Chapter Seven
As they flew, she made a call. “Hey, Zephyr. You look... occupied.”
The woman in the man’s arms looked at the screen and shrieked. “Ival! You look great!”
Zephyr’s partner sighed and leaned back. He looked at her, and recognition hit. “Gorgon!”
She blushed. “Yeah. That’s me.”
“You look... lovely.”
There was a growling from her chair.
“This is just my face. Zephyr, can you let the others know that I am going home to my grandparents’ house in the stronghold? I am up for visitors.”
“We will come by in a few days. Why the makeover?”
“My skin was overcorrecting.”
“Oh, wow. That would explain it.”
She smiled. “Yes. It would. Are you... getting along?”
“We are. I have agreed to be housed in Renovik and on call for the weather team. So is Trisk. So, if we are needed, we will go.”
They smiled through the com. “That seems like a nice balance. My skin is all new, and I have to wear special clothing until it toughens up. I even get a special chair.”
Riimal laughed.
She tilted her wrist so he was visible.
“Hello, chair.” Zephyr smiled.
Trisk smiled. “Riimal. You are looking downright cheerful.”
“I found her. I have a right to be cheerful.” His arms remained comfortable around her.
She sighed. “Riithan and Ylara found me. Apparently, you described me to the entire stronghold.”
He grinned. “Yes.”
Zephyr smiled. “Send me an image when you are in place so I have a place to come visit you.”
“I know the drill. Enjoy the storm.”
Trisk laughed, and the com went dark.
Riimal said, “How do you know her?”
“She was in Uradda, and they liked to put actives who could kill each other in the same place. She got me out to Renovik. She just wrapped me in a large tunic, picked me up, and hauled me out of there. Then she went back for my file, and when I was gone, she numbed their memories. Everyone thought I was dead.”
His eyes widened. “It was right after our time in the ring.”
“Yeah. I suppose it was.” She looked at him. “Oh, you went looking for me.”
“Yes, and when you were gone and they said you were dead, he went slightly mad. My people demanded my return, and the Uraddans handed me over. I then went mad in the desert.”
She looked at him and wanted to stroke his cheek, but they began descending, and he settled her against him for the landing. She looked out the window and saw the stronghold. She swallowed the tears that wanted to track down her cheeks. She was home.
Riimal helped her to her feet and kept hold of her hand.
Her grandparents walked ahead of them, heads high and backs straight. The royal family was waiting, and at that point, Ival knew something was up.
Riimal’s hand was slightly tighter around her fingers as they walked toward his brother.
Her grandparents bowed as they got to the king, his queen, and Riithan and Ylara.
Riimal walked within ten feet of his family, and the guards tensed.
Ival murmured, “How out of control were you?”
“They managed to heal those who got in my way.”
“Oh. So, he was mad.”
“An understatement.”
The king was looking at them and started smiling. “You found her.”
“Riithan found me. Apparently, the bite is well-known enough to be identified at a glance.”
The king blinked. “You are not engaging in formalities?”
“No. Nor will I. As the most vulnerable of your citizens, you allowed me to be sent to Uradda to be tortured and incarcerated until they knew if I was human enough for them. If I hadn’t escaped, I would have been dead decades ago, and all because of my honourable uncle and the raving bitch that he called a wife.
” She delivered the entire thing in a cheerful, singsong tone.
“The stronghold offered me no protection. No safety. Even though my father died in its service.”
She smiled and looked at him.
He paused and nodded. “You are correct. You should not have left the stronghold. Your aunt has been imprisoned now that we know her part in your mother’s death.
You lost everything, and we offered you nothing to help a child alone.
Your family should have protected you, but we understand your grandparents were prostrate with grief. ”
Her grandparents hung their heads. Ival sighed. “That is correct. They had lost their son. They were allowed the time to grieve. There was no reason for my uncle to discard me. It wasn’t something that would have been thought possible. Is my uncle around? I would like to chat with him.”
“Are you safe like that? I was led to believe you were toxic.”
“My body was reacting to a constant threat level that began when I was a child and didn’t stop until eight years ago. I have been physically reset to what I should have been.”
The king’s omega said, “Dear, shouldn’t we continue this inside? Perhaps over tea.”
He looked at her. “Of course. Please come with me.”
They walked inside after Riithan and Ylara. Ival was slowly walking behind them, and she was starting to feel the pressure on her feet.
Riimal saw her wincing. “Your feet?”
“Yeah.”
He picked her up and carried her.
His brother glanced back and said, “Riimal, that isn’t appropriate.”
“Excuse me, sir, but my entire body was stripped of its skin and regrown. Today is day one on new feet. This skin has no memory, so I don’t want to start its new life with pain and blood.”
She sent a request to Zera and got a reply that had Don’t watch on a full stomach on it.
Riimal asked, “What did you just get?”
“Video from the Uraddan archives from the fights and the footage of my healing this week.”
“Oh. Got it. Wait, is that the footage of us?”
“Based on the date on the file, yes.” She smiled. “You might not want to watch that one.”
“I will watch it. I can face my fears. He also has a thought for the skin on your hands and feet.”
“He has thoughts? Interesting.”
“Very. He has many thoughts about you, but he is willing simply to restrain them to borrowing my body to live them out.”
“Oh. A time share situation. Interesting.”
They arrived in a beautifully tiled room with a servant in every two archways. The king and his mate were sitting comfortably with a square tiled table in front of them.
Riithan and Ylara were seated to their right, and her grandparents were gone.
She asked, “Where did they go?”
Riimal said, “They are heading to their quarters to give direction to the servants for your recovery needs.”
“Oh. Right.”
Riimal sat gracefully and kept her in his arms. A table was set in front of them.
The king asked, “You are an omega?”
“Oh. No. Not.”
The king sighed. “Riimal, you know the requirement.”
“Tell him about it. She is ours. She tastes like ours, and you do not want to try to take her from us.” His voice was calm, and he was stroking her hair.
She sighed. “That feels nice. How long is the hair now?”
He stroked her hair, and it was down to her shoulders. “So, no matter what anyone says, she will not be leaving without me, or I will be leaving with her. Take your pick.”
His brother sighed. “Fine.”
Ival said, “Is my position here going to be in conflict? If so, I can return to my place in Aksalla.”
“You are staying with me, no matter where we are.”
She smiled. “Do you like snow? We could go to Renovik.”
The king paled. “I apologize for my comment.”
“It has also only been a tradition here for the last seventy-five years. Before that, the alphas were an aberration, and the omegas were random and coincidentally found to calm the raging idiots the fuck down. Thus, the tradition of finding omegas was born.” She grimaced.
“And then every nation either hid or sold their omegas. Delightful.”
The king frowned.
“Oh. Right. Some slaughtered them to keep them away from the Sethir nobles.”
Ylara said softly, “But you are Sethir.”
“I am. Just because you are born to a thing doesn’t mean you have to agree with all they say and do.
Just like my uncle, cousins, and aunt. They were all obligated to support me, and they sold me instead.
I am here because my grandparents need peace, and Riimal needs to get laid by someone who isn’t cringing or looking for a payday. ”
Riithan flinched and took Ylara’s hand. The princess said, “Yeah, I get that. Riithan didn’t believe it, and it nearly killed me. Literally.”
Riimal was smiling. “Ival means what she says, and the only thing that is currently stopping me is that I would tear her apart. Her skin is that of an infant’s right now, and patience is important.” He said it as if he were reminding himself.
“And yet, you are trying to figure out how to nudge the timeline.”
He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. “Absolutely.”
The king paused. “Do you understand his needs, Ival?”
“Uh, yeah. I am a widow.”
Riimal lifted his head. “Her husband was Zukker. She knows serpents and knows alphas.”
“But he died twenty years ago.” His eyes widened. “How old is she?”
Riimal shrugged. “He is convinced she is what we need, and he has never made a request of this nature before. I have also spoken with her physicians, and all is well with her.”
The king’s omega said, “I don’t understand what has happened to you, Ival.”
Ival opened her com and moved her fingers quickly. “Let me load up a slide show. Are you planning on eating any meat?”
“No. Why?”
Riimal said, “Send it to me, I will send it to them.”
She nodded. “I am pretty sure you have seen most of it.”
She flicked it off to him. He looked at it, winced a few times, and then nodded before he sent it to his brother.