Page 65

MARLOWE

As dinner wore on, Sarai found her pointed barbs towards me weren’t landing like she’d hoped, mostly because I didn’t give a crap what happened in this world or what the fae thought of me, and out of bitchy resignation joined the conversation I was having with her daughters and Canna. We laughed at the males’ expense, swapping funny stories of them all while Alaroth grew less and less enthused.

“…and the idiot thought to surprise me with a garden!”

Sarai laughed, the wine sloshing out of her glass as she moved her hands wildly. “Conveniently forgetting how terribly allergic I am to pollen!”

I kept my mouth shut, remembering how my mom used to drag us to the Boerner Botanical Gardens outside Milwaukee at least once a month when we were kids. Ezra clocked the connection as well, clearing his throat nervously. “I mean, most females like flowers, don’t they?”

It was a valiant effort to defend poor Nivardi, but Sarai just scoffed. “Please, I am not a peasant.”

“I like flowers,”

Canna replied, batting her eyelashes at Ezra. He shifted in his chair, and the perfume Canna released into the air was… potent, and I took a quick sniff.

Cinnamon and clove, nice. Ezra’d always loved Christmas. Not that I cared about him anymore.

“Canna, would you like to hear about the time my brother and his friends decided to start a rock band and performed for our school’s talent show? Spoiler alert—it did not go well.”

She giggled and nodded enthusiastically, while Ezra grumbled under his breath. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Alaroth let out a big, annoyed sigh, sitting back in his chair with a scowl on his face. I was sure this dinner wasn’t going the way he’d wanted or expected it to, but I couldn’t have cared less.

Hey babe, what do you think of the fae king?

Cam’s voice spoke in my mind, as clearly as if he were sitting right next to me. I took in a deep breath, half expecting to smell cedar and cardamom in the air around me. Alaroth clocked the way my eyes glazed over at our internal communication, and I pretended to look at a painting facing away from him while I replied.

He’s a giant douche and I fantasize about shifting and ripping out his throat constantly. Why?

I felt the packs’ amusement from the bond.

No reason. Stay safe.

Love you.

“So, Nivardi, will the troops be ready tomorrow morning?”

I snapped back to the present conversation. “Ready for what?”

I asked. They couldn’t seriously already be thinking about attacking Earth, could they?

Nivardi nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“Ready for what?”

I repeated, my voice becoming somewhat shrill.

“Your Majesty,”

Ezra said, looking a little nervous himself. “I don’t think I’ve been informed about any upcoming drills…”

“No, you were busy recovering,”

he sneered, darting his eyes towards Canna. She shrunk into her shoulders, averting her gaze. I gave her a reassuring squeeze on her knee and glanced up quickly to see Ezra’s reaction. For the first time since I’d been here, he looked…

Murderous.

Well, if I couldn’t have been the one to have helped him finally realize what an evil asshole the king was, I was glad it was his omega. At least his alpha instincts to protect his bonded mate weren’t totally gone.

“There was a disturbance in one of the shifter havens last night. We thought it had been taken care of, but apparently the situation has devolved. A unit of fae soldiers will meet us there, and then the alpha units will be able to get them back under control,”

Nivardi explained.

Was that the same shifter haven my pack had gone to hide in? Or had they left already?

I was afraid to ask, afraid if they told me their location, Alaroth could somehow wrench it from my mind.

I’d wait til he was asleep to warn them.

Once we’d had dessert, Sarai got up, her voice slurring. “Shall we have after dinner drinks in the parlor?”

Nivardi’s jaw tensed. “Perhaps you’ve had enough tonight.”

She stumbled a step towards him, patting him on the cheek. “I think you mean not nearly enough. Come ladies, we’ve heard about the alpha’s shortcomings, how about I tell you all about my dear husband’s?”

Bethyn and Laurel winced. “Mother, please…”

But they followed her out anyway, and I looked at Canna and shrugged. “Shall we go?”

She looked expectantly at Ezra, asking for permission. I knew Ezra, for all his faults, wasn’t the type to want a submissive female as she’d likely been trained to behave like, and he gave her a confused smile. “Everything okay?”

“Do you mind if I join them?”

He blinked a few times and then smiled. “Yeah, go for it.”

We stood and I offered her my arm, and as we walked out Alaroth sighed. “I wonder if I’ve gotten the prophecy all wrong…”

Oh boy. Ezra and I exchanged nervous glances. “Is that so?”

I asked, reluctantly taking the bait.

He looked at his wine glass, inspecting the legs as he swirled it around. “Perhaps it wasn’t twins in the literal sense, but more of an alpha-omega team. A bond, if you will.”

The color drained from Ezra’s face. “Your Majesty?”

I moved Canna a step behind me, getting between her and the king. “Just spit it out already,”

I said. Ezra rose slowly on the other side of the table, keeping us all in his line of vision.

“Here we have Marlowe, the famed omega of legend, who, despite her… intoxicating scent, is the least like any omega I’ve ever known. Unwilling to submit, uninterested in sex, disobedient…”

I grit my teeth, and Ezra balled shaking fists at his side.

Alaroth continued to stare at his glass. “While Ezra, who is most certainly the famed alpha, has bonded to a deliciously sweet and docile omega. One who actually seeks his approval, his permission. She hasn’t said a cruel word about anyone this whole night, unlike the other wretched females I was forced to dine with.”

Canna whimpered behind me, and I felt the tingle of my magic beginning to gather and move towards my hands. “Don’t you lay a single finger on her,”

I growled. “She’s bonded to Ezra.”

My brother’s face was turning red, sweat beading along his skin. Why hadn’t he moved yet? Was he really just going to sit here and let Alaroth threaten his omega?

Then the king was up, moving so quickly towards me I’d barely clocked it before his hand was around my throat, his thumb grazing the bond mark left by Nolan on my shoulder. “You should know by now, beloved, that shifter bonds mean nothing to me. Pledge yourself to a hundred alphas, I care not. I’ll have you in the end.”

Ezra still didn’t move, the coward. He simply held his head, a pained expression on his face while Canna whined and tried to pull me away. “Please, Your Majesty, I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm…”

His grip around me tightened. “Canna,”

I gasped. “Leave, it’s fine. I’ve got this.”

Her whole body was shaking, but she refused to go, her hand still holding my arm. Damn. I hated Ezra but he’d picked a good one. If Alaroth hurt a hair on her head, I was going to burn this place to the ground.

Alaroth bared his teeth, finally relenting. He took a step back, smoothed down his jacket, and then turned towards Nivardi. The poor male had just witnessed that whole tantrum, his eyes wide with fear.

“I expect the troops ready at sunrise, Captain. I believe I will say good night now.”

Then he grabbed my chin. “Don’t make me wait too long,”

he hissed.

I refused to answer, merely meeting his eye in silent protest. He let me go with a push, his heavy, angry footsteps echoing as he disappeared.

Breathe, I told myself. After I finally got my heart rate back to normal, I turned my focus to my brother. “Thanks for your help, asshole.”

He shook his head slowly, staring at his hands. “I… I don’t understand…”

“Whatever,”

I mumbled. I turned around, putting my hands on Canna’s shoulders and rubbing them slightly. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “N-no, thank you. I just want to go to bed now.”

I pulled her in for a hug. “Sorry you got bonded to my brother. Let me know whenever you need a break from him.”

She let out a small laugh. “I’m not so sorry. He is a good male.”

Yeah, so good he stood by while another male threatened violence against her and his sister. So good he’d killed his own parents. So good he was willing to lead an army and kill untold numbers of people, just because someone told him it was his destiny.

But poor Canna had probably only known the weird, vacant alphas who were stationed here. Ezra must have seemed leagues better by comparison.

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and then walked over to Ezra, who still looked stunned, grabbing his hand and leading him out and back to his rooms.

Then it was just me and Nivardi.

“So… that how these things usually go?”

I asked with a nervous laugh.

He sighed. “Honestly, that was quite tame for His Majesty. But I am sorry I wasn’t able to intervene.”

I waved him off, heading back to my chair. Canna hadn’t finished her wine, so I took it from her setting and downed the rest in one go. “This is probably a super awkward question, but… did my dad have any family? I’ve met some cousins on my mom’s side, but my dad’s is still a mystery.”

He got up and moved to the chair next to me, bringing a full bottle of wine with him. He refilled both our glasses. “Time is such a funny thing. For you, the story of your parents is a long-ago tale, something that happened before you were even born. For me, it’s still a fresh wound, refusing to heal.”

I supposed twenty-seven years was nothing if you lived to be in your hundreds or thousands. “If it’s too painful to talk about, I get it. Sorry if my being here is difficult.”

He didn’t reply, just drank his wine while I looked around the room.

So awkward.

“Well, I should probably get going before Alaroth gets too angry.”

I stood to leave when Nivardi’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. “No, it’s fine. I can talk about it. Please, stay.”

I didn’t really want him to talk about my dad if it hurt him, but between all my options for company at the moment, his was the least offensive.

I slid back into my chair, and his grip on my wrist released.

“You’ve seen how the alphas are here. The king prefers to keep them barely above beasts, but that conditioning never seemed to stick with Jaelis. He was bright, ambitious, and… a good friend.”

Oof, my dad stole his best friend’s girl? Not cool, Dad.

“When shifter designations are made, alphas and omegas are immediately taken from the havens. He’d never mentioned his parents, or if he had any siblings, nor did I ask. I’m not even sure there are any records you could search, either.”

It was a bummer to hear I likely wasn’t going to ever meet any shifter cousins, if I had any, but I was glad to hear my dad hadn’t been a mindless grunt like the alphas currently being trained here.

My body began to feel heavy, and I yawned, about to tell Nivardi I was heading to bed now, but then he continued talking.

“When Thistle agreed to my proposal and moved here, I assigned Jaelis as one of her guards.”

He finished his glass and refilled it, moving to do the same with mine but I covered the top and shook my head. He shrugged and put the bottle back on the table. “I should have seen the signs—the lingering glances, the ‘accidental’ touches, the flushed cheeks…”

I wondered if my mom had ever felt anything for Nivardi, or if she’d just agreed to the marriage because it got her out of Alaroth’s reach. God, I wished she was still alive. Now that I knew the truth of our family, she could have finally told me everything she’d lied or been cagey about growing up.

But Ezra had taken her away from me.

A hand on my knee brought me back, and my eyes widened as Nivardi leaned closer towards me, wetting his lips. “Moons, you look so much like her…”

“Nivardi,”

I said, backing up and removing his hand from me. “You seem like a decent guy, but I have a pack, you have a wife, and for some reason the king wants to marry me, and he doesn’t seem like he’d be too thrilled if you kissed me.”

Nivardi hung his head and retreated. “I know, I apologize. I think part of me wants to try anyway so the king will find out. He’d at least put me out of my misery.”

Oof, that was sad. “Your daughters seem really nice, at least.”

“Ah yes, my daughters,”

he chuckled darkly.

I raised an eyebrow but he didn’t elaborate. “You were right, before. You should go before he gets angry. I’d hate to seem him lash out at you again.”

I got up, turning to leave, but whipped around and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying out. It probably hadn’t been the best idea, but damn, I just felt sorry for the guy.

I made my way quietly back up the stairs towards the room I was sharing with Alaroth, my fingers crossed he’d already be asleep and wouldn’t try anything tonight. I still needed to check in with my pack, and make sure they were far away from the haven they’d visited after they’d first arrived.

I wondered what the king and Nivardi had meant about getting the other shifters back in line. Because if they needed that many soldiers…

Oh god, I’d been so worried about my own pack I hadn’t thought it through. They were probably going to hurt them, maybe even kill some of them.

Now I really needed to talk to my pack, but as I got closer to my room, I became distracted by a noise coming through the door. A rhythmic banging, soft moaning…

I opened it a crack, to find Sarai bent over the bed, mewling dramatically as Alaroth took her from behind.

“Yes, Your Majesty, right there! Don’t stop!”

There was a slight pause in Alaroth’s thrusting as he sensed my presence, but he didn’t turn around to acknowledge me. He started up again, harder and faster. “Louder, tell everyone who is making you come tonight.”

“You, my king! Your cock is…AH!”

Yikes, how embarrassing for them. Did he really think this was going to make me jealous somehow? Like watching him rail our hostess was going to awaken some possessive need in me? Seriously, I couldn’t have made it more obvious that I didn’t want to sleep with or marry the guy.

I pulled the door back shut with a quiet click.

Poor Nivardi. Now I knew what he meant by “his”

daughters. It made sense with all the resentment between him and Sarai, but still.

Chewing on my lip, I thought through my options. I wasn’t sure whether Alaroth had expected me to come bursting in and cause a huge scene, or hide somewhere and cry, but considering he hadn’t come to look for me yet, I could assume it was the latter.

Where could I go, then? I didn’t exactly want to go bunk with Ezra and Canna, because fuck Ezra, anyway, but also as newly bonded mates they were likely doing… ew, didn’t want to think about it.

I started looking for someone to ask about a spare room, and then another realization dawned on me.

I was unguarded.

My heart pounded, and I moved as quietly down the hall as I could. Were there guards outside? Could I get to the stables and steal an alderbeast?

I had to think quickly, the silver bracelet burning around my wrist to keep my wolf in check.

Tiptoeing down the stairs, I started looking for the exit when I ran right back into Nivardi. His pale skin was flushed from the wine, and he looked surprised to see me. “Oh, Marlowe. Did you forget where your room was? I can escort you.”

Shit.

“Um, no, that’s okay. The king was sleeping, and I realized I wasn’t quite tired yet, so I wanted to stretch my legs. I was on that alderbeast for so long today, and I’m feeling a little tight.”

I gave a small smile, hoping he’d buy my lie. His eyes focused and unfocused, and then he sighed. He reached around to the back of his neck, unclasping a chain hidden underneath his shirt. Then he took off a pendant necklace, the stone looking just like the ones in Bethyn’s earrings.

“Crystallized Aetherium,”

he said wistfully, brushing the polished surface with his thumb. “This was also a part of your mother’s dowry. I took it for myself, foolishly wanting to keep a part of her with me at all times. But I think it belongs to you now.”

He took my hand, placing the necklace in my palm and then wrapping my fingers around it.

He held on a beat longer, closing his eyes and breathing heavily. Then he grabbed my cheeks, pulling me in for a kiss. I fought back my instinct to fight, giving him this one small piece of me, until he pulled back and said, “The stables are in the back. I can distract the king if he leaves his room, but not for long.”

My body shook. This was it. This was my chance. And I finally had someone in my corner who might be able to help me pull this off.

Even if I wasn’t sure where to go or how to ride an alderbeast or if I could even get through the gate, I had to try.

“Thank you, for everything.”

He gestured towards the back with a nod of his head, and I was off, fastening the pendant around my neck as I ran.

I have a chance to escape, I said down the bond. I’m taking it. Where are you?

Babe, are you sure? Is it safe? Fuck, I don’t know how to tell you where we are, let me ask…

Can you feel us, Marlowe? Archer interrupted.

I reached down, pulling on the bonds as I moved. I could just make out a sense, a feeling that each step was either bringing me closer or farther away from them.

I… I think so!

Follow it, he said. Follow that feeling, and we’ll meet you halfway.

I slipped out the back door, the moons illuminating the dark grounds. Following the stink of alderbeast, I easily found the way towards the stables.

The wind also carried the scent of alphas patrolling in the distance, but nothing was too close or between me and my current goal. But that didn’t mean a gust of wind couldn’t carry my perfume towards them, and I willed it down, hoping that was something I could actually do, and bolted

My satin slippers muffled my light, quick steps, and I kept to the shadows between trees. The building loomed closer, and I heard the deep snores of the animals inside.

“Halt, who goes there?”

Oh shit. He must have been downwind of me. Despite all my wolf-y senses, I was still terrible at this sort of thing.

Even more annoyingly, my fight-flight-or-freeze instinct was still “freeze,”

something else I needed to work on. My body still, I was too afraid to make a run for it, and did my best to catch my breath as I heard the guard approaching. He took a long inhale and sighed. “Omega…”

Then he rushed towards me and grabbed me from behind, digging his nose into my neck. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming out, wriggling and flailing, trying to get out of his hold.

“Let me go,”

I whined, but the sound spurred him on. He started to carry me to a small copse of trees, and his alpha scent grew stronger with his growing lust.

“Who let you out, hm? Are you a gift for me?”

“No,”

I half whispered, half cried. “I order you to stop!”

“I haven’t knotted in so long, and you smell so good…”

What was I going to do? If I screamed for help, it’d only bring more guards, or even worse, the king or Ezra.

A low snarl distracted him, and we looked up towards the stable door. It rattled, as something heaved against it, trying to get out.

The alpha growled in response, angry to have been interrupted. “Don’t move,”

he barked, getting up to investigate.

Alpha commands didn’t work on me, but I was staying right where I was anyway. He was headed in the only direction I wanted to move in, and unlike him, I knew what was making that sound.

He lifted up the cross bar, and the door was knocked clean off his hinges, pushing him onto the ground. Wasabi leapt out, going straight for the alphas throat and shredding it in one swift, vicious tear.

Well, I hadn’t necessarily wanted the alpha to die, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Wasabi licked the blood off her face and trotted over, rubbing her head against my hip. “Good girl,”

I said, petting along her smooth, green skin. “Any chance you know a good way out of here?”

Wasabi trilled, her body quivering until the scales along the side of her body detached, making way for two large sets of wings, papery thin and iridescent in the moonlight.

“Oh, Wasabi, you’re glorious!”

She trilled again, crouching down so I could climb onto her back. As soon as my other leg was around her, she took off, her wings vibrating and buzzing as she flew over the keep and the surrounding wall into the night air.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, the wind carrying them behind me, and I reached out to my pack.

I’m on my way!