Page 54 of Unsubmissive Omega
Inside the building, debris was swirling everywhere, pieces of furniture, broken mirrors, lamp shades, crumbling roof tiles and chunks of concrete. A loose edge of carpet that had apparently been attached to the now partly destroyed staircase flapped wildly in the mayhem. Glass shards and dust and small articles spun crazily through the air. Light poured in from the hole where the upper floor and roof had been, diluted to a paltry gloom by the thick dust swirling in the air. Despite everything, Xeres was doing an amazing job creating a tunnel for us to walk through, his outstretched hand and incantations holding the debris at bay. It was costing him though, the muscles of his neck corded and taut, his skin flushed dark with exertion.
Beyond the foyer, and the remnants of the staircase, was a doorway (still intact) leading into a formal dining room. We hurried that way, knowing the kitchen would lead off it somewhere. A chunk of the ceiling bounced off my foot.
“Sorry,” ground out Xeres.
“It’s fine. Come on, through here.” I led him into the kitchen, which was somewhat wrecked. Benchtops twisted, cupboards broken open, doors akimbo, pans scattered and crockery smashed. We struggled over the large chunks of ceiling covering the floor. If the entrance to the dungeon was a trapdoor, we would never find it. Xeres had his hands full giving us safe passage, he wouldn’t be able to lift the stone as well.
“The kitchen… where would the entrance be?” I looked around, trying not to let panic blanket my mind.Sure and steady,I schooled myself to scan the room methodically. There was nothing. My eyes fell on the pans scattered around the room, the glassware, china… something was missing…something felt wrong… what was it? Then it hit me. Food, pantry supplies… they should have been scattered through the mess too, but they weren’t. An archway opened out to a space with a large metal tub, now hanging half-way off the wall, water gushing from a torn pipe. Beyond that a wire screen door presumably led outdoors. There had to be a pantry somewhere, and if it wasn’t in the kitchen, it had to be close by for easy access.
Clambering over the rubble, I headed for the back door, and as I came through the archway, on my left, and hidden from view from the kitchen, a door clung to its frame despite the chaos around it. I turned the knob and entered. A shaft of light, complete with requisite dust, lanced through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the bags of flour and canned goods still clinging precariously to the uneven shelves, and a stack of boxes splayed in front of a door.
I tried the handle, praying for some luck, but the door was locked. There was no key. The door appeared solid, but there was an uneven gap near the top doorjamb, likely from the shaking and movement of the rapidly crumbling house. We didn't have time to hunt for a key.
I stood back a couple of steps and lunged forward ramming my shoulder into the door near where the gap was. Pain shot through my shoulder and down my arm, but I felt the door move slightly. I tried again. At the same time, a loud crack sounded as the top corner of the door frame splintered under the weight of the shifting ceiling. Any minute now it was going to come down.
I gave it another try with my other shoulder and this time the timber screamed as it tore away from the hinges. Ahead of mewas darkness, a set of pale stairs disappearing down into the gloom.
“Xander?” I called, as a block of plaster and concrete smashed on the step below me.
There was a half-sob way down in the darkness. “Down here!” a wobbly voice replied. The chattering of teeth was unmistakable. Then, “Hurry up! I’m fucking freezing!”
Ah! There was my omega.
Chapter 27
XANDER
“Hurry up! I’m fucking freezing!”
I could have sobbed with relief – well, I might have a bit – but instead I called on my familiar snarky coping personality. Goddess, I was so relieved, I could have pissed myself. Apart from the freezing cold, the conviction I was going to die, and regret over never seeing my mate again, there had been some strange noises in the distance and the cellar – dungeon -had been rumbling alarmingly.
All that was forgotten, however, at the sight of Darius, my sexy, gorgeous,dishevelledmate rushing down the stairs towards me. Goddess, he looked frantic. Was that for me? I’d lost track of time down here in the dark, and it couldn’t have been more than 24 hours, but he looked shattered.
The chain clinked as two strong arms wrapped themselves roughly around me, smooshing me to his broad chest. The big alpha’s body was shaking, and my heart soared. He didn’t need to say anything to tell me he’d missed me. Any fears I’d had were instantly swept away. I shivered in his arms.
“Fuck, you really are freezing, Xander.” Darius pulled away, tugged his sweater over his head and went to put it on me. It got stuck part way, caught by the chain around my wrist. “Shit!”
He pulled me up against him, lifting the front of our shirts so we could share body heat. Shifters generally ran hot - when they hadn't been locked up in freezing conditions - and he felt blazing hot against my icy skin. The delicious warmth seeped into my skin and deep into my belly. He was pushing comforting pheromones at me too, I knew it from the way my anxiety levels were dropping way, way, down when I wasn’t even out of here yet. Damn, it felt good. He felt good. I’d known in my heart that what we had was real, but having the proof of it, was something else.
Hot demanding lips pressed against mine and I opened for him, his tongue pushing in and tangling fiercely with mine. I met him with my own aggressive energy: relief, desire, love, combining in a heady combination. Our hips pressed into each other and…
Someone cleared their throat.
Instinctively, I tried to jump apart, but Darius’ strong arms held me firmly against him.
“You need the heat,” he murmured before turning to address the someone behind him.
“He’s chained to the wall.”
I blinked in surprise as our pack mage stepped forward.
Xeres pointed to the wall above my head. Turning, I saw what he meant. Large cracks had appeared in the wall, and threatened to run all the way down releasing a slab of brick or concrete or whatever made up the wall. One of the cracks ran from the ceiling joint, to within a couple of inches of the metal ring.Presumably, inserting the ring into the wall in the first place had created some kind of weakness at that point.
That’s when I noticed the absence of the unsettling shudders and noises that had occupied the last 5 or 10 minutes. I’d been so thrilled at the arrival of my mate, I hadn’t even noticed when they’d stopped.
Something creaked.
Darius gave an experimental pull on the chain, glancing upwards at the ceiling, lines wrinkling his brow. A chunk of loose debris tumbled from the top of the crack and rolled to a stop several feet away. Some unseen communication seemed to take place between Xeres and Darius, and the mage raised his hand, palm flat, towards the wall. He nodded at Darius.
