The Beauty and the Omega

Her body shuddered uncontrollably, and she gripped frantically at the bedsheets as she fell to pieces beneath him. Leonidas let out a long groan as he found his release inside of her. The satisfaction that his fated mate provided him was unlike anything he’d ever experienced with another woman before. And each intimate encounter was a brand-new adventure that he would never grow tired of. As he stared down at the gorgeous woman beneath him, his heart was full of so much love and devotion that it both thrilled and terrified him at the same time. One day, very soon, she would disappear behind the veil of the Elysian Fields, leaving him behind for eternity. The very thought of it shattered his heart into a million pieces, and yet, he would put himself through the deepest, darkest circles of Hell to get her there. Even if it breaks me, he thought bitterly. *** CHAPTER ONE “Hey, guys! I’m so excited to reveal my new eyeshadow palette, Bombshell by Brooke Bailey. It comes in so many gorgeous colors, and it’s a great addition to my makeup line. It will be available to order on Tuesday at nine o’clock AM Pacific Time, so make sure to grab yours before they run out! Kisses!” As soon as she was done, Brooke blew a kiss at her phone before hitting the red button to end the live video. Hearts and thumbs ups came flooding through the screen as her face relaxed from a fake smile into a slight frown. “Keep that up, and you’ll get frown lines, sweetie,” came a voice from behind. Brooke glanced up in the mirror to see her mom step up behind her makeup chair. “Can we get some more contour on her face?” her mom asked, calling over one of the makeup artists. A women suddenly appeared by Brooke’s side, silently sweeping more bronzer on her face. Brooke watched herself in the mirror as the team put the finishing touches on her appearance. Her hazel eyes were accentuated perfectly with false eyelashes and the perfect smokey eye – after all, she did design her new eyeshadow palette with her most flattering shades. Her plump, pouty lips were perfected with lip fillers from the top plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. This same doctor also performed her nose job when she was eighteen years old, giving her that feminine pixie nose that she was so well-known for on social media. Brooke had trouble remembering exactly everything she’d had done, but her breast augmentation was probably the most noticeable. “I see one of her extension beads showing,” her mom interrupted, pointing it out to the hairstylist. She used the comb to tease her long, brunette hair, which was touched up with beachy blonde highlights. Brooke was only 23, but she had already built a multimillion-dollar beauty empire. What started out as makeup tutorials as a young teenager in her bedroom blossomed into twelve million followers and a prolific modeling career. And now, she was launching her own makeup line, which analysts were already projecting would rival the beauty industry’s top brands. “We’re ready for you, Miss Bailey!” said one of the eager assistants, rushing over to escort her to the photoshoot. Brooke stood up from her chair and began to follow her toward the set with her “momager” close behind. “Oh, sweetie, you look gorgeous!” her mom gushed, eliciting a small smile from Brooke. To be honest, she did feel quite sexy today. Her six-inch heels clicked across the vinyl floor as she continued down the hall. She wore an orange string bikini, and her hair was styled in voluptuous waves. The perfect summer look to premiere her newest eyeshadow palette. “Ah, Brooke, great to see you again!” purred Jeffrey, coming up to give her a kiss on each cheek. “Shall we get started?” Jeffrey had photographed quite a few modeling shoots for Brooke over the years, so she was quite comfortable working with him at this point. “Let’s do it,” she replied with a smile. “Where do you want me?” “Let’s start with some floor shots of you holding the makeup palette close to your face,” he suggested. “We’ll get some great profile shots there.” Brooke crawled to her knees in front of the bright pink backdrop. She held the makeup palette in her manicured hands, bringing it against her cheek and flashing a wide grin at the camera. “That’s great, Brooke!” Jeffery cooed as his camera began to click furiously. He knelt down to her eye level and continued to snap some more shots. “Push your boobs together a little with your arms!” her mom called out behind him. “No, not too much – you don’t want your neck to disappear in your cleavage. Yes, that’s it!” “Okay, let’s have you stand up,” Jeffery said after a few minutes on the floor. “We’ll get some full-length shots now.” Brooke followed his lead, taking a flirtatious stance that flattered her curves. Once again, she plastered a wide smile across her face, changing positions every few seconds to give some different angles. “Suck in your tummy just a bit,” her mom called out again. Brooke’s smile faltered ever so slightly, but she took her mom’s advice and adjusted her tight stomach even tighter. *** As Brooke made her way from the studio into the parking lot, her K-pop ringtone erupted in her purse. Pulling out her phone, she quickly answered the call. “Hello?” “Hey, girl, are we still on for dinner tonight?” came the voice on the other end. “Yes, I’m just leaving the photoshoot now,” Brooke answered. “I’m in downtown right now, so give me about forty-five minutes to get there and find parking.” “Okay, we’re here! Jayden and Madison are already completely wasted!” The sound of laughter erupted on the other end, forcing Brooke to hold her phone away from her ear. “Don’t have too much fun until I get there!” Brooke giggled. She hung up the phone as she reached her red convertible and got into the driver’s seat. She routed her navigation guide to the restaurant, making sure to take the scenic route along Sunset Boulevard. With the convertible top down and her music blasting through the radio, she set off out of the parking lot and down the street as the warm California breeze whipped through her hair. Although she had her sunglasses on, she secretly hoped the paparazzi might care enough to snap a photo of her at a stoplight. Once she found her parking spot near the restaurant, she hopped out and quickly made her way up the brightly-lit street. A few passersby seemed to recognize her, but Brooke kept her eyes forward and fought back a smile as she strode quickly past them. She had put on her favorite club dress, which was a deep red number with a short skirt and a high slit. It was low-cut and accentuated her cleavage perfectly between spaghetti straps. Los Angeles was coming to life all around her. Shop signs glowed brightly under streetlamps as tourists and locals alike filled the sidewalks. If anyone wanted to be seen, this was certainly the place to be. The chic, upscale sushi lounge came into view across the street, and loud beats could be heard booming from the sound system inside. Brooke made her way up to the crosswalk and waited for the light to change, peering through the windows from a distance to try and see her friends inside. A small crowd of people began to gather at the corner, waiting for the signal to cross. Brooke absentmindedly scanned the faces around her to see if there were any celebrities she could recognize. Suddenly, a woman’s scream rose up above the crowd. Brooke’s eyes landed on a small child, a girl no older than three, teetering into the busy street after a small toy. Brakes squealed as a Porche came barreling down the street, trying to come to a stop to avoid hitting the child. As if the scene was playing in slow motion in front of her, Brooke realized with a panic that the car would not stop in time. Acting purely on instinct, without any rational thought, Brooke leapt into the street after the girl. She barely felt the impact of the car against her body before the world fell into complete darkness around her.