Page 29 of The Omega Verse
He nods, but then shadows darken his eyes. “What you told us about your childhood… Steven never mentioned it to me. But it makes sense you want to be in control of what happens to you now. When I presented, my parents had my whole future mapped out for me. The pack I was going to mate, and a career in my dad’s company, but I wanted to make music. And when I met the guys… even very stern alpha parents couldn’t keep me away.”
I close my eyes as he lifts my hair and runs the towel over the back of my neck. I’m glad he got to make his own choices and found his way to the band, but it hurts to hear that Steven never talked about me. Did he just scrub me from his mind the moment he ran away? Did he ever look back? Did he wonder what happened to me, or did he just focus on chasing his dream?
The unanswered questions leave a sour taste in my mouth. A part of me hopes that Stephen and River were never that close, but that just reminds me of the other thing that’s been niggling at the back of my mind. “Am I stepping on your toes here, River? Do you have feelings for the other guys?”
He looks up sharply, then tosses the towel into the sink and gives me one of his sad smiles. “No. I only know Silva through the gig, and Kobi has always been more of Jett’s friend.”
“Oh. Okay, I’m relieved.” I stand to grab a comb off the shelf, River stepping back to give me room. I attack the snarls in my hair until River gently takes over. “But what about Jett? I don’t mean to pry, but are you really just bandmates? You seem really close and he obviously cares for you a lot.”
“No. Jett is straight. He flirts, but it’s just his way.” His eyes meet mine in the mirror, but I can’t read his expression. When he lowers the comb to the sink, he starts to pull off his jumper, and I watch him curiously. He’s bare underneath, and a wave of his sweet scent floods my way, making my mouth water. But then my gaze locks on the bite mark over his heart. It’s a scar, but not an old one. Maybe six months to a year at most?
“Steven, not Jett,” he says quietly, his fingers tracing the mark.
“Really?” My stomach swoops, but I’m not sure what I’m feeling. “I didn’t see anything about it online.”
“No one knows except for Jett and Kobi. We were planning to go public, but things were tricky. That woman who stole your VIP pass? That’s Celine Quint, and she and Steven were together for a couple of years, on and off.” His scent sours and a flash of something dark and dangerous flickers through his eyes. “She made his life hell at the end. Threatening to expose a whole lot of stuff to the media if he didn’t pay her a monthly allowance. He paid, but she was still bitter, crashing events and badmouthing him every chance she got. Steven wanted to protect me from all that, but then we went on the South American tour and… well, it was too late.”
I blink at him, so far beyond overwhelmed I don’t know what to say. But the anguish in his voice speaks to my soul and I throw my arms around him. Too late, I remember he doesn’t like to be touched - and given what he just told me, I understand why. But instead of pushing me away, he holds me tight, his face pressed into my hair. We cling to each other, rocking together in our shared grief. “I’m so sorry, River,” I whisper against his neck. “You deserved so much more than that.”
“You too,” he whispers back, his voice cracking. “You deserved to know Steven.” He sniffs and rubs his wet cheek on mine. “But fuck, it’s more than that, Cass. You should have been with us from the beginning. That’s what I don’t get. Steven was a hard guy, and he kept a lot of stuff bottled up, but he was really loyal. I just can’t believe he didn’t reach out to you.”
“I didn’t make it easy,” I tell him, hating the doubt in his voice. He’s already dealing with so much loss, I don’t want to taint his memories of my brother. “I had some bad stuff happen in the foster system, and I had to hide from it. When I settled in Sandy Bay, I used a new name. I wasn’t in school anymore and Cookie, my boss, gave me a place to stay and paid me under the table. No paper trail. Then when I met Tom, he helped me make my new name official. Steven would have to know I was Cass Amato to find me.”
“But you were born Cass Lynch?” I nod, and he runs a finger over the dimple in my chin. I shiver, even though I think it’s just a reflex. Now I know Steven had them too, I suppose a lot of the soft looks River sends my way are more about my brother than me. “And you really didn’t know he was Stix Rain?”
I snort. “I have vague memories of a skinny guy with a buzzcut and a face full of zits. He definitely didn’t look like a rockstar.”
River smiles, and for once, the sad edge is missing. “Jett says he was a late bloomer.”
I snigger, but the bus is pulling to a stop and there’s a cautious knock at the door. “All okay in there?” Silva asks, and just hearing his voice is enough to bring a flush back to my body.
I try to ease away from River before he gets a faceful of my heat hormones, but he holds me tighter. I look up into his perfect face and freeze, because he’s staring down at me with hooded eyes. “You remind me of him, Cass, but you’re not him. I know that.”
I nod numbly and study the mark on his chest a moment longer before reaching for his jumper. It smells like him – a kind of light, fruity scent that reminds me of peaches – but there’s something darker there, too. It’s faint, but I think I catch a hint of warm musk. “This was Steven’s,” he tells me as he pulls it over his head. “It’s seen better days, but then, so have I.”
That hurts my heart, so I give him another quick hug. “Well, thanks for telling me about you guys. He was lucky to have you. And I’m sorry you didn’t get your happy ending.”
Words like this usually get stuck in my throat, but I find they come easily when River is staring down at me with his soft grey eyes. Maybe because I really mean them, or maybe because I like the fragile connection I have with him. It could just be my omega hormones reacting to his, but I feel like there’s something between us that isn’t only about Steven.
“I’m just glad we’re together now,” he says as he drops the softest of kisses on my cheek. “And when you want to talk, I’m here. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Cass
Tom has always liked his space, which is why when he first came to Sandy Bay three years ago, he chose to live in an old surf shack up on the point. It’s a good ten minutes from the centre of town, and is hidden from the old coast road by a screen of paperbark trees and scrubby sand dunes. The shack lives up to its name with driftwood walls, a potbelly stove, and a corrugated tin roof. He’s updated the kitchen and bathroom, but the rest of it is all man cave.
The driver leaves the bus on a dirt track just off the road and we all trek down to the house. Banjo, Tom’s blue heeler, comes rushing over to greet us with his tongue hanging out. Technically, he’s a stray, but he’s never let that – or the fact he only has three legs – stop him from roaming the sand dunes and living his best life.
Silva’s eyes light up at the sight of him. While he gives Banjo enough scratches to make him a friend for life, I feed him a treat from the swag bag and fill up his water bowl. When we’re done, Banjo trails inside on our heels, always more interested in pats than food.
It’s not a big place, opening out into a central living space with a bathroom on one side and the kitchen on the other. Tom has a small office nook next to the only bedroom with a king bed that touches three walls. The main living area is crammed with comfy couches that don’t match and shelves full of books, shells, and interesting pieces of driftwood Banjo dragged home.
The beauty of the shack is how it opens directly onto the beach, giving you an uninterrupted view of white sand and crystal blue water. It’s still early, but when Tom goes over to open the heavy glass doors, he pauses to look at me. “You want fresh air, or to keep it closed up?”
Right. The nesting thing. On any other day I’d grab a cup of coffee and go for a swing in the hammock, but today I’m definitely out of my comfort zone. “Can I just go lie in your bed?”
The question comes out with a whiny edge and Tom jerks the curtains closed so hard, the rod bends. “Yeah. Of course, Cass.”
I glance at River, unsure what to say after our moment in the bathroom, but he just nods towards the kitchen. “I’m going to make some tea.”