Page 20 of Fated or Knot (UnseelieVerse: The Omega Masquerade #1)

20

LARK

A change of clothes was folded and waiting for me just within the threshold of the female’s bath once I was cleansed. Tormund waited for me to emerge, a hopeful little smile crossing his face. “Hi, li’l bird,” he said in a way too gentle voice.

He offered his arms for a hug with the slow movements of an alpha to a frightened omega. But there was no need. He wasn’t raging, nor did more straightforward alpha anger waft off of him to spook me. I limped into his embrace and sighed happily when a deep purr rumbled in his chest. He gave the best hugs.

He scooped me up to carry me back to our room, and I huffed into the heat of his shoulder. “I can walk,” I grumbled for the second time today. It was hard to stay irritated with him still purring so soothingly.

“I just want to comfort the li’l bird,” he answered in a low voice.

He shifted unhappily, guilt filling his eyes. He’d beaten himself up too much already for his sudden rage yesterday. “Could you stop here for a moment?” I asked when we were between cars.

“Of course. You want to look at the sea?” He turned so the sun was at his back, though it still cast a glare over the water far below us. “Soon we’ll be over Serian. I can smell it.”

“What does it smell like?” I asked. All I could scent right now was salt water and dust.

He smiled wistfully. “The cold. The more north we go, the colder it gets. And I can smell the chill from here. We’ll be home tomorrow.”

I hummed. The alphas seemed to have stronger noses than me, but I doubted “cold” was such a distinct smell.

“Hey, Tormund,” I said tentatively.

“Aye?”

“I, um. I didn’t know you were a redcap.”

Any happiness at the proximity of Serian’s smell vanished from his expression. “I am so sorry you saw that part of me,” he murmured.

“It’s not—” I cut myself off, shaking my head. He’d been asking for forgiveness since I’d had my feral moment, and I’d failed to acknowledge it. “You don’t have to apologize for who you are. It was just…a lot.”

“Sorry,” he said again.

I lifted a finger to rest over his lips. “And unexpected. If it hadn’t happened, were you planning on telling me you’re a redcap?”

He didn’t reply until I took my finger off his lips. “Eventually. I wanted you to know me first.” His mouth twisted into a troubled knot. “My brothers agreed to let me be the one to tell you. And I did in the worst way possible. Just say ‘redcap,’ and watch others go pale. We have a reputation, especially alpha redcaps. Other omegas… Most of them are afraid of me. They know what I am on sight. Or worse, they know me as the son of Theodred the Blood King, the queen’s protector and Serian’s executioner.”

My throat clicked with a dry swallow.

“That is his role, and he worked hard to make his name equal fear in those who deserve it. He’s only lost control of his rage once . Meanwhile, I can’t get a hold of mine. My brothers have to restrain me each time,” he muttered miserably. “I was trained to be your comfort, to help you keep a household and manage a nation. Mother wanted to prove a point. By raising me as the future queen’s comfort, she tried to show that redcaps deserve to be treated like any other fae. That we can choose a life other than delivering bloodshed and death.”

“Tormund.” I waited until he squinted down at me. “You would be terrible at delivering bloodshed and death.”

His squint only became more pronounced. “What?”

“You are a generous, snuggly bear of a male, and you need to wear your spectacles more. You hold most things way too close to your face,” I said, happy to see a little smile tugging at his mouth.

“I do not! I see just fine,” he protested.

“The spectacles are really cute,” I added.

“Fine…I’ll wear them for you,” he hedged. “Just to see your face better. That’s all.”

“You’re a sweet male. I’d say your mother proved her point already. You just needed someone able to calm your rages.” Oh, stars, I was about to say the m-word. It seemed to be on everyone’s lips lately except for mine. I barely wanted to acknowledge something when I still didn’t know if I could keep it. “Your mate.”

He gave me a squeeze. “My mate,” he echoed in agreement, his expression softening. His shoulders fell as if he’d dropped a heavy weight off them. Hopefully that was his lingering guilt and self-hate tumbling into the sea below. “May I kiss you?”

My breath caught with excitement. After two kisses with two separate males had tumbled out of control, one would think I’d be worried this would be the same, but I loved kisses too much to hesitate. “Yes.”

“And…” He scuffed his foot, glancing away for a moment. “I know I am not a beautiful male like Fal or Kauz. But I would give you pleasure any time you asked, li’l bird. Don’t forget I was built for…ah. For all your needs.”

Heat rose in my cheeks. Stars, I wish I could show him that I wanted him just as badly as I wanted his brothers. “I will ask, I promise. But just a kiss for now. We should stop there,” I said.

“ Ach . Of course. I’m honorable,” he promised. I leaned up, and he cupped my cheek, the two of us meeting in the middle.

His beard and mustache were scratchy against my face, but I didn’t dislike the rougher texture of his kiss. Not when he tasted like dessert, caramelized sugar with its sweetness cut by a satisfying edge of char. We made identical hums of enjoyment.

His big hands were gentle as he held me aloft one-armed, my face cradled in a broad palm, while his mouth moved like he could devour me. Our tongues tangled, and his fangs didn’t so much as graze my lips. All the while, he purred, coaxing the same from me until we vibrated together in harmony.

When the kiss faded, he held me close enough that he didn’t have to squint to look at me. His freckled face wore a look of such genuine joy that I had to return it, and his grey eyes took in my expression and kiss-swollen lips with an intensity that showed he had to be committing this moment to memory.

Stars, I was doing the same thing. Falling more for this sweetheart, too, while I was at it.

“Hey, Tormund?” I said, feeling my belly rumble. “Think you could take me to the dining car?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to feed you,” he declared.

When we returned to the room a while later, I was absolutely stuffed. Tormund had bought the train out of its last triple berry cookies, as they were running low on certain food items this late in the trip. Since he insisted, he carried me, and I held the half dozen cookies in their little paper wrapper.

Tormund announced us at the door and earned an ear flick from Marius and a sleepy sound from Fal. They’d sprawled out over the couches. Marius was in my favorite reading pose, flat on his back with his book held aloft at just the right height, while Fal had been napping face down. He still wore his mask. Damn . I could’ve taken it from him if Tormund was quieter.

“Li’l bird’s fed and happy. Where’s Kauz?” the giant asked.

Fal muffled a yawn. “Laundering our bedding, presumably.”

“ Ach . Still?”

“It’s being washed to Marius’s satisfaction. Most sensitive sniffer in this room.” The dark elf poked his own nose.

Marius made a wordless grumble. Not quite a growl, but close.

“Oh, I see,” Tormund said. He headed for the couch with Fal and plopped down once the dark elf made room for us. I stayed with the giant for now, cozy against his padded chest.

“See what?” I asked.

Tormund covered his mouth to tell me in an aside, “He’s almost done with his book. He gets very mad if anyone interrupts him.”

Marius grunted, sounding annoyed.

“Relatable,” I whispered back. If I was a grumpy alpha kelpie, I would do the same thing to get to the end of a story undisturbed.

We sat quietly until he closed the book and rested it on his chest. He lay there with a contemplative look.

“Well, was it any good?” Fal asked.

“It was…unexpected. I thought I was reading about a Seelie female’s firsthand account of the last war, just for it to become a fictional romance between her and a human alpha.”

“Wait,” I blurted. “Have you been reading The Battle of Marsh Hill this whole time?”

Marius tilted his head to look at me. “Aye.”

“I’ve read that book!” I exclaimed. With a title like that, it’d been one of the last books left in my old home that I’d finally picked up rather than reread one of my dog-eared favorites again. “It really gets you in the first third, doesn’t it? You think it’s a gritty war memoir, and then Sylvie meets John.”

“John?” Fal echoed with a little laugh. “What kind of name is John ?”

We both ignored him. “Yes, it tricked me too,” Marius agreed. “This was one of the only books written in Serian at the bookshop. I wanted the tale of war.”

“Oh, I skip that part on a reread.”

He snorted, though it was a gentle one. Not annoyed. Amused, perhaps. “Of course you do. What was your favorite part, then?”

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. “When they kissed behind the waterfall,” I said. “No, wait. When they kissed on their wedding day.”

“What is a wedding?” Tormund asked.

“It’s a human thing. It’s very romantic.” My wings fluttered with my giggle. “A human couple or pack throw a party after exchanging vows to love one another for their whole lives in front of their loved ones and friends.”

“Vows?” he echoed, eyes widening. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Humans aren’t bound to their word like fae are,” I explained. “And I guess they don’t have pack bonds either.”

“Oooh.”

“The kisses were your favorite part?” Marius asked in disbelief. “Not the saucy bits?”

“Did you like the saucy bits?” I countered.

“They didn’t strike me as particularly well-written. I think John had three hands in the cave scene. However,” he mused, “that could be the fault of the translator.”

“I think he accidentally had three in the Theli version too.” I scrunched my brow as I tried to remember.

“Well, it was some entertainment. I bought another for the trip. I believe it was titled Tides of Treason .”

“Oh!” I gasped. “ Much better story. You should’ve started with that book! The crew is so much fun, and even though the author says it’s a romance, that part is really second to the swashbuckling.”

Marius’s face brightened. He sat up and stretched. “I’ll have to get started, then. Maybe I’ll get far enough in that we can talk about it— what , Fal?” He cut a sudden glare at the dark elf, who was posed with his chin on his fist, grinning broadly.

“I can hardly believe it. You two book nerds are flirting.” He affected a swoon with a grand gesture of his free hand. “Are you going to start a book club? I’ll join if we read the saucy bits out loud.”

I turned pink at the thought. Of course Fal wanted to read those parts out loud. I was also feeling a little flush all of a sudden. The pulsing in my belly that preceded a cramp was coming on, and I held my middle in anticipation of it. In the day’s events, Kauz hadn’t refreshed my suppressant tattoo yet.

“No,” Marius said flatly.

“Don’t be so hasty. The wee pixie looks like she likes the idea,” Fal teased.

I blushed a little harder. “Only if you’re the one to read them.”

The dark elf looked positively gleeful. “Do I smell a deal?” he asked, offering his hand to shake.

My eyes narrowed. Any Seelie would be suspicious when an Unseelie offers a deal, but this one seemed benign enough. What were the chances Marius wanted to start a book club with me anyway?

“I’ll shake on it if you give me your mask,” I said.

“Ah. If you’re adding to the deal, then so am I. I want to hear this scene with the human alpha and his three hands. Read by you, mo stór .” His expression was pure mischief as he continued to offer his hand.

I leaned back, whispering in Tormund’s ear, “What did he call me?”

“My darling or my treasure. Same idea,” he whispered back.

“Treasure,” Fal confirmed with a wink. “A prize I’ve stolen from Thelis.”

Oh. That was sweet, actually. My fluttery wings definitely gave away how flattered I was as I shook his hand.

And that was how I was partway through reading a Serian translation of a poorly written sex scene out loud when Kauz walked in with a basket overflowing with freshly washed bedding. He paused in the threshold, head tilting with a drawn brow as he took in the fascinated way his brothers listened to my off-kilter delivery.

Fal gestured for him to join us. And Kauz did, settling in the space next to Marius, his expression shading from confused to amused as I kept going. I pitched my voice higher for Sylvie and lower for John, pausing at a few unexpected points when my audience burst out laughing. Usually followed by them urging me to read more.

Eventually, I hit the end of the chapter, and still, Fal was egging me on. I said, “I think that was the whole scene.”

“Oh yes, pages ago. I just love listening to you. You’re going to speak Serian beautifully.” He waited for a moment before adding, “Someday.”

I tossed the book at him. He caught it, laughing, before I even realized the audacity of what I’d done. A week ago, I’d never dream of throwing something at a prince, Unseelie or not. My stepfamily would’ve admonished me publicly for even thinking about it.

Well, they weren’t here. My whole day had been blessedly free of Cymora and Laurel, and I wasn’t going to let the specter of their disapproval ruin the evening.

“And, as promised.” Fal untied the mask from his face and offered it to me. I scented it with a soft purr of approval, sure to press it to my nose later when no one was looking. It smelled strongly of him after he’d worn it for so long. Plus, now that he’d taken it off, his forest elf disguise was replaced by his real features—his handsome coloring and striking feline eyes.

Silly, lovestruck omega, I sighed at myself.

I was four for four today, loving Fal a little more for his teasing and holding on to some hope of gaining more positive attention from Marius now that we’d connected as book lovers.

Fal cleared his throat. “Now, where are the other saucy bits? I promised mo stór I would read them to her,” he said.