Pale skin, all scraped up and flushed from effort. A yellow sundress torn at the hem and covered in mud. She smelled herbal, and like fear and something else.
I took a deep breath to try to place it and practically salivated at the scent of vanilla and brown sugar.
My jaw locked as I stared at her.
That scent and the pull that came with it were completely impossible to mistake.
This girl wasn’t only an omega.
She was mine.
A scent match.
And she was in heat.
I felt it in my bloodstream, like gravity had suddenly doubled. My muscles tensed with instinct, ready to strip her naked and tear her apart right in the middle of the road. But I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe again.
Because her eyes were still wide with panic, and her body coiled like she expected to be grabbed.
Her hands flew to her neck.
Her lips parted in a silent gasp as her head jerked side to side. She stopped only to press her hand flat to her chest before fisting the fabric of her white cardigan. Her lip quivered, and my heart ached because I couldn’t protect her from whatever this was.
Then, the car door opened behind me.
My eyes closed as I heaved out a breath, barely restraining the urge to tell Skye to get back in the fucking car. His soft steps hit the pavement, followed by the rustle and snap of branches.
“Are you looking for this?”
His voice came closer, soft as ever, and I opened my eyes just in time to see him kneel in front of her.
He held out the necklace gently, the silver chain glinting in the sun, the cracked pendant swinging between them. A scrap of white cloth clung to the crystal, salt and herbs spilled out onto the road.
The strange omega’s eyes locked onto it.
Her chest rose and fell a little slower as her fists loosened around her cardigan. One trembling hand lifted, fingers curling toward the chain–
“VIOLET!” A snarl, deep, male, andangrybroke the air.
She flinched like she’d been struck, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand snapped back, and her whole body went rigid.
Her eyes darted past us, toward the trees behind the road.
“That you?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Violet, get your worthless ass back here! NOW!”The voice came again, this time it was closer, but not by much.
Skye’s eyes drifted toward the forest, and he said the most obvious thing in the world.
“So… We’re not going to let him get her, right?”
“Not a fucking chance,” I answered, already stepping in front of her.
Violet hadn’t moved from her spot on the ground, but she now vibrated with panic.
“Skye,” I said without turning. “Get the back door open. Now.”
