And now he just felt even more like an impostor—not wanting to carry this child, not being able to give Dom the baby he wanted.
He turned back to the grill, his heart thumping.
“Are you okay?” Perry eyed him warily. “You’re breathing hard.”
“How—How do you decide that you want kids?” Jesse croaked, figuring that Perry wouldn’t mind his stupid question. Perry was a professor at Meadowfall College.
Perry looked surprised. “Well... I had mine because I knew I loved York. And I wanted his babies.”
What did that even feel like? Wanting a baby? “Do you just magically know how to care for them? Is that an omega thing?”
Perry laughed. “Actually, there are books and courses and videos out there. I had to do my research, too.”
“Oh.” Jesse poked at the hot dogs, his thoughts churning. If an omega wasn’t naturally good at parenting, then what chance did Jesse have?
“Do you...?” Perry glanced at him curiously.
Jesse looked down at his abdomen, trying not to panic. Should he tell Perry? Did he want anyone to know? “I—I have a thing,” he blurted, pulling his shirt up a little, just enough to show Perry a sliver of the scar. “You can smell it on me.”
Perry frowned. Then he sniffed, and his eyes widened. He’d recognized the honey scent. “How?”
Jesse sighed. “Stem cells. I don’t know.”
And maybe he hated science, just a little. Most days now, he felt like he was two steps away from a breakdown.
Perry’s concern changed into something more determined. He dug around in his pocket, handing Jesse a name card. “Email me. I’ll send you some resources. Whether or not you want the child, you have options.”
“Okay.” Jesse breathed in deep, tucking the card into his pocket. He had options. And Perry wasn’t judging him, either. “I’ll try.”
Perry squeezed his arm, giving him an encouraging smile. Jesse smiled back. He felt a bit better.
“Hey.” Nate stopped on Jesse’s other side, meeting his eyes. “Got a moment?”
His expression was serious, more than Jesse wanted to see on him. Which could only mean one thing: bad news. His stomach churning, Jesse followed Nate away from the pavilion. “This isn’t about the Facility, is it?”
“Larson’s out of jail.”
23
Bite Me
Jesse’s stomach plummeted to his feet. Larson, out of jail. Armed with scalpels and tranquilizers and needles and things. He could be anywhere. He could be on his way here, ready to drag Jesse back onto the operating table.
Jesse swayed, his thoughts swimming. “Fuck.”
He’d taken up several self-defense classes by this point. He’d gotten black belts in a couple of martial arts styles. He’d learned to fire a gun. Hell, he had a semi-automatic pistol in his bike trunk.
But someone like Larson? That monster was far more scheming than Jesse could ever be. Jesse had his defenses. None of them would work against tranquilizers. Or sneak attacks. Or vans pulling up next to him, shooting him and dragging him into their depths.
He swallowed, his heart scrambling against his ribcage. “What do I do?”
Nate winced. “Stay low. I’ve been looking out for pictures of you floating on the internet. They’ve been taken down whenever possible.”
“Thanks.” Jesse tried to gather his bearings. Unease pumped in his veins, crowding out his thoughts. He couldn’t think. Could hardly breathe, even. He needed to disappear, he needed to lash out.
His entire body felt as though it would shake apart.
“I’ve got your back here.” Nate squeezed his shoulder. “Thought you’d want to know as soon as you could. If you’d rather not stick around, that’s okay. Find some company. Lie low for a bit.”
Jesse turned, his ears ringing. He thought maybe he’d tell Dom he was going home. He didn’t know. His apartment didn’t feel all that safe right now.
Scarcely had he stepped under the pavilion, when Dom was in front of him, all sharp eyes, smelling like blackwood. “I need to go,” Jesse said.
“I’m coming with you.”
Jesse didn’t even question him.
Dom wrapped his arm around Jesse’s waist, turning to the rest. “Hey, we need to be somewhere,” Dom said. “We’ll see you in a couple days.”
Most of them waved. Alec gave a wolf whistle. Dom scowled, and Alec sobered up. That was funny, though; Jesse cracked a smile.
It was only when they were almost to the parking lot, that Dom asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jesse shook his head, his heart still pounding. “Bad things.”
“How bad?”
Jesse didn’t answer. He stopped by his bike, unlocked the trunk, and took the buried holster. “Bad,” he said.
Dom’s lips pressed into a thin line; he watched as Jesse’s hands shook, trying to clip the gun to his waistband. Not that any of his practice would help if he couldn’t hold his weapon straight. But it made him feel a little bit safer.
Dom opened the truck’s passenger door for him. Jesse would’ve protested, but it was all he could do to climb in. Dom left the door open; Jesse yanked it shut, trying to suck enough air into his lungs. It felt like his insides were trying to crawl out.
“Closing the door,” Dom said.
Jesse nodded, breathing in deep. Then he breathed again, over and over, trying to get enough oxygen into his body. But he thought of Larson, and scalpels, and his heart clunked horribly in his chest.
He was an alpha, and yet... he felt so out of control. So damn vulnerable.
He needed to not feel like himself.
“I need to be somewhere else,” Jesse muttered, his throat too tight. “I need to stop thinking.” Need to focus on something else. Anything else. “Please.”
“My place or yours?” was all Dom asked.
“Yours.”
Then they were out of the parking lot, taking the familiar roads through Meadowfall to Dom’s place. Jesse couldn’t help scanning the streets, hoping he wouldn’t glimpse an unwanted face.
Dom narrowed his eyes. “What did Nate tell you?”
He’d been watching, then. Jesse had nothing left to hide from him. “The—The person who did this.” He showed
