record. If you ever want to register Freddie, you’ll need both Kam-po and Boone Anderson’s written and notarized permission.”

I’m going to be sick.

He’s not just kidnapped me, he’s made it legal. Lawyers really are fucking scum.

“Everything I’m doing is by the book. No authority can stop me. And I won’t dark bond you, so don’t worry about that. Once I get Sebastian away from the Meier Pack, you two will willingly join me.”

I throw my plate up against the wall. It shatters and pieces hit the floor and ceiling.