Unfolding himself from his vantage point, he dropped down to the ground as lightly as he could. He heard the smallest crunch of stone underfoot and he froze, his gaze cutting to the huddled little form. Her breathing had altered, her instincts still trying to warn her even though he’d laced the water with a mild sedative and antibiotic. He’d been careful with the doses. She was so tiny he didn’t want to overdose her and kill her.
He stayed motionless until her breathing lengthened out again and then moved closer on silent feet until he stood over her. Crouching down, he lifted a hand, about to brush the hair away from her face.
Then, unexpectedly, she opened her eyes.
The moon came out from behind a cloud, and for a moment he could see her clearly. Elfin features almost lost beneath the dirt and grime, her silver-blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight. She made a soft sound and shifted deeper into her makeshift burrow, but the drugs had dulled the edges of her reflexes.
“Hello, little one.” He crouched in front of her, blocking her escape. “You will come with me now.”
“No,” the word came out low and fuzzy. “Go away.”
He chuckled. “Not without you. You’re wounded and sick. I have soft blankets and a warm place for you to sleep.” He held out his hand. “Come. Now.”
Something flashed in her eyes, a moment of primal instinct. “No!”
He’d expected her to run, or cry, or try to hide. He hadn’t expected her to come at him with a blade. His surprise didn’t dull his instincts, and he dodged her wild swing easily, catching her wrist and disarming her in the same movement. In no version of reality was a tiny, drugged little human any match for him.
“No,” he said firmly, sliding the oddly curved blade away into a sheath strapped to his thigh.
She made a small sound, somewhere between pain and hopelessness, and he eased up on his grip before pulling her gently the rest of the way out of her little burrow. A small smile curved his lips as she tried to cling to the things she had, noting she fought hardest to keep the soft blanket. So he let her keep it, slinging the pack easily over one shoulder as he lifted her.
“Any more blades you’d like to try and stick me with, little one?” he asked with a slight growl.
“You took mine,” she muttered, her words slurring. “Gimme it back and I can try again.”
“You have no need for a weapon anymore. You have me.”
She gave him a sidelong look from beneath dark lashes but didn’t say anything.
The scent of her was intoxicating, branding his lungs with every breath and making him think things his little omega wasn’t ready for. Not yet. He’d have to wait, even if his cock was already hard enough to crush rocks and had been for days. The moment he’d smelled her the first time, he’d known she was his.
By the time he got her back to his lair, she was fast asleep. That suited him perfectly. He didn’t need any human, not even this one, knowing where he stayed. That information was too important. Only one other male knew this place existed—his brother, A’rett.
Rath endured the scans and security checkpoints he’d installed before finally climbing the stairs. He needed to get his omega secured as quickly as possible.
Standing at the threshold, he took a moment to look at the female in his arms. He was not the largest warrior—his bloodline had always run a little shorter than most of his species—but she was still tiny in comparison. His brow creased. She was too light and the pinched lines of her face told him she needed nutrition.
He walked right through until he reached the sleeping area and laid her down gently. The sedatives had a good hold on her now, so when she opened her eyes, she didn’t tense up or try to escape. Instead, she just looked up at him with those big soft eyes as a tear streaked down her cheek.
“Please,” she begged softly. “You don’t have to do this. You could just let me go. I’ll say I never even saw you.”
“I do have to do this. You are an omega. You need an alpha’s protection.” He thumped a fist to his chest. “You will accept mine.”
She shook her head and another tear fell. “I don’t want your protection.”
Stubborn. His brother had warned him about that. These humans weren’t like other omegas.
“The choice is not yours,” he growled, growing irritated with her foolishness. Kneeling by the bed, he reached for her leg to check her wound. He could smell the wrongness even from here. But before he could touch her, she squeaked again and scuttled across the soft surface of the bed away from him.
“Please, no!” she gasped, disappearing off the other side of the bed with a thump.
“Xarthing female! Did you injure yourself?” He strode over to her side of the bed, worry warring with annoyance.
She was huddled in the corner, her back pressed to the wall and her legs curled up against her chest. She was panting and terrified, her eyes as wide as the full moon.
“Stop this foolishness. You are injured. I can help with that. It is that simple, shar’ai.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why? And what’s a shar’ai?”
“Why? Because you are an omega. A shar’ai is a stubborn little creature who doesn’t know what’s best for her.”
Her gaze darted past him across the room toward the door, and he read her intention as clear as day.
“Don’t run, little one,” he warned in a low voice. “You won’t make it.”
She yanked her gaze back to his and he saw the fire there. “Says who?”
He bared his fangs and snarled. “Says me. You are my omega. You will obey me.”
Her mouth quirked up in a ghost of a smile. “And if I don’t?”
“Punishment.” He thrust out his hand to her. “Now, off the floor and back on the bed.”
The look she gave him was wary and sullen, but after one last glance at the door, she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. The moment she put any weight on her injured leg, she winced, and he swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bed.
“Stay.”
She cut him a look from under her lashes, and he tensed himself for her to run again. But she didn’t, letting him settle her propped up on the pillows and watching him warily as he reached for her leg. Before he could touch her, she hissed, tensing up. This time, though, he could tell it was because she was concerned about her leg, rather than because she was scared of him.
“It’s okay, little one,” he murmured in reassurance, his hands paused over her leg for a moment to let her get used to the idea. “I just need to look at this. You’re hurt. You know that. Don’t you?”
She did. He knew she did. She was more intelligent and aware than he’d have expected any omega to be. The way she’d moved, protecting her injured limb, proved that.
Watching him for long moments, finally she gave a small nod. His lips quirked, amusement filling him. The little omega had given him permission.
As if that changed anything.
He checked her injury gently, concern growing as he saw the extent of the infection and the unhealthy color of the skin around the wound. She wouldn’t have lasted much longer out there. He wasn’t sure how she was still on her feet. What he had on hand might not be enough to heal her completely, but it would be a start. A few days of rest and food would do as much for her as the medicine. Then, he’d need to take her to Zabor T’ah, the citadel he and the other members of his clan called home.