Page 64 of Alpha's Embrace
“How will we disguise me being a Sylph?”
“I have that covered somewhat. We’ll work on it together. People must think you’re my Omega. But mostly, for now, you’re going to stay away from people. I hate to do that to you--”
“No, it’s all right. I’m used to it. Besides, if I have you, I don’t need anyone else.”
Our hands never let go, even after I grabbed a pillow from the back and fell asleep against Geo’s shoulder. For hours he drove one-handed until we had to stop for gas.
Later, after eating a sandwich, I fell asleep again as the sun rose in pink hues through the windshield, warming my face.
Chapter Eighteen
Geo
I had a checklist that seemed a mile long. I’d managed in less than two weeks to get everything on it done.
Now I was hyped up, my body stiff and tight, my breaths short. I could feel my heart racing.
Driving helped calm me. With Misha asleep at my side, and his warm, sweet scent filling the air, everything seemed all right. No matter what, having him with me made my world whole. I didn’t care about anything else.
He was right to insinuate I could be driven by the Burn. That this act of taking him away from the only home he’d ever known was a meaningless response to outside stimuli that might end after the mad heat of the time was over.
But I wouldn’t let that happen. First, I wanted him and I didn’t care about anything but that. The Alpha in me had finally awakened, as if I’d been stuck in some loop in time that kept me on low-drive, kept me in a sort of frozen state where my Burns were low-key compared to other Alphas I knew. It kept my life revolving around school and work since I’d turned eighteen.
Nothing wrong with work. People made decisions all the time to focus on career and little else. It brought security, money, and even a form of happiness for the job well-done. I was okay with all that, though it did make me feel a little old.
Beyond Mase, I’d never been in love. I remembered my feelings for Mase, and they were sweet and wonderful, but they were nothing like what I felt toward Misha.
I truly did not believe I could feel this strongly again on any level. Now, I wanted nothing else. I didn’t have any misgivings or guilt about taking Misha away from Riverside Colony.
It was nice that as the chief of staff I could override the cameras at the elevators and front doors. I had tricked the night guards into doing a short project for me, then simply walked in and stole Misha. It was far easier than it should have been.
Knowing Mathias and Alden had paid off, too.
Did I regret that I was leaving my job? My career?
A little bit.
But Misha deserved everything and I realized in this final past week while making my plans, that I would do anything for him. I told myself a doctor does no harm. I was a therapist and had taken the same oath. To help him, to keep him from further harm, I was giving him a life. A real life.
I wanted him with every Alpha gene in my body. The bond that formed could not be ignored. It was a far too powerful force.
Even now, as he slept at my side while the darkness passed by all around us, I felt his presence edging my mind with an excruciating beauty and sense of wholeness. It felt as if I were reaching into a golden light which held all reasons for life itself to exist. If I didn’t close my fist around that light, I’d lose it forever.
When we stopped for gas, I had Misha go into the bathroom and change into jeans and a t-shirt I’d bought him. I gave him a cologne that was made for Omegas, and hoped that would disguise his scent enough to fool anyone we might encounter on this journey. People would never assume a Sylph was wandering about in public anyway, but they might sense him as different, and I didn’t want to bring any unwanted attention.
I figured the nurses at the colony would discover Misha’s absence by seven a.m. when they woke him for breakfast and his shower. The way the media worked, we’d be news by noon.
Before noon I expected to be in Tarn and hidden away in the rental house I’d leased for the spring and summer.
Beyond that, with our new identities, and our new bond, I’d legally file us as an Alpha/Omega pair. After that, I’d worry about a job. I had enough money in cash to last us a year. And if Mathias came through with a loan on my house and, later, a sale, I’d have more.
I was young. The prospect of starting over did not deter me.
*
When we approached the border checkpoint, my nerves were strung taut. It was five minutes until seven. A half-dozen “what ifs” flooded my mind. If Misha was already discovered missing, they might have a police bulletin and recognize him even if it took hours to hit the media. Maybe the new I.D.s wouldn’t pass inspection. Or they’d want to delay us for any number of reasons. Or maybe they simply wouldn’t like how we looked.
The checkpoint was a glass cubicle. On both sides of the road were stop signs flashing red lights on top. A larger building stood off to the right of the checkpoint just ahead, on Tarn land. A large flood-light illuminated both constructs, and shone its bright glow across the road.
