I woke from a drowsy sleep, completely comfortable, warm, and safe.
Shit.
I shot up; those were feelings I should not be feeling when I woke up. My hand rested on Ezra’s warm, hard chest. I blinked as the memories of last night unfurled, and heat rushed to my cheeks.
Ezra took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. “Good morning,” he said, but I was still trying to get my bearings. The fire was mostly embers, and the sky outside black. “It’s early,” he stated.
“Good,” I managed, sleep coated my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept that well.
“That was the best sleep I’ve ever gotten,” Ezra admitted. His morning voice was even more throaty than normal, and it sent fire skittering through me. “Easy,” he growled, his mismatched eyes turned to matching black. I swallowed.
“Today is it,” I said, looking out the window.
The back of his fingers trailed across my cheek. “It is,” he murmured. We sat there for a moment before he said, “I guess we should get ready.” The reluctance was obvious in his voice, and it matched what I was feeling.
Adrenaline sparked and pushed away the last of my lingering comfortable sleepiness. “Everything is ready?” I confirmed. “Everyone?” I looked down at him. Half of his beautiful, sharp face was slightly golden in the embers.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “I’ll meet them and go over the plan again. What time do you think they will be leaving?”
“Late morning or early afternoon. The party must have gone on until the early hours.” That would give me enough time to prepare everything.
“What you asked for, I’ll bring it to your room.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. I needed to stop by the kitchen. I was probably overthinking but I felt better having another backup on me. In case… well… in case of anything.
He shifted, propping himself up on his arms. Some of his dark hair fell down over his face and I pushed it back, tracing his features, the scars, his full lips. He closed his eyes and breathed softly.
“Thank you,” I said. “For last night.”
He swallowed, his eyes blinking open. His hand pressed over mine and held mine to his cheek. “No, Simone.” He turned to kiss my palm. “Thank you.”
______
It was too early for even the Omegas to be up. The entire place was eerily quiet as if the very essence of it was I was able to sneak to the kitchen and get the few things I needed.
I stood outside my room, unsure of why I paused. I listened, and there was some soft breathing. I opened the door and scanned the room.
Someone sleeping on a chair by the dying fire. Tia was sleeping there. I softly closed the door behind me and walked up to her, kneeling in front of the chair. I placed a hand gently on her knee, and she shot up; I smelled her fear.
“Oh.” She breathed heavily, her hand over her chest.
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” I removed my hand from her knee. “What are you doing here?” I asked, suddenly worried.
Did Sam need something? Did something change? I should have been here last night, but not one single part of me actually regretted it.
“I came to check on you,” she said. “You weren’t here, so I stayed, just in case someone else came. I was going to pretend you were sick. But no one did.” She shook her head vigorously.
My heart swelled. “Tia… Thank you.”
She smiled, but her eyes were still bleary. “You’re welcome.”
I stood and worked on restarting the fire. “Can I get you a blanket or anything?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
She shook her head, stretching her arms up. “I should be going before anyone notices I’m missing.” She yawned. “I’ll see you later?” she half-asked.
I nodded, giving her a genuine smile. “I’m looking forward to it.” She paused when she got to the door. “Tia?” I asked.
“If you need anything…” She bit her lip and wrung her hands. A bit of the person I met slipped through.
“Go on,” I gently prodded.
“Well… If you need anything, support at any time. The Omegas will back you.” She looked down at her feet. “All of us,” she said, swallowing but looking back up at me, raising her chin.
She stilled a bit of resolve in her eyes. It softened me.
“Thank you, I will remember that,” I responded. I would. I would ensure that whatever happened to this pack that The Omegas would be well taken care of. I felt guilty for not thinking of them earlier, not planning for that. The guilt felt nice. It made me feel that I wasn’t a completely horrible person, too far for redemption to touch.
“Actually,” I asked. “If you have a few moments, do you mind helping me with something while I shower?”
Her smile was wide, and she promised she would be back momentarily. I slipped off the dress and took a long, warm bath to soak my deliciously sore muscles before I washed off in a cold shower.
Tia was sitting by the roaring fire, meticulously pulling a needle through my dress. She didn’t even notice me for a few moments; she was so engrossed in her work.
“Thank you, Tia,” I told her as I changed into a nightgown.
She smiled briefly and went back to her work. Something glimmered and caught my eye by the foot of the chair. In her sewing basket looked to be a headband with a large diamond hanging from it.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Oh.” She followed my eyes. “it’s my excuse for being here. I’m the first awake besides Amelia, so she let me do this. I’m supposed to be polishing this, and it requires a special polish. I told her I was going to get some more of it and polish it somewhere safe, but actually, I had the polish with me.” She gave me a conspirital look.
“What is it for?” I asked, my mouth dry.
“The Luna, she’s wearing it today,” Tia said, going back to her work.
“May I?” I asked, taking a step forward.
“Sure, just be careful, it's apparently really old.”
I swallowed, my hands trembled as they reached for my mother’s tiara.
White gold with a large diamond hanging in the middle, the sapphire woven into the gold branches sparkled in the firelight. The one she let me wear for the first time the night they died. I hadn’t thought about it since I didn’t know if I was even wearing it after the carnage started.
I started shaking, and Tia looked up at me with wide eyes. I shut my eyes and pushed it towards her. I could breathe again when Tia took it out of my hands.
I would die before I let my mother’s tiara rest on that bitches head.