Page 49 of Marked Omega

“Hannah,” I touch her arm. “The lead researcher on the team. Was it Dr. Lucian?”

Her face takes on a bitter expression and she nods.

“Yes,” she says. “That fucking bastard.”

Her voice cracks.

I stop walking and clutch her arm. Kadmon pauses beside me, and Addom and Hasker turn to see what’s going on.

“Hannah, was there another woman with your group? Another research assistant named Eva?”

Hannah’s mouth becomes tight, and I can feel the dull ache of tears forming behind my eyes. I don’t know exactly what she has to say, but I can tell it isn’t good. I vaguely realize that my thumb is unconsciously fidgeting with the ring Kadmon brought me.

Hannah nods.

“She was your friend, right? She talked about you.”

My vision blurs with tears. Kadmon’s grip tightens on my arm to keep me steady.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Hannah whispers. “When those men—those bastards—when they hung us out like bait and exposed us to the zone, Eva became a beta.

She doesn’t say anything else. She doesn’t have to. I understand what she is telling me.

Eva is dead. Just like what happened to Sara.

A tear rolls down the bridge of my nose and falls to the floor. Kadmon catches me before I collapse.

“Come, Lily,” he says gently. “You should lie down. You need to rest.”

CHAPTER 17: LILY

“Wake up, Lily.”

My eyes flutter open to golden and green light. My body jolts upright, shocked by my unfamiliar surroundings.

“Easy,” Addom says, sliding his big arms around me. “You’re at home. Remember?”

I take a deep breath to calm myself and blink away the sleep from my eyes. We are in the dwelling shared by three Alphas, and now by me as well. I’m still getting used to thinking of it as home.

The dwelling was once a lavish penthouse, back before the cataclysm. Now it is so overgrown with lush green plants, it is a veritable indoor jungle. The massive floor to ceiling window along the eastern-facing wall provides a breathtaking view of the city. It also gives the impression that we are living in a giant terrarium. Rain water caught in a massive collection tank on the roof of this building provides a source of running water. A small waterfall trickles from the ceiling into what used to be a recessed living room but is now a shallow pool framed with curling green ferns.

Our bed is in the corner. Actually, it’s more like a nest formed from plant fibers, grass, and moss. At night, surrounded by three naked Alphas, it is surprisingly warm and comfortable.

“Come,” Addom says, helping me to my feet. “We have a big day ahead of us.”

I can hear Kadmon and Hasker moving about and talking and the crackle of fire. They must be out on the patio deck that is also covered with greenery and serves as our rustic firewood kitchen.

“A big day?” I ask rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

It’s been a few days since Hannah declared me well enough to leave the proximity of the Source. Today I feel like I’m back to one hundred percent. Even better than that, actually.

Addom places his strong hand on my shoulder and guides me to the outer balcony.

“Yes,” he answers me. “Tonight we will finally be bound. You must prepare.”

Bound. The Alphas have mentioned it briefly before, but they haven’t gone into many details and I haven’t asked. But I have some idea of what it involves.

Over the past few days, they have been gentle with me as I was recovering. But last night they marked me once again, like they did at the waterfall. This time, however, Kadmon was allowed to finish as well. Several times.