Page 104 of The Omega's Alpha
“I’m told that your people were forced to remain inside the shifter enclave during the fire.”
“It is the law,” Quin reminded him gently.
“Sometimes it’s best to ignore the letter of the law,” the President said.
Quin stayed silent. Let the man stew in what sounded and smelled to Quin like guilt, and see what it bought them in exchange for those lives.
After an awkward moment, the President continued. “I’d like you to tell me about your life here. Not the sanitized, we’re-making-it version, but the real story. I’ve never been in favor of these walls, but it’s also a complex issue, given your difference in culture and relative isolation.”
“Hmm,” Holland said, but refused to say more when both Quin and the President glanced at him. “Do continue,” was all they could pry out of him, and Quin turned his attention back to the human.
“The isolation is a problem, and the fear. Most of my people are terrified to go outside walls, in case they’re attacked or killed.” He smelled the man’s surprise and shrewdly guessed that it had never occurred to the human that shifters might be as afraid, if not more, of them. “I’m working on it, pushing the young ones, the ones who still think themselves invincible—” He broke off and frowned at Holland’s chuckle. “Stop, I’m beginning to think heisinvincible.”
Holland laughed out loud this time. “Bram,” he explained to the humans. “Another omega. He’s planning to take nursing in the city, and he definitely thinks he’s invincible. But we love him, even if we’re scared to death half the time.”
Quin gave Holland’s thigh a quick, loving squeeze and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Kind of like the wild omega I brought home.”
Holland turned to kiss him, tasting of lemon and honey and sweet spices. “Love you,” he whispered. Then he turned back to the President and his wife. “We need more medical people. We have Adelaide, who’s a nurse-practitioner, and Bram, who is going to do the same thing. But we need doctors, and nurses, and aides. We get by, but it’s a precarious balance. And for every shifter that goes outside walls to interact with humans, there’s another that comes back and swears they’ll never go out again.”
“You can’t hire outside?” Evelyn asked.
“We try every once in a while. But we can’t pay enough, and going through the gates every day, or living inside walls…” Quin shook his head. “It hasn’t been a success. The ones we do get tend to be the ones that can’t get jobs in your world. We don’t want that either.”
“No, I can see that.” The President looked thoughtful. “And yet, you can throw a celebration like this.” The words were pointed, digging at our wastefulness.
“How much did you spend on your inauguration while people waited twelve hours in an emergency room to be seen for a heart attack?” Cas said, leaning against the back of Quin’s chair. He shot back a sharp glance.
The human at least had the grace to look ashamed. “Touché. I suppose I shouldn’t be throwing stones in my glass house.”
“No, not really.” Cas flopped into one of the chairs. “Quin, I’m going to go to Green Moon for a while in the new year, see if I can straighten out their taxes for them. That’s going to be a mess.”
The President looked first surprised, then amused. “And you are?”
“Casimir Mercy Hills. Tax lawyer for the pack.” He turned away to stare at Quin. “You okay with that?”
Quin nodded. “So long as all your work for Mercy Hills is done.”
“Yeah, I think we’ll be all right. I’ve been keeping on top of it, and it should be pretty straightforward this year. I know what to expect, anyway.”
“Then I think that would be a good thing. Anyone else going with you to help out?”
“I strong-armed Winter Moon for one of their accountants, and Las Padros will loan me some bookkeepers. He’s still fighting shy of you after the fall.” Cas grinned. “Right, I’m off. Too much good food, and there’s a pretty blond out there who keeps giving me the ‘come hither’ look, so I’m hithering.” He nodded to the President and his wife. “Nice to meet you. Don’t eat too heavy—the dancing will be starting in about an hour.” And then he was gone.
Quin suppressed a sigh. “I apologize for my brother. Sometimes I think law school dried out his brain.”
“He’s sharp, I like that. Tax law, huh? That’s heavy, and very detailed work.” The President stared after Cas with a thoughtful expression, as if Cas were a particularly delicious looking rabbit and the President just wasn’t certain he was hungry enough to hunt. “So, some of you do get outside walls for long enough for school.”
“Except that he isn’t allowed to take the bar.” Quin shrugged. “But that’s the least of our worries.
The President leaned forward. “Then tell me, as one leader to another, what are the greatest of your worries?” And so the conversation began.
Chapter Eighty-Four
At the endof a beautiful day in March, I settled on the couch in the living room and waited to kiss my mate and my pups goodbye for the night, as they headed off for a night of fun and frivolity that I wasn’t going to have to clean up after. Not that their little puppy messes bothered me. Even at four months along, with all the extra weight that implied, I wasn’t tired or sore or anything—just a bit heavier.
It made me a little nervous, though. After all, growing up, I’d heard all the stories—because everyone loved terrifying the omega boys. And of course, since we’d announced the coming baby, I’d heard even more.
I was still waiting for it all to happen.
