Chapter Thirty-Six
Benjamin
It’s been three days since our omega, our bride, was brought to her home settlement by Theo.
Theo’s face upon returning, in those last minutes before we had fallen asleep unwilling, had been utter dismay. We had pet him and snuggled, our eyes closing without our approval.
When we had awoken, we stumbled to the kitchen, all eyes on the holo-caller. Nothing.
Arch has been carrying it around with him constantly since.
But it has been silent. Aside from a call from the Kambon chime, with a very distressed looking group of gargoyles, having been attacked and then had a battle from NUS foisted upon them. Their leader had quietly, broken, described what he had seen after the Bells had attacked them.
As they had battled along side the squadrons sent by NUS, they had seen humans cut down as though they were not sentient creatures. The Kambon alphas had spoken and decided it was dishonorable. They left the battlefield without approval.
And then, the Koth chime, the landed chime nearest our omega’s home, had called.
They had been ordered into the battle. It had been chaos, and the Generals on the ground had informed them the orders were to kill.
Any human. No quarter. Their purple-shaded leader had described, eyes still awed and terrified, how, in the battle, they had scented their omega.
They didn’t describe it in that fashion, but we had understood.
A little human female, light brown curls cut short, a sword in hand, but knocked unconscious upon the bloodied ground.
They had scooped her up and retreated to their home.
We understood the urge. The inexplicable draw.
We had found our omega. And we had allowed her to leave us.
The thought is a knife in my chest.
She’ll call us. I insist, both to myself and to Theo or Arch whenever I find them staring into the distance. She’ll come back to us.
But, if I’m honest... I’m not sure if she will. And when that doubt creeps in like frost on a cold morning, my throat tightens and I have to find a pillow with Fern’s scent on it to recenter myself.
This morning as we laze in the living room—Theo reading, me going over notes and Arch writing in his journal—the holo goes off.
Arch jumps, leaning forward to grab it off the lamp table. He touches it as Theo and I sit breathless.
“Good morning Chime Ryleck.”
Frederick, that fucker.
We all visibly slump.
“Earl Frederick.” Arch’s voice is bored.
Or depressed.
“I wanted to let you know that the uprising has been squashed.”
I shut my book and sit up.
“Most of the humans are dead,” he continues smugly. “Though I have word that both Kambon and Koth Chimes withdrew before the battle was over. I’ll be drawing up treason papers.”
Arch is barely containing his anger. “And why would you bother to tell us any of this?”
A chuckle from that cunt. “Oh, I don’t know, Archie, I thought you might have had a dog in that fight.”
My wings snap back in an aggressive pose. Good thing I’m out of sight.
“What an odd thing to think, Freddy. I’ll see you in a week or so, when my leave is over,” Arch grits out and he clears the holo.
We look at each other silently for a moment before I jump to my feet. I pace, wings flexing.
“Do they have her? Do they have my omega?” I snarl.
Arch stands and crosses to me, wrapping his arms about me and stopping my frantic pacing. “Wherever she is, we’ll get her.”
I see Theo stand and head to us as he adds, “Besides, if that stonemoss had her, he’d have crowed about it.”
I nod slowly, eyes closing as I lean into Arch.
Theo snuggles into us silently.
The chime of the holo-caller is jarring in the quiet room.
We all spin, Arch getting there first.
“Hello.” A surly female voice.
I lean over Arch where he sits, holding the holo. A blonde human woman.
“Are you Arch?” she asks, still pissy. It makes me smile as it sounds similar to Fern.
“Yes,” he near-whispers.
“Fern needs you. For reasons I don’t understand.” She huffs. Off screen, I hear a whimper. It runs through me and I find my wings raised as I shiver.
Fern. That’s Fern.
Arch straightens. “Is she alright?”
The blonde frowns. “She’s not injured from battle, if that is what you mean. But she needs you. Come under darkness, we’re most likely being surveilled. We’re at the Upper Woodbridge wayhouse.” And she blanks the holo.
“Fuck that,” Arch spits, standing and pacing quickly to the bedroom. “We leave now.”
I spin, headed for the kitchen.
Theo stands and stretches.
Grabbing a bag, I throw raisins, a water flask, and the med kit in. Turning, looking at my loves, my bond mates, I say, “Let’s go get our bride.”
THE FLIGHT TO UPPER Woodbridge is an easy southeast one. It’s a brisk fall morning, and not one of us gives a single whit about being seen.
I think Arch and Theo are planning on—proverbially—blowing some shit up back at the office, at the Quorum. I don’t care.
I don’t even care if I lose my position as a lead scientist. All I care about is making sure my omega is safe.
We land at the wayhouse, currently surrounded by makeshift tents. Shaking my wings off, I tuck them in as I grimace, eyes going over the human refugees.
The wayhouse itself is set back off the road a ways, and near to a fast moving stream. It’s a tall, narrow building of log, studded with small windows. Theo strides to the steps and opens the door. We follow him in.
It’s dim and warm, smelling of good stew and woodsmoke. I see a rough wooden bannister on the second and third floors, directly across from the entrance. Doors line each narrow walkway.
The human innkeeper is a big, brawny-but-gone-soft human man with a salt-and-pepper beard. He clears his throat. “Can I help you, sirs?”
“Two human women. Leaders. One blonde, one brown haired. Where are they?” Arch tries to keep the snarl from his voice but it’s not working.
The innkeeper twitches, reaching for a glass. “No one matching that description here, sirs.”
Theo flaps his wings, taking him to the top of the bar before he jumps down directly in front of this human. “Do not lie to us. We’ll bust every fucking door in this place. Where is she?” He leans over the human, his body causing the human to back up.
He pales and his eyes flick to me and Arch. I cross my arms, ready to rip this human limb from limb. I take a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. And hormones. Fern’s presence had kicked them into high gear, and now I need her near me.
“Third floor, last room,” he whispers, shame clear on his face.
A few flaps and we’re there. I take my shoulder to the door without thought.
The blonde jumps to her feet, dagger in hand, braid mussed, from a chair near the bed.
In the bed, Fern lays, looking pale. She uncurls slowly, hand digging under the pillow and she pulls a small blade too, eyes searching blearily.
Anger and fear dives through me and I’m suddenly on the bed.
“Flower,” I whisper, my hand going to her dirty hair.
She should be cleaned. I should have been here to bathe her.
Her eyes flash recognition and she drops the blade, but whimpers and curls in on herself. Theo kneels next to me, his purr kicking to life as his hand goes to Fern’s bare arm.
“Stones, she’s hot as the sun,” he mutters.
“Fuck,” Arch cusses and I see him spin to the blonde.
“We’re taking her. She’ll be safe,” he declares, brooking no argument.
The human woman argues anyway, “I don’t fucking like it, but she told me to call you. If something happens to Fern, I’m hunting you fuckers down and cutting off your balls, do you hear me? And I can do it too, Fern told me when you sleep.” A look of superiority hits her blue eyes.
Arch nods. “If she comes to harm in our care, we won’t deserve them.”
The blonde looks satisfied with this answer and she strides to the window, throwing both sides of it open.
As Theo scoops Fern up and Arch and I climb out, launching from the window frame, I immediately realize my bond-mates may not know what is wrong with our omega.
I spin in the air, cross-gliding, to yell down to them, “She’s in heat!”