Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Bargaining with myself is one of my favorite pastimes.
Just five more minutes.
Two more bites.
One more brand.
Norabi claims I have no willpower, but I think it’s the opposite—because if I tell myself I can have a little more of something before I stop, it only makes me more likely to actually give it up.
Right?
Gods, I hope so. I cannot keep sneaking into this omega’s chamber.
The original deal with myself seemed harmless. If I wasn’t strong enough to be around Sofi while she was awake, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to visit her while she slept. And since the lingering effects of her stasis have left her sleepy right after her evening meal each night…
I thought it might help me become immune to her perfume, so I can restart her training sessions. At least, that was the excuse my hearts gave my head.
Just once more, I claim internally, balancing on the window’s ledge.
Just to prove it’s really safe for me to summon her to the zvorn tomorrow.
If I can make it through another night without snapping into a rut, then I’ll know it’s okay and I’ll stop coming here.
I’ll limit our interactions to her sparring lessons. I’ll—
It probably isn’t a good sign that I’m tuning myself out. Who can blame me, though? When I find Sofi isn’t in her bed, purring softly as she sleeps… but standing right there, having just emerged from her bathing chamber with damp skin and a new, periwinkle dress?
The twinkling lights around the edges of her chamber mimic starlight, reflecting off her warm, dark hair. Bouncing when she jerks to a halt.
A garbled scream dies in her throat, both delicate hands flying to cover her chest. The fear disappears as quickly as it came, replaced by outrage.
“What the hell, Rask?” she shouts, pulling the edges of her casual gown over her flushed breasts. “What are you doing here?!”
I know I’ve been caught, but it’s impossible not to smile when she says my name like that. A crooked grin splits my features as I cock my head. “I was in the neighborhood.”
Sofi narrows her gaze, huffing over to the invisible membrane stretched between us. I reach for the override pad, slapping my palm on it. The window disintegrates. Without the barrier, her scent doubles in strength.
Morfu’s bottom cock.
This really was not part of the plan.
Sofi steps closer before halting. I hate the way she hesitates, falling back on her heels as her eyes darken—likely remembering how I ripped myself off her in my sparring tent three days ago… and avoided for the last two.
Apart from sneaking in here like a fucking thief. Stealing her scent and her peaceful snores—hoarding both like priceless jewels that do not belong to me.
Fuck.
Stelaris won’t just withhold my mate, at this point. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t smite me altogether.
This omega is a gift to Khanos. And I think I’ve hurt her feelings.
Who could blame her? My avoidance would feel like rejection to most full-grown alphas, let alone an omega.
I need to apologize, somehow. Explain why I’ve been such a bastard.
An idea whispers into my mind—one too tempting for my fraying self-control to resist. It expands, filling my head with visions I can’t blot out.
A breeze whips Sofi’s sweet scent into my face. Arousal and unease meld with my excitement. If I take her, can I control myself?
I suppose there’s no better way to find out. And prove that I am strong enough to keep training her.
What could go wrong?
I flash her my most charming grin and stretch my hand down to her. “I have something to show you. If you’re feeling brave.”
“Absolutely not.”
Being scowled at definitely shouldn’t make my cocks hard.
Harder.
Yet, as Sofi glares at me from her perch on the edge of the palace roof, I feel a distinct twinge under my kilt.
I don’t have a loincloth on tonight. I didn’t expect to be flying over the city.
Well. Hopefully.
My taunt got Sofi onto the rooftop, at least. She grumbled the entire time, muttering about “stupid boys who can’t make up their stupid minds”—but she also took my hand and let me guide her to the flat portion outside her chamber window. A perfect spot for a smooth takeoff.
Sofi eyes my open arms dubiously. “Give me one good reason why I should even consider letting you carry me. In the sky.”
It seems like a nonsensical request, even for a human. I tilt my head at her. “I am the one with wings?”
Sofi snorts. “And I am the one with a breakable neck.”
Affronted, I puff my chest out and frown. “I would never drop an omega. Do I look weak to you?”
Perhaps amusement over attitude is mutual. As she roams her shining blue eyes over my face, her lips curl up. “You look insane,” she snaps back. “It’s about to be dark! You can’t just show up at a girl’s window and lure her out onto the roof!”
I roll my shoulders in a shrug. “Turns out, I can.”
Sofi throws her hands up. The motion sets her off balance and she wobbles. I see my opportunity, swooping forward and scooping her into my arms.
Sofi shrieks, her blunt claws scrabbling at my scaled chest. Before she can protest or readjust, I bend my knees and launch us from the roof.
Her squalls sharpen into one long wail as my wings beat, propelling us into the periwinkle sky. Her concerns about being too heavy for me are insulting—she weighs less than my hoxud.
The omega is right about one thing, though: it’s about to get dark. Which means I only have a sliver of time to show her what she needs to see.
Our flight levels out by the time I clear the palace grounds. Sofi trembles in my arms, whimpering and hiding her face against my throat. I don’t even bother trying to banish the purr that roars to life in my lungs.
The urge to comfort her is overpowering.
If the other night is any indication, once I start stroking her skin or murmuring sweet words, I won’t be able to stop there.
And I swore to Stelaris that I wouldn’t touch the king’s omega that way again.
Which means, even if she needs tending, I will have to be careful about how I take care of her.
To distract her from her fear and myself from the way my thickening cocks rub against each other, I tuck my chin against her temple, nudging her head toward the view.
“Sofi. Look.”
Rholoko is at its finest this evening. Our azure sun has set, but the golden orb hovers halfway behind the horizon, its remaining sister filling the air with her rosy glow.
Blush light shines off the capital’s pearly buildings. They look like pink opals—as luminous as her eyes, but matched to my skin. Sofi flings her soft arms around my neck, squeezing with admirable strength as she slowly cracks one eye open. Her entire body stiffens. A gasp whizzes past her lips.
I slow my wings, turning a wide, lazy circle over the center of the city. Letting her see every angle. “Since it isn’t safe for you to go down into town, I’ll give you a tour from up here.”
The omega shakes harder, but her lips fall slack as her eyes dance across everything spread below us. I begin pointing out notable places, like the temple and housing for the aged and infirm. Her gaze widens at the huge, round structure containing our kitchens.
When I explain how a team of volunteers feeds our clan its communal meal every night, she has questions.
Delighted, I answer as many as I can. It’s mostly basic topics I’d usually consider boring.
How long do Roktusian pips—“kids” she calls them—go to school?
Where do people learn to be healers like Cylus? How do we get around town?
That last inquiry throws me. I crane my neck back, blinking at her. “We… walk. Or fly, for those of us with wings.”
Sofi huddles closer as a cool eastern wind whips around us. I tighten my arms when she shivers. “B-but you guys have spaceships. You don’t want, like, cars? Hovercrafts?”
Her words are foreign, but I assume she means some tekk that walks for you. The thought puts a sneer on my face. “I’m no healer, but I’d think that would be unhealthy. Besides, our capital is not too vast.”
Sofi chances another glance at Rholoko. “That’s true, I guess,” she murmurs. “Are all your cities this small?”
My shoulders bounce as I begin our descent. “We only have this one. The rest of our people live in villages.”
There’s a reason—something to do with the environment. Before this omega, I never wished I’d spent more time paying attention to my lessons when I was a pip.
I almost apologize for not having better explanations, but Sofi snaps her eyes forward, realizing we’re about to clear the western rim of the city. Alarm fills her voice. “We aren’t going back to the castle?”
I tighten my hold on her, swallowing a sudden bolt of apprehension. “No. Not yet.”