Page 51 of Fated or Knot (UnseelieVerse: The Omega Masquerade #1)

51

LARK

I woke before Tormund and Kauz with a wistful sigh. Fal had just been about to kiss me when his dream fell apart around us. I closed my eyes, picturing him as he’d appeared in the dream. Artfully disheveled from his usual perfect presentation. His blue-black hair tousled, a hint of heat warming the gray tones of his cheeks, and his feline stare, gleaming and hungry.

Rut was contagious amongst packmates and he’d been close to Marius for a few days. He must’ve caught it, to look at me with the same burning lust that I’d thought I’d only see on my feral mate’s face. Fal’s desire to do more than brush his lips over mine had practically radiated off of him, yet he’d held himself back with self-control for the both of us. I would’ve been more than willing.

I let the melodies he’d given me play through my head as I waited for my mates to wake up too, comfortably wrapped up with them on either side of me. It was a gift to have lyrics I could carry again, even if it had been many years since Cymora forced me to stop singing, so my voice would no longer outshine Laurel’s.

I wondered what Kauz was finding in her mind. His face was peaceful at rest. Did fully trained dream wardens ever have a bad night’s sleep, though? It must be nice to grow up able to shed a nightmare as easily as waving a hand and willing it away. I could’ve used such power to destroy countless terrible dreams.

Tormund stirred before he did, so I flipped over to snuggle into him. We whispered together as we shook off the last vestiges of sleep slowly. He was a little surprised to hear that I wanted to sing to the metalarks today. He’d been the one to point out that my namesake birds would come out in the morning, probably while I was still lying in bed. It was my goal to collect a few of their star-flecked feathers.

Of course, in my mind, I’d sing one of my newly learned songs to them and they’d be so enchanted they’d hop right into my hands. I’d gently comb free loose feathers to take home with me. Realistically, that wouldn’t happen, but the animal lover in me could still picture it.

“You know, they probably sell the feathers around here somewhere, li’l bird,” Tormund suggested gently.

“We can look if?—”

Kauz woke up with a gasp. “Oh good, you’re both awake. We need to go home right away,” he said.

We ordered a quick breakfast to be brought to our inn room, and as we ate, Kauz told us about the memory he’d witnessed in Laurel’s mind. Something that’d happened yesterday, but still chilled me to the bone for multiple reasons.

Pack Ellisar had their talons in my stepsister.

She was being compelled by Cymora, just like I was.

My stepmother was free once more.

Rennyn had been in serious danger.

And Laurel saved him? I had Kauz repeat that part of his story again, blinking slowly in disbelief. It seemed unlike her. She was selfish at best, most likely to complain about something if it inconvenienced her, but otherwise wouldn’t go against a group decision. If a consequence could hurt her, she stepped aside for another fae—me, usually—to take the fall for it. That she’d acted decisively for another fae and put herself at risk to do so…wow.

And that didn’t even break the surface of the huge revelation that she could sing the siren’s song. She’d been wise to keep that detail a secret from Cymora, but stars, now my stepmother knew about it anyway.

I sat in silence, tearing a scone into itty bitty crumbs, as I struggled to understand this version of Laurel that Kauz claimed to have seen. It wasn’t that I thought he was lying…

No, this is so petty. I just couldn’t help but think of all the good my stepsister could’ve done with the siren’s song back in Osme Fen. Couldn’t she have sang a kinder Cymora into existence? She could’ve at least told me that she had made a vow to my stepmother too.

She had to know about my vow. The way I folded to Cymora’s whims with a “yes, Stepmother” was the most obvious thing, since we lived together. Yet, somehow I didn’t know about her vow. We could’ve teamed up to make life better, but neither of us had tried.

I must’ve been too perfect a scapegoat for her to confide in me. Just as she’d been the ideal daughter in Cymora’s eyes, and thus someone I’d never considered trusting.

“I’m going to go see the metalarks,” I murmured, taking my plate of scone crumbs with me. Kauz and Tormund followed as I left the inn and picked the most efficient path out of Once Else and found a nice clearing to sit and think some more.

How could I bring myself to trust Laurel, when I never could before?

Yet how could I afford not to?

She was alone in the world, for all intents. Kauz had been right to offer her a hand up and a way out of her situation. We could all be rid of the scourge that was Pack Ellisar…and Cymora too. She was “an ally” and not necessarily, well, family.

And no matter who she was, I wouldn’t leave her to take the fate originally meant for me. If Laurel was meant for a pack, fate would bring her one. There were plenty of betas who ended up matches for alphas and omegas and bitten into packs as loving mates. And if she didn’t have a pack, she could romance a nice beta male, or something.

I’d help her. I’d go home, help her, and then she could leave to go find her own way in the world. It was only right. The matter of the siren’s song, though…that was dicey. But we had more pressing problems to consider first, namely that said song was Cymora’s to command right now.

I tossed scone crumbs into the grass and held my breath as a tiny, winged shape swooped down and started pecking at the ground. I released a sigh of quiet awe. It was a metalark, at last. The feathers coating its back and wings were the darkest of indigos, perfect for blending into the night sky, and its belly was soft with white down. It whistled birdsong and a few more of the birds popped out of the undergrowth to eat too.

As they hopped around, their feathers glittered with stardust. They were truly dreamland creatures, just like me. I cleared my throat and scattered them when I started singing a shy rendition of “Hello Starlight” to an audience of two, plus the li’l birds. They came back when they realized I wasn’t going to try to grab for them.

Just like any other birds, they were gone once the food was thoroughly picked off the grass. But they left a few sparkling feathers behind that I took, to admire on the train ride home.

We arrived in Neslune’s train station by midday. Kauz strode over to talk to a beta dreamlander standing toward the back of a crowd of fae waiting for a train to arrive. She had bat wings and skin so dark an indigo, it was nearly black in the shade. When she bowed deeply to Kauz and bared her throat in apology, I figured this had to be his spy friend.

“…Not so bad a punishment,” she was saying as I drifted over to join their conversation. She nodded toward me with a low murmur of, “Princess.”

“You’ve done your job well. Thank you for helping me at such short notice. The mistake was not your fault, either,” he said.

Her lips twitched. “Joyous news. In the meantime, the Clever King wished to be made aware of your arrival. You’re a day earlier than expected, so it may take a bit for him to send a carriage.”

“We’ll wait.”

As soon as she flew off, Kauz glanced at me with an odd twist to his mouth. “What?” I asked.

“He’s sending a carriage.” He said it like I should know what that meant.

Tormund came to my rescue, whispering behind his hand, “That means he’s coming in person to talk to us.”

Oh, stars. It was serious for a busy king to take that much time out of his schedule. We settled on a bench right outside the train station to wait, while I fidgeted with my fingertips. What did Rennyn want to tell us directly?

Kauz threaded his fingers through mine and Tormund caught my other hand. Together they tugged my sharp nails away from my cuticles before I could hurt myself fretting. With Kauz rubbing my arm and Tormund purring a bit to provide comfort, I let myself stop worrying so hard and waited. Before long, a team of beautiful dappled horses pulled a carriage to a stop right in front of us.

I supposed the carriage was pretty, too. It was well varnished, the ebony wood gleaming in the sunlight without being too flashy. The door opened and out popped Eletha. “Hi!” she exclaimed.

I blinked in surprise, not expecting the librarian nixie out in the light of day. Which was silly. She had other things to do besides work and write her manuscript. “Hi, Eletha,” I said.

Kauz reached out and ruffled her hair, ruining her ponytail. “Hey,” she giggled, ducking back into the carriage. The rest of us followed her in.

The interior was sizable, designed for three, maybe four, fae to sit side by side on the plush benches. Rennyn was already seated in a corner on the right side. I inspected him for a moment, relieved to see that he was fine with my own two eyes. “Larkie,” he said cheerfully. I cracked a smile at the new nickname. “How nice it is to see you again. Sit right there.”

He indicated the corner of the bench across from him, pointing with the edge of his lucky coin. Eletha settled next to me, the two of us sharing a companionable lean, with Kauz on her other side, wrapping his wing around his sister and me both, and Tormund taking up much of the free space next to the dark elf king. Rennyn tapped the ceiling and off the carriage went with a jolt.

“We have a lot to talk about. Don’t mind ’Letha being here. I stole her away from the library tower, given how nice a day it is. We were just catching up.”

“We have some things to share with you, too, Father,” Kauz said.

Rennyn released a sigh. “Probably more bad news. You might as well go first.”

Kauz wasted no time delving into what he’d learned from Laurel last night, both from her memories and the damage to her mind. Eletha wrung her hands, making a soft whine of concern while he talked about the way her memories resembled mine before my olcanus removal.

Rennyn didn’t look all that surprised, until the end, when Kauz revealed that the mermaid had accepted his invitation to ally with us. The dark elf king inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Well done. And yes, I remember the particular moment you’re talking about. It’s really hard to forget blinking twice and having a prisoner disappear, replaced by a mermaid vomiting blood. The house moths are still scrubbing my favorite pair of boots clean, by the way. Truly wretched stuff.”

“Can we trust her, though?” Eletha murmured.

“Of course not,” Rennyn answered, then raised his index finger. “However. She now represents both the greatest strength and weakness of our opponents. Fitting, with her having the siren’s song. With power comes consequences. I’m confident we can turn this to our advantage.”

“We’re going to get her away from Pack Ellisar, right?” I asked nervously.

“I went from not giving two slivers of care about Laurel to now owing her a life debt, if Kauz isn’t exaggerating her actions. So, aye. She may not entirely enjoy the fate I have in mind for her, but it involves her being safe and alive.” He waved dismissively. “I didn’t go out of my way today to talk to you all about some mermaid, however. You’re early. I expected you to return tomorrow.”

“We had to tell you about the siren’s song?—”

“We were worried about you!” Tormund exclaimed.

“—and add context to what happened yesterday,” Kauz finished. “And aye, that too.”

Rennyn walked his lucky coin between his fingers as he smacked his lips. “Aw. If this isn’t just a carriage full of sweethearts. I’m already on it. I just need a bit more time to work some things out, soooo , Tor-Tor, your date with Lark is next, right?”

Tormund nodded happily.

“You two are leaving as soon as possible. Once we arrive, you can make the arrangements and we can discuss certain specifics. Larkie, I want a quick conversation with you, too. You’re staying out of the palace, so I’ll have your handmaidens come to you.”

“I’m staying out of the palace?” I echoed.

He nodded without explaining and continued giving instructions to the others until the carriage finally came to a stop. My mates left first, while Eletha and I hugged in farewell. “Thanks, ’Letha. See you tonight,” Rennyn said, reaching out to clasp hands with her before they hugged too. She was soon leaving, shutting the door behind her to seal me in with the dark elf king.

“What did you just give her?” I asked curiously.

He smiled with Unseelie mischief and swung his legs up to recline across his bench. “You may as well get comfortable for this. We have more pressing matters to discuss. Did you ever read the breeding contract you signed?”

I flushed hot and cold, anger and fear of Pack Ellisar in equal measure. “I didn’t have much of a chance to,” I said in an embarrassed mumble.

“I know this is a sensitive topic, but no shame, all right?” He kept talking before I could answer. “Before Pack Ellisar took the original with them on their trip here, our spy transcribed a copy of it. I’ve poured over it. So has Nemensia and Elion, who have far more experience adjudicating fae law.”

No shame, he says, before revealing all this. I hunched in on myself. “I signed it only because I was forced to.”

“We are all very well aware. The contract itself is illegal, as you’ve likely been informed, in Serian.” He fiddled with his coin, keeping it moving and his fingers occupied. “And because it excludes a certain clause, it turns out it’s illegal in Thelis too. There is nothing written into the contract for an omega who finds her scent matches to be released from the agreement. We looked for it first.”

“But it’s just a piece of paper,” I said, echoing the dismissive way my mates had talked about the contract, if it was ever brought it up. “Right?”

Rennyn released a sound between a growl and a sigh, full of frustration. “I wish that was the case, Larkie. Do you know how grievances work?”

My mouth became drier than dust. I croaked out a small, “No.” After my foolish vow to Cymora, I’d done my best to dodge making any large vows.

“Brace yourself for this… no one does . It’s old magic. Probably the same magic that prevents us from outright lying to one another. The contract has a grievance clause that states that Falindel, as your new pack lead, would pay a grievance to Ellisar, as the wronged party, if you are mated into a different pack.

“Now, the contract sits in a gray area of validity. You were compelled by a vow and the contract itself is not enforceable in any country. But you signed it, in effect giving your word as a fae. We’ve studied it top to bottom to see whether or not old magic would activate the grievance clause despite all the layers of illegal we’re dealing with. And the only answer we’ve come to agree on is that we cannot risk it.”

I bit my lip, trying to stifle the sudden sob that tore from my lungs. I was so close to mating into Pack Sorles. My heat was a breath away. But the stupid contract and vile Pack Ellisar was going to get in the way at the very last moment. I didn’t want to fulfill the contract. I’d rather never have a heat at all.

Rennyn cursed under his breath and sat up. “Stars, don’t cry . I was just about to tell you the solution,” he protested. He ran his hand between his horns, glancing around like someone else would materialize and comfort me as I tried, and failed, not to shed tears. It seemed I’d spurred him into a panic for a moment.

“Aw, c’mere. It’s okay.” He slid onto the seat next to me and looped an arm over my shoulders, purring aggressively as he hugged me to his side. “I’m called the Clever King for good reason, and it’s not because I let my family members get fumbled up in stupid contracts. I have a plan.” The soothing vibration emanating from his chest worked wonders to take me down from the despair that’d seized me so suddenly. “And I’m your bonus dad, which means I’m going to make sure all three barkfolk are fed into the nearest bonfire regardless of anything . Okay?”

“Okay, Dad,” I sniffed, wiping my face clean. I caught a hint of his scent, something warm and floral, and it reminded me of Fal and my omega instincts of the short, blissful time I’d visited Serian’s palace and found family here as a young girl. Relaxing into his hug, I self-soothed with a small purr.

“Listen to me. You’re not mating into Pack Ellisar and Fal is not going to owe them a grievance. Before your heat arrives, Ellisar, Dalstin, and Floris must all either be dead or otherwise unable to claim you to render the contract null and void. I suspect they came to Serian fully intending to hide until you’ve been claimed, so they would get their grievance from a crown prince. They didn’t expect to bumble into Laurel, and thus Cymora.” He rolled his eyes hard. “And I didn’t expect two of my four sons to be so deep into rut that…well, let’s say they’ve made my job much harder lately.”

My eyes widened in alarm. “Marius is still in rut?”

“ That’s the first thing you ask?”

“It’s been over a week!”

“He is…” He whistled and passed his free hand over his face. “Gone. If something doesn’t concern you, at this point he doesn’t care about it. Don’t worry too much, he’ll get better. But for right now, he’s a dangerous variable for my very amazing, but not foolproof, plan.”

“So, you’re going to kill Pack Ellisar before I go into heat,” I said slowly, letting it sink in for myself. “And thus, no contract.”

He tilted his head with a hum. “With about fifteen more steps in between now and then, aye. Well, and also nay. I’m not going to do any killing. That’s what my brother and his love affair with gigantic weaponry usually comes in.” He grinned cheekily at that. “Your part in the plan is simple, but it’s a big ask. You need one last heat suppressant tattoo. My other brother will touch up the one you have.”

I mewled in quiet denial. I’d been so close to not needing to suppress my heat. Even if it was the best course of action…yes, it was a sacrifice.

“Also, you will not go into the palace, as previously stated. Marius and Fal will follow your scent trail like a pair of bloodhounds. They can’t help it. Even if they’ve agreed to their part of the plan, they will still act on instinct over reason right now,” he remarked with an edge to his tone. Annoyance, perhaps. “You and Tormund both have to leave on your next adventure as soon as possible to avoid them. I very much don’t want to see sweet Tor-Tor in rut. You kids all grow up way too fast.”

I giggled. “Sorry.”

“Aye, do apologize. Omegas start going into heat frightfully early. You shouldn’t even know what sex is until you’re in your thirties, let alone be discussing breeding. As a male I know would say, ach ,” he grumped with extra disgust, giving my shoulders one last squeeze before he made for the carriage’s exit. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go burn this shirt before sunshine lad and wild boy smell it and team up to hurt me for touching you. Bye, Larkie.”

It concerned me a bit that I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Bye, Dad,” I answered.

I followed him out after a minute, as the inside of the carriage had gotten awfully stuffy. We were behind the palace and close to a stables area, which was busy with palace workers and messengers coming and going. Nearby, a trampled circle of dirt hosted a few guards circling in a practice bout while several more alphas watched.

The carriage pulled away at a leisurely pace. I noticed Rennyn wave to the crowd of alphas and cup his hand over his mouth, pointing back at me. The largest male glanced over, then nodded at the dark elf king. It was Theodred, and he started to stride my way. Stars, I didn’t think I would run into him so soon.

“Princess, you’re back!”

Lon swooped out of the sky, distinguishable by the brown leaf patterns on the inside of her moth wings. I brightened immediately. “Lon!”

Her oversized red eyes swerved left and right before she fluttered over, arms out for a hug. I hugged her gladly, purring since she was as soft and warm as she looked with all that dark fur. She settled her feet on the ground with one last flutter and let me go. “I missed you,” she giggled. “My sister does too! She’s packing you a bag right now. I’m here early because Prince Marius wanted me to give you this.”

She patted her dress and reached into a pocket to produce what looked like a jewelry box and a folded letter. I glanced at the letter first. It was in Marius’s slanted, left-handed writing and…completely indecipherable. I might’ve understood spoken Serian well enough, but the written language was just as foreign as it’d been on the train ride here.

Shrugging, I opened the box, then fumbled its contents with a startled shout. Two sharp teeth went flinging into the grass nearby, and Theodred’s terrifying growl sounded behind me. He’d drawn a massive axe he brandished with one hand, taking a defensive posture over Lon and me. “Tell me what’s wrong,” he rumbled.

Lon’s antennae were completely askew. She gave me a baffled look, then crouched down to look for the teeth. “Um. N-nothing’s wrong,” I stammered, just seized by fright to see the redcap king with a weapon in hand. His growl alone made everything omega in me want to run and hide.

Theodred’s nostrils flared, then his gaze drifted to his weapon. He placed it into a holder at his side and said in an attempt at a softer voice, “You’re frightened of me.”

My fear turned swiftly into guilt. I’d barely said two words to him, too intimidated by his very presence.

“There was a time when you were too young to be scared. You sat on my shoulders and flapped your wings like an oversized butterfly; maybe you still remember it as well as I do.”

“I do.” I definitely hadn’t realized how scary a redcap could be, as the fiery giants of the fae race. But I also remembered how safe I’d felt with him, and as a sensitive little omega, I’d known instinctively which alphas were safe and which ones weren’t. Maybe I needed to relax and give him a fair chance. “Um, Marius gave me teeth.”

“Here you go, Princess.” Lon finished dusting off specks of grass from said teeth and put them back in the box that I still held. They were alpha fangs. Yellowed with age, but still sharp like small knives. The roots were scrubbed clean and gleamed ivory in the sunlight.

Theodred glanced at them, before inclining his chin toward the letter I held. “Ah, I know who those belonged to. Read the note.”

I wetted my lips, knowing I had to be making a terrible new first impression with this male. “I can’t.”

He held his hand out for it, then scanned its contents while snorting twin plumes of smoke. Without questioning me further, he read it out loud. “‘Dear Lark, I am saddened to inform you that we cannot see one another in person at this time. There is a plan afoot that I have been forced to agree to. However, upon arriving to Neslune, I hunted your enemies for you and successfully captured one Floris of Osme Fen. We call him Fangless Floris now. I thought you may want to hold some peace of mind and know that I will deliver you four more fangs to complete the set. With love, Marius.’”

He handed me back the letter. “Hmm. That’s sweet, coming from him,” he remarked.

I took it back and looked at the fangs with new appreciation. He’d defanged Floris for me? I’m sure Kauz had mentioned one of the Ellisar brothers losing his fangs, but it’d gotten lost in the avalanche of other information about my stepsister.

As I understood it, defanging an alpha was much worse than a simple dental procedure. Alpha fangs were the one pair of teeth that wouldn’t dull, chip, or fall out under normal circumstances. Even alphas with terrible gums would lose every other tooth but their fangs.

It was part of their identity, connected to the soul in some small way. Alphas claimed their omegas with their fangs and left their scent in other bites. Without them, their bodies degraded, losing physical size and strength, but also the bonds they’d created, transforming them into the equivalent of a broken beta. Healthy betas could still have bonds, but not defanged alphas.

No matter what, Floris could never claim me. I’d recently confided in Marius that carrying Pack Ellisar’s claim—and thus, their scents—on my body forever was one of the most terrifying threats. So, he’d done this. Broken one of the Ellisar brothers, after everything they’d done and intended to do to me.

A small, vicious smile lifted my lips. Very thoughtful, in a feral kind of way. That was Marius in a nutshell.

“Oh, stars. My gift for him seems so small now,” I said, pulling the metalark feathers out of my pocket. I’d placed them carefully in an envelope to keep them pristine. “Will you give this to Marius for me, Lon?”

She took the envelope with a perky smile. “I’m sure he’ll love them, Princess,” she said, before fluttering off.

This left me alone with Theodred. His serious expression and craggy features didn’t leave much room for interpretation, but he had a thoughtful air as his gray eyes drifted from the handmaiden back to me. “Come with me. And don’t be scared,” he stated. “I wish to share about my tattoos.”

“Um, okay,” I said.

He lumbered into motion, heading away from the guards and stables. I had to hurry to keep pace with his long stride. He extended his arm, tracing one path of blood red knots that spiraled around his limb. Each was the size of a full moon coin. “Each linked tattoo represents a life I have taken. I have so many now that I have taken to tattooing the insides to represent another honorable kill.”

Icy discomfort skittered over my skin. He had to be covered in hundreds of them. I knew he was Serian’s executioner and a decorated fighter, but to see him carry the evidence proudly was something else. “That’s a lot of lives,” I squeaked out.

“I don’t regret a single one. On my arm here, these represent the fifty-seven souls that have attempted to murder my mate or a member of my family.” His squared fingertip traced the path of tattoos approximately halfway up his forearm.

“And here, the males that have plotted to steal away and forcefully bond with my daughters. Fifteen for Tanith, twenty-three for Siora, and eight for Eletha.” He switched arms as he added, “Here represent the deaths of those who have attempted kidnappings for ransom. Many of them were trying to take Nemensia or one of my sons before they were old enough to manifest their alpha marks, or magic in Kauzden’s case.”

My eyes just kept getting wider as he listed out the exact number of fae who’d died for each crime.

“And here is my aegis of triumph upon successfully enacting new laws for the rights and protections of omegas, upon ascending to my seat as Blood King. I have killed countless alphas for the crime of gravely mistreating the life-givers of the fae race. I have added them as a pattern around it.”

He showed me the inside of his elbow, where indeed there was a different style of redcap tribal knot, this one a faded gray with rays of small tick marks radiating from it like the rays of the sun. This one knot could represent the deaths of hundreds of alphas, if he’d stand there and let me count the tiny marks around it for hours. However, I suspected he knew exactly how many there were already.

He gestured to our surroundings. Servants tended to the flowerbeds around us, coaxing the beginnings of growth from the soil. “It is like tending to a garden. We must give little value to the weeds that choke life from the flowers. They must be removed for the good of all.”

“I understand,” I said. At this point I must’ve had an expression verging on awe just from the fact he remembered all this. And had placed the knowledge on himself permanently as a warning to others.

He patted me ever so gently atop my head. “That is my duty, daughter. There’s no need to be afraid of the one who keeps you safe.”

I swallowed thickly. “Okay, um, Dad,” I murmured.

“Very soon, I intend to add three more marks to myself.”

I smiled up at him, oddly comforted while still being downright terrified. Maybe he just had that effect on others.

“I must return to my duties now. Have a lovely day.”

I waved in farewell and noticed he’d left me a few paces away from a garden gazebo, where Thalas, Nemensia, and Elion were gathered. The kelpie king took in my thunderstruck expression and hid a laugh poorly behind a sip from a tiny ceramic mug.