Page 64 of Daughter of Garnet

"Hierophant."

I sit up and pin him with a glare. "Of course, your holiness, how could I forget?"

He looks frazzled for the first time in this entire conversation. "Zoe, I was given this job because they needed to keep a close eye on me. There is no power in this title, only responsibility."

I have so many questions, and everything he says leaves me with more. "How did you get the notes to me?" Of all the questions I have, that feels like it has the lowest stakes.

"I have a lot of free time, and I am very sneaky." He laughs at the dumbfounded expression on my face. "I don't know what you expect me to say. I have a master key. I can get into any room on campus."

The sound of doors slamming open startles me, and he swears under his breath.

"Stay here. Be quiet."

Cameron grabs a piece of cloth that's resting over one of the busted pews and throws it on. It's a robe. He's wearing religious garb.

Oh my Gods, forgive me, he is a sexy priest.

I hear voices growing closer, so I duck to the floor and crawl toward the door to listen in.

"No Omegas in this year's class, Hierophant?" Who is that?

"No, Archon, there are not."

Shit, the Archon is here? No wonder Cameron told me to hide.

"And the Gods are still quiet?"

"Should you not be having this conversation with the Arcanist? I am but a vessel for the Gods' knowledge."

Cameron plays his part well. So well that it's easy to forget that he's the guy who pinned me to a tree in the woods and fucked me with his hand.

I can't think about that right now. I don't think I'm supposed to get horny for a holy man.

"Cut the shit, Soter." So much for religious deference. "Did any Omegas go unreported?"

There's the screeching sound of a chair being pulled out. "The Gods are Blessing fewer Omegas every year."

That wasn't an answer to the question, and both of us know why he sidestepped it.

"It's sad, really, that the Gods have abandoned us the way they have. The chance of our Alphas finding their Omega continues to get smaller and smaller. I worry we may start to have to form extra large packs and give them a community Omega to keep them healthy."

My stomach churns, and I almost lose my dinner. Is he really suggesting assigning Omegas to large swaths of Alphas?

"The Gods would not look favorably upon us ignoring the gift of scent matches for such an arrangement." Cameron's voice is tight, and I can hear he's as disgusted by the idea as I am.

"There is no incentive to go through the process of finding scent matches when we have so few Omegas. We just need to collect them in groups that the Omega is scent-sympathetic to. It makes sense to train them to handle many Alphas. Some time with an Omega is better than none at all."

"And you're here, what, to look for my Blessing?" The edge in Cameron's voice reminds me of the way he spoke when he had Cliff by the neck.

"Not yours, Hierophant." The Archon's voice drips with derision. "I wanted to let you know directly that we will be moving the Omegas off campus. For their protection, you see. There are so many Alphas here, we can't risk them getting into the Omega dorms. The director knows. You no longer need to hold your Omega service."

There is a heavy pause that has me squirming and straining my ears to see if I'm missing something.

"Locking the Omegas up is not the way to get the Gods to Bless more."

"I am simply protecting the Gods' Blessings. You think you'd be happy about that, Hierophant." Another scraping sound and heavy footballs. "You know, you could benefit from an Omega, Hierophant. I imagine you'd be able to rid yourself of that collar if you had access to one."

A loud thump startles me so much I jump, covering my mouth to hide a squeak.