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We glance at each other, taking a second to work out if this might be a way—a good way—of convincing our omega to stay with us.
“She might wonder how we guessed she likes to draw?” Rune frowns. “She might think we were watching her.”
“That’s a stretch,” Cian says. “She might appreciate having something she likes to do. And she knew the painting in the entryway was a Renoir. I say it’s worth it.”
“Seems like Lawrence was keeping a tight control of her,” I mutter, my eyes going to the now empty place her plate had been. “Cian, did she take her breakfast?”
He nods. “I don’t know if she will eat, but she took the plate into her room.”
The way she’d eaten had been mechanical.
One taste of everything, ten chews, and she was done. No one eats like that unless someone has made them. Repeatedly.
“We give her the things she should have been getting all along,” Rune decides, his eyes fierce. “She eats what she wants, when she wants. If she wants to draw, we’ll get her something small first. Maybe some pencils and a pad, and if she likes it, then we get her more. Paints. Stuff for sculpture. Anything.”
“It might not be enough,” I say, recalling her reluctance to even let me help her up in the garden.
And her determination to leave.
Rune and Cian are watching me as I think of how to explain the challenge we face. “All the things that are our strengths, all the things that would have a woman flinging herself at us, are weaknesses.” I count them off one by one. “We’re big alphas, we’re wealthy, and we are, even if we have her best interests at heart, intent on keeping her with us. We have altogether too much in common with Lawrence Wentworth.”
Silence.
“So we convince her we’re not like him,” Rune says.
I raise my brow. “We’re under a time crunch here, Rune. Sooner rather than later, Everleigh is going to want to leave, and maybe before that, she’s going to go into heat. She seemed a little too insistent that she didn’t need suppressants, and it makes me wonder if she lied about her next heat being a month away.
“When it comes, it won’t matter what Everleigh wants. It won’t even matter whatwewant. We have an omega in our house, and she smells like ours. We won’t be able to stop ourselves from taking her.”
Biology always wins out in the end.
“We’ll deal with that when it happens. Until then, we look after Everleigh.” Rune turns to Hali, fishing a black credit card from his pocket. “I need you to do some shopping. Our omega is going to need everything. Clothes, shoes, anything and everything. There’s no limit. Anything you think she might like or need. Buy it.”
Our omega.
I should warn him it’s a dangerous thing to be thinking of her as ours when she’s so determined to leave, but I don’t correct him. Sheisours.
Nancy pushes herself to her feet. “If Hali is taking the car, I can have Devin drop me off at the art supply store if you like and see what they have?”
Rune nods. “Good. And I want you and Hali to have the night off.”
Nancy pauses. “We just had the weekend off. Are you sure?”
“I have plans for dinner tonight,” Rune says. “Something Everleigh might like if she’s involved in the process.”
I raise my brow.
“I’ll explain later,” he says.
“Do you want me to stop at a drive-through for Everleigh on my way home? It should be about lunchtime when I get back.” Hali pockets the card.
Rune nods. “Good idea.”
She turns to leave. Rune snags her arm. “And be careful out there. You drive like—”
“A lunatic.” Hali grins. “Sure I will.”
We watch her go and I sigh. “She drives like she’s looking to win the Indianapolis 500. Are you sure she had lessons?”
