Elias’s POV
"Gosh, this one is gorgeous!" the woman says, making me wince at the brightness of her voice.
I don’t care about her.
My eyes refuse to leave Noah.
Every micro movement, even down to the way his hair falls over his forehead. Every soft murmur, even when he explains how he feels about a pair of shoes. Every quiet nod, even when he’s only listening to what the talkative store attendant.
He’s infuriating.
Noah is complex, yet predictable. The stormcloud over his head is fluctuating; he’s sad, then he’s surprised, then he’s accepting.
Complex. Predictable. Difficult to completely crack even though I’m seeing through all of him in its basest form.
Observing people have been my nature since the incident, but now, observing this omega with blonde hair and blue eyes is starting to turn into torture.
Lucas stands next to me with his muscular arms folded.
He’s watching Noah too, but only because I instructed him to. The Winslow bred bodyguard turns his head to me slightly, wearing a small smile.
"You like him" he states.
"I don’t like people, Lucas. You know that."
He has been with me to the therapy sessions. Been with me to the pharmacy to get my medications. And he had been with me the night I threw them all out.
"You like him like you like your rocks."
"He’s my possession" I remind the guard and he hums.
He has more to say, but he dares not say them. He returns his attention to Noah who is talking softly with the attendant. That attendant girl is touching him too much.
I don’t care that she’s an omega, I don’t like her hands on him. I don’t like the way she’s holding his leg.
When my maids clean my room, they never touch my rocks, watches, or books. They swipe the duster over them and leave.
I don’t want that girl touching him.
"Lucas" I call and he wrinkles his nose in response.
"Your scent, Eli, it’s starting to get too harsh for this place" Lucas informs me and I growl in response.
"Get Noah, we’re returning home" I say as quietly as I can. The silver walls of this space is starting to close in on me.
We’ve been here for exactly two hours.
I made the store attendant present all the shoes in Noah’s size. They have been trying and taking shoes off. I don’t mind...but that contact.
That contact is unsettling.
That’s the way that man used to touch us; false kind touches, a pat on the head, a clap on the shoulder...
"Get him, now" I order.
"For hell’s sake, E, let the boy have a breather. He’s starting to relax with Jennie" Lucas complains.
His words are flying over my head.
I have no space for his opinions in my head. I shouldn’t have gone into the basement earlier today. I shouldn’t have involved myself in that space.
One. Two. Three. Four.
"Get my husband, Lucas, or the store will experience the opposite of relaxing" I say.
My voice doesn’t betray my state of mind. Lucas doesn’t see through the mask of control. If Damien was here, he would have seen it.
Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
"Here, your beloved husband" Lucas shoves Noah in my direction. I grab the omega’s elbow and pull him out of the store.
The sweat building up in my palm is wiped off by the shirt of Noah’s body.
The escalator doesn’t move fast enough. The people don’t get out of my way fast enough. Noah isn’t keeping up with me fast enough.
"Elias!" he calls, and I don’t stop till we are in front of the car.
Lucas stayed back in the store to pack up and pay for the shoes Noah said yes to.
"Get into the car, Angel" I order and he obeys without argument. Playing the role of the quiet doll I asked him to be.
I’m falling too quickly into that head space. The place where I feel nothing. I want Noah to react to me.
Like when I set the time on my watch, I want him to tick, no...I need him to show me how he ticks.
Without informing the driver, I stretch my hand to play the song Lucas was playing moments ago.
The same awful pop song that made Noah smile. The song starts to play from the part it stopped at two hours, twenty five minutes ago.
I turn my head to look at Noah.
The omega not even looking at me. He’s not secretly smiling. And he’s not listening to the song.
"When Lucas did this, you smiled" I say and he lifts his head to look at me.
He gives no response and no smile.
"When Lucas did this, you smiled" I repeat, pointing at the radio calmly. My voice is not raised, my tone is cold, but inside me isn’t the same.
"Lucas did it because he wanted to make me laugh" Noah says.
He opens his mouth to say more but stops himself. He shakes his head like he’s weighing the decision in his head, and then with his face set in a determined scowl, he finally speaks.
"You’re doing this because you want a reaction out of me" he says.
"That’s right" I agree and he scoffs.
Part of the dark cloud over his head is dissolving. I see parts of it turning into the type of rain that rips trees out of the floor. So a trip to a store is what made him come out again.
"You’re treating me like a jack-in-the-box. You’re only twisting the pole and stopping when you please" he says while shaking his head at me.
"Yes, Noah. You’re my jack in the box. Mine. And when I turn the pole, you jump for me" I tell him, but before I say more, Lucas opened the car boot.
"You’re insane. Fine, go ahead and own me. I’ll make sure you’ll never get satisfied" he says, blue eyes flashing with his challenge.
I grab him by the neck, and he gasps with surprise. The car explodes with pheromones, a whiplash of emotions.
Molten anger. Icy rage. Repressed hate. Possessive desire.
"Are you challenging me...angel?" I ask and he stares into my eyes for a few seconds. His chest rises and falls for a few seconds.
Yes.
He’s reacting for me.
"Words, beautiful. I like words" I remind him and he drops his gaze.
"No, I’m not" he whispers and I let go of him.
Lucas opens the passenger seat, slides in, looks behind his seat at us.
"But if you will get a proper reaction from me. Elias Deus, you have to treat me like a human" Noah says before he turns his head towards the window.
And Lucas, still invested in this situation that is not his business, curses loudly.
"Oh shit"