Page 15 of Vicious Kings
Great. I'm at the vet.
I finally manage to swing my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet dangle above a floor that looks like it was made from a single piece of polished stone. No seams. No imperfections. Just an endless expanse of white shot through with veins of gold.
Now, time for the restraints. I learned how to pick locks before I could write my own name, and the needle I just pulled from my arm makes a pretty decent tool. In a matter of minutes, my right wrist and ankle are free, but that's just one battle out of many.
"Okay, Moreau," I tell myself. "You've been walking your whole life. How hard can it be?"
Turns out, very fucking hard.
The second my feet touch the floor, my legs decide they're made of overcooked spaghetti. The impact of my knees againstthe stone sends shockwaves through my body, and the collar around my neck seems to pulse with warmth.
"Motherfucker," I gasp, trying to push myself up. My arms shake with the effort, muscles screaming in protest.
The door, which I hadn't even noticed until now because it blends seamlessly into the wall, flies open. A flood of people in white rush in like a tide. They surround me before I can even process what's happening, hands reaching, voices overlapping in a symphony of oh-so-professional medical concern.
"She's conscious…"
"Must have removed the IV herself…"
"Her recovery is remarkable, considering the effects of the portal…"
"The suppressants seem to be working…"
They talk about me like I'm not even here. Like I'm some fascinating germ they've discovered under a microscope. Their hands are gentle but firm as they lift me, and I'm too weak to do anything but let them manhandle me back onto the bed.
"Get your fucking hands off me," I manage to snarl, but it comes out more like a wheeze than a threat.
They ignore me completely. Not surprising. I'm just an omega. The precious, fragile little omega who needs to be protected and coddled and discussed in third person like she doesn't have ears or a brain.
One of them, a woman with silver hair styled in an elaborate updo that defies gravity, checks my pupils with a light so bright it makes my brain hurt. "Remarkable," she murmurs. "The resilience is unexpected."
"Unexpected?" A man's voice, smooth as aged whiskey. "She's a wild omega. They're always more robust than the cultivated ones."
Wild omega. Like I'm some kind of feral animal they found in the woods. Which, technically, I guess I am. But still. Rude.
The light disappears, and I blink away the spots dancing in my vision. When they clear, I'm looking at one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen.
He's tall, probably six and a half feet, with white hair that falls to his shoulders in a cascade of silk. His features are sharp, angular, almost cruel in their perfection. But it's his eyes that catch me. Purple. Actual fuckingpurple, like someone crystallized twilight and shoved it into his eye sockets.
"Hello," he says, and his voice is gentle despite its earlier sharpness. "I'm Dr. Helwood. How are you feeling?"
I stare at him for a moment, trying to process the fact that he's actually talking to me instead of about me. "Like someone set my insides on fire and then tried to put it out with acid. Thanks for asking."
His lips twitch in what I think is amusement. "An accurate assessment, I'm afraid. Your body has been through quite an ordeal. First whatever stimulant you were seemingly injected with to trigger your heat, then the portal radiation, and the drugs we had to administer to counteract the effects of both."
"Where am I?" The words come out harsher than I intended, but I'm too tired to care about manners. Especially around creatures that are better off beheaded, in my personal opinion.
He blinks, and for a second he looks at me like I've sprouted a second head. Or maybe like a flower just asked him for the time. "You're in the Omega Wing of the Valemyre Royal Hospital."
I made it.
Somehow, I actually made it to where I need to be. The relief is so intense it makes me dizzy.
"How?" I manage to ask. "The last thing I remember is?—"
"Falling into an unauthorized transport circle?" he finishes, one perfect eyebrow arching. "Yes, that was quite foolish. You're fortunate the receiving end was monitored. You materialized inthe middle of the Grand Plaza during the changing of the guard. Caused quite a commotion."
I have no idea where the Grand Plaza is, but it sounds important.
