Page 18 of Venom Island

He doesn’t wait for me to reply, just steps away to pick up the call.

I leave to give him privacy. Sector politics isn’t my thing. I’ll leave that to the Alpha in charge.

And in the interim, I’ll go check on Caja.

My Omega, I think, liking the way that sounds. I’ve been around Omegas all my life, but I’ve never considered any of them in this manner, likely because Carlos’s rules made it impossible to want to claim a female for my own.

Perhaps that adds to my intrigue.

Or maybe it’s just Caja.

Regardless, I wander over to where she’s sleeping and crouch down to pull her blanket back up to her chin. She leans into my touch, her lips parting on a sigh.

“Rest, pequeño tesoro,” I whisper as I resist the urge to stroke her cheek. “You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I promise.”

Chapter 5

Caja

Growling stirsme from my slumber, the sound loud and fierce to my ears. I curl deeper into my nest, trying to escape what happens next.

The screams, I think, shuddering.So. Many. Screams.

I try to drown it out, to pretend I’m somewhere else. But there’s nowhere for me to imagine. All I’ve ever known is hell.

Wake up.

Obey.

Survive.

Try to sleep.

That’s my life. My solitary existence. Until my Alpha takes me to my fate.

Please,I pray to the moons.Please don’t make it as bad as I fear.

But I’ve heard the terror in the other’s cries. I know it’s even worse than I can imagine.

If only I could dream of somewhere safe, if just for a moment.

Murmurs fall around me, that growling sound reaching a crescendo.

I hold my breath and wait, my mind searching for an escape.

Dark eyes. Even darker hair. A perfect nose. Square jaw dusted in fine black stubble. A smile with dimples.

I frown, the picture so vivid inside my mind that I could swear I’ve seen this male before. But… but where?

Why…?My eyes fly open as the man’s name graces my thoughts.Enrique.

I glance around, startled to find a brightly illuminated field.

My focus shifts to the air where a jet soars toward the midday sun. That was the source of rumbling that woke me. I’ve seen planes before, as my Alpha lived near an old airport. All the overseas shipments went through there, many of them carrying terrified passengers.

Their screams…

I swallow.