Page 14 of Omega Chattel
His eyes closed half-way as if he were assessing me deeper. Finally, he gave a heavy sigh.
The other young men were watching him carefully but reverently. Obviously, they’d all been through this.
“You asked last night what I do for a living. I am an engineer. Mostly mechanical and electrical. And I have many patents that pay me royalties.”
“That’s--” I gulped. “What exactly is an engineer?”
One of the Omegas snickered—Oren—and Tarin shot him a stern look.
“I fix problems,” said Tarin. “I make prospects of some scientific applications more marketable.”
“You mean you invent stuff?”
He smiled. “Sometimes.”
“You seem very smart for your age.” My voice came out soft. How old was he anyway? He’d never answered that question last night.
He blinked at me.
“I mean, you have all this.” I waved my hand through the air, trying not to look at the other boys, trying not to stutter my thoughts. “And you’re young-looking, I mean, I don’t know how old you are, but you look young still.” Alphas could live to as old as two hundred, while Omega life spans tended to be shorter at one hundred fifty to one hundred seventy-five years.
I continued. “I mean, it’s a lot for your age.”
I nearly choked on that last statement, not realizing how it sounded until it came out.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”
“It’s all right. If you must know, I’m fifty-two.”
I balked. It seemed old to me, not age-wise, but in experience. “And you’re unbonded?”
That came out way too fast.
Oren got up and took his plate to the sink. I heard the water come on. I heard him put it in the dishwasher.
Tarin focused on his plate, forking scrambled eggs into his mouth as if he hadn’t heard me.
Oren said, “I’ve got a lot of homework today.” Without waiting for an answer, he left.
The other two smirked at each other, as if they had some silent telepathic language of their own.
I swallowed a bit of toast and it went down like ash. I’d felt bold one on one on the street with Tarin, but now everything had become awkward, and the energy of the other Omegas was almost off-putting.
No one spoke.
Finally the other two got up and rinsed their plates. They left quietly without comment.
I kept putting food into my mouth and not tasting it even though I was famished.
Everything felt wrong, causing little sparks of panic in my veins. Was Tarin going to kick me out now? I didn’t know what to say.
Tarin put a napkin to his lips, then spoke. “You have a lot of questions. I know.”
“I am sometimes a bit forward. My house-dad hated me for it.”The perv.
“Here, in this house, I encourage strength of character and curiosity. But I also teach my boys manners. I’m not a farm. I’m not going to keep you against your will. I’m not here to impose impossible rules and regulations, or hold you back in any way.”
His words surprised me. I wasn’t sure I believed him. He seemed quite dominant. His Omega guests were controlled in their behavior, almost formal.
