I glare up at him through the curtain of hair that's fallen into my face. "Long enough."
"Did Felix recruit you?" Bane asks. "Get you into this life?"
The implication in his words makes something savage wake up in my chest. They think I'm some helpless omega who got dragged into this world by an alpha with bad intentions. They think Felix corrupted me, used me, turned me into something I wasn't meant to be.
If only they knew.
"We're partners," I say, each word sharp as broken glass. "Equals. I'm not some victim he picked up off the street."
Bane's eyebrows rise toward his hairline. "Equals?"
"You seem surprised." I bare my teeth in what might charitably be called a smile. "What, you think omegas can't be killers? Can't make their own choices?"
"That's not what I—" Bane starts, but I cut him off.
"We choose our targets. We plan our jobs together. I'm just as good with a knife as he is with a gun." The words pour out of me like poison, bitter and true.
Silence falls over the helicopter except for the steady thrum of rotors and the quiet beep of medical equipment. They're staring at me as if I've grown a second head, these alphas who think they understand the world and how it works. After all, it was made by and for them.
"What are you going to do with us?" I ask, changing the subject before they can ask more questions I don't want to answer.
Bane leans back in his seat, considering. "I meant what I said back there. Neither of you will be harmed while you're in our custody."
"But we're not going anywhere," I finish for him.
"Not for a long damn time," he confirms. "You tried to kill us. That tends to complicate things."
I want to argue, to fight, to demand they let us go. But Felix is still unconscious, still pale as death despite the blood flowing into his veins. We're not in any position to make demands.
"We're approaching the base," Viper calls from the pilot's seat. "Juniper, I'm going to need you to put this on."
He hands back a black cloth—a blindfold. I stare at it like it might bite me.
"Security measure," Bane explains. "Nothing personal."
I take the blindfold with hands that only shake a little. At least they're not planning to kill us. You don't blindfold people you're going to murder—you just shoot them and dump the bodies. The fact that they're worried about me seeing their base means they plan on keeping us alive with the possibility of escape.
That's something, I guess.
The fabric is soft against my skin as I tie it around my eyes, plunging the world into darkness. Immediately, the shadows start whispering louder, their voices a chorus of warnings and threats that make me flinch.
Danger,they hiss.
"You alright?" Doctor asks, his tone gentle. concerned.
"I'm fine," I say through my teeth. I've never liked the dark. Not when I was little, not even now. Felix is the only one who can hold me tight enough to make the shadows quiet down.
My stomach clenches with a fear that has nothing to do with our capture. These alphas don't know what Felix really is. They think he's one of them, an alpha protecting his omega. ButFelix would rather die than have that secret discovered, and I'm terrified they're going to find out.
The helicopter begins its descent, and I grip the edge of the medical table where Felix lies unconscious. His breathing is steadier now. But he's still so still, so quiet.
What happens when he wakes up? What happens when they run more tests, do more medical procedures? Felix has been hiding what he is for so long, using artificial pheromones and careful deception to pass as an alpha. But these men are professionals. They notice things. They ask questions. And if their exams get any more invasive, they'll notice he doesn't have a knot at the very least.
And if they find out the truth about Felix, if they discover he's been lying about what he is...
I don't know what they'll do. I don't know if their promise not to hurt us extends to omegas who masquerade as alphas. I don't know if they'll see it as just another deception or something worse.
All I know is that Felix would rather die than be exposed. And I would kill every single one of these alphas before I let that happen.
