Page 7 of Spark (Damselverse #2)

Chapter seven

Zara

T hey want to make me their Omega…

I’m not sure how to take the news. In the end, someone pushes a chair toward me. It takes me a while to come to my senses, but when I detect that sweet, burned marshmallow, I relax.

Nolan was the one who offered me the chair, and my head spins yet again as the realization dawns on me.

An Alpha has never offered me a seat before. Unless you count sitting on the floor so you can rub his feet.

This is all so new to me, and my head is still swimming when I find those violet eyes.

Two sets of purrs rumble through the office, and Dacre and Nolan are purring for me. As always, Dacre keeps back, but Nolan stays close.

While Nolan still keeps a respectable distance himself, he wants to show me how keen he is.

I’m not sure what to say, but I even surprise myself when I come out with, “How are the kittens?”

The manageress of the shelter looks confused, but Nolan grins, showing me those brilliant teeth. “They’re a little nervous, but settling in. Two girls and one boy.”

“Oh. That's good to know.”

I stare down at my hands.

I’m glad they’re in safe hands. It appears Nolan is the kind of Alpha I can trust, and I look toward Dacre.

He's more reserved, but there’s still no missing the burn in his amber eyes, that silent promise.

If it weren’t for him, I would be dead right now. Burned to a crisp.

Can I trust them? The better question: Can I trust myself around them?

After all, I don’t want to bring trouble into their lives. If the Wolf finds me, they will be in terrible danger.

He may even kill them just to get back at me.

Or maybe he will just leave me alone. After all, why would he order his men to kill me if not to get rid of me?

He hated being tied to me, treating me as if I were a burden rather than a gift.

But perhaps I can find some happiness with Nolan and Dacre. And if not, at least it gives me a direction. A place I can recoup and lay low and figure out what it is I want in life.

If things don’t work out, we can split ways amicably.

Still, would I really be willing to be that selfish? If the Wolf finds me…

“We promise we will treat you well. Right, Dacre?”

Nolan looks at his pack brother. The firefighter smiles subtly, then nods. “Yes.”

How can I say no to that? Yet the Wolf…

Nolan must sense the distress as he steps closer, getting down on his knees before me. He places his hand in front of me, and I take it.

My heart jolts when a spark shoots between us.

“It’s okay, Ruby… whatever it is, we can face it together. We’re willing to give it a try after all. What do you say?”

He’s prepared to face down the Wolf with me? Even if he may get hurt?

In the end, I hold my head down and whisper, “Yes. I will go with you.”

Nolan grins, and then he gets back to his feet, joining Dacre’s side. “We promise, Ruby, we will make you a very happy Omega. You will never want for anything ever again. So long as you will have us.”

Dacre's smile widens as he says, “Ditto.”

Well, it looks like I am going home with them. I just have one more thing to do.

“Will you excuse me? There’s someone I have to say goodbye to first.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Nolan says, and the Alpha can’t stop smiling.

His smile is infectious as I find myself grinning right back, and it’s hard to leave his side as I make my way downstairs.

But I need to do this.

I find Goldie already wide awake as she sits on her bed, and in the daylight, I can finally make out the true color of her eyes.

A soft caramel brown. They take your breath away.

Even when they are red from crying, they’re still exquisite.

“There you are,” she says. “Is everything okay?”

I’m not sure what to say. I can’t even believe it myself, as I am certain for a moment that I died in that fire and this is heaven.

Maybe…

I’m not out of the woods completely yet.

I don’t speak. Instead, I scribble down my real name, and she nods knowingly. For some reason, I feel like I can trust Goldie.

“Just in case you need to find me.”

Goldie thinks for a moment, and then she finds her own scrap of paper, scribbling something down as she hands it to me.

She gives me her real name. It seems Goldie was just her alias, too.

“Same. If you need to reach me, Ruby ,” she says out loud.

I grin. “You too, Goldie.”

We only spoke for five minutes, yet we’re already exchanging our real names.

“When we meet again,” Goldie whispers, and I smile, heading back upstairs.

There’s nothing to pack. All I had when I came to the shelter were the clothes on my back, and even then, they were dirty and drenched.

Now only God knows what fate has in store for me as I return to Nolan and Dacre, arms folded as I hunch my shoulders.

“Got everything you need?” Nolan asks.

I nod, pushing aside a dark lock as it falls in front of my eyes. “Yes.”

Nolan looks behind me just in case there was a bag or two that he missed, and then a sad glint appears in his eyes. He hides it with a chivalrous grin as he says, “Well, time to go, Ruby.”

Ruby.

I may be willing to go home with them, but I am not willing to share my real name.

Not just yet.

Maybe in time when I get to know them, then perhaps I can reveal my real identity.

But for now, for their safety, I will keep my real name to myself.

The less the Wolf can find me, the better.

***

“We hope you like it here, Ruby,” Nolan says as we pull up outside.

I get a look at their house. It's nice. Big, too, with a large yard and a sweet porch swing.

“Five bedrooms, but we can’t complain,” Nolan is still saying as he unbuckles his seatbelt, coming around the car to help me out.

Dacre holds back, but every so often, I catch him watching me in the corner of my eye.

He really is quiet, and it seems he’s not much of a talker.

Good. The fewer questions I have to answer, the better.

Once Nolan helps me out of the car, he lets my hand go, making sure to keep close but not too close as we head to the house.

The Alpha stops at the door, turning around to smile at me. “You ready, Ruby?”

I look at the cherry red door, giving a quick nod. “Yes.”

And I am, too.

Still, I can’t help but sense a sliver of trepidation as Nolan grabs a key, slotting it inside the door. “Well, home sweet home.”

Finally, the door opens, and I get a look inside the house. It’s just as big as the yard, all beige walls and polished wooden floors.

There are several paintings on the walls, paintings of creepy creatures, and it appears they have a certain style.

“Please mind the freaky décor. Our third pack member, Xavier, is somewhat of an artist," Nolan apologizes.

I nod, keeping my arms crossed as I cast my gaze around. They have a spacious kitchen, too, with an island, and a large dining table with a real crystal chandelier.

“Well, speak of the devil…” Dacre mutters.

We all follow his gaze toward the bottom of the staircase. An Alpha clad in leather and big, black boots sits perched at the bottom step, taking a long drag of a cigarette.

I balk at the memory of the Wolf because it reminds me of the way he used to take long drags of his cigarettes, too. Hence why he smelled like an old ashtray.

In the shadows, all I can make out of the Alpha is his hooked nose, shaggy black hair, and square jaw.

My heart pounds. No. It can’t be…

I left the Wolf. I got away from him.

“Xavier,” Nolan scolds in a warning tone. “We have a guest.”

I take it he isn't happy about the smoking, but it’s not the cigarette that has upset me.

This was a mistake. Of course the wolf would find me in the end after all. It was all a ruse. The fire and then getting Dacre to save me…

They planned it all.

The Alpha in the shadows blows smoke from his mouth, and then he sighs, stepping into the light at last.

The floorboards give way beneath me, and then the ceiling spins as I pass out. He found me, the Wolf. I’d know those piercing eyes of storm cloud gray anywhere, and the long, disheveled black hair and stubbled jawline.

I knew it was too good to be true.