“If you won’t touch her at all, I’m afraid she’s going to be a frozen virgin,” Sorenson said mildly. “Are you really going to deny her your Alpha Were warmth just to prove a point?”
“You bastard!” Jake sounded both angry and defeated. “This won’t work, you know. We’re not going to fuck just for your amusement!”
“If it was amusement we wanted, we wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” Sorenson said, sounding less than perfectly calm for the first time. “You need to breed the Omega to ensure our very existence as a people, Jacob! Please consider that and stop being so stubborn.”
“Your prophecy is a load of bullshit,” Jake growled. “And you’re all insane!”
“You can think what you like.” The calm was back in Sorenson’s voice. “It’s not your thoughts we need here, Jacob—it’s your seed. You will knot and breed the Omega before you leave here and she will bear your child, ensuring that the line of the First Wolf does not die from the Earth.”
“You’re sick,” Jake spat. “All of you. She’s my little sister!”
“Nevertheless you will breed her,” Sorenson said serenely. “You and I both know that when a bitch comes into full heat, her scent is irresistible. And we both know that the blood of the Royal Line calls to others of the same blood. The two of you won’t be able to resist each other once Anastasia’s Heat Cycle is in full swing.”
At that moment, Ophelia came back up the stairs. She had a set of silver handcuffs in one hand, which she handed to Sorenson—who promptly handed them to Tainer.
“Put them on him and cuff him to the headboard with his arms over his head,” he commanded. “Be sure the silver never leaves his skin, put on the first cuff before you remove the other silver bindings.”
“I know what I’m doin’—don’t need you to tell me,” Tainer muttered. He grabbed Jake by the arm and dragged him over to the bed. And though Jake fought him grimly, it really did seem as though something was sapping his strength. Tainer got him in place on the bed with a minimum of difficulty, despite the ugly names Jake called him. Then he looked at Sorenson.
“You want me to cuff her right beside ‘im?” he asked, his eyes glowing as he raked them over my bare body.
“No, you will never lay hands on the Royal Omega’s flesh,” Sorenson said sternly. “Not even to move or position her—that is why we have Ophelia here.”
“Should I cuff her, then?” Ophelia asked, raising her eyebrows.
Sorenson shook his head.
“No—there is no need to restrain the Omega. She isn’t strong enough to get out or do any harm. And she will find herself drawn to the Alpha Heir—first for his warmth, and then for his scent and the touch of his flesh against hers.” He looked up at the skylight. “The light of Lady Moon will help to bring them together as well.”
“Keep her away from me!” Jake snarled, which really kind of hurt my feelings, though I understood his sentiments. “I’m telling you, I’m not breeding Ani!”
“Not tonight, perhaps, but you will eventually,” Sorenson said, sounding extremely sure of himself. “Come,” he told Tainer and Ophelia. “Let us leave them alone. They’ll come together more easily without us watching.”
“Aww, but I like to watch!” Tainer protested.
“We’re not here for you to get a peep show,” Ophelia told him, frowning. “We’re here so our race doesn’t die from the Earth! Come on—Professor Sorenson says we have to go so let’s go!”
There was a lot of muttering from Tainer at this, but eventually he went down the attic stairs, which creaked alarmingly under his weight. He was followed by Ophelia and Sorenson went last.
“You know,” he said, as he was about to climb down the wooden ladder. “If you’d just get over the idea of your union being ‘wrong,’ you two could actually enjoy this act. You were meant for each other—meant to find each other. No others of the Royal Line exist—well, other than your parents, who are a lost cause. Your blood will draw you together and your breeding will be unmatchable ecstasy.”
“I’ll pass, thanks,” I said, but I was already shivering and rubbing my arms with my hands, while still trying to keep my breasts covered.
“Have a good night’s sleep,” Sorenson said. “We’ll see you in the morning for another test to see if spending the night in each other’s arms helps ramp up your Heat Cycle, Anastasia.”
“You’re crazy!” I threw at him. “All of you—completely certifiable!”
My only answer was a soft laugh from Sorenson and then he shut the trapdoor leading up to the attic with a resounding boom. There was a soft click and the single overhead bulb which lit the attic went out, leaving me alone with Jake in the darkness.