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“You need to be more careful,” I told her quietly, as I hugged her. “The world is changing, and it’s not as friendly at the moment.” Not that it had ever really been. Not to omegas, but she didn’t know that.
She just shrugged with the carelessness of the young as I pulled back to look at her. “You’re friendly.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the simplicity of her words and her world. Her appearance belied her words, though. She was wearing pajamas with a chocolate stain on the front and her hair was dirty, even though her grin was big.
“Hey, Squirrel,” she said over my shoulder, as I felt Cary come up behind me.
“Hey, Chipmunk.” I peeked over my shoulder and saw the answering grin on his face as he spoke, lighting it up and making my heart skip a little. He was usually so stern looking. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had come across her on my secret wanderings around the Palace.
“Let’s go check on the others,” I said as I stood up and held my hand out for her. I needed answers, but I wasn’t about to question a child. She grabbed it and happily skipped alongside me, as if we weren’t walking through the grand entrance to hell.
I glanced over my shoulder at River, and he nodded to me. I knew he’d stay put unless I signaled him, but he had his gun at the ready and he was standing more stiffly than he had earlier. A tense wariness had replaced the liquid grace, and his eyes never left me. I glanced further back and saw Ryder looking off into the surrounding forest, while standing next to Nick at the back of the PMV. Nick shot me a reassuring smile.
“Angel,” one of the other girls admonished as we got closer. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
Cary shrugged and grinned down at the cutie pie by my side. “If her Palace handler couldn’t keep her in line, we have little chance, Emma.”
I felt a sudden burning in my chest when I heard Cary use Emma’s name. It startled me.
Emma rolled her eyes at him and sighed. I knew her vaguely as our rooms were near each other, but we’d only exchanged basic pleasantries. She was one of the older omegas here and had been due to make her Palace debut with me, before the Crash had changed everything. She’d always appeared distant and aloof, yet perfectly put together. I suspected most of her attitude was armor, though. Most omegas developed some once they’d been here awhile and realized exactly what their future held. Emma had honed hers to perfection.
The Palace had liked to dress omegas nearing their debut in impeccable, beautiful dresses. Just in case an affluent alpha stopped in to peruse the delicacies before the main feast. Now, Emma’s dark hair was messy, her wrinkled floral dress had a torn sleeve, and she winced slightly as if fatigue was riding her hard. It was a stark contrast. Yet she was still beautiful as she held her head high.
I couldn’t help my eyes running over her as she did the same to me. I instantly felt guilty about the clean clothes, toiletries, and food my new friends had given me when I escaped to Damon’s farm. Her gaze seemed to catalogue my dark jeans, sneakers, hoodie, and clean hair tied up in a neat ponytail. I must look a lot different to her, too.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you all out,” I suddenly blurted, startling her.
Emma shot me a tired smile. “None of us begrudged you your escape, Ava. We were happy for you. But why are you back now? Did you find Maia?”
Cary and I had sneaked to the kitchen doorway one night while we were hiding out. Hunger had made us risk coming out of the library to look for food. Emma had been washing dishes with a few other omegas. The others had distracted the guards while Emma smuggled us food. We’d had a few moments to whisper hurriedly, and I’d let her know Maia had already escaped.
“Yes, I found Maia. She came across a refuge. It’s a farm, and she’s there now. The guys that got me out are her true mates.” Emma raised her eyebrows and I could see questions brimming behind her dark eyes, but I continued on before she could ask them. “Some alphas from here attacked the farm and tried to snatch us, then set up camp in the town between us. We have an ex-military unit with us now. Maia’s brother, Sam, came looking for her and brought his whole team. We helped them clear out the town tonight and free the residents.”
Emma nodded as if that made perfect sense, but her eyebrows were almost touching her hairline. I got it. Helping free captive towns wasn’t exactly what the Palace had trained Cary and me to do.
I took a deep, shaky breath and asked the question I’d been dreading. “Are you and the other omegas alright?”
Emma tilted her head to the side and bit her lip, as if she was thinking about how to answer that question. After a pause, which felt agonizingly long, she answered in a quiet, hesitant voice. “We’re alive and we’re looking out for each other.”
I felt relieved tears spring to my eyes, but I blinked rapidly. I refused to let them fall. Alive was good, happy and healthy would be better.
“So, why are you back here now?” Emma asked again, eyeing River further down the steps behind me. He held his gun aimed at the ground and watched us intently.
“We were told the military unit occupying the Palace left tonight, along with the last of the lab techs. Some of Sam’s team had been keeping an eye on you all. We wanted to come and make sure you were alright. We thought new military guys turning up might freak you out. There’s only a handful of us for now, but when we figure out what you need in the morning, we can organize more people and supplies if needed.”
It was Emma’s turn to hold back tears as she nodded rapidly. “Food. We need food. They took the mattresses from the bedrooms and put us in the ballroom together. When the shooting started, we barricaded the door. There was lots of yelling and people running, trucks leaving, but nobody came near us. We only came out because it’s been quiet for a while. The first place I checked was the kitchen, and it looks like they took most of the food.”
Of course, they took the food. Assholes.
Cary had been quiet since he’d greeted Emma, but he spoke up now. “The guys with us want to search the Palace, to make sure no-one left any surprises behind. Apart from Ava and me, there’s a beta who’s a friend of ours and six alphas. Plus the other two alphas who have been camped outside. There’s another alpha in the PMV, but he’s unconscious. Is it okay if they come in? Some of them were here before, but they defected. They’re here to help, and we trust them.”
“Okay, we need any help we can get,” Emma said as she stepped further back from the doorway.
“I’ll get them. Stay here,” Cary said to me. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it briefly before he turned and hustled back out the door. The casual touch gave me a thrill. I hoped this would be our new normal. I wanted more.
When I looked back at Emma again, those questions in her eyes had doubled. I cut her off again. I felt bad, but I suddenly felt exhausted and my head was pounding. Explaining our confusing non-relationship was beyond me right now. “The unconscious alpha appears to have been a captive here. He’s sedated. They were trying to take him with them, but we intervened. We thought it would be better to bring him back here until we could find out who he is.”
Emma looked shocked and confused as she held a hand over her chest. “From here?”
