Page 23 of Nanny Omega

“I know. I just…” Vina trailed off as she blinked rapidly, looking anywhere but at Ersa. “I’m grateful for what you’re doing. A lot of omegas wouldn’t have done it. So… I wanted to say thank you.”

The weight of her words bore down on Ersa, the pressure suffocating. “Don’t thank me yet. We don’t know if it’s going to work or not.”

“I know. There’s a chance it might not work. Master Quin told me, but I’m still grateful,” Vina said as she finally looked at Ersa, a glossy sheen coating her eyes. “Because of you, there’s hope that Benjn will be fine.”

At her words, guilt clawed its way up his throat. If Vina knew what he’d done, she wouldn’t be so grateful. Ersa thumbed his eyes, his breath hitching in his chest as the need to confess his sins overwhelmed him.

“I lied on my application,” Ersa blurted out. “If I hadn’t lied…”

“If you hadn’t lied, Master Quin would still be looking for a nanny.” Vina leaned close, a conspiratory glint in her eyes. As she cupped her right hand against the side of her mouth, her voice dropped to a hushed whisper. “I’m happy you lied.” Her laughter rang out, echoing around the room in chuckles that shook her tiny frame. The sound, bright and cheerful, broke the heavy tension between them. Ersa found himself smiling too as Vina continued to laugh, her spirits clearly lifted. The maid was making Ersa feel like his lie was a blessing. As if he was meant to be right where he was.

Vina rubbed her eyes, an audible yawn escaping her lips. “Wow,” she cackled. “I feel like I haven’t slept in days. I should go and get some rest. You should do the same while Benjn is still asleep. You know the kind of monster he turns into at night,” she said, a fond smile on her lips in spite of her words. “Good night, Ersa.” With an air of deference, she folded her arms to her middle and bowed before she made her way to the door, where she suddenly came to an abrupt stop. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I brought food for you. I left it in the cooking station in a warmer. I thought you might be hungry.”

“Thank you, Vina,” Ersa said.

“No problem. Make sure you eat something.”

“I will,” Ersa said as he watched Vina leave, the door sliding closed behind her. Making his way to his room, Ersa tightened the drying cloth around his body to keep the material from unraveling. When he entered the room, he stopped short when he noticed that the clothing cubicle was slightly open. He remembered closing it because he’d been agonizing over what to wear for his heat with Master Quin. The sleeping clothes purchased for him were too large, and the bright neon colors did nothing for his pale skin and blond hair. Not that Ersa had wanted to look attractive or anything. He’d still wanted to look decent, like someone an alpha would want to have sex with. Irritated with the choices, Ersa had slammed the door shut after selecting one that didn’t look as bad as the others.

Why was the door open now? Ersa asked himself as he crossed to the clothing cubicle and peeked inside.

“My case,” Ersa exclaimed excitedly when he saw the black carry-all case at the bottom of the cubicle. The drying cloth unraveled and slipped from his body, pooling at his feet in his rush to open the case. His hands tore through the contents, shirts, underclothes, and pants sailing through the air before landing in a scattered mess behind him. When he found what he was looking for, Ersa folded to his haunches, and the dark screen of the holo image display device lit up as he turned it on. A second later, Mason’s smiling face filled the screen and then slid away to be replaced by another image. Ersa touched the screen lovingly, tracing Mika’s toothy grin and chubby cheeks. His eyes stung as he blinked rapidly, desperate to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. To distract himself from the ache in his chest, he shoved to his feet and searched for the perfect place for the device. Now that he was out of the commune house, Ersa could look at them every day, and the bedside table was the perfect place, he thought as he made his way there. As he settled the device on the table, he wound the brightness dial down so it wouldn’t disturb him while he slept.

“There,” Ersa said. Turning to the mess he’d made, Ersa searched for his favorite sleeping clothes, a light blue matching set made from the softest material. A feeling of lightness and satisfaction settled on him as he pulled the top over his head, the soft material gliding along his skin in soothing touches.

After he was done getting dressed, Ersa tidied his room. The clothes he’d thrown carelessly to the floor, he folded and packed in neat rows in the clothing cubicle. He picked up his connector from the bed, where he’d set it aside while he was packing his clothes on his way to the cooking station. A delicious smell drew him to the counter, where warmth radiated off a round-shaped container. Ersa’s mouth watered as he lifted the lid, the spicy aroma of the red meat and vegetables making his stomach growl.

“Thank you, Vina,” he said as he slid into one of the chairs at the counter and quickly tucked in, every bite of the meat delicious and juicy. The vegetables were crunchy and soft, cooked to perfection. When all the food was gone, Ersa leaned back in the chair as he rubbed his stomach, sated. With his other hand, he picked up the connector and switched it on.

A blaring sound filled the silence, echoing around the room so loudly Ersa’s eyes flew to the hallway. Afraid the sound would wake Benjn, Ersa moved to turn the connector off when he saw Jun’s code displayed on the screen, he quickly answered it.

“Jun…” he whispered but was quickly silenced by Jun’s rant.

“Do you know how long I’ve been trying to connect with you?” Jun’s voice came through the speaker loud, his anger palpable. Ersa winced, holding the connector away from his ear. “The last time we spoke, you told me you were going to some strange alpha’s house for an interview, and then you disappeared. Your connector was off, and that evil coordinator at your commune wouldn’t tell me where you were because of some fucked-up rules I’m sure she made up on the spot.”

“No. She didn’t. She’s not allowed to divulge any information about the omegas in her care, unless you are family. She’s just doing her job.”

“I’m family,” Jun grumbled.

Ersa laughed. As always, Jun managed to make him laugh.

“I know. I’m fine, Jun. Nothing bad happened.”

“If nothing bad happened, why didn’t you connect with me after your interview? I waited for you.”

“I’m sorry about that. Things happened that were out of my control.”

Jun gasped. “What happened?”

Ersa searched his mind for the right words to soothe Jun’s unease. “Let’s just say I had my reasons for staying,” he said carefully. “Since I left my things at the commune house, I had no way to reach you and let you know where I was.”

Ersa’s words hung in the air, met with silence. Frowning, he pulled the connector away from his ear, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the device. For a moment, he’d thought the connection had cut off, but the screen still glowed, the call very much active.

“Jun, did you hear what I said?”

“Yes. But I feel like you’re not telling me everything,” he said. “Where are you? I need to see for myself that you’re alright.”

“Jun, I’m fine.”

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