Page 211 of Awakened

He’s tense, blinking bleary eyes until they finally adjust and his shoulders relax.

“Morning,” he murmurs, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on the nape of my neck. “This is where I’m going to bite you.”

That shocks a laugh out of me. “Where did that come from?”

He grins. “Just thinking. For the sake of being honest, you should know that I think about giving you my bite often.”

“Not as often as I think about your blood,” Caelan admits from my other side. His eyes are focused on the side of my neck.

I stiffen, which Caelan notices because he misses nothing.

“What’s wrong? What just happened?”

“Aren’t you worried? About what might happen if you drink my blood?” I glance at Soren over my shoulder. “You, too. What happens if, when you bite me, you swallow some of my blood? What if you guys start glowing and sparking like Calla and Daniella?”

Caelan and Soren share a heavy look above me. I sit up, tucking the blankets around me and reaching for the blanket Vaelenor gave me yesterday, wrapping it around my shoulders.

“Omega—”

“I hate my father,” I say, cutting Caelan off. “I hate him so much. For what he did to my mother. For what he’s done to the missing Omegas. And I really, really hate the way he’s made me some kind of unwilling participant in what I really hope is a psychotic break and not something he’s been involved in all this time that I could have prevented.”

Soren frowns. “That’s bullshit, Omega.”

“Listen to me.” Caelan pushes up so he’s seated as well. “None of this is your fault. Your father’s actions are not your own. I’ve been saying that since before I knew you were mine. Don’t you dare let the shit my brother says convince you otherwise. You’re a victim, too, just like the other Omegas.”

“I think it might help if we understand why he’s doing it,” Soren suggests, arching his back as Caelan nods in agreement.

“Agreed. We know why he stole your blood, but we don’t understand why he’s trying to pass your abilities to other Omegas. I can make a pretty good guess, but that’s all it’ll be. We also don’t really know how or why the Severed are involved.”

I can’t help feeling defeated. We have so many questions and no answers. It’s maddening.

I know there are so many more important things we need answers to, but I can’t help fixating on the one question that runs on a loop in my mind. The question that keeps me up at night.

The question I’m not sure I even want the answer to.

What does all of this have to do with me?

“There’s this, too.” Soren snatches the remote from the nightstand and points it at the TV. He flips through what must be a thousand different channels—why are there so many?—until he lands on a national news outlet.

Caelan groans. “No way. Turn it off, Soren. She doesn’t need to see this shit.”

He reaches over me for the remote, but I lift a hand to stop him, eyes glued to the television screen. Fates… when’s the last time I actually watched television? I must have been a pre-teen when Father took them from every room I had access to.

“It’s alright,” I give Caelan a soft smile. “I need to know.”

Caelan doesn’t look convinced. He sighs and pulls me close until I’m resting against his chest.

Soren turns up the volume. He and Caelan both shift until they’re leaning against the headboard, sporting identical grim expressions.

The commercial break ends and a Newscaster appears on screen. She’s a pretty, middle-aged woman who has incredibly kind eyes, despite her frown and the furrow between her brows.

“Good morning, it’s 6:52 a.m. here in New York. If you’re just joining us, we’re in the middle of our continuous coverage of the global disturbances that have been baffling scientists and officials alike over the last few weeks. Overnight, another seismic event shook the Alaskan Coast, despite the area containing no fault lines to account for the magnitude of the tremors.”

The screen cuts to an overhead shot of a small fishing village in absolute disarray. Nearly every boat is capsized. The buildings have been reduced to nothing but rubble, and trees and power lines are strewn in a tangled, dangerous mess across the land.

And right through the middle of the town, impossible to miss, the very Earth is marred by a massive, jagged fissure.

“The search for survivors is still ongoing. So far, two are confirmed dead, with an unknown number missing. Because of the remote location, it’s difficult for First Responders to mobilize effectively, putting the burden of search and rescue on the residents of the community.”