Second Match: Perfect Match Agency Book 5, page 7
“I barely know you, but I know you,” Riley whispered.
“I feel the same.”
“I know your mind. I know your heart. You’re so beautiful.” He stuttered, trying to find his voice between held-back sobs.
“You are the loveliest omega I’ve ever seen. I see your heart and it’s everything good and kind. If you ever think otherwise, I’ll remind you.”
A shaky smile took that beautiful mouth.
“What is this blasphemy!”
A harsh voice broke over our calm. Riley jerked as if stung. I didn’t move except to turn my head to see an older alpha with gray sideburns and a mostly bald head enter the room.
The man turned to Cloud, clearly angry. “I came here to perform an emergency wedding. Your demon is in heat, but I expected some control. This is outrageous. He should have been mated to me when you saw fit to ask it of me.”
Quietly, Cloud said, “The boy would not go with you no matter how much we demanded it.”
“That makes no difference. He’s a demon. He doesn’t have a voice.”
“Arch Lector Carter,” Marin said. “We were not going to force him.”
“Utter blasphemy,” Carter said, snarling. He turned his cold gaze on Riley, who cringed. “I would have done God’s will with him, no matter the omega’s protests, and it would be done. We wouldn’t be going through this complete travesty of our beliefs now. Marrying him to a man outside our faith? What were you both thinking?”
I turned. “You would force yourself on him?”
Carter sneered. “It’s not force if it’s not human. A demon shall have no rights. That is scripture.”
“Excuse me?” I stood rapidly, confronting the man. “Don’t you dare call him that ever again. He’s an omega in need. I’m prepared to marry him and then you’ll never have to see him again.”
“I can’t marry a creature who’s already soiled himself with an alpha’s touch out of wedlock.” He turned to Cloud. “I shouldn’t have come. Marrying this abomination to an alpha not of our church is wrong. I demand you give him to me and be done with it. I’ll take care of the situation as the scripture decrees.”
“You’ll perform this marriage right now, sir, because I’m paying you well to do it for the sake of the church. You don’t have to agree with it,” Cloud said. “I will add, my son has already rejected your offer since you seem to have scared him half to death. Your actions forced us to use other methods to find a proper alpha mate for him.”
I held up my handkerchief. “I didn’t touch him except with this.”
“I saw it,” Carter said. His eyes shone with a not quite sane light. “The demon’s claws were on your wrist.”
“Fine. We won’t marry. But I am taking him away now.” I started to reach for Riley’s hand, but Cloud intercepted me, pushing me to take a step back.
“You will marry my son to this alpha now, Carter. Or so help me I will let the congregation know about your own indiscretions with omegas in the neighboring towns.”
“I never!” He thrust his chin up. “You have no proof.”
Cloud did not back down. “You forget. I have businesses everywhere. In the Berkshires as well as the bigger cities. I am quite well-informed about many things. It is because of our faith that I have said nothing against you. God will deal with your indiscretions. But don’t assume I can’t deal with it as well by letting the congregation all know your sins out of wedlock.”
Carter’s face turned red as his cheeks and eyes scrunched up in an anger. “Fine. Your demon child will at least be legal before he whores himself out. He should have been put down at birth. Some within the church still believe he needs to be culled.”
My mouth dropped open. “I won’t have someone who speaks this way presiding at our wedding.”
“Let’s just get it over with.” Riley had found his voice again. “Please? We’ll have our own wedding later someday, right?”
I winked at him. “I’ll give you the best, most dream-like fairytale wedding you could ever desire.”
He gasped at my words.
Cloud said, “Just get on with it, Carter.” It was clear he didn’t like this man, which wasn’t enough to make me like him any better, but it did give a mutual enemy. It was the one moment maybe Riley’s family was on our side, although I couldn’t figure out why, if they knew about Carter’s sins, they would have made any attempt to give Riley over to him.
“If I say ‘I do’ right now, can we just sign papers and leave?” Riley asked. He squirmed uncomfortably.
Carter cleared his throat. “There are formalities, even for you, demon.” He sat, setting a dark briefcase on the tabletop and opening it. He took out some official-looking forms and instructed me and Riley to sign them.
I read them over. They were about the marriage and the certificate itself. But the details had nothing to do with legalities, more worded around the Skoral faith. I began to wonder how legal they actually were.
“This will be filed with the proper county, I assume,” I said, glaring at the older alpha.
“We are about God’s will and God’s law, but everything is done properly so the outside world leaves us alone.”
“Good. Then if we sign these, you’ll leave us alone, as well?”
“I protest everything about this union. I cannot vouch that the church will let this go so easily.”
It wasn’t an answer to my question, which clued me in that even if we signed everything properly, this might not be as over and done with as I had first thought.
After we signed the documents, Carter practically throwing a pen in Riley’s direction, he ordered me and Riley to stand before him, with Cloud and Marin behind us. “No holding hands,” he ordered.
I had a quick thought and grabbed the bouquet of roses from the coffee table and handed them to Riley.
He took them and beamed up at me, his shirt sparkling like stars in the soft lantern light. He completely dazzled me.
Carter started out with some bizarre prayer that made no sense. Riley and I remained silent. Finally, he began to talk about marriage. Again, it used odd language and was put into a context of God’s duty and nothing to do with love. I reminded myself that Riley and I would be out of here in minutes, and that our marriage would mean what we wished for it to be between us and no one else.
Finally came the words we’d both been waiting to hear.
“Do you, Morgan Dor, take Riley Summerfield to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I turned to him. “I do.”
“Do you, Riley Summerfield, take Morgan Dor to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
“I pronounce you husband and husband.” Carter nearly hissed the next sentence. “You may now share the contract of marriage’s first kiss.”
The old alpha made it sound so unromantic. At the same time, if I kissed Riley now the way he smelled and how I felt, I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop.
Riley looked up at me with such longing, all rational thought left me. The air went all fizzy with static. I grasped his free hand, the one not holding the roses, and leaned down until our lips met.
His soft mouth molded instantly to mine. My entire body jerked as if from an electric shock. All sense started to leave me. Hanging onto my last threads of control, or I would never be able to take Riley out of here let alone drive, I pulled back.
Hurt flashed in his eyes. I gripped his hand harder to let him know I wasn’t rejecting him.
“We need to leave now or I won’t be able to maintain control.”
He nodded his understanding.
I led him past his parents. He was still holding the roses. “Do you want to say goodbye to anyone? Your fathers? Your brothers?”
He answered with a breathless, “No.”
That told me everything I needed to know about how they had treated him. I vowed then and there I would bring him to a better place and provide for him the love and genuine heartfelt care he’d never known.
Chapter Nine
Riley
I rarely met anyone from the sect. All visitors to our house were off-limits to me. I saw a doctor twice a year and that was it.
When Carter came into the formal room, chills went down my spine. He talked about me as if he’d known me. We’d met once and his leers at me were all I needed to see to know I’d fight my parents, the church and everyone to never be mated to him. But that didn’t matter to him. I was a demon. For him that was a fact.
“Marrying this abomination to an alpha not of our church is wrong.” He’d said those words while staring directly at me. He scared me. I’d never considered him as a potential mate for one second. But then I hadn’t wanted anyone until Morgan walked through the door.
I loved how Morgan stood up for me. This stranger, who had come from an agency on what was technically a blind date, showed more caring and compassion for me than anyone I’d ever known.
After we were pronounced married, Morgan took my hand and led me away. No one could stop us now. I was finally free.
If I wasn’t so dazed from my heat symptoms, I might’ve danced and shouted. I might have melted into a heaving pile of sobs like I’d almost done earlier. I might have grabbed Morgan and pushed him to the floor and mounted him right there for all to see.
Instead, all I could do was follow him through to the front door and attempt to keep myself from crawling all over him with desire.
I heard Carter and my parents follow but ignored them. Carter was saying something about more marriage forms to sign, seemingly irritated that we were rushing off.
Father replied, “Everything is in order. You will be compensated.”
Morgan turned to face me. “You said you have two more boxes upstairs. I can grab them for you.”
“Yes, please. I want them. I was careful to pack only the things I really wanted to take.” I set my bouquet on the stack of boxes by the front door.
Now I was in the lead, pulling him up the dark staircase. “Don’t trip. I know the way by heart, but you don’t.”
“Will my phone light hurt you?”
“No. There’s no UV from phones.”
Morgan turned on the device, sending shadows skittering all around us. He played the gentleman as he entered my room, glancing about with reverence.
“Extraordinary. This is where you’ve lived?”
“Yes.”
“You decorated it?”
I glanced around at all the color, the velvet chairs, the bright curtains against the shuttered windows. “What else did I have to do but focus on myself and my room?”
“It’s beautiful.” He grimaced. “For a prison, I mean.”
“Yeah, well, I’m glad to leave. I swear. I’m not going to miss this place one bit.”
He looked at me as if he wasn’t quite buying it. “It’s all you’ve ever known.”
“Please. I don’t want to know it one more second. Take me away now.”
Morgan bent and picked up my remaining boxes. “Are you sure you have everything you want?”
“Yes. I had all day to pack.”
“What will your fathers do with the rest?” He turned around, surveying the room again.
“Probably throw it all away and make this room into a bible study for my brothers.”
“How many brothers do you have again? I know you told me but all I remember is it is a lot.”
“Seven.” I wanted to leave now. His questions were making me jittery. It wasn’t that I had second thoughts, or didn’t want to answer him, only that lingering felt weird. And I was hurting inside, a good hurt but sort of bad, too, like hollow and empty and needy. With all my omega instincts, I knew that only Morgan could make that feeling subside. Make me whole again.
“Can we go now, please?”
He nodded, easily straightening up with the load, his phone clutched under the stack.
“Here. Let me take that.” I took his phone from him to light the way and led him back into the hall.
This time, one of the doors was cracked open. Shalyn stepped out.
“Riley, are you leaving? Now?”
“Yep. Say goodbye if you want.” I barely saw my brothers. They were not allowed to interact with me unless it was an emergency.
“I wish—I wish things could have been different for you. Truly.”
I looked him in the eye. “You’re young. Think about what you just said. And if it makes you expand your thoughts from what Papa and Father preach, get out as soon as you turn eighteen. I’m serious.”
“My friends at school say you’re a demon.” He paused. “I—I’m sorry for the word I called you last night.” He’d been the one who’d called me a whore.
“If you can keep thinking for yourself, Shalyn, maybe you’ll have a chance.”
He bowed his head as we walked past his door, then shut it fast.
Morgan said, “Do you want to say goodbye to the others?”
I shut my eyes, then opened them again, gazing up at him. “I barely know them.”
Softly, “Okay.”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m fine. Really. My brothers have not been allowed much access to me at all. Not even on holidays. I didn’t realize how strange that was until I got cable TV a few years back.”
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, my parents and Carter were standing by the front door. It all seemed so awkward and strange when all I could think of was Morgan mating me. My need was getting worse with every minute. I craved it with all my heart. These people were in my way.
I shoved Morgan’s phone in my waistband and picked up the rest of the boxes. Somehow, along the way, my bouquet had fallen from the box load. But I didn’t care. Morgan seemed like the type who would buy me flowers any time I wanted them.
Papa stepped forward. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”
I glanced up at my Papa, then glared at Father. “Goodbye, Papa. Goodbye, Father. This is the best thing you’ve ever done for me, so I thank you for that.”
Father surprised me by saying goodbye before Papa could. “Goodbye, Riley.” He paused, giving me a hard look. “Once again our home will be pure.”
What a thing to say to me. But I was used to it. I let the pain slide up through my heart and into my mind. Then I let it go.
Papa said, “Now, Cloud. He’s done everything we asked of him.”
“Yes. Of course.”
Papa said, “Riley, I do wish for you at least a decent life.”
“Thank you, Papa.”
Papa stepped forward, his eyebrows narrowed. He reached out one hand and placed it on my shoulder. His fingers squeezed once, then let go.
I blinked fast. Papa had been decent to me, but not overly loving. But I could see now this was hard for him. But it was too late now for any more words, for regrets.
Carter, thankfully, remained silent, though seething.
I was shaking again. From the oncoming heat or the idea of walking into the night with virtually a near-stranger, I wasn’t sure. Probably both. Everything was coming at me so big and new and unknown.
Papa stepped up to the door and hit the switch to shut off the houselights, all of which had UV bulbs in them as if to mock me.
I drew in a shaky breath and headed as quickly across the dark porch as I could.
Morgan hurried to keep up with me. The moon was out—our only light at the moment. His car made a humped shadow on the cement as he went around it to the back. He set down the boxes and opened his trunk, putting everything I owned neatly inside. When he shut the lid, he turned to me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I nodded. “The lights along the highway might hurt me.” I pulled a pouch from my harem pants pocket. “I have a folding hat in here, along with sunglasses and a veil. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? Do we need to go back for more of your things? What about gloves? I’ve been reading up on how people with your condition protect themselves.”
I had forgotten my gloves. “Do you have a jacket?”
He smiled, then went to his backseat and pulled out a blazer that was covered in his alpha scent. He placed it around my shoulders. It was big and I could snake my hands inside the sleeves, folding them down at the ends.
“Perfect.”
Morgan opened the front passenger door for me with the behavior of a perfect gentleman on a date. Once inside, I put on all my protective gear. The sunglasses were quite dark. I’d barely be able to make out anything, but I would see some. My first time out in the real world, I longed to see it all. I couldn’t stop shaking.
By the time Morgan got in the driver’s side, I was fully covered. He turned to look at me. Through my glasses, I saw the shadow of a tall man, no details.
“Sweetheart, I’m worried. You’ll tell me if anything hurts you.”
“I’ll be fine. All my skin is covered. People will think I’m weird if they look in the car and see me, but I expect that.”
“You’re not weird. You’re beautiful. And you should never have been kept away from the world like you have been. But I’m still worried it’s all too fast for you.”
“It’s fast for you, too,” I countered, pressing my hands in his jacket sleeves and gripping the fine, satiny material. “I’m a handful, I know.” That last sentence came out a bit more gravelly than I’d expected.
“I’m very drawn to you,” Morgan said. “If Perfect Match is correct, we’ll not only make this work, but it will also be the best decision we both ever made.”
His words calmed me. He was right. Perfect Match wouldn’t have put us together at such a high rating if it wasn’t workable. We were fated. At almost ninety-eight percent, my sudden heat for him proved it. And if he was going into a rut as well, it could only mean we were already forming an unbreakable bond.
“It’s already the best decision,” I said. “I’m convinced of it.”
He started the engine. The lights on the dash lit up the car. He gasped. “Are these lights okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I’m covered, remember? But dash lights are like computers and TVs. Safe.”
