Page 67 of Daughter of Garnet

There is no way to know who makes the first move, only that our lips crash together in a fevered kiss. Like that time in the woods, electricity runs through my veins at his very touch.

I pull away with a gasp. "Are you being shocked right now?"

Cameron's eyes are wild, and his shoulder twitches a little. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" I leap to my feet and scamper away from him.

He doesn't let me escape, stalking across the room to me and shoving me against the wall. "As my neck expands with my beast, there are spikes that poke me, using my blood as a conduit to shock me. It's not a full prick, just a little one. Nothing I can't handle."

"I don't want you to be in pain. Not for me."

The Alpha pushes his forehead against mine and breathes shallowly. "I like a little pain with my pleasure, Zoe. You should try it sometime."

My core grows slick as I fantasize about Cameron smacking my ass, his nails digging into the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, his teeth cutting into the flesh of my breast.

I cannot deny that it's a combination I've been known to enjoy, too, though I can give it as good as I get.

"You'll tell me if it gets to be too much?"

Instead of answering, he captures my lips with his and licks into my mouth. His taste is enough to make me grow lightheaded, and my knees weaken. He grips my hip to keep me upright.

"This isn't why I brought you here," he says through panting breaths when he pulls away. "We have to talk about what you overheard."

I groan and wrap my arms around his waist, feeling the warmth of his flesh beneath me. "We can talk later."

"We should talk now." It's not a dismissal. There's too much mirth in his words for it to be a rejection. It feels like a pause, not a hard stop.

"Fine." My voice is a petulant whine, and I have to stop myself from stomping across the room and back to his bed. "Can you put your shirt on at least?"

After pulling his sweater over his head, Cameron runs his fingers through his hair, only to make it look messier.

"The Archon is taking the Omegas from the Institute," he starts. "I have no power to stop him, and any heavy push I give will fall on deaf ears. It's better for me to stay neutral so no one censors themselves around me."

A shudder wracks through me at the memory of the sleezy man, Dominic's father, saying it's time for "community Omegas". "Why is he taking them now?"

"The Gods are Blessing fewer and fewer Omegas every year. You're the only one this year. Alphas need Omegas, Zoe. Ruts are painful without one, and most have to be sedated until it passes unless they have a very eager Beta partner. Whoever controls Omegas controls the Alphas."

The first time I met Cameron, he told me that people will take and take power until they are the only ones left with it. If controlling Omegas means controlling the Alphas, the entire force of Alphas is at your command.

"So what, he uses them as rewards?" The mere thought of it has bile rising in my throat. Omegas are people, and treating them as commodities should be a crime.

But who is going to enforce laws if the ones making them are also the ones breaking them?

Cameron's lips turn down in a sad smile. "I don't know for sure, but everyone on the Archon's good side seems to have an Omega for their pack. This is not the first time he has offered me one, and I doubt it will be the last."

Jealousy flares in my chest at the mere thought of another Omega coming anywhere near Cameron. He said he belonged to me, and I'm starting to believe that.

"We're scent matches, aren't we?" Since Cameron removed my necklace, I'm able to feel the tether between us, one that I felt with Dominic that day in the woods. "That's what you meant when you said you belonged to me?"

His grin is blinding, transforming his entire face. "We are."

"It's not just you." The words fall out of me in a rush. "I mean, I have another scent match."

He hums under his breath, and I can feel my chest tighten. What if he's jealous? What if he doesn't want me with anyone else? Dominic has already given up on me, but I'm bound to Cliff.

"I know. You have two others and the Beta."

"Two?" My nose wrinkles. "No, just one. Dominic, but that's never happening. I did bond with Cliff, though."