Page 23 of Toxic Revenge, Part Two (Mafia Omegas #2)

Chapter

Twenty-One

TALIA

Odetta sent over a dress for me.

It was more toned down than anything she would wear, but she knew my style well.

I smoothed down the deep red satin that clung to my curves and draped to accentuate them, then I adjusted the neckline, making sure it fell correctly.

When I stepped away from the mirror, my bare leg peeked out from the side slit.

I looked amazing, but felt like I didn’t own my body.

I’d spent every waking second since being forcibly bonded wearing comfy clothing. Loose-fitting, soft fabrics, things I could hide in. Sweatpants and t-shirts.

Now I was on display.

My skin itched and I wanted to bury myself in my temporary nest and hide again. I never wanted to leave this little pocket of reality where I could rest and recover without a thought for the rest of the world.

But when I thought about not going tonight—about having my fathers send a team instead—my walls cracked and hints of Benjamin pierced through.

I cared more than anyone else about finding him and unveiling his motivations, because I was the one he was tormenting every moment of every day. There was no way I could trust a group of strangers to find what I might find.

I had to put my makeup on, do my hair, and attend the gala.

Life didn’t feel fair.

I took comfort in knowing that the more I discovered about Benjamin, the more likely we were to find him—and finding him was the only way I would ever have my alphas bonded to me. The only way I would have my peace.

I would pitch the plan my sisters had suggested to my pack later, once this chaos passed. There hadn’t been time before.

Stepping out of the bathroom and into the nest, the combined scents of my alphas washed over me. The wave of comfort, full of autumn leaves, sandalwood, and smoke, helped with the tension, but also made it ten times harder to leave.

Mercer waited on the bed, dressed all in black. He had items laid out on the bed beside him. A flashlight, multi-tool, lock picks, his gun with loose bullets, and a large knife in a sheathe.

Noticing me, he abandoned it all there and stalked across the room.

His hands grabbed my hips, hauling me against him as I yelped in surprise. Our lips pressed together in a hungry kiss that I melted into as soon as I realized what was going on.

Mercer’s touch made me feel human again. His brown sugar and sandalwood scent swirled in the air, arousal potent. When he broke the kiss, it was with a pained gasp, his eyes glassy and lustful.

“You look amazing in that,” he rasped. “I wish I was taking you in there on my arm tonight.”

I was lax against him, my mind still catching up with the reality that he’d stopped kissing me. All I wanted was for him to keep going. We could collapse in a tangle of limbs into the nest, and he would peel the dress off me before I ever got a chance to wear it out.

“I would be more comfortable if you were,” I admitted quietly. “But I’ll have to be happy with escaping the small talk and helping you sneak inside an hour after I arrive.”

He didn’t suggest that I could still back out. He knew by now that I wasn’t going to—I’d put on the damn dress. I was committed. One way or another, I’d make it through the evening in one piece.

And then tomorrow, I would take everyone’s advice and talk to Dr. Jalisco about everything that had happened.

As time passed with little to no progress on finding my bondmate, I was increasingly aware of his presence in my head and how my resistance to him was wholly dependent on Conrad, Mercer, and West.

They didn’t deserve to have that pressure, to be the sole reason I could function.

I needed help. Professional help.

“Should we go over the plan again?” Mercer stroked my hair back from my face.

“No need. I’ve got it.” That floor plan was memorized. I’d stared at it long enough. “I’ve got to head to Violet’s room. Her and Mira are helping me do my hair and makeup.”

He scanned my upper body, lifting an eyebrow. “Do you need to do that? You already look stunning.”

I snorted. “High society expects a nice updo and full face of foundation.”

“Fine, fine. If the socialites expect it, I guess I can release you for long enough to finish the primping.”

He kept a hold on my hand, stepping back.

I grabbed my small crossbody purse—also sent by Odetta—and let him lead me out of the nesting room.

Mira had texted me Violet’s room number, but the facility was still unfamiliar to me, and I probably would have gotten lost. Mercer knew every hall of this place like his own home, so it was good he was leading me around.

We came up to a door with a flower wreath hung on it, and he knocked. It only took a second for the door to swing open and reveal Mira, grinning at us.

“I thought you’d never get here. That dress looks amazing on you.” She ushered me inside and Mercer trailed behind, completely ignored.

Violet’s bedroom was an omega haven, which surprised me considering the facility she lived in.

Her delicate scent of almond cookies washed over me, marking the space as her own. Mira’s cherry blossom and magnolia was prominent too, clinging to some of the fabrics, and there were faint hints of Lavinia’s sharp citrus mint scent lingering beneath it all.

A large window on one wall cast mid-afternoon sun over the space, making it comfortably warm in here despite the chill outside. Dark brown curtains were pulled back on either side.

Violet was flopped on her bed which was messily made up with a tan comforter and various dark earth-toned pillows and blankets. She grinned when she saw me.

“Welcome in! I hope the scents aren’t too overwhelming.”

Mira snorted. “Overwhelming? Vi, this place is muted compared to most of our bedrooms. We’ve been sharing nests for years.”

“Yeah, but Talia doesn’t really know me.” Her cheeks went pink, that same shyness bubbling up from before.

“You’re family, and this is your room. I’m not upset that it smells like you,” I said. “You smell like home to me, remember?”

Trying to reassure her was a good distraction from my own anxieties of the moment. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable or overcompensating around me. There must be some past experience causing her to panic over this, but I wouldn’t ask.

“Home… Yeah, I remember,” Violet mumbled. “It’s honestly nice having other omega scents in my space. I’m sorry I don’t really know the etiquette.”

Walking over to the bed, I sat on the edge and pulled Violet into a half hug. Mira plopped down on her other side, leaning in too. “If anything makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you.”

“Same here,” Mira said. “I’m not shy about making my opinion known.”

Violet laughed. “Thank you. My mother was always a little passive-aggressive, so I had to tiptoe around her.”

“A little?” Mercer scoffed, reminding us that he was hovering in the open doorway. “That woman?—”

“Isn’t in my life anymore.” Violet cut him off. “Let’s not go any deeper into it.”

He nodded, but I saw the hatred in his eyes. There was no kind place in his heart for Violet’s mother. Would that also be West’s mother? I knew they were half siblings, but did they have the same mom, or the same dad?

“We have to get started on Talia’s makeup or Mercer is going to throw a fit about not having enough time to get set up.” Violet moved out of our embrace, lifting her arms overhead to stretch out her hands.

Mira hopped off the bed with a nod. “She’s right. Talia, you go…” She trailed off, lifting an eyebrow at Mercer. “Why are you still here?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on the door jamb. “Can’t I watch?”

I rolled my eyes. No way would Mira let him crash girl time.

“Out out out.” Lo and behold, Mira rushed toward Mercer, fluttering her hands. “No boys allowed. You can wait for her somewhere else.”

He threw his hands up in surrender, backing away. “Geez, got it. Just don’t make us late with all the primping, alright? We’ve got to have enough time to get set up around the mansion.”

“You’ll have plenty!” Violet called after him as Mira shut him outside the room.

With my mate gone, they both turned to me. “I’m no Odetta, but I’m going to do my best to give you a red carpet-worthy makeup look,” Mira proclaimed.

“And I’m on hair.” Violet held up her curling iron. “I was thinking a classy updo with some curled strands to accentuate it.”

“You two can do whatever you think is going to help me fit in at the gala,” I said.

I didn’t want to stand out, both for my own comfort, and to make it easier for me to slip away and do what I was really there to do.

“Sit on the couch.” My sister didn’t wait for me to listen, grabbing my arm and leading me to the forest green couch that took up the entirety of one wall.

She had me sit cross-legged and sideways on the middle cushion, with Mira in front of me and Violet behind. They were a flurry of energy, easy to be swept up in. A great distraction from my thoughts of how this night may go.

Sinking into the cushions, I grabbed a leaf-shaped pillow to clutch to my chest. Mira’s scent was ever-so-slightly more potent on it—trust us to gravitate toward the same oddly-shaped pillow.

With Mira painting foundation onto my skin, I wasn’t expected to talk. Instead, I got to listen to their friendly chatter above me.

“I was kind of expecting white walls, antiseptic smell, and a hospital cot when Violet invited us to stay here,” Mira said. “It would have been so depressing.”

Violet laughed. “When West first dropped me off, I thought that was what I was in for too.”

“Yeah, but how are you supposed to heal your omega side if you can’t make the space your own? So it makes more sense that it’s like this. Do they let you do anything you want?”

“Pretty much. The walls are white and we can’t paint, but they let us put up decorations and shelves. Conrad and I online shopped like mad when I first moved in here. He helped me pick out the forest tapestries and the couch, and I made the macramé wall hangings during my treatment.”

“The couch didn’t come with the room?”

“Nope. Every room has a double bed, and then you can move in whatever other furniture you want. They have some in storage for people who don’t have the means to furnish it on their own.

Some of the omegas here prefer to have a desk or a dining table or bookcases on every wall, but I wanted somewhere comfortable for my visitors to hang out.

” She frowned. “Not that I’ve had as many visitors as I’d hoped. ”

It was strange to me that every room would look completely different. I’d always thought this place was like a hospital, with everything as standardized as possible.

Considering it again, we wouldn’t get such raving reports of the Omega Haven Residence if it stripped the individuality from its residents.

“We’ll visit you all the time,” Mira said. “Talia’s idiot bondmates weren’t taking good enough care of their sister, but you have five new siblings now. We can do way better.”

“I’ll make sure West visits too.” I took advantage of Mira finding the perfect eyeshadow colour to speak without risk of being poked by a makeup brush.

Violet kept gently tugging at my hair, weaving it into an intricate updo. She didn’t say anything, but when Mira turned her attention back from the eyeshadow palette, her eyes went wide.

“We don’t have to harass you,” Mira rushed to say. “Don’t worry, we can turn off some of the intensity of our family.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not?—”

I couldn’t see Violet behind me, but her voice was choked. She was crying.

“That’s not why,” she explained with a sniffle. “It’s just… thank you. That’s all. Let’s not derail the process, OK? Talia has somewhere to be.”

I locked eyes with my sister and saw her hesitation. She didn’t want to drop it—Mira never did. I managed a tiny shake of my head without disrupting Violet’s work.

Mira sighed softly. “Well, you’re welcome. Let’s make sure jaws drop when the pack catches sight of Talia.”

“We don’t want too many jaws dropping,” I complained. “I want to blend in.”

Mira shushed me. “They’ll be the only ones stunned, of course.”

Empty reassurances, but I wasn’t as nervous anymore. People would look at me regardless. I was a young omega entering alone. The scent of my bond with Benjamin would scare off all but the most shameless of alphas, so at least it was good for something.

And with my family and my pack by my side, I could handle a little attention.

Definitely.