Page 20 of Ondine: Vol. 2

“Living in a hotel money more than that.”

He pulls me into him quickly, and I squeal. And then he kisses me. “Don’t be a brat.”

I snap my teeth at him. There’s a knock at the door. He unwinds himself from me and retrieves our lunch. I meet him in the receiving room.

As Freddie prepares me a plate of tortellini and salad, he tells me how much his trust fund actually is. And it’s definitelylive in a hotelforthe rest of your lifemoney. “I have investments and I own parts of companies. I have a board of accountants and financial advisors managing my portfolio. I’ll get you all the info as soon as possible. I’ll make sure your name is on everything, because it’s all ours now. And it’s more than enough to take care of you.”

“I’m not worried about that, Freddie.”

He kisses my cheek as he hands me my plate and then pours me an orange soda, the kind without caffeine.

We eat while sharing a chair.

“My mother keeps calling,” he says.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I think I should go talk to her and my dad about Man-ho, and about you.”

“Are you still going to kill him?”

He leans back, having had cleared his plate.

“He needs to be dealt with. In one way or another. I’ll need to do something.” He kisses my neck and strokes my arm. “Come with me to my parent’s pack house. We will take care of that first.”

I love how he tosses out the word “we” like it’s so easy.

“Yeah, but I can’t let your mom see me in yoga pants and wearing your t-shirt. Her seeing me with chlorine hair and wearing Sebastian’s clothes was hopefully a one-off thing. I’d like to look good.”

“You always look good. And I love you in my shirt.”

I laugh at him and go to stand up, but he pulls me all the way on his lap.

“I’ll let her know we are coming by. You do what you need to do, princess.”

8

Family Matters

Freddie

“Freddie, please, your mother is begging you,” my mother, who is currently begging me, laments over the phone as I lean against the window at Sky Nest, staring out at the mountains.

“As I said, I am not staying.”

“But why, Freddie?!” She’s asked me why three times and my answers have all been unacceptable. She wants a different answer. Who cares if it’s right? Let’s think. What does she want me to say?

“Mom, I can’t stay at the house with you all. I only said I was coming by to talk.”

I’m holding Killer a little too tightly in my nerve wracked hands, and she is getting unhappy. I let her down to my feet, and hold the other end of the leash. I’m just waiting on Ondinebefore we head over. I’ve already ordered us a car, and it’s waiting at the valet.

Since I’m seeing my parents, I’m wearing slightly more clothes than usual. I have some chinos and a crew neck sweatshirt. I’ve got a leather belt, too. My hair is combed and tied back in a knot.

“My alphas and I need you here. You came here to help the family and nothing has changed!”

Everything has changed. Before I bonded Ondine, Jake pulled his contract. He was very serious about it. And now I’ve stolen his omega. I have no idea how I stand with him.

And second, Ondine. She needs me. She needs me. I can’t think of anything more important than her at this time.