Page 9

Chapter

Nine

Diamant

I didn’t see why we couldn’t assume our dragon forms to fly or use magic to follow my sense of where my omega was.

“We would be faster in the air,” I grumbled to Emmerich as the three of us ran down the side of yet another hill we’d had to cross over to follow my innate sense of connection to Leo.

“We would have been faster if we’d borrowed horses,” Azurus added, though whether he was on my side or not was hard to tell.

“Flying would have brought too much notice,” Emmerich said, barely winded from our chase. “And there weren’t any horses to borrow.”

“We could have found some,” Azurus insisted.

“We’re fast enough on foot,” Emmerich said, enjoying the chase and the banter a bit too much.

He had a small point. Being dragons, we were capable of great speed, even in our human form. I didn’t like the way my human muscles ached and my lungs burned after an hour of running, though. There were easier ways to accomplish the mission that beat through every vein and cell in my body.

I wasn’t about to give up or let up, though. The closer I came to Leo, the more I could feel him. He was in distress. He needed to birth our egg. Beyond that, as the distance between us closed and I could feel his emotions with more clarity, I sensed a sort of astonishment from him that confused and worried me.

“Look ahead,” Emmerich said as we rounded the top of yet another hill. “There they are.”

My brother was right. Ahead of us, spread out over a vast, grassy plain, was what looked like a large army camp. Unlike the mercenary soldiers working for King Freslik, this camp seemed ordered and organized, even from a distance. Smoke from many campfires set at equal distances from each other curled into the air, and the arrangement of the small tents contained in the camp was regular and tidy.

“I don’t think these people work for Freslik,” Azurus said what I was thinking. Or, at least, what I would have been thinking if every bit of my brain and heart wasn’t focused solely on my omega.

“There are other powers in this world, other kingdoms,” Emmerich said, though I could tell from his frown that he wasn’t certain what he was looking at either.

The better discipline of this new army was also apparent in the way the three of us were noticed long before we reached the perimeter of the camp. A small contingent of men on horseback broke away from the camp and rode toward us, and before we were anywhere close to a place where we could do harm, we were surrounded.

“Who are you and what is your business here?” the lead scout demanded, though with a note of fairness in his voice that gave me hope Leo hadn’t fallen into the wrong hands.

“We’ve just come from King Freslik’s abominable work camp in search of the omega princes,” Emmerich answered, standing tall and proud, like a dragon should.

“You have my mate,” I blurted, breathless and anxious. “Prince Leo. He is mine, my omega, my heart and soul. Take me to him at once.”

Emmerich sent me a sideways look of disapproval and shook his head. Azurus chuckled, then hid his grin behind his hand.

The soldier scouts didn’t know what to make of us. I wasn’t surprised. We weren’t like any alpha of standing they would have expected to come out of Freslik’s kingdom.

“Remove any arms they carry,” the lead scout ordered the others.

“We’re unarmed,” Azurus said, holding his arms out to his sides to prove it.

Two of the others dismounted to check us all the same, then nodded to their superior that we were telling the truth.

“Come with us,” the lead scout said, wheeling his horse around and marching us toward the camp.

It was indignant for dragons to be led around by mere mortals, but I didn’t care about high and low at that moment. All I cared about was my Leo and holding him in my arms again. It was as if I’d had my heart and my purpose ripped from me to be separated from him. My dragon kin was right. I had never amounted to much before Leo danced and fought his way into my life. I could see now that the idleness of my days was a pale version of the life I could have been living, the life I would live with my fated mate.

My eagerness to reunite with Leo was tempered slightly by the surprises waiting for us inside the army camp. For one, the camp and army were just as well organized up close as they had been from a distance. The soldiers we passed all seemed clean, well-equipped, and disciplined. The camp was efficient, and even though the soldiers were eating their morning meal, they all seemed ready for whatever orders they might be given.

The biggest surprise came when we reached the center of the camp. Several camp chairs had been set up around a larger fire. A few soldier servants rushed about, serving food and providing the men seated in the chairs with steaming mugs of something. It was comfortable and almost homey, even though it was out in the open.

None of that mattered to me.

“Leo!” I called out, rushing forward to where my indomitable omega sat slightly hunched in one of the chairs.

Leo glanced up at me as if he’d been struck by lightning. He let out a cry, then dropped his mug to the grass in front of his chair and flew to me.

“Diamant!” he groaned, leaping into my arms and wrapping himself around me.

I let out a cry of relief and wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. I could feel his body and soul settle and repair themselves as we breathed each other’s air and felt each other’s warmth. Leo let out another cry as he pressed his cheek against mine, then shifted so that he could kiss me passionately.

Everything would be alright. That was what that kiss told me. I had my omega back in my arms, our egg was still safe inside him, though I could feel how eager it was to come out into the world. A whirlwind could have swept through the plain, flattening everything, and I wouldn’t have felt it.

“—can see that they are mates,” a deep, warm voice from the center of the area we’d been led to said.

Remembering that Leo and I were not alone and that the world we were in was fraught with major events shook me out of the moment of reunion. Leo seemed to realize we weren’t alone either. He lowered his legs until he was standing on his own then pivoted to stand by my side, one arm still around me.

“I must admit to being confused,” Emmerich said, far more focused on whatever situation we’d walked into than I was. “Who are you?”

“He’s our cousin, Osric,” Rumi said, standing from where he’d been seated in one of the chairs and approaching Emmerich with stars in his eyes. I’d never seen Prince Rumi so taken with anyone before. It was clear there was a connection between him and Emmerich already, and if Emmy wasn’t such a stick in the mud, Prince Rumi would have thrown himself at him as quickly as the other princes had embraced their mates.

That thought vanished from my head entirely as what Prince Rumi said registered in my mind.

“Your cousin?” I asked, glancing to Leo. “I wasn’t aware you had a cousin.”

“We do,” Leo said, color and life returning to his form and spirit more and more as we touched. “We’ve always heard rumors about him.”

“We weren’t certain whether they were true,” Rumi told Emmerich, walking up to him but stopping just short of touching him. “Our father had an omega brother whom he banished from the kingdom ages ago.”

“Omegas are banned from wearing the crown,” Prince Obi filled in the rest of the story from his camp chair near to Osric. “But we’d always heard the rumor that Uncle Florian was with child when he was banished and our father feared the child would be an alpha who would have a claim to the throne.”

“He was right to be afraid,” Osric said, standing and walking closer to me, Emmerich, and Azurus. “And they weren’t just rumors. My papa, Florian, was indeed with child when he was banished. But there’s more to the story than that.”

“There always is,” Azurus said with a laugh.

Osric grinned at him as if the two of them were instant friends. “Uncle Freslik had tried to keep my papa a prisoner in the castle, as he has done with his own sons. He was not as stringent about guarding him, however. Papa was able to move freely within the castle, which was where he met my father, Lord Oberlin.”

“Lord Oberlin,” Rumi explained, still primarily focused on Emmerich, “was a good and wise nobleman who had vast estates in this part of the kingdom, near the border with our neighboring kingdom. The two of them fell in love.”

“More than that,” Osric picked up the explanation again. “They were secretly, although perfectly legally, married. I am in no way a bastard, which struck even more fear into Uncle Freslik’s heart, if he has one. Through treachery, he had my father killed. He would have killed my papa as well, but Papa escaped to my father’s estates. My father’s kin agreed to keep him secret and to raise me as one of their own, all without Uncle Freslik’s knowledge. ”

“They are good and noble people, then,” I said.

“They are,” Osric agreed with a nod.

“It’s more than that,” Leo said, gripping me tighter. The excitement that poured off him through our bond had my heart beating fast as well. “Cousin Osric has a legitimate claim to the throne. All we need to do now is fight Father and remove the crown from his head and Osric can become the king.”

“He’ll be a much better king than Father ever could be,” Prince Obi said. “I daresay he’d bring peace and prosperity to our people instead of turmoil and heartache.”

“That is my aim,” Osric said. “I was hesitant to make myself known so soon or to raise an army to fight what amounts to a rebellion, but with everything my uncle has put his kingdom through of late, I had to act.”

A small silence followed those words. I could feel not only Leo’s hope and excitement but the hope of all the omega princes. My heart ached for all of them. They had suffered through so much, personally and through watching their father destroy good people and their livelihoods. For them to have a hero emerge who stood a real chance of reversing the fortunes of the cruel world must have been like a miracle to them.

But it was called the cruel world for a reason.

“How do you plan on challenging Freslik for the throne?” Emmerich asked the question on the tip of my tongue. “He may be a horrific king, but he wears the crown legitimately and he has an army of his own to protect him.”

“I’m not saying it will be easy,” Osric said, facing the question with admirable strength and practicality. “My uncle will not give up his power without a fight.”

“But with us fighting on his side, we’re bound to win,” Prince Rumi said, eyes shining with determination .

I shuffled awkwardly, glancing at Emmerich. There were definite laws about those of us from the magical world aiding in any sort of campaign of conquest in any other world. Mother wouldn’t allow it, no matter how good the outcome might be. If Prince Rumi included us dragons in his estimation of who could fight on Osric’s side, he might be disappointed.

By their expressions, I could see that Emmerich and Azurus understood the same problem. Strangely, it looked as though Osric understood as well. He had a definite look of wisdom in his eyes.

“Please, join us for our morning repast,” he said, gesturing toward the circle of chairs. “There is much more to discuss.”

There was indeed, and we all sat down to eat and discuss it.

At least, my dragon kin and the omega princes did.

“We need to talk,” I whispered to Leo, steering him off to one side as the others settled in.

I noticed briefly that Azurus took the seat beside Prince Misha, who had been silent and pale throughout the introductions and explanations. The poor prince looked as if he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was and as if he might burst into tears if the wind blew too hard.

As soon as Azurus leaned close to him and said something I couldn’t make out, and as soon as Prince Misha grew brave enough to raise his eyes and look at him, I sensed a certain glow around the two of them.

But I didn’t have time to watch the sweetness of fated mates meeting for the first time.

“Yes,” Leo said, taking my hand and leading me away from the center of the camp and behind one of the larger tents. “We definitely need to talk. We need to talk about what the dragons can do to help in the coming battle against my father.”

I loved the pulse of determination and zeal I felt from my amazing mate. He wasn’t going to like what I had to say, though.

“Leo,” I said firmly, contradicting my tone by resting my hand tenderly on his face. “We need to talk about getting you back to the magical realm, to my lair, so that you can birth our egg.”

Leo stiffened, frowning. The anxiety and helplessness that flowed through our bond painted a different picture than the frustrated warrior who stood before me.

“I don’t want to throw away my chance to do something meaningful for my people by curling up in some comfortable nest somewhere and hatching an egg,” he said.

I sighed. “It’s not like that at all. Once the egg is birthed, you can hire a nursemaid to watch it until this battle is done.”

“But I’ll feel my child’s pull constantly, in everything I do and every breath I take,” Leo said, pained by the idea. “That’s what Tovey and Selle tell me, at least. Once you’ve given birth, you are forever a papa, whether you want to be or not.”

I wanted to tell him that he would love our child and that he would enjoy being a papa, that he could be a papa on his terms. It would have been crass to say those things, though. I couldn’t say that they were true. I wasn’t an omega, especially one with as much fire and purpose as Leo. I knew what a life of leisure felt like, and now that I, too, had drive and purpose, Leo’s drive and purpose, I didn’t want to go back to being idle.

“If I could give you everything you desired, dress you up in the finest armor, and put you at the head of the battle that appears to be coming, I would,” I told him, grasping his face in both my hands. “But what’s done is done, brave Leo. The egg is already within you. There’s no turning back from your fate and mine. We are in this together.”

I lowered one hand to rest on the bulge in his stomach. It had grown a bit since I’d last held him in my arms.

Whether it was my touch or some sort of internal acceptance, Leo lowered his head and blew out a breath. “I do want this child,” he admitted quietly, then raised his eyes to me again. “But not yet. My work here in this world isn’t finished yet. We need to overthrow my father and make Osric king. I cannot simply leave something so important for other people to do.”

I clenched my jaw and stood there staring at him, wishing a solution to the whole thing would come to me.

“Selle has told us all before that eggs don’t have to be birthed immediately after conception,” Leo went on, more certainty in his voice. “He says that some dragon mates have been known to wait an entire week before birthing their egg. It’s only been a couple days.”

“What are you saying?” I asked, even though I already knew.

“Give me time,” Leo said, taking my hands and standing closer to me. “Give me two or three more days to help Cousin Osric launch his campaign. Once this thing has been put into motion, I will take time to go with you to your lair and bring our child one step closer to the world.”

I smiled. Leo was far braver and bolder than I had ever been. I would have a lot of work ahead of me to be worthy of such an outstanding mate.

“Alright,” I said, pulling him close for another kiss. “But as soon as I feel your urgency to birth this egg, and that moment will come, I’m taking you to my lair. ”

Leo’s face pinched as if he didn’t like the truth, but he relented and said, “Agreed.”

I couldn’t help but kiss him again, long and passionately. I knew what waited for us when we finally did come together to bring our egg into the world and the anticipation of that sort of passion alone fired my blood.

“Now,” Leo said, rocking back from me, a look of fiery determination in his eyes, “let’s rejoin the others and plot a revolution. My father won’t stand a chance against an army like this.”

Dragons or no dragons, I knew my beloved was right. He alone was a force to be reckoned with.