Chapter Three
Amby sat across from him and smiled. She turned the camera on and smiled. "Hello, I am sitting here with Ohno, the owner of the Ocean Facing Manor. As you can tell by the view behind him, it is no joke."
Ohno smiled. "It is no joke. All of our guestrooms face the ocean."
"So, what is it like running an establishment in the village known for adult interactive activities?"
"Very politic. It is fascinating. Some come for companionship, some for adventure, and others just want to lie in the sun all day and forget that the rest of the world exists. No two days are the same. It can be gratifying or frustrating depending on the day."
Amby glanced at her notes. "What does the average visitor to your manor experience?"
"The average visitor is coming for the night market. After being tested for STDs on the mainland, they are granted travel visas and reserve their hotels and other places to stay. Then, they arrive and go to one of the registration boutiques to get their cuff that identifies them as a seeker for the night market. It holds a certain portion of their finances to give to a potential lover. Then, it is up to them to make a connection with a local, and the connections are not guaranteed."
Amby glanced down. "Why does the island have such a high concentration of alphas?"
He grinned. "Generations of washed-up explorers over a thousand years ago. Betas are highly desirable, and omegas are seldom seen."
"They probably got one look at the pile of alphas and started swimming for the mainland, and omegas notoriously are not good swimmers."
He laughed. "Our level of omegas is much lower than the mainland."
"Okay. Um, so what about adventure tours?" She looked at him.
He grinned and started rattling off tours, fishing, whale watching, diving, snorkelling, spear fishing, surfing, body boarding, rock climbing, hiking in a dormant volcano, kayaking, river rafting, dance classes, and jungle tours.
"Wow. That's way more than I am signed up for." Amby smiled.
"When discussing it with your coordinator, it was determined that you needed to survive all of your trips, and no offense, Amby, you are not designed to be active in this manner."
Amby sighed. "I know. I recently recovered from an injury, and movement has just become an option. I am working on it."
She reset herself. "So, what kind of entertainment does the night market offer aside from the locals?"
"Music, food kiosks, dancing. The standard evening entertainments for those who like to drink and party. We do have a no-tolerance for assaults of any nature, and the penalty is expulsion from the island. On a ferry if we are feeling kind."
She snickered. "Good to know. So, no means no, and stop means start swimming, bitch. Got it."
His eyebrows raised. "Something like that."
"What would you say to anyone visiting the island for the first time?"
His eyes smouldered as he looked at her. "I would say, ‘Welcome to the Wonder Islands. Let me make your journey easier by telling me your goals for your visit. If I can help you, I will.'"
The air between them felt hot, and Amby blinked rapidly. "Oh. Well, thank you for being such a thoughtful host, Ohno. Do you have anything you would like to say to potential visitors?"
"Don't hold yourself back. If it is achievable and harms no one else, go for it."
She smiled. "Okay. Thank you for taking time out of your day."
"Amby?"
She paused. "Yes?"
His voice was low. "Welcome to Wonder."
She reached over and turned off the recording. "Whew. Another thing off my list. I am going to send him this interview, the footage that I did today, and then an audio diary."
He chuckled. "You get to work, and rest if you can. The dancing at the night market is not to be missed. I will be back for you around eight."
"Um, do I have to wear the wrist band?"
His eyes crinkled. "I would very much like it if you did. It will keep alphas from approaching you. You have to approach them, and as I am at your side, they will assume that we have chosen each other for the evening."
"Seems a little dishonest."
"It beats the alternative." He smiled. "I will see you in four hours."
She stared after him and exhaled slowly. She got to the table, put on her headset with the microphone, opened her laptop, and got to work.
* * * *
Ford sat up and looked at his phone. "Holy shit. She's started. Come on, little darling, I am going to teach you to edit today." He finished spooning food into his daughter's mouth, wiped her chin, and hauled her to the editing suite. With his little girl playing with the dead keyboard he gave her, he got to work, and one by one, the edited files began to upload to the internet.
The rest was up to Amby. Adventures in Wonder vlog would start updating every four hours. If that didn't find Amby her three alphas, he had no idea what would.
* * * *
Amby got up, finished the snack tray, and brushed her teeth. She wasn't sure how to wear her hair, but clipping it together below her shoulders seemed to work. It gave her the look of loose hair but kept it from getting everywhere.
She smoothed the lines of one of the pretty dresses from that day and twirled in the floaty one.
The only thing missing was the cuff. It wouldn't work. She hadn't charged it. It had zero funds available.
She bit her lip and opened the jewellery box. The cuff was open, and she slid her left wrist into it. It clicked into place with little effort, and the light that sprang up made her smile.
She tried to remember how Ahheel had moved her hand, and her stats popped up. There was a field on hers that hadn't been on the alpha's. It was a balance. There was an infinity symbol. That probably meant zero.
Amby checked her texts and smiled at the excited chatter from Ford. He sent her links to the page, and she checked it, wincing at the sound of her own voice speaking. Ford had backed everything with soft music, and her arrival on the ferry broke into the credits.
The project was underway.
She drank some more juice, and at exactly eight, there was a soft knock at her door. Amby got up and walked to the door. "Come in."
The master key swiped, and the door clicked open. Ohno came in, and she blinked. Instead of his fitted tee and slacks, he was wearing a loose black shirt made of cotton gauze that was nearly transparent, and his trousers were just slightly more opaque. It was pretty obvious that it was all he was wearing aside from his sandals.
There was a thick black band on his wrist.
"Oh. I won't take up much of your time, so you can go... uh... hunt or whatever."
He smiled. "This is a decoy, so it is acceptable for me to be at your side."
She got her camera and gimbal. She showed her cuff and turned her wrist to show off the fancy scroll work carved into the six panels that made up the cuff.
Ohno smiled. "You might not want to show that cuff. It is a custom unit."
"Oh. Is yours?"
"No. Mine is standard. It went on without any trouble?"
"Yes. It just clicked right on." She looked at the cuff and looked for the release. "Did I put it on wrong? It doesn't have a financial limit."
He chuckled. "It wouldn't. Virgins get a free pass."
She blinked. "Oh. Fuck."
"Well, yes. That is the idea." He smiled. "But you have a lot to do, so I am going to put a holding claim on you, which should reduce the amount of locals who try and lure you into their bed."
He reached out and tapped her band with his. A black stripe wrapped around the band under the pearly white.
"Um. But I don't have to do anything, right?"
"This is never a binding arrangement. It is more like I am putting dibs on you. Anyone who tries to make a move will need to discuss things with me. I will politely explain that you are off limits." His grin made her blink. It did not look like politeness was going to be involved.
He nodded. "Ready to go?"
"Sure. Oh. I need my card." She sprinted to the bedroom and grabbed the keycard. She put the card on the back of her camera in the stick-on pocket.
"You don't need your card. I will take care of what you need."
She sighed. "That is a lot of fuss on your part. I would rather pay for my own stuff."
He chuckled. "You will see. Come on."
She double-checked her sandals and nodded. She lifted the gimbal to steady her cam, activated her camera, and they went outside.
There was a strange hum in the village. Ohno asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I am."
"It's all food kiosks. Do you know what you want to eat?"
"Not until I see the options."
He grinned. "Do you prefer sweet or savoury?"
"Both."
"Fine. We will adhere to the standards. Chicken kebabs and roasted yams."
Her mouth watered, and she swallowed. "Sounds good."
They walked through the village and past the shops that had looked all bright and inviting. He led her around a corner, and market stalls were out and open. Fabric, jewellery, food, and holiday trinkets were on the tables for the viewing of the tourists.
He nudged her past the food and said, "Over here."
She obediently followed, and he led her to a set of kiosks that were clogged with locals. They moved aside for Ohno when he cleared his throat, and several of them turned to stare at her. She smiled and nodded politely. "Good evening."
A few of the alphas laughed at her and smirked as they said, "Good evening, miss. Come to sample some tastes of the island?"
She looked them in the eye. "I am very careful in what I wrap my mouth around."
Ohno turned and handed her a small tray. "Come on before that mouth gets you into trouble."
She grinned and followed him to an array of tables. They sat down, and a few of the alphas that had just been near them followed and took seats nearby.
"So, I am guessing that there are few tourists or that they don't come out this early?"
Ohno chuckled. "The second. They tend to emerge when they have been drinking. That will be after the music begins, which is shortly."
"Great, because right now, I feel a bit like chum." She picked at the scorched skin of the yam and blew on it before digging with the short wooden prong.
Ohno laughed.
Musicians stepped onto the stage, and by the time she had worked her way through the caramelized sugar and butter on her yam, they had begun to play. She smiled and relaxed as the music went through her.
Ohno smiled. "Enjoying the food?"
"It's lovely. So, why not the food in the market alley?"
He grinned. "It is smaller, more expensive, and more to tourist tastes."
"Oh. Well, that explains that. I will edit that part out."
Ohno chuckled.
"Ambermarle?"
Amby turned her head and saw Violet with two scowling alphas. Well, one was scowling, and the other had a pleasant expression.
"Oh, hey, Violet." She took in the lack of cuffs on everyone and surmised that they were staying in the upper village.
She stood up, and Violet came over for a hug.
"Oh, right. You are doing that project for Ford."
"Yeah, and for Wonder Islands."
Violet grinned. "Of course. Nice work covering up."
"Yeah. Oh, this is Ohno. He runs the Ocean View Manor, and his sister has a boutique where I got this dress."
Violet pulled her in and kissed her cheek. She whispered, "Do you know what the cuff is?"
Amby nodded. "Everything is zeros. It's just for show."
Violet leaned back. "So, you are trying out the Wonder experience?"
"Yes. I had to see and understand the night market to be able to describe it. I have a five-in-the-morning trip up a waterfall tomorrow, so this won't be a long night."
Violet grinned. "I am in need of entertainment."
Amby blinked and backed up. "What?"
"Hold on a second. I will be right back."
Amby yelled out. "Violet! Get your ass back here!"
The alphas in the area stopped and turned at the panic in her tone, and Amby clapped a hand over her mouth while Violet went to speak with the band leader.
Amby started to whine in panic, and Ohno stood and came over to her. "What's wrong?"
"Violet's going to make me sing."
"Oh. Is that a bad thing?"
She looked at him with panic in her eyes. "It is a little hard to explain."
A tap on her shoulder showed Hara, and Amby grinned and hugged her cousin. "Don't let her make me sing."
"Who? Oh, Violet. She's a bit assertive, but I don't think she means harm." She turned to the alpha at her side. "Kekoa, I know that it wasn't part of date night, but can you help act as honour guard for my cousin?"
He shook his head. "Nothing is easy with you, treasure. But if she is with Ohno, she is in good hands."
"Fine. Can you be backup?"
Ohno blinked. "Your Majesty. It is nice to see you out."
"I am trying date night with Hara. It will help Alohi ease off a little and get used to Narro."
Violet returned and grabbed Amby's hand. "Come on. You know you can do this."
"I also know I can have sex, but I am not doing that in front of an audience," she muttered.
A few nearby alphas turned their heads at that.
"Don't sweat it, but they are going to recognize the voice if not the face." Violet smiled. "Oh, that is a lovely model of cuff, by the way. I see you have a band on it."
"Yeah, Ohno tapped it, so to speak."
"Ah, is he one of your marks? It holds three but only three compatible ones."
"What? No. I mean. I don't think so. We haven't discussed if he has another form."
Violet handed her off to the band leader, and he bent down and simply lifted Amby onto the stage.
He murmured a song name into her ear, and she nodded nervously, looking out to see the gathering of locals and tourists.
The music began, she inhaled, and the song emerged with the under-note of her particular skill. It sounded stupid when she said it out loud, so she didn't. Siren.
She went through the bridge and verse until the song faded off. Ohno was staring in surprise, Violet was grinning smugly, and Hara had tears in her eyes. She hadn't heard Amby sing in over a decade.
She tried to leave the stage, but the band leader said, "One more?"
Amby tensed. "Only one. Which do you want?"
"Frozen soul."
"Got it." She squared off against the microphone, and when the music was right, she launched her voice.
* * * *
Hara was crying. Kekoa put an arm around her. "What's wrong?"
"I haven't heard her sing since... they did to her what happened to me."
He was instantly appalled. "You aren't serious."
"I am very serious. Her voice. You can hear it, can't you?"
Kek nodded tightly. "I hear it. So, both of you began to morph into omegas, and they made sure to stop it directly."
"Yeah, her voice was turning heads back then."
"It is lovely. I would like the others to hear it."
"She's only here for a few days and has work to do, but now that she has seen the night market, we might be able to invite her up to the palace for dinner one night."
Kek smiled and stroked her back. "That is very doable."
She smiled up and him, and he reached to wipe her tears.
"She's alive. She's fine. She's safe. She's here," he murmured to her.
She beamed. "She is. Is it wrong that I want to hide her passport so I can keep her?"
"No. It was how I felt about you when I realized how close we had come to losing you."
Amby left the microphone and scurried back to the safety of her escort for the evening.
Hara could see her lips moving and heard the soft, panicked whine.
"Kek, what is Ohno?"
"An alpha."
"Is he a specific kind? Is he a shifter?"
Kek cocked his head and whispered the identity in her ear.
Hara nodded. "Thanks. The suspense was killing me. Do you know who the marks belong to?"
"A ray, a waterfall, and butterflies? Of course. I am the king. I am supposed to know."
"Will you tell me?"
He tapped her nose. "No. You will tell her, and then, she will avoid them. Then, no one wins."
"It isn't a game."
"It is the oldest game of all. I am not going to let her cheat."
"Who are you to decide."
"Treasure, I am the king. You keep forgetting."
Hara wrinkled her nose. "I don't forget. I ignore it."
He chuckled. "Would you care to dance?"
"I definitely would. You are getting better every time."
"I have a good dance partner."
She smirked. "I wasn't talking about dancing."
Kek laughed, and they headed to the dance floor that was sparsely occupied by couples.
Hara was really enjoying date night.
* * * *
The musician tried to keep her on the stage, but she hopped to the ground and sprinted to Ohno. "Okay. Fun's over. I want to go back to my room."
Ohno blinked. "You sang beautifully."
"Great. Thanks. I want to go now." She clenched her jaw to keep the whine from coming out.
"Why?"
"People saw me. They are never supposed to see or hear me."
"Can you calm down?"
She shook her head violently.
Violet came up and grinned. "See? That wasn't so bad."
Amby looked at her, and she must have looked terrified because Violet moved to soothe her. "It's okay, baby. Calm down. Calm. Breathe. You did it. You sang. Nothing happened. You weren't hurt. No one attacked you."
Ohno rubbed her arms, and that seemed to ease something because she shuddered and felt the bands around her chest relax.
Violet looked at her and then at the alpha behind her. "Let him comfort you, Amby."
"It's inappropriate."
"It's what you need. For once, put that first."
Amby looked at her. "Did you?"
"I tried to. Now, I am trying again with both of them. I have faith that it will work out."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you have faith?"
"Because the marks put on us weren't to torture us; they were to give us hope. We have spent enough time being alone, Amby. You know the solitude more than most. So, now it is time to look from the past to an unformed future. Figure out what shape you want it to take."
Amby nodded. "Wise words, dumbass. Now, how do I get this cuff off?"
"Find all of your mates, and your body will release the cuff. They are specially designed to keep virgins from having uncertainty. If their bands indicate strong enough of a pull and your own body agrees, a stripe appears. If that is all you need, your cuff will open. Where did you get it?"
"Ahheel gave it to me."
"Yeah, that one knows if someone is seeking when she sees them."
Ohno smirked. "My sister really wanted to be on her radar."
"Not for her. There is still hope, though. There is always hope." Violet put a hand to the side of Amby's neck. "As long as we breathe, there is hope."
"Right. Go hope yourself into a coma."
Violet smiled. "I think I will. Call me if you need me."
Her friend left, and Amby was left standing with Ohno's hands still on her arms. She glanced at him. "I am guessing you have questions."
He nodded. "I think we should discuss it in quiet, though."
She sighed and retrieved her phone from its recording of the dance floor. "Right. I think this is a good start to the night market."
He chuckled. "It was certainly interesting."
They walked back to the manor and around to her room. She pulled the keycard out and opened her door. She went to the bar and opened a bottle of juice.
"What would you like?" She smiled. "You know what's available better than I would."
He nodded and walked around the bar and got a beer.
She took her juice and settled on the couch. He sat one cushion over.
"What did she mean that you know the solitude more than most?"
"Uh, well, my parents are religious fundamentalists, and when the realized that I was exhibiting omega characteristics as a teen, they had me sewn shut so all things hormonal and sexual were rendered agonizing. They left me the width of one finger. The inside was pleated so that nothing larger would fit. The idea was to make me so repulsed by the idea of sex with an alpha that I would lead a good and virtuous life. What happened instead was that I ran away at seventeen and never knew why I was constantly in pain. Hara just got figured out, and they found the doctor's records that indicated who his patients were. Only six of us haven't taken our lives."
The horror on his golden features was unmistakable.
"So, they contacted me and offered me surgery to remove the damage and stitches, and when I could begin to move freely, I was pronounced fit enough to live a normal-ish life. And then Ford sent me here."
"To have a vacation, to live a little." Ohno blinked. "But he knew about your marks."
"Yes. He did the research and figured that my matches were here somewhere."
"Why do you hide the marks?"
"I still associate the ideas of contact with pain. As I said, I know what sex entails, I just don't know what it feels like, and I am terrified to find out."
"What would you say if I said I was depicted on your back?"
"I would say that I am going to stay off boats with you. Having you wrapped around my hips is enough."
He grinned. "Now, there is a thought."
She rubbed a hand over her face. "I have to get up in six hours. Time to climb a waterfall."
He nodded. "May I give you a good night kiss?"
Amby nodded. "Okay."
He slid next to her and threaded his fingers through her hair. Ohno pressed his lips to hers carefully and stroked her lips with his.
She sighed and touched one of his hands as he carefully and delicately got her used to contact.
When she leaned into him, he stopped. Ohno murmured, "It is a start, and it can be at your pace. Now go to bed."
She nodded and got to her feet. She held her juice bottle and headed to bed. Her first kiss had been sweet, and she stroked her lips as she headed to bed.