Page 1 of The Violence of Love (The Black Market Omega #2)

Autry

I can smell blood.

It cuts through the air—sharp, metallic, and raw. The tang of it makes my jaw tighten, and my stomach coil. Instinct flares inside me, begging me to run and hide, but there’s nowhere to go.

Cradling my left arm close, I run my fingers over the hard shell of the cast. The rough texture used to scrape at my nerves, but now I seek it out. The grit of it grounds me—anchors me when everything else feels like it’s slipping.

“Autry?” Mrs. Danner says my name. Her tone tells me it’s not the first time she’s said it.

I must have zoned out. “Come on, omega.” She reaches for my hand.

Her palm is cool and dry, her grip surprisingly firm.

“There’s no need to be scared. Taking that cast off will be quick and painless. You’ll see.”

The halls of the boarding house are quiet—too quiet. We pass a row of small rooms, each one cramped and dim. There are doors cracked just enough to glimpse the faded wallpaper and old exam chairs. This place isn’t a real clinic. It’s a house pretending to be one.

The dark crown molding and aged doors create a somewhat cozy atmosphere, but the walls are incredibly thin, allowing every creak and whisper to slip through the whole building.

The scent of copper grows as we reach the front of the house. A few hushed whispers hit my ears, but they’re too soft to catch the words. Then a sob. It’s stifled, but unmistakable. My steps slow, and my skin prickles.

“What was that?” My pulse spikes as I stop next to a pair of tall double doors. My eyes drift up the staircase, then back. The sound could’ve come from anywhere.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Mrs. Danner says smoothly. But her fingers tighten around mine, like a warning. Keep walking, omega.

I stare at the beta’s back. Her usually tight bun bounces as we walk.

It’s a little loose underneath, letting the long silver strands slip free at the nape of her neck.

The beta is normally a little more collected than this.

She’s always so precise. So tidy. But not today. She must be having a stressful day.

“Mrs. Danner…” I say, voice low as I glance all around us. “I heard?—”

“That’s enough, Autry.” Her tone is gentle, even kind on the surface, but there’s a firmness beneath it. Not cruel… but final. Like she’s used to shutting me down before I can ask any questions.

The staff hates questions. While they’re polite…kind of…there’s a distance between them and the rest of us. It’s like none of them really see the omegas here. We’re just numbers to them.

Well… everyone except Charlie .

The young beta has been very friendly and open with me these last two months.

He always makes an effort to talk to me and make me laugh.

He treats me like I’m a person, and not a job.

It also doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome and smells good, too.

Like fresh-baked bread. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially lonely, I let myself breathe him in a little longer than I should.

Out of everyone here… I’ll miss him most.

Mrs. Danner leads me into the small sitting room off the entryway.

There’s no door, only a wide archway dressed up with dark molding.

This is where the doctor examines us. There’s no privacy, but it’s not like omegas get that out in the real world either.

Everyone sees us as delicate objects to be collected and treasured, but never quite human.

Pretty pets. Pieces to be traded, not people to be protected.

It took me too long to accept that truth.

“Sit down, dear,” Mrs. Danner says, motioning toward the pair of wooden chairs across from the heavy oak desk. I lower myself into one, resting my cast on my lap as I glance around, wondering where the doctor is.

“Kasey!” Mrs. Danner gasps, and I whip my head around.

On the far side of the room, perched on the edge of the exam table, is a small omega with long black hair and a busted lip. She’s wearing the same pale blue nightgown as me, but she’s much smaller, so the dang thing hangs off her shoulders like a sheet, almost reaching her ankles.

Mine doesn’t fit nearly as well. It’s tight across my chest, and loose everywhere else. Whoever made these things clearly didn’t account for bodies with curves or softness or shape.

“Where did Dr. Plume go?” Mrs. Danner asks gently as she moves toward the trembling girl .

Kasey lowers her head, letting her hair fall like a curtain around her face. “He went that way,” she murmurs, barely audible, as she lifts a single finger, pointing toward the hallway.

My heart aches, and my fingers tingle with the need to hug her. To snuggle her. Soothe her. But it annoys the staff when we get too friendly. They don’t like us getting too close. Omegas are easier to manage when we’re quiet, separate, and still.

“Autry?” Mrs. Danner looks back at me. “Will you be alright here for a few minutes while I walk Kasey to her room?”

I nod as a rush of the thick, copper aroma fills my nose.

This time it’s mixed with the unmistakable scent of distress. It makes my gut churn. I want to ask Mrs. Danner if she can smell it too, but betas have such a weak sense of smell.

Kasey, on the other hand, frowns, her dark eyes darting all around. She can smell it too. Her little nose wrinkles just slightly as her lips tremble.

“Come on, girlie.” Mrs. Danner takes Kasey’s hand. The tiny omega slips off the exam table, her bare feet not making a sound. Her dark eyes repeatedly flickering to me. She looks so young. Probably still a teenager.

While I’m only twenty-six years old, I feel like an old lady compared to the other omegas here. They all look like babies.

I watch them disappear into the hallway, Mrs. Danner’s hand firm around Kasey’s.

Then, as they round the corner?—

A sharp, stifled whimper cuts through the silence.

I jerk upright.

The sound is small, but it hits like a blade .

Someone’s hurting.

And they’re close.

I step back into the entryway and glance around. Mrs. Danner’s gone. Good.

I creep to the base of the stairs, listening. The house feels still—too still. My cast itches, a maddening prickling under the surface. I squeeze it, trying to ignore the sensation.

Then I hear it. A wet, broken sob.

My head snaps toward the double doors beside me.

They’re shut, but shadows flicker across the gap beneath them.

The scent of blood floods my nose—thick and unmistakable.

I know this room. I think one of the nurses called it a triage room.

It’s the same one they brought me to when I first arrived.

Cold. Harsh light. Machines I didn’t understand.

A scream rips through the silence, and I flinch. Something crashes inside. Feet scramble. My stomach turns, but I reach for the doorknob anyway, fingers trembling as I turn it.

My whole body locks up as I stare at the chaos before me.

Half a dozen nurses in navy scrubs crowd around a table. A pale omega lies there, blood smeared across his lips and chest. He’s so small. Barely conscious.

“Please!” the omega whines, then coughs. Blood sprays from between his puffy lips, and my heart pounds in the center of my face. “I…this….stop…” He lolls his head to one side. For a brief moment, his bloodshot eyes connect with mine, then they roll upward, and his body goes limp.

The threat of tears makes my nose run, and my gut clenches hard with fear. The nurses are all scrambling as some machine makes a horrible, constant beeping sound. I catch a few words like “bleeding out” and “pressure is falling”.

I shouldn’t be here.

More machines scream.

I freeze, heart pounding, rooted in place. “Get me a clamp!” someone shouts.

Blood-soaked bandages hit the floor with a smack as clean ones are pressed against the omega’s stomach. They quickly bleed red. A nurse scrambles to find something on a nearby cart, rummaging through packets of gauze and glass bottles. Someone begins to push violently on the omega’s breastbone.

It’s all so horrible.

“Shit!” Charlie’s voice cuts through the noise. “Autry? What are you doing in here?”

My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

“Get her out!” Dr. Plume barks from somewhere, but I don’t look for him. All I can see is the omega’s vacant eyes. They’re glassy and unfocused.

“I—I’m sorry,” I whisper, voice cracking. But I still don’t move.

Charlie steps in front of me, blocking my view of the young man.

“Hey, hey,” he murmurs gently. “Let’s step back, Autry.

” His voice is calm, not angry, but firm with concern.

He removes his latex gloves with practiced ease, tossing them into a nearby bin.

His long fingers wrap around my upper arm, guiding me away from the chaos.

“You don’t need to see this,” he adds softly, his touch warm and reassuring.

He leads me into the entryway, shutting the door behind us with a quiet click. “Why aren’t you in your room?” he asks, leaning down to meet my eyes. His dark hair falls forward across his forehead .

I’d normally be flustered at having the handsome beta so close, but I’m too shocked by what I just saw.

Still numb, I blink up at him. “Is that omega going to be okay?”

Charlie hesitates, his brow furrowing slightly. “He’ll be fine,” he says, offering a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. It’s a lie, but I appreciate the attempt to soothe me.

“Autry?” Mrs. Danner’s voice hits my ears, and I bow my head. I’m sure I’ll get in trouble for not staying put. “Why aren’t you in Dr. Plume’s office?”

Charlie’s gaze flickers to my face, concern deepening in his eyes. I can tell he’s worried about me. It makes sense—we only see the doctor when there’s a problem.

“I’m getting my cast off today,” I say softly.

The tension in Charlie’s shoulders immediately lifts, and he takes a deep breath. “That’s so exciting,” he says, his smile genuine now. His eyes crinkle at the corners, and I can’t help but feel a flutter in my chest. He has a way of making everything seem a little less daunting.