“I’ll go downstairs to wait for the car,” she said.
I took her hand. After finding out what my neighbor had been doing to young women, I was reluctant to let Natasha go anywhere without me.
“I’m not leaving you alone down there.”
She gave me the sort of look that implied I was being overprotective. She hadn’t seen what I had, today. I’d rather be overprotective and keep her safe than be negligent.
We stood outside in the cool evening breeze. I couldn’t detect her omega scent right now, and that fact bothered me. My nose kept searching for it. At least the scent spray had worked better than the shower gel to disguise her true nature. Still, I worried about how long it would last, and whether there might be any alphas at her destination tonight.
The car came into view at the corner. I dropped her hand. She stepped away from me. The car slid to a stop beside us and Natasha got in.
“Good luck,” I told her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, then the windows turned opaque and the car moved away.
I couldn’t help feeling like I had sent her to the wolves.
***
Natasha
The driver didn’t speak to me at all. It was obvious when we reached our destination because he pulled over and stopped. I got out, not sparing him a backwards glance, and headed for the entrance, where a beta female with a silver tablet was flanked by two alpha bodyguards.
The feel of the vaporizer held tight against my leg by my garter reminded me that I had a job to do.
“I’m on the list,” I told the beta, ignoring the intimidating-looking alphas. If my scent spray failed on me, they would know immediately that I wasn’t a beta. And I suspected I’d have more to worry about than just being thrown out by the hired security.
“What’s your name?”
“Edel.” I hoped I’d remembered the password correctly.
The beta made eye contact. She knew.
“Welcome. Straight upstairs. The party’s on the top floor.”
I flashed her a smile. “Thanks.”
Inside, I headed straight to the lift and pressed the highest number. My stomach wavered as I ascended, alone, feeling like I was being propelled to my doom. I hated this.
When the lift stopped, I got out and immediately scanned the room for my contact. It was one of those high-ceilinged industrial looking spaces with lots of windows on three sides and the sort of lighting array that could be used to photograph the Eiffel Tower at night.
A beta waiter handed me a drink from a tray of them he was passing around. I took it with gratitude. While I sipped, I felt more natural staring around the room. It tasted disgusting, but at least I now had something to do with my hands.
There were dozens of alphas talking to one another, and a handful of betas in party clothes. The rest of the betas in the room were very obviously serving staff. I spotted my contact on the other side of the room, embroiled in conversation with an alpha male. My target was a beta wearing a red shirt.
Halfway across the room, I realized there were other people wearing red shirts. And Ghil had never said whether my contact was an alpha or a beta, I had just assumed. After all, it seemed pretty weird to think of an alpha being part of beta liberation.
If I had to introduce myself to everyone in the room to get this task done, I would.
“Hi, I’m Pirt. What’s your name?” The beta male in the red shirt held out his hand and I shook it.
“Edel.”
He smiled. I was no expert on handshakes, since I’d never really met anyone who used them in real life, but he held onto my hand for longer than was comfortable. His eyes slid over my body like he was drenching me in slime. He clearly found me appealing. His reaction turned my stomach. I was used to threats coming at me directly, in an in-yer-face sort of way. This was new and uncomfortable territory for me. “Pleased to meet you, Edel.”
Shit.This didn’t seem like the right response. I didn’t think this was the man I was looking for. And he seemed taken with me.