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“Clearly not.”
Lifting his upper lip to reveal elongated canines, Yaron looks her in the face, but I don’t see any love lost between them. I wonder about him — the Berserker who will take no Omega — and I wonder about her — the Omega who will take no Berserker. Not a match. But why? Is there more that makes an Alpha-Omega pairing than just our instinct to breed?
I look at Whiskey and Sierra. Sierra has her hand on the small of Whiskey’s back. They are two Alphas, yet there is more chemistry in that one shared touch than in all the looks passed between Freya and Yaron even though they’re only wearing a cloak and a pair of half-shredded pants between them.
My chest expands and Echo looks up at me. I’m already staring at her with wide eyes, confused by a sudden sharp, stabbing realization.
I wanted her from the start. Only her. Bein’ an Omega had fuck all to do with it. And she never had a shot at freedom, because I never had a shot…
I lean in and kiss her tenderly. She’s unprepared for it, and slow to react before I pull away. “Believe you, Echo, and I’ll back you to the end. I’ll convince Yaron. You work on Freya.” I kiss the tip of her nose before straightening up, feelin’ a weight shed. I sling my arm over her shoulder and reel her into my chest, her reticence be damned.
“We saw what happened today. An army that matched our numbers almost one-to-one took out half of us and that waswithtwo Omegas fightin’ on our side and no Berserkers or Omegas fightin’ on theirs. They might be mindless Alpha zombies, but they’re fuckin’ hellions on the battlefield. If there’s even a chance that there’s an army bigger n’ the one we went up against today, then with our numbers, we can agree that we don’t stand a shot.
“Two Omegas, two Berserkers, and a hundred-some-odd Alphas ain’t enough. We need a minute to regroup, gather the other cities to our cause, like the Dark City Omega suggested, and together plan for a war the likes of which no city’s seen. We keep searchin’ for Omegas in the meantime as part of this strategy.
“We give ourselves a set amount a’ time — Berserker Yaron, you got better relationships with the other cities, so I leave it to you to decide how long,” I tip my head towards him, granting him a concession that a Berserker’s not likely to makeever,and it is the only one I’ll ever make him. I don’t do it for him though.
“Freya, you’re welcome to stay in Dark City until the time comes to wage our war as a guestof the Dark City Omega, so long as she’s okay with it and so long as you don’t cause my people, Alphas included, any trouble.”
Freya looks at me with her upper lip pulled back in a snarl that I don’t know how to interpret. She doesn’t speak.
“We will also need to obliterate Trash City,” Yaron says. “They are working with Mirage City and it is possible that they have done something with Alphas in our war parties. Paradise Hole cannot align with Mirage City. Paradise Hole creatures number far too many. They could, with their numbers alone, overwhelm us.”
“I agree. Happy to coordinate a sweep a’ Paradise Hole.”
He nods, twirls the grey hairs at his temple with one finger as he thinks. “Gang Mountain Alphas are said to possess a force, as well. It would be good to align them to our cause.”
“Agreed. So that settles it. We’ll follow Echo’s plan, gather the Berserkers to our cause and search for the missing Fallen Omegas in the interim. You two okay to wait, regroup, and go after Mirage City together? A united force?”
Both Yaron and Freya look at me. Both Yaron and Freya look at Echo. An eternity passes. Yaron concedes before Freya does and, when they do, I can tell that the agreement that’s been struck is shaky and likely to disintegrate by mornin’. Ain’t nothin’ I can do about it now though but hope.
After the group wraps up a few more discussions and eventually, disperses, I lead Echo back into her tree and watch her climb onto the springy, flower-covered cot and slide underneath a blanket, still fully clothed. I look down at her longingly, but back away instead towards the door.
“I’ll let you sleep.”
“The man in the cave told me that the Fates fed you a prophecy…that that prophecy is why you betrayed me. What was it?”
Surprise stalls me. I struggle to swallow past the lump in my throat. “Fates told me I was gonna end up dyin’ for you…that I’d fail you, just like I failed Noon, and that you’d die right next to me. Said I’d never be good enough for you. That if I gave you up, you’d get to be powerful. That you’d be better off without me.” My voice is tight? Can she hear the terror in my tone?
“You believed them?”
I choke. “Fuck me, right?”
She blinks, betrayin’ nothin’. “Hm.”
“Hm? That’s all you got to say to me?”
Her cheek ticks, like she’s gonna smile. We’re talkin’ about her death and she’s got the fuckin’ nerve… “That’s one eventuality.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If we do like we’ve planned and stick together, fight together, we’ll win. The Fates didn’t see that outcome.”
“But only if you forgive me, right?” I try to smile. It fuckin’ hurts.
She tries to smile. It looks like it hurts. “I think I’m supposed to…” She stops, voice catching. “I think it’s gonna take more than that.” She bites the inside of her cheek. “I just can’t. I’m sorry.”
Fuck that. So long as I’ve got a heart, it’s hers. So long as she’s got a heart, it belongs to me. “Go to sleep.” I turn from her and start out the tree, heading for my Six and where they’re gathered, but I’m stopped short.
