Page 29 of Fated or Knot (UnseelieVerse: The Omega Masquerade #1)

29

LARK

I had Tormund walk me to the supply room alone, after convincing Fal and Marius that we’d attract a lot more attention if I had three princes following me. He had the biggest grin as he guided me through the halls. “I tell them we don’t all have to be around at one time, li’l bird. At least you agree.”

Like when I’d been walking with Marius, the other fae that lived or worked here gave us a respectful bubble of distance. Maybe it was a bit bigger; Tormund was still a redcap, despite his gentle giant personality.

“Yeah,” I puffed out. He walked a little too fast, and I was trying to keep up. He’d suggested that the supply rooms weren’t far. This strenuous walk sure felt otherwise. “How else are we going to get to know one another?”

He slanted me an odd look. “No one’s told you?”

“Told me what?”

“ Ach . I guess it was a secret,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “Now that Mom approved you, next are the dates. One with every prince, just you and him. We were going to start them after you’re walking again.”

I could practically feel the sparkles in my eyes grow more intense with my excitement. I fluttered my wings, sending off a couple sparkling motes of dust. “Really?” I gasped. “Oh, stars! I can’t wait!”

He watched me, loosing a rumbling purr. “Me neither. But…I will probably be last. As the youngest and all,” he added in a grumble.

“You could tell me what you’re thinking. We could plan it together,” I suggested, still full of bubbles and sunshine at the idea of individual dates with each of my mates.

He shook his head. “I’m supposed to surprise you with something amazing,” he protested.

“Just a hint?” I asked, adding a little begging whine.

The giant squinted, despite wearing his tiny spectacles today. “Why are you so cute?” he countered. “It’s not fair. I want to tell you everything, but I shouldn’t.”

I suppressed a giggle at his pouting. “You could. Tormund, please.” I gave him my best puppy-dog look and watched his resistances crumple as he looked back at me adoringly.

His lips were parting to reply when a two-toned whistle sounded behind us. Tormund slowed to a stop, and I did as well, catching my breath as I turned carefully with my crutches.

“Yoo-hoo,” a dark elf called in a sing-song. He was trailing four different palace workers, who hung back as he approached. “I heard there was a new li’l omega click-clacking around my palace, so I had to see her for myself.”

Tormund grinned. “Hi, Dad!” He swept the other male up in a big hug, lifting his feet off the ground.

I gaped a bit. It was one thing to see full-grown alphas as a child, when they all seemed like ancient trees with their heads way up in the clouds. But Rennyn was short for an alpha, maybe six feet tall, though his crown of black, backswept horns added the illusion that he had more height when he wasn’t being held up by a jolly redcap.

“Oof, Tor-Tor! Don’t break my spine,” he laughed. He spoke Theli with the lightest of lilts, practically accentless.

“Sorry, Dad.” Tormund put him down and dusted off any imperceptible wrinkles in his scarlet tunic. It offset his dusky skin tone and red eyes well.

“No apologies necessary. At least you said hello, unlike some other sons I know.” He turned to me, flashing a mischievous smile. “So, anyway, more than one fae has come up and whispered, ‘Your Majesty, have you met the omega walking around on crutches? I think she’s…’” he gasped dramatically. “ Seelie !”

I giggled, though my wings flattened to my back self-consciously. Stars, the fae in the palace were already talking about me. I figured it wouldn’t be long before someone approached to ask who I was and why I was always with at least one of the princes. It’d be my luck to encounter a jealous ex-lover or one of the nixies Marius had mentioned as almost good enough, a thought that filled me with utter dread.

“That’s me. Not quite Seelie,” I said shyly.

He cut through the awkwardness of one of my worries by saying, “You remember your Papa Rennie, right? Because I remember a tiny p’nixie who was determined to help me around here.”

I’m sure I did a poor job of hiding my relief. “Yes, of course. You were my favorite bonus dad.”

“Hah! Elion would murder me if he heard that. You and your father visited during one of his busy seasons,” he said. “Was it the tricks? I’ve had to retire a few with fewer kids around.”

“The bugs?” I guessed.

He flicked his fingers, and one of the shiny, small beetles appeared in his palm, though it was a bright yellow. “No, but they’re cheese now. Ambriel inherited that kelpie palate. Not a single sweet tooth to be found.” He tisked and handed me the bug, which I ate without hesitation. It was a nip of cheddar after the brief crunch of the shell. “I’m hoping I can entertain our next kid too, or I’m going to have to retire as the fun dad.”

He beamed and added a moment later, “Who am I kidding? I’ll never retire. I’ve got plenty of adult kids to bother. Speaking of which, what are you two up to?”

“We’re getting Lark’s rooms set up,” Tormund answered cheerfully.

“Fantastic idea. Someone get Lark a chair . Watching her balance there with a cast on is doing all kinds of terrible things to my instincts,” Rennyn said in an equally bright tone.

“Sorry,” I said, surprised.

“Come along. Dozens of very nice chairs this way,” he said, then switched languages with a careless wave behind him. “Clear my afternoon schedule. Say something urgent came up or something.”

The four palace workers that’d been following him shrugged and went about their days as if this was completely normal. We continued to the supply rooms, now with Rennyn flanking my other side.

I kept trying to guess which tricks he’d retired, which appeared to be none of them. He still had his lucky coin, which was worn down to a flat gold disc after being handled so often. He had all kinds of things up his sleeves still: playing cards, a small flower, an even smaller throwing knife, and a piece of jerky wrapped up in a bright paper as if it were a candy.

I must’ve found him plenty distracting, because the next thing I knew, I was seated in the first supply room, on a chair made of the velvety, dark green fabric I’d been admiring earlier.

“Small purr of approval,” Rennyn said offhandedly.

“We can do better,” Tormund agreed before wandering off. From my seat, I had the impression that these rooms were a maze of furniture, cleaning tools, and repair equipment.

The dark elf king leaned on the wall beside me, one leg bent to brace his foot on the surface. He flipped his lucky coin idly. “So, I’d ask how you’ve been, buuuuut…” He drew out the word. “I was there for the questioning. Don’t worry, li’l p’nixie. We’re going to make sure you’re well cared for here.”

My smile slipped. “What questioning?”

“What questioning,” he echoed with a sigh. “I knew the lads wouldn’t tell you. We had an extended get-to-know-you session with a certain mermaid when you all first arrived.”

There was only one mermaid he could be referring to, and I’d managed to avoid thinking about her. Fal and Marius had done something to get her to break my unfair vow to her. “Did you all… Is she…”

“Did we torture her? Not as much as we wanted to. Is she alive? Aye, for now,” he supplied. “She’s in a jail cell. We’re awaiting word from Queen Alora for permission to execute her, as she’s not one of our subjects.”

My eyes widened. Execute? But I’d dreamt of a world without my stepmother too much to not be a little relieved at the possibility.

“How much did she tell you?” I dreaded the answer.

An “extended” session with her would probably be all it took for an experienced questioner to pry out every moment of my childhood. Much as I remember loving my godfamily, that this was their first impression of me as an adult was mortifying. Hopefully they didn’t assume I was weak, like Marius initially had.

Tormund announced himself before plonking another chair in front of me to try. It was a dove gray and made of soft material that gave just right when I transferred to sit on it. The armrests were also at a perfect height, and I sank into it with a smile despite myself.

“Looks like a winner, Tor-Tor. Why don’t you tag the whole set for her?” Rennyn suggested.

He waited until the redcap left to do just that before he turned his red gaze back to me. “Look, I know the scent of shame when I smell it. Stop that. We’re ashamed that we were fooled and that you, our goddaughter, was taken advantage of so cruelly. You could ask my mate for the moon right now, and she’d figure out how to give it to you.”

My eyes pricked with tears. I didn’t want her to feel obligated to give me anything.

“It’s not out of pity. Helping you is one of the only things we can do to make up for lost time,” he said, as if reading my conflicted thoughts. “My son—Falindel, I mean—was there for the questioning as well. He listened to it all without flinching. That’s love, kid.

“Once you’re a member of Pack Sorles and your training begins, you’re going to find tough love in every direction. Theo’s going to wake you before the sunrise for self-defense drills. Elion is going to bore you to death with the dullest meetings known to faekind. You’ll train your magic with Thalas until you pass out. And with me…” He flashed his wicked Unseelie smile. “We’re going to see if you really have no cunning bones in your body.”

“I don’t think she does,” Tormund put in. I startled, not realizing he’d returned and listened to at least some of the conversation.

“You can hide a lot behind a sweet face,” Rennyn commented. “And I wasn’t done. Nemensia will be there with you every step of the way, too. Congratulations, Metalark. Welcome back to the family.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said. Surprisingly, I did feel better about the royal pack knowing about my darkest days by the time he was done talking. It helped that we were moving on rather than dwelling on it. If Cymora was gone…something told me that we could simply not talk about it anymore and leave it in the past. And that was a bigger relief than I would’ve expected.

“Oh, what about Laurel?” I asked, glad she could be an afterthought too.

“We’re sending her back to Thelis soon. Did you want to talk to her?” the dark elf asked.

I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head.

“I didn’t think so.”

Tormund cleared his throat. “I want to drop you in the middle of the nesting supplies now, li’l bird.”

“Okay,” I said, not realizing he meant it literally. He scooped me up and trotted off with me. I didn’t whine, since he put me down in the next room over, atop a pile of blankets I immediately starting inspecting with my fingertips.

“Supplying nests is hard sometimes. Most of these things were requested by the palace nixies, then they didn’t like them,” Tormund explained. “So, you can take anything your instincts want for your nest. And if you want something but in a different color, we can order it.”

My first thought was I’ll take all of it , but he hadn’t lied when he suggested they could stock a full omega store. There were so many options for basic things like blankets and cushions that I could color-coordinate my nest with everything I loved. I could build something better than my epic dream nest.

“Would you look away for a moment?” I asked.

“Why?”

“I’m about to get emotional over pillows and…”

I blamed it on my earlier conversation with Rennyn, but I really could’ve cried then and there about what a turn my life had taken. I could have any kind of nest I wanted. No one would force me to destroy it, because it was mine . It could be designed down to the grain or as eclectic as my heart desired.

Tormund sat on the pile of blankets, causing me to slide into him. He put his arms around me. “I don’t want to miss happy tears, if there must be tears. I just want this to be special for you.”

“It is very special,” I assured him.

He tilted my chin up and kissed me, combining that with a soothing purr. The choked-up feeling in my throat loosened. I parted the seal of my lips and let his tongue in to play with mine, savoring the smoky, caramelized sugar taste of him all the while. I could’ve gotten lost in the moment for longer, but he was the one who pulled away. I whimpered at the loss of his mouth.

“Invite me to your nest tonight,” he said in a low tone, hardly more than a rumble. “I would be happy to continue this privately, li’l bird.”

Stars, one of the kings was in the other room. Not that I think Rennyn would’ve minded seeing us kiss all that much, but the reminder had me turning my attention back to the blankets. “Let me get it set up first,” I said with a self-conscious giggle.

Since we’d left my crutches behind, he had to help me to the various piles in the room, but I was soon picking out acceptable nesting materials in shades of grays and cool colors. There wasn’t much conscious thought behind most of the picks. Some fabrics felt right . They had to hit my instincts just so, or they were left behind. I still probably picked too much, but there were several items I had to have.

“And what were you thinking of doing with the second floor of your nest?” Tormund asked once it was all put aside in a neat pile.

“Um…I didn’t even look up there yet,” I admitted. Though I wondered if I could use that space to coax my males to spend more time with me after we were all bonded and some of the newness wore off. Something like the library nest, perhaps? Though one where fucking was allowed and we picked up after ourselves. Compromises for both Fal and Marius.

“You haven’t?” he gasped. I just pointed at my cast. “Okay, we’ll go up there together once you invite me in.”

“Any chance we can remodel it so it doesn’t have stairs?”

Though Tormund laughed, his craggy face was creased with confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Just a joke. Don’t worry about it,” I said.

He cracked a smile and nodded, picking me up one more time to view some of the artworks in storage to see if anything caught my eye. I snuggled in with him, and we took our time admiring several pieces for longer than was absolutely necessary. I didn’t end up picking many paintings. I didn’t want to clutter my new space.

Eventually, Tormund carried me back to my crutches, which Rennyn was holding upright while he was turned toward the door and a liveried guard. They spoke in hushed voices, then the king gestured the other male off.

“All ready to go, then? I’ll arrange for the items to be delivered posthaste,” Rennyn said. “Hold still for a second.”

He leaned up and sandwiched me in a hug between him and Tormund. Then he tousled my hair. “Great to see you again, p’nixie. Work calls, as it always does.”

“I’m glad we ran into each other,” I said. I hoped we crossed paths again soon.

“Bye, Dad!” Tormund said cheerfully. After the king left, he looked at the pair of crutches Rennyn handed me, and then at my face.

“You can carry me back,” I said. His brows rose straight to his hairline. “I mean, if you want to.”

“I definitely do. I just need to visit my brothers’ rooms,” he declared, setting off with me. It was a bit of a relief not to have to match his giant’s stride, even though I’d thought he might’ve needed to carry me a little ways to calm an alpha instinct or two. “No nest is complete without your mates’ scents.”

I brightened at the mention. I still had Fal’s mask…somewhere. But having freshly worn clothes from my males layered into my nest would be so much better. Tormund produced a master key off his belt to pay the rooms a quick visit, if Fal and Marius hadn’t returned to theirs.

When we returned to the royal wing, Marius was standing guard at my door, his face blank until he spotted us. Instead of taking me along for clothing retrieval, Tormund passed me over to the kelpie with a brief explanation and walked me to my armchair in the study before leaving. I figured they’d be back pretty soon and didn’t pick my book back up, so my gaze wandered.

Someone had alphabetized my stash of Theli books from the library tower and placed a small pot full of silvery flowers on the desk. Their fragrance had long covered the scent of the male who’d brought them, but the lack of fanfare suggested who they were from. I didn’t ask Jani and Lon about it. They were busy making up the bed outside my nest with a new set of covers and a gray bedspread with pops of red in raised, flower-like rosettes that I’d selected earlier.

Servants arrived to tag the furniture that would be leaving. I spoke with a grimalkin alpha—a real one, unshifted, and he was tall and feline in mannerisms, though the only outward sign of his Unseelie status was a pair of pointed cat ears and a plush, swishing tail—who would get my new things set up in mostly the right place.

Our conversation was interrupted by a low, territorial growl. I turned, expecting Marius, just to see Tormund approaching with a stack of clothes in hand. The grimalkin took a healthy step away from me and bowed his head.

“Here, Lark, for your nest,” the redcap said. “If you want to get started setting it up, the rest of your new nesting materials should be here any moment.”

He followed me as I crutch-walked to my nest and stopped just past the threshold. He set the stack down, remaining on the other side, respectful, as always, of every boundary between us. I shouldn’t invite him or any other male in until it was perfect , though I wanted to. But no omega wanted to show her mates into a sloppy nest.

Tormund’s eyes creased with fondness. “Take all the time you need, li’l bird.”

He left me to it. I turned to my nest and stripped the bed down to the sheets for now. I arranged everything into two piles, then hummed, mixing in the shirts and the blankets for no particular reason.

Tormund had retrieved one plain undershirt from each male, which carried more scent than the fancier tunics they wore. I ended up sorting by color. Navy for Fal, black for Marius, gray for Kauz, and orange for Tormund. The latter didn’t match anything, and it bothered me just a little, but I’d find a place for it since it belonged to my gentle giant.

When the extra supplies arrived, they were delivered by Marius. He took one look at me limping around on one crutch, the other arm cradling blankets, and his nostrils flared with an equine snort. “Let me in,” he said.

“It’s not ready yet,” I answered.

“You’re guaranteed to trip over something.”

“It’s a sloppy nest.”

“Nay, it’s unfinished. There’s a difference.”

I set down my burden and doubled back, peeking around the half-drawn privacy curtain at him, eyes narrowed. “This wouldn’t be an invitation to bed,” I said in an undertone.

He didn’t quite look at me. “I know. I don’t deserve that yet,” he murmured.

Just that reaction made me want to argue that I hadn’t meant anything about deserving or not, but if I convinced him that I had feelings for him, too, just like his brothers…then we’d end up in bed. I motioned him inside, drawing the curtain completely when he entered my nest, such as it was.

“I’m not quite running the show here,” I said, preemptively apologetic. My inner omega was probably about to drive him nuts moving things back and forth along the rectangular first floor of the nest.

He tipped his head with a sardonic lift of his lips. “Neither am I. Perhaps you need Niall for this.”

I nodded in agreement and got to work. I started with the faelights, setting a couple stray ones loose to illuminate more of the first floor and its low, intimate ceiling. Then the best materials were arranged on the bed: the fleece, the gifts from the family’s omegas, especially the silk blanket.

Marius watched me with his head cocked, his breathing shallowing out. For a moment, he hesitated, resisting whatever had to happen to bring out Niall. But then he surrendered to his feral side, judging by the change in his eyes and the softening of his stance. He glanced around and released a soft rumble of approval.

I layered in my mates’ scents on the bed and then pivoted on my heel, looking longingly at the pile of pillows. Marius wordlessly plucked out the pillow I was eyeing and tossed it to me. After feeling it up and testing its filling, I mewled. Not the right pillow after all. He growled back and brought me three more. We didn’t say a single word as I continued to build, communicating mostly through body language and sounds.

He may or may not have realized it, but he was reprising his old role as my extra set of hands. At least he seemed to be enjoying it, as he was extra attentive and homed in on my every need as I built this nest on pure instinct.

Once the bed was properly arranged, I set out the cushions and the rest of the blankets for a cozy resting space in the alcove beside the stairs. With no kids planned, this spot could be for visitors or for us to laze around as an alternative to the bed. I fussed over placement and second-guessed the blankets on the bed, swapping a few out with my feral kelpie’s help.

After I nodded in approval, he held my hips and pressed to my back, nuzzling my neck with his silent but steady purr. With my omega side so close to the surface, it felt right to tilt my head further for him in both trust and submission. His fangs pressed into the sensitive column, and I shivered in awareness.

“Mine,” he murmured against my skin. “You claim this nest but not me, p’nixie?”

The question required too much thought. I shook off my own feral impulses to figure out what he was really asking. “Is it Marius or Niall who wants a kelpie bond with me?” I asked.

“One in the same,” he purred, helping me turn so he could pin me with an intense, dilated gaze. “Bite me. Claim me. Then I can finally claim you, mate.”

Stars, it was just his feral side. There was no sign of the prince in that face. When he regained his head, I’d ask if he was serious. It wasn’t that he hadn’t mentioned it before, because he had…in the peak of emotion that’d followed his apology. I just thought he might want to be really sure before tying his kelpie loyalty to me permanently. I didn’t want any chance of meeting Marius’s fury again.

His probing look cooled as he sighed. “I understand. You’re still not ready.”

“Right,” I said, because it was easier just to agree and return to nest building.

I let that pleasant haze take me again and got back to work. When I couldn’t possibly get everything more perfect, I regarded the empty space between the bed and lounging corner with a whine. Something big was missing. Marius and I turned to one another, then back to the empty spot. He left the nest abruptly.

There was a distant cluster of surprised sounds from a group of strangers before Marius returned half-carrying and half-dragging a divan into the nest. He placed it in the empty space, where it fit perfectly at a diagonal from the bed. It was made of the same gray material as the chair I’d approved of earlier, and as I lay down on it to try it, I purred with strong support of its placement in here.

Marius picked out a blanket and draped it over me before handing over two pillows that hadn’t quite found a place anywhere, until now. I arranged them under me comfortably and smiled up at him. He took me in, then went and retrieved one last thing for me: Kauz’s tunic.

“You miss him,” he said in a roughed voice.

“I do,” I agreed quietly. “But how did you know?”

His nostrils flared in a gentle snort. “I know my mate better than she thinks.” He didn’t hide the longing that tightened his expression, though he took a step away when I reached for him. I just wanted to comfort him when he looked at me like that. “Rest for now. I’m sure he wants to see you, too.”

“Marius…”

He kept walking away. I cleared my throat. “Niall,” I tried. This earned me a glance. “Thank you for helping me.”

He nodded and left my nest with a murmur of “P’nixie.”

I settled in and held the tunic to my chest, scenting only laundry soap from it. It may have been clean, but it was Kauz’s, and I figured a short nap to visit him wouldn’t hurt. I closed my eyes and reached out for his sleeping mind.