Chapter 45 Nat 20
Sage
You’ve made contact with the Striogians again, hoping to foster a more peaceful alliance.
Despite their superior technological advancements, they are an emotionally primitive species, finding offense in expressions and movements that your people have the nuance and intelligence to interpret more thoughtfully.
You must never meet their eye, speak in loud or harsh tones…
Vorthain stood behind Victor, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robes.
“I… am sorry,” Victor said through gritted teeth, his voice strained.
“For what?” Vorthain added.
It was almost embarrassing to see Victor reduced like this. So neutered, so… de-fanged. It lessened the fear I held for the vampire, while the unease and dread that drowned me whenever the dark priest was present only worsened.
Even if he had been the one to save me from Victor’s attack, I did not trust him.
Victor sighed deeply. “I am sorry for hurting you.”
The clock on the mantel ticked, the sound echoing in the silent room.
“Um, okay.”
He didn’t mean it. He would do it again.
“Now, Sage,” Vorthain said, moving closer to where I stood. “I feel your resistance. Your mistrust. Why do you fight against him and my teachings?”
Probably because they were kraken shit.
Vorthain crossed the room and stood in front of me, his hands around my head. If I had to guess, his eyes were closed, even though I couldn’t see them from under his hood.
His face still remained a mystery.
He continued aura reading or whatever he was doing, and then stilled. His power shifted, and he spoke too quietly for Victor to hear.
“The demon…”
When my eyes widened in terror, I cursed my body for betraying his existence. “Wha-What do you mean?”
“You do not submit because you think you’ve found another,” he whispered. “You cling to him.”
I shook my head, the movement jerky and unconvincing. “N-no, no, that’s not true.”
Vorthain growled, the frequency low. “We must try something new. Something a little stronger.”
He straightened up, adjusting his robes and pointing towards Victor.
“Go to your alpha and offer your submission. Show him with more than words that you accept his apology, and we’ll start today’s work from there.”
I looked down at the floor, and shuffled towards Victor. When our toes met—mine bare, his in pointed shoes—I wrapped my arms around his chest, resting my cheek right above his heart.
Thu-thump. Thu-thump.
The pace quickened for a moment, soon slowing to a more comfortable rhythm. His arms held me tight, and he began to purr.
An alpha’s purr, one that should bring me calm. It didn’t, and I found myself having to work overtime to hide my anxiety.
“Darling,” he cooed. “My lovely little mate.” His hands gently ran up and down my back, and then were joined by another pair.
Vorthain.
I felt the coldness of his skin even through my blouse, his movements mirroring Victor’s. Or was Victor mirroring his?
The touch and the power that emanated from both of them shifted something inside of me.
I began to crack.
“Little omega,” Vorthain said into my ear. How could his breath be so cold? “Open yourself up to your mate. Let him in.”
And then it was as though the puppet strings holding me up had been cut, my weight collapsing into Victor’s embrace.
His strong, herbal scent… why did I like it all of a sudden?
“What did you do to me?” I whispered.
“Just expediting your alignment. You are particularly resistant to my methods.”
When a familiar warmth grew in my lower body, I gasped.
No.
Victor’s purr intensified. “Does this mean—”
“Not yet,” Vorthain interrupted. “Continue the exercises. Keep her close. Keep touching. Soon the mind will follow the body, and then you’ll know. And Sage?”
His lips lowered to my ear once more.
“You will forget Ronan Blackthorne.”
Captain’s Log, Cycle 53
It was a trap. The Striogians have broken through our defenses, destroyed our shields.
Mayday, mayday… SOS
Hello?
Is there anyone out there?
… Help…
* * *
“Victor!” I exclaimed, almost afraid to touch the fabric. “This is beautiful.”
He stepped up behind me, kissing me on the neck. His hands wandered to the front of my satin robe, teasing the opening without crossing the line. I leaned back into his touch.
Why had I ever fought this? He felt so nice.
I wanted him. Wanted to feel his weight on top of me, driving inside me.
No, we had to wait. What were we waiting for again?
Oh, right, we needed to get ready for the symphony. Victor was taking me out on a date for the first time. Me! I would be the lucky girl on his arm.
He helped me pull out the garment, a pearl-embellished strapless ball gown. I winced a little when I saw exactly how plunging the neckline was in the sheer, boned bodice. My hand automatically wandered to my scar, the one in the center of my chest.
It wasn’t the only one, though.
“Is something wrong?”
I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry. “It’s just… everyone will see. They’ll know I’m not a good enough mate for you.”
“Shh, darling, no,” Victor replied. He came around to my front, his hands on my shoulders. “Sage, look at me.”
With a shuddering breath, I did as my alpha commanded, my eyes glistening.
“I will glamour you, if you want. No one will see your scars. They will only see how perfect you are. How perfect you should have been.”
I nodded. That was good. I knew they were hard to look at. Victor was such a good mate to ignore them…
I know they’re not pretty…
You are exquisite.
I shook my head to clear it. What was that? The voice that kept creeping in my mind, a shadow I couldn’t find the source to.
“Someone will be in soon to help you get ready. We’ll leave in about two hours.”
I reached up on my tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. “I can’t wait.”
* * *
I’d never been in box seats before, and I squirmed excitedly in my velvet chair. Wealthy vampires and other Magiks who resided in Noctis filled the concert hall, the chandeliers overhead reflecting off each other over the audience, and I breathed in the heady mix of perfume and wax.
Several very important people stopped by to meet me and say hi to Victor.
Victor, my mate. The Premier of Noctis.
I was a lucky omega to call such a powerful alpha my mate.
After the seventh or eighth introduction, I realized I wasn’t remembering any of these names, and focused on the program instead.
They were playing mostly classical pieces, of course. I recognized the composers and most of the songs since I’d played clarinet as a kid. But the last piece was supposed to be a classical arrangement of newer pop songs. To stay relevant, I supposed.
Victor’s hand landed on my knee, giving me a comforting squeeze.
“Thank you for bringing me,” I said with a happy sigh.
“Anytime, darling.”
When the lights dimmed, and the crowd’s conversations turned to quiet murmurs, I leaned forward to look over the edge and watch the musicians enter.
Victor clicked his tongue against his teeth disapprovingly, and I shot back so quickly that I nearly tipped over the chair.
Your mate is upset. You must apologize. Submit. Obey.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, already feeling my chest tighten with shame. “I just—”
“Shh,” he soothed, letting me know it was all forgiven. “Here, you can sit on my lap.”
He scooped me out of my seat, and I clamped my hands over my mouth to keep from squealing too loudly. “Victor!” I whispered loudly. “Isn’t this inappropriate?”
“Mm, that’s why I love it,” he replied, running his nose along the glamoured column of my neck. The only scar visible was Victor’s bond mark, a flashing warning sign to any potential threats that I was taken.
I was his.
His teeth found their mark, sinking into my flesh at the moment the pianist’s fingers hit the keys, my moans swallowed by the hum of the strings coming to life.
My body tensed and then relaxed. My gaze slowly shifted from the musicians to the other boxes. I made eye contact with a werewolf omega across from us, splayed between two seats, while a vampire couple drank from his neck and wrist.
In fact, most of the boxes were similarly arranged.
Blood Consorts…
Victor really had started a movement.
When my head dropped even further, he finally stopped, licking the wound closed and licking his lips.
“Exquisite.”
You are exquisite.
Ugh, that voice. What did he want?
The music washed over me and he was forgotten again, retreating to some darkened corner of my mind where I was sure he was simply biding his time.
The crowd broke into a thunderous applause, but I’d lost track of the program, and when Victor clapped in front of me, I was too weak to join him.
“And now, our final piece of the evening…”
The titles hadn’t been listed ahead of time—probably as a way to engage with the audience, to see the recognition blossom in their eyes as they figured out what was being played.
The first song was familiar… Sigil, maybe? I hummed quietly along to the chorus, and Victor shushed me with a chuckle. “We’ll be home soon. I’m looking forward to finally reconnecting with you.”
I wasn’t exactly sure why we hadn’t been connecting for long enough to need a reconnection, but it sounded good to me. My body was aching for his, for my mate, my alpha…
Where’s your alpha?
I’m right here, asshole.
I should have known, that voice was never gone for long. But it certainly didn’t belong to my alpha.
A bright piano note cut through the low hum of violins. The melody was delicate, crystalline, and impossibly light—Sirena Murphy. My chest jerked. The sound was sunlight slipping between leaves, laughter in a quiet courtyard, waves lapping on a shore. Peace.
Freedom.
And in my head, I found myself singing the words before I realized I was thinking them:
Golden, glowing, feel the breeze,
Beats of my heart, open seas.
Dark fades away, shadows fall,
This is my sound, I’m keeping it all.
This used to be my favorite song. I remembered singing it at a karaoke night with Nellie.
Nellie? Nellie… who was Nellie…
And once I get the Premier’s attention and become his new girlfriend, I will be more than happy to share the rewards I’m gonna reap the fuck out of.
Nellie… my friend. My friend who’d tried to get the Premier’s attention, but had accidentally drawn it to me.
Me.
Running.
Scared.
Nellie.
Kaleb.
Dead.
No.
No.
No!
I sat up straight, my brain rebooting.
“Sage?”
Vorthain’s touch, his realization that my resistance to Victor’s claim was due to the existence of my real mate, and the magic that had tried to erase Ronan… all of it raced back to me like a tidal wave, swallowing me whole.
I had to pretend. To keep up the charade before he tried something more drastic. More permanent.
“Sorry, alpha,” I whispered, leaning back into him. “I thought I had to sneeze for a moment.”
He hmphed quietly, appeased with my excuse, and we watched the rest of the performance.
They wrapped up with a song I didn’t know, and after a standing ovation, Victor pulled me in close.
Don’t flinch. Don’t wince. Don’t fight.
“Are you ready, darling?” His hands ran down my sides.
Don’t flinch. Don’t wince. Don’t fight.
Think.
I bit my lip, batting my eyelashes.
Think, think, think.
My chest hammered, my body begging to obey, but a memory blinked into focus, sharp and bright: Starlight Dominion, long ago. Kaleb sat at the head of the table, grinning like he always did when he had trapped our crew in a nearly impossibly scenario.
Conan snarled and bared his teeth as Kaleb laid out the scenario. But we waited, thought it through, and considered everything.
Victor’s hands on me felt cool, and Vorthain’s even colder presence pressed into the back of my skull. My body wanted to fold, while my mind… remembered.
I ran through my stats like a Navigator scanning a character sheet.
Strength: 3 (barely enough to resist)
Willpower: 15 (temporary +3 for focus)
Stealth: 10 (bonus: conceal emotions)
Charm: 12 (roll to distract Alpha with flattery +3)
It was my turn to roll.
Option A: Fight him directly. Auto-fail; I’d lose.
Option B: Freeze. Risk detection; I’d be caught.
Option C: Use dialogue, misdirection, and timing.
I pictured Conan crouched by my side, scratching his cheeks and whispering, “Stats over impulse.”
And just like that, I made my choice. I found my way out.
“Victor… I want this, I do,” I whispered, voice soft but steady. “But my alignment isn’t stable yet. We… we could fracture it. My mind is still a mess, and I want it to be real. Don’t you?”
I felt the dice, smooth and cool in my mind, and let them clatter across the table, echoing like a memory.
Victor hesitated, tilting his head. The aura around him flickered.
“Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. But… I understand. You’ve made tremendous progress, and I’d hate to ruin it.”
Nat 20.
Success.
Crew intact.
Mission status: Ongoing.
I gave him a smile and a tentative, soft kiss on the lips as a teaser. An offering. A false promise.
I could play the long game.
Captain’s Log, Cycle 54
You’ve escaped by the skin of your teeth, negotiations put on pause while you gather the survivors and repair your ships. Your distress signal is still out there, but if no one comes, you’ll be ready.