Page 88 of The Runaway
Felix stopped in his tracks, but rather than being offended by the rude interruption, he instead regarded Gabriel with a poorly concealed smirk. Thankfully, he stopped the amusement from spilling over into a proper laugh.
“Well, that was easy,” he said, stepping back. “My apologies for being a little too forward. But I will still need to see your brand, if I may?” he added, looking Connor’s way.
“What do you mean that was too easy?” Gabriel asked, thoroughly confused.
“You just flared,” Antoine explained, trying hard to hide his own smile – and failing. “Felix took one step towards Connor, and your eyes were as golden as the crown on the king’s head.”
“Oh.” Gabriel wasn’t sure how to feel about that. A part of him was vaguely embarrassed, while another part was still perfectly willing to start talking with his fists, if Felix wanted to push things any further.
“It’s okay,” Connor said, placing a soothing hand on Gabriel’s arm, and Gabriel instantly felt calmer. “He just needs to see my brand.” Connor turned around, tugging his shirt down, and stood still while Felix examined the mark – from a respectable distance, this time.
“Right. Um… sorry,” Gabriel said to Felix, not sure whether he’d done the wrong thing or not.
“Don’t worry,” Felix said. “That sort of reaction is perfectly normal for a newly bonded alpha. And it’s exactly the reaction I was trying to provoke. So you’re both in the clear. Connor can get his tattoo, and we have at least one bonding to celebrate tonight. Now, what about you?” Felix asked, turning to Niles. “Are you going to let me get close enough to your omega to see her brand?”
“She’s not just an omega,” Niles said, calmly but firmly. “She’s a person. With a name. And I’d appreciate it if you called her by it.” The words might have held a combative edge to them, but Niles’s eyes remained brown, without even a hint of extra colour in them.
“He’s got you there,” Gisele said, without waiting for Felix to respond. “We have names. And personalities. And the right to make our own decisions. Like perhaps you might askAdaleneif she would kindly show you her brand, instead of asking permission from her – dare I say it –owner?”
Felix turned to Gisele with a look that was equal parts fondness and exasperation. “Good God,” he breathed, shaking his head. “You and Dante are already in cahoots with each other, and now we have two more jumping into the fray? I’m finished. Let’s just hand the world over to the omegas and be done with it. I dare say they’d make less of a mess of things than we have.”
“Bring it on,” Adalene said, earning a grin from Niles.
“Okay then, the pair of you,” Felix said, turning back to Niles and Adalene. “First of all, may I please look at your brand, Adalene?”
She pulled her shirt down, baring her shoulder, and Felix nodded, confirming that she was owned by the Calvet estate.
“And then we have the question of how we’re going to make Niles flare.”
“Does it have to be Niles?” Adalene asked. “What if I flared instead?”
A frown furrowed Felix’s face. “I’m not even sure I knowhowto make an omega flare. Usually that only happens during a heat.”
“Try threatening to punch Niles,” Gabriel suggested, catching onto where Adalene was going with this. “Just be prepared for an unexpected reaction.”
Felix glanced dubiously at Adalene. “Is that a good idea?” he asked her.
“It’s probably not a bad one,” she agreed, with a shrug.
“Just to be clear,” Niles interrupted, “I’m not actually going to get punched, am I?”
“Niles injured his ribs in Paris,” Antoine added, watching on with concern. “I wouldn’t like to see the bones rebroken.”
A crafty look came into Felix’s eyes. “Well, that would be interesting, wouldn’t it?” he said, closing in on Niles, eyes locked on his face, his voice a threatening purr. “How much pressure does it actually take to break a bone? What say we try and find out?”
With a strength that no one would have expected of her, Adalene launched herself at Felix and shoved him backwards, a snarl issuing from her throat. Her reaction was so pronounced that Karel and Borya, watching from nearby, actually took a step forward, prepared to defend Felix. Gabriel could see from where he was standing that her eyes were blazing a brilliant golden colour.
“Well, that’s a new one,” Felix said, stepping back and holding up a hand to placate Adalene. “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt him,” he added, when the colour didn’t immediately fade from her eyes.
“Don’t underestimate me,” Adalene growled, her stance displaying her eager willingness to have another go at him.
“Never again,” Felix said, a wary look on his face that only faded once Adalene’s eyes had returned to their normal colour. “Well, I’m convinced,” he said, turning back to Antoine. “Anything else you’d like to add?”
“I think we’ve seen enough,” Antoine said, no doubt relieved the display was over. “And thank you. I know these tests can be difficult. We all appreciate your forbearance.” In the normal scheme of things, threatening a baron would be met with serious consequences. The baron’s easy-going acceptance of the threats was more evidence of his commendable character.
“Well, well,” Felix said, sounding altogether pleased about the outcome of the day. “Three bonded alphas on the same estate. I think that’s one for the record books.” He looked around, at the gathering of neighbours, his own entourage, and the members of the Calvet estate, all watching on with eager faces and pleased smiles. “But that’s enough with the chit-chat,” Felix said, a grin widening across his face. “I believe it’s time for a party.”
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