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“We’ll take care of her,” Jack told Jude, but his eyes were on the small boy as if wanted to discover what made Polly so interested in him.
Polly walked over to Jude, reached high to grab his shoulders, and kissed him, deep and long. The giant growled, fisting her hair and twisting her to his liking.
“Well, if that don’t beat all!” the imp said, eyes near popping out of his head. “An omega kissing a beta.”
Polly raised a carefully darkened eyebrow at Jude.
“Fine—” Jude snapped. “But on your own head be it!”
The boy screeched profanities when Jude grabbed him by the waist and carried him out. Prog followed, a hand covering his mouth as if he was trying to stifle a smile.
“Now,” Polly said. “Now, we shall go and make Drexler food for worms.”
With orders for Meeker to stay at the house should Beatrice return or any information to arrive, we took a passing hackney and arrived at the Hell in a tense silence.
“Let me do the talking,” the tiny omega hissed under her breath as she jumped out of the carriage. She brushed past the doorman, who did nothing to stop her, but he wasn’t well trained enough to hide the expression of shock.
I ran after Hippolyta, who’d picked her skirts up and was charging up the steps, her scent bitter.
She crashed through the door at the top of the landing, stopped so abruptly that I nearly ran into her. At the desk was Oberon Drexler, king of London’s underworld. He growled until he recognised who was before him and then his face went blank, all expression disappearing in the blink of an eye. On his right stood Puck, his arms crossed, a small smirk dancing across his face before he became as impassive as his employer.
“Please,” she panted. “I need your help.”
“Oh?” the devilish alpha asked. “And how can I help the queen of the high toby?”
“My sister has been taken. Stimpson is holding her hostage. He’ll kill her if he isn’t paid. I don’t care what you believe. I know… He is going to kill her.”
I swallowed back a groan. Hippolyta hadn’t made any comment that she thought Beatrice might be in danger until this very moment.
“Foolish girl,” he laughed. “If he wants money, he won’t kill her… You are being emotional, omega.”
“No!” she barked. I looked like the other alphas. I must. An omega had barked—a real bark. Drexler, though, seemed unsurprised. No, the alpha just smiled. It was just for a moment before all emotion vanished. “Oberon…”
Her chin tilted to the left in a jerky motion.
“My queen, he won’t kill her. Perhaps carve her up a bit, cut off a finger, but he won’t get money if he kills her…” his smirk curdled my guts. He was behind this and yet was the only person who could give us the information we needed.
I growled. “I have… If he hurts her…”
“Fear not, Paxton. Fordom. He won’t get that far. When did he ask to meet?”
“Tomorrow night,” Jack growled. “Vauxhall Gardens.”
“Easy enough,” Puck spoke for the first time, rolling his shoulders. “Doubt he’ll bring her. He ain’t an idiot… Well, no more an idiot than he’s already proven. Slippery little eel. Wish you’d let me kill him the last time he was here.”
“I’d rather the money,” Drexler said. “Very well. I will rescue your sister on the condition that you stand collateral, my dear sweet queen. One Hartwell for another. You’ll take the place of the fifteen thousand pounds he owes me. And you, Paxton and Fordom, can pay the interest of two thousand… A Hartwell omega’s price.”
“No,” Fordom said. “I’ll find a way to do it without paying you.”
“No offence, Colonel, but I know where he might be keeping her and I doubt you’ve the self control to keep him alive long enough long enough to find it if you agree to meet him at Vauxhall… Clever of him to not have a way for you to agree… Don’t you think?”
“I’ll do it. And pay the two thousand,” Hippolyta spoke. Her voice still had that unnatural quality and it wasn’t until she turned that I saw why she sounded so unlike herself. Hippolyta’s eyes were mirrored gold. Not a flash as I’d seen before. But truly mirrored gold. A feral omega. They were a thing of legend. I looked at Drexler, whose face had lost any impassivity. Now he lent forward, intent on the small omega.
“Very well.” Drexler sat back. “Puck arrange it.”
“This way,” Puck indicated we follow him out of the office.
“You stay Hippolyta Hartwell.”
