Page 39 of Fated or Knot (UnseelieVerse: The Omega Masquerade #1)

39

LARK

M arius had extra growls to spare for any alpha we passed on the way to lunch in one of Elion’s preferred parlors. I walked arm in arm with Nemensia, mostly listening as she spoke at length about the highlights of the recent cases.

Elion had invited the two dream wardens to lunch in addition to his son. Both bat-eared males walked ahead of the queen and me, while the two kelpies spoke in rapid Serian behind us. It sounded like they were discussing locations underwater and the king was making suggestions about the best ones.

“I already have a place in mind,” Marius answered defensively.

“Of course.” Elion didn’t laugh, but the persistent alpha presence in his voice was full of amusement. “You know, you’re acting like…”

I just knew Marius’s ear flicked. “Like what?” he prompted.

“My heart,” Elion called in Serian to Nemensia, whose fins flicked behind her in reaction.

She switched places with Marius, who put his arm around me. The two older fae started whispering together. “They’re gossiping about us,” he muttered.

I figured. I also noticed Elion had timed this well, as the rest of us entered the parlor while he and Nemensia stayed outside, having an intent conversation that was part talking and part gazing into each other’s eyes.

I was distracted from them when I looked up and recognized where we were. It was a small room lit by a set of essence lamps floating in a glass ball overhead. Unlike what I expected from a king’s parlor, it wasn’t too fussy, though there was a painting of the queen hanging on the wall. Nemensia was very pregnant in this portrayal, and she was posed elegantly in a dress with excessive extra fabric, which flowed around her feet where her fins stopped.

While I admired the art, the circular table in the center of the room was quickly set for six by a team of house moths. This was definitely the same room from Thalas’s memory, where my mother had once sat shoulder to shoulder with Nemensia and asked the Unseelie royals to be my godfamily.

Thalas glanced in my direction and smiled. In his packmates’ absence, he coordinated where we sat. The seat facing the painting was for Elion, as I suspected.

“I made that,” Thalas told me when I took another glance at it. Well, that was no wonder. He’d clearly put a lot of time and effort into capturing her beauty.

“You did? Wow. You’re so talented!”

The king took a playful bow in his seat. “What can I say? She’s my muse. She was pregnant with Ambriel, and I had to capture how glowing she was. At the time, we thought she was our last child.”

I was about to ask what’d changed when the door blew open. “Kauzden!” Nemensia exclaimed.

Elion leaned in on the other side of the threshold. “She means Marius. Come here for a moment,” he said, beckoning.

Both males took this in stride, and the kelpie got up while Kauz relaxed with a little sigh. “She only had two options that time and still mixed us up,” he remarked.

“Pregnancy brain,” Thalas said.

Well, that was terrifying. I hoped I didn’t start scrambling names when and if I had more than one kid. Kauz held my hand while we waited for the other half of our group to return. I got lost for a few moments in his sparkling eyes and kind smile. Such a handsome male.

He and his father told me of the art tradition their dream warden line had passed down. Though the talent skipped the occasional generation, the original dream warden king had been an artist as well as an essence spinner and had created most of the art that survived to this day of the first Queen of Serian. Any art I saw of past queens was likely also made by a loving mate, though less talented kings hired artists to contribute in their stead.

It seemed Kauz was more than happy to tell me about this. Stars knew he was also skilled in making art. I still missed the scene he’d painted on me with temporary ink. “I wish I had that kind of talent,” I said, mostly to myself.

Their excellent hearing picked it up anyway, and they exchanged a quick glance. Thalas lit up. “I hear yet another reason you should visit my workshop. I doubt you’ve had a chance to try your hand at it. Plus, us dream wardens have to stick together. Wait until I tell you about the library nest…”

Warmth danced in my chest to be included so casually. “Oh, I’ve been!”

They were discussing which of them would get my essence added to the magical lock in the library nest when Nemensia re-entered the room. She was beaming. Elion followed, a thoughtful quirk to his lips. And finally, Marius claimed the seat on my other side, his eyes averted in his usual tell of embarrassment.

Lunch itself was fairly uneventful, though Marius ignored Kauz and me trying to get his attention. We ate little medallions of fish and vegetables wrapped tight in seaweed, which were more delicious than I expected. Better than the usual raw meat and sadness that made up a kelpie’s diet.

Before I’d cleared my plate, there was a knock at the door. A house moth let in Fal, who’d somehow escaped his earlier wrestling match with only a couple wrinkles on his fine clothes. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, bowing. “If I may borrow Lark for a moment?”

Nemensia nodded, eyeing him curiously. I stepped into the hall, surprised to see Tormund standing right outside, his head lowered dejectedly. “Is everything okay?” My stomach filled the rest of the way with queasy nerves to see him like that.

“Aye, li’l bird. I just wanted to say goodbye.” His sad tone suggested that this was a more final kind of goodbye. My wings flicked in distress. “My dad is stealing me away on one of his bonding trips,” he added with a hefty sigh.

“It seems akin to torture,” Fal added more lightly. “They catch and kill poor woodland creatures to eat and then sit in silence together, as far as I understand it.”

Oh, stars. Just a temporary goodbye. He’d given me a scare there.

“We roast and season the meat now, at least.” Tormund loosened some but started rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know how long this one’s going to be, but I assume you’ll be on your date with Marius or Kauz by the time I get back. So, um, goodbye.”

“What’s wrong?” I blurted. I couldn’t take the awkwardness anymore, especially if I wasn’t going to see him for a while.

He mumbled something. I inched forward, trying to get him to meet my gaze. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked with a soft whine.

“ Ach . Nay, li’l bird. It’s me.” He scooted backward when I got with a couple paces of him.

I glanced over at Fal, hoping for some help. “Communication, Tormund,” he said.

“You’re one to talk.”

“Tell her what’s wrong, you stubborn oaf, or I will.”

Tormund’s big hands descended, blocking my ears to muffle his reply. I think it was simply “Don’t you fucking dare.” But he was trying to be a chivalrous male, so I pretended I didn’t hear him curse.

He then tilted my chin up and let me see that his eyes were glowing orange behind his spectacles. Twitches spasmed through his arms until he released me, then they stopped, and the claws that’d been growing in his nail beds receded. “I can’t control myself,” he said miserably. “They say a mate’s touch soothes the rage, but it’s been harder to control than ever since…since we…”

My heartbeat quickened, though I wasn’t afraid, just repeating the last few days to myself now that I knew why he’d avoided me. “ I’m triggering your rage?” Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Why hadn’t he just told me that? I could’ve… Actually, I didn’t know what I could do to help him. Maybe see him through a complete rage, whatever that entailed, rather than having him bottle it up further.

“Don’t be sad, please. I can’t stand it,” he said, though his words were punctuated with menacing redcap’s growl. “I’m going to figure it out. Promise.”

“Telling Theodred what’s going on would be a good start,” Fal suggested. He also rested a hand on the small of my back, steering me aside to take the space between me and his brother.

Tormund resumed rubbing the back of his neck, his expression tight with stress. I couldn’t blame him. I, too, wouldn’t want to talk about this with Theodred. However… “If anyone would know what you’re going through, it’d be him,” I said in agreement.

“He’s never struggled like I have,” he practically snarled, pacing side to side in the hallway. “It’s not fair. I just want to hold my li’l bird and be at peace. Is that so much to ask?”

“Sometimes you have to fight a war before you get peace,” Fal answered.

“ Ach . It’s not fair,” he repeated. “I need to go before dad gets mad that I took too long to pack a bag. Bye, Lark. I love you.” Even though his teeth were pointed in the beginning stage of his monstrous transformation, he still managed a forlorn expression that just about broke my heart.

“Goodbye, my gentle giant. I love you too, and I’ll see you soon.” I mirrored him with a pout. I felt a little deflated after watching him go and returning to the parlor.

Fal followed me in, waiting for a lull in conversation before he asked, “Room for one more?”

“Always for you, son. We have to discuss this afternoon’s agenda anyway,” Elion answered.

I returned to my seat, and Fal took the one on Marius’s free side. I’d gotten concerned looks from both of his brothers as I poked at the remnants of my lunch. “What happened?” Kauz asked.

I kept my answer a careful undertone. “Tormund’s having trouble.”

“Ah, he finally told you. For once, it’s not me that’s the problem,” Marius muttered.

Fal snickered. “Don’t be so hasty. The day’s only half over.”

It was probably the presence of the royal pack that dissuaded the kelpie from punching him.

I did a lot more walking that afternoon. Fal had duties to return to, as did Elion and Nemensia. Marius and Kauz blew off whatever work they had to follow me to the workshop.

Thalas had me work on my vortex spell while the other two males watched and whispered amongst themselves. After I asked a few questions about how much essence the spell required, Thalas took a step back to teach me how to sense my essence levels. It wasn’t a perfect process for anyone, even a skilled essence spinner, but I started imagining my magic as a dense core of threads within myself.

Once, that core had been the size of the tip of a finger. Most of the threads were ripped away before I could access them, leaving me with little to work with. The core I had now was nearly full and the circumference of my fist.

Casting vortex took only a few threads, which traveled through my essence channels wherever they were directed. That meant I didn’t have to have the spell originate under my feet, as I kept casting it by accident. It could come from my palms, my wings, or even my breath. I could make it weaker or stronger, depending on how quickly I cast it. With practice, I could even point and create a vortex away from my body, but that was a too complicated right now.

Maintaining a vortex spell was a different kind of magic. I practiced with a small circle of magic to keep me floating a few feet off the ground, and threads of essence unspooled quicker than my heartbeat to maintain it.

Thalas observed and eyed me with a hum. “Something to save for when it’s necessary,” he suggested.

“She’ll be hard to catch in flight,” Kauz commented from a few yards away. I looked over at him, amused to see that he was trying to clean up a corner of the workshop. Marius had left at some point. “Mind if we throw daggers, Dad? Marius is getting a target.”

“Don’t hit anything important.”

“Of course.”

It was such a calm exchange that I almost didn’t question it. Then it sank in. “Wait. In here ?”

He said he’d let the kelpie explain and continued clearing out a space for the wooden target Marius eventually returned with. It was a battle-scarred veteran of many practices, by its severely chipped face. The four-foot target stood upright by a solid block of wood and still had a hint of colors painted on it in concentric rings.

Marius approached and held out a weapon to me by the hilt. He wore a bandolier of them. “We may be able to repurpose your secret wind sprite spell for self-defense,” he said. When I still wavered, not taking the dagger, he flipped it in his hand and pivoted, throwing it. It embedded in the target near its center, quivering from impact. “Do you think you can throw anything that hard?”

“No,” I said, wary.

He offered me a second dagger. “Try it.”

This time, I took it and tried to hit the target. It went about as well as a first attempt to throw a weapon. It hit the ground halfway to its destination and skidded with a clatter. I was embarrassed enough that I was ready to never do this again. Marius pinched his lips to hide his first reaction and exhaled slowly. “All right. We’re practicing for a reason.”

Kauz went over to retrieve the fallen weapon. “This isn’t about physical strength anyway,” he said.

Marius nodded in agreement and took it from him. “My point is that you probably won’t be able to do that.” He pointed at the first dagger, still embedded in the target. “But a well-placed vortex could surpass the force of the strongest alpha’s throw.”

He mimed what he meant by tossing the dagger upward and making the palm-forward motion of summoning a vortex from his palm. I could see where it’d work, maybe. Still, I whined. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, and that was the clear purpose of this.

Marius rumbled back. We communicated instinct to instinct again.

He wanted me to have some kind of surprise prepared if I was ever in danger and he wasn’t nearby. If it wasn’t a vortex-powered dagger, then it’d be something more traditional. Besides, the spell was strong enough to shoot me straight in the air at full power. He picked me up by my hips without trouble, suggesting I weighed…

I growled viciously at what he was about to imply.

“Two feathers,” he said, letting the feral side recede. He lifted me further for a quick kiss before setting me on my feet. “While a dagger weighs nearly nothing. You could probably lift a whole arsenal’s worth of weapons with one spell, but precision is also important, else you’ll throw them away for nothing.”

Kauz glanced between us, his brows raised. “What?” Marius asked.

The winged fae tilted his head back and forth, weighing his words before he spoke. “Not to detract from the conversation, but did she just go feral for a moment?”

I opened my mouth to say it was just my omega instincts speaking for me, then realized that was probably the textbook definition of feral behavior. Oh, stars, we’d been having feral conversations on and off for a while.

Marius shrugged, unconcerned. “Aye. Her feral side isn’t like mine. It’s tiny and shy.”

“Talking with Niall is the most active it’s been. Other than…you know,” I said. Both males nodded. “I thought it was fading.”

The kelpie chuckled bitterly. “Much to the family’s disappointment, the transition to feral instincts is permanent. You’ll always have a bit that comes out when you’re upset, and I will have a case so advanced it requires a separate name.”

“No one blames you for your trauma.” Kauz rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Marius released the pressure on his clenched hands and cast his gaze away.

I eased myself into the space where he was looking. “You’ve survived a lot,” I said in agreement. “You’re very strong.”

“Not compared to you, p’nixie. But emotional strength won’t help you in a real fight.” After giving Kauz an appreciative nod, he turned to me and held out yet another dagger. “Enough of this. It’s time to practice.”

I accepted the weapon and that he didn’t want to talk about this anymore. But he’d just called me strong, and I wasn’t about to forget it, not with how much of a relief it was. I could let some nagging doubts fade for good now that I knew he saw me differently than he used to.

We tried several methods to executing this vortex trick. Tossing the dagger in the air and then hitting it with a vortex on its way down was unpredictable and usually resulted in the blade going wildly awry of the target. The most accurate method involved me holding the blade between my middle and fourth finger, with the blunt end of the weapon tucked into my palm. Once I released it and hit it with a vortex when it was as straight as possible, it shot in a straight line wherever it was pointed.

I hit the target by using this method once and embedded the dagger past the start of the hilt. Marius applauded lightly, a vicious grin on his face. By the time my essence levels were dwindling, he reiterated that I would need to keep practicing and placed the bandolier over the edge of the target “for later.”

“Thalas won’t mind this?” I asked.

The male in question peered down at us from over the edge of one of the upper platforms. Those bat ears really were sharp. “Mind what? Oh, are you all leaving?”

I was feeling tired after expending so much essence. A nap sounded nice, but we were heading to the library nest, which meant Thalas had to come with us. Marius took a protective stance right behind me as we traveled through the halls. He was back to warning away any alpha that glanced in my direction with a growl or his bared fangs.

We walked to the library tower, and I groused about stairs midway through climbing to the top. Just by passing through, we’d acquired Eletha too, who’d rushed ahead with the two dream wardens. Marius kept pace a few steps below me.

“Fucking stairs,” he said in agreement but let me climb them rather than sweep me up to do it for me. I appreciated the chance, even though I arrived at the top with sore ankles and tight calves.

Thalas cast the spell that would make the magical lock on the library nest open at my touch. We then settled into the nest together and had quiet time only broken by the scratching of Eletha’s pen as she continued working on her manuscript. Kauz and his father worked on a puzzle together, while Marius had me sit in an armchair.

My feral mate rustled through a small cupboard, grumbling about organization as he picked out random items before placing them back inside in some semblance of a better order. He picked out a wooden pot that looked similar to the container of bruise salve he’d left in my room. After he returned to my chair, he sat on the ground and worked off my shoes.

Oh, he was doing this right now? I shifted, a little self-conscious. He didn’t really have to. I’d loosen up soon enough, once my body was used to the motions of walking.

Marius hesitated before purposefully letting Niall loose by the dilation of his eyes. He rumbled quietly as he unscrewed the pot’s lid and rubbed lotion between his palms. That bit of me that was feral understood he was saying, “Let me take care of you.”

I wanted to answer in kind, but my instincts didn’t rise again so soon. Still, it was like we had our own secret language, promising to become easier to use once our bond was complete. I extended my right leg, as that side was still stiff with disuse.

He started massaging with a soft purr. “Mate.”

I smiled and settled back. Someday, I’d return the favor, but for now, I needed this. Those firm fingers coaxed out the pain and stiffness from my legs, working on me from foot to knee. He was attentive to the needs he must’ve sensed through our one-way bond, adjusting the pressure he used and returning to problematic spots.

The way he rotated my ankles and popped the tiny joints in my toes seemed practiced. Maybe injury care was taught to the future queen’s protector, or he’d gotten himself through his own hurts. The latter thought made me glad I’d be around for future ones.

By the time he was done, I was in a blissful state of painlessness. I rested my weight back in the chair and purred, ready for that nap now.

Marius tapped my knee and growled. “I need to tell you something.”

I glanced down at him, my heart leaping at the gleam of lust in his eyes. They roamed over my figure while his touch drifted higher up my leg. I tilted my head in my best exaggeration of curiosity. He was the loudest fae in this silent room, but he had to be communicating with me through Niall to keep this private. The two dream wardens would pick up every whispered detail without trouble.

Marius nodded in agreement and kept his feral noises quiet. “Just between you and me. I’m in rut. Sort of. It’s coming and going like your pre-heat symptoms. My father noticed I’m in the stage of looking at any alpha outside of our pack as a threat.”

I’d only heard a few gossipy whispers about ruts amongst the older females in Osme Fen. Alpha males would become insatiable for days. Beta females were taught to avoid tangling with a rutting male unless they wanted to get pregnant, as it represented their most virile period.

I thought about the amazing bloom of his scent and blushed. Oh, that was a taste of rut. Putting off new and enticing pheromones was also a sign of extra virility. I remembered what his fertile mint and waterlily smelled like and sighed wistfully. I wanted so much more of that, and not just because he’d fucked me for hours like, well, an animal.

He began to make a growl of interest before shaking his head sharply. Okay, no horny thoughts. We were in the library nest, after all. Though Kauz glanced over at us, a little knowing smile teasing his lips.

“By the way, rut is contagious between males in the same pack. I don’t know how long I can hold it back, p’nixie, or if it’s only going to come out fully when you succumb to your heat.”

I pressed my thighs more tightly together, trying to think non-sexy thoughts so I didn’t smell like my slick. Fal and I had practiced this since he’d knotted me a few times; otherwise, we found we’d get stuck together for an hour or more, passing pleasure back and forth.

My inner omega liked the idea of all three of my alphas in rut way too much. Marius’s nostrils flared. His fingertips played with the hem of my skirt as he tilted his head, considering.

No, no. Thalas and Eletha are here. We have to wait. This sobered him some. I thought about his parents’ reactions to his impending rut earlier. Elion had been thoughtful, but Nemensia was excited about it.

He cringed, nearly losing his feral side. “She’s hoping for grandbabies.”

Stars, no. I hadn’t changed my mind about kids. They were a future joy to create with my mates once we’d sampled what life had to offer together.

“Anyway, how do you feel about leaving the palace with me tomorrow? I want to take you on a proper date in the sea. Just us water fae.”

My answer was enthusiastic nodding. I was ready to see more of Serian, but more importantly, I yearned to finish our bond.