Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sierra
The rest of the day, I spent with Mother and Hannah, mostly going through various warm clothing they could find for me last minute. Blankets, towels, medicines were procured and packed. I hadn’t seen my men since this morning, each off and about, readying for our trip in the morning. By the time dinner came around, I was starving and anxious about leaving my parents, leaving Providence and the safety of its confines. But above all, I was more than happy to spend time with Mother. Now that she knew the truth about what I was and who I’d married, our future correspondence would be more meaningful, and I made it goal that we’d visit next year, but in summertime. By then, I figured, Lucius and I would be ready to leave Odessia and head back to Ordelpho.
At least, I hoped that was the case.
When we all sat down to dinner it was at a full table. The Ongahri leaders, along with Phobius, Pateus, and Demos, had been invited. I sat next to Lucius on Father’s right, Mother and Fadon across from me. Beside me was Demos, across from him Chantis, the leader of the Halifax. An older alpha and a close friend to Lucius—more like a father to him— I had enjoyed his company these past weeks. Quiet and wise, he seemed very pleased that his “adopted son,” as he’d called Lucius, had found a wife.
Around me conversation branched off in many directions, but the undercurrent was layered with anticipation. Father had been more than hospitable to such a surprise visit from the Ongahri, showing nothing like the anxiety he had felt when the Trajan envoy had come during the Autumn Festival, our first time in seeing the mythical people. Whether it was familiarity or the news of his own political brothers in Titus being duplicitous, I didn’t know. But he was relaxed, offering his many years of experience and all the aid he could to help our cause.
I couldn’t have been more proud of having him be my father. Interestingly enough, each of my mates had all lost theirs in one form or another; Lucius and Fadon sharing the same blood but, apparently, from different men: King Gregoras the adored father, and Gregoras Trajan, the reprobate.
And of course, I knew nothing about Demos’ parents. He had once told me that he had been raised by his aunt. He had never mentioned Phobius, and I assumed they must have led separate lives when they were small. I planned on getting to know him better as soon as I could. It seemed like there was never an opportunity for a private moment.
As if he’d heard his name, Phobius eyed me, smiling slightly in a polite manner. Such a curious man. I half despised him and half not. Mercurial by nature but also not at all. He was another one I planned on getting to know better. If anything had taught me about people’s characters this past year, it was that bias and assumption rarely told the whole story. Just looking at the way I had initially read Lucius and Neil proved that.
Beside Phobius, sat Ander. He was another I had misjudged. It was funny how much these men, Neil included, had come to mean to me. They were my family in every way but blood. And once again, I prayed that the gods and the Mother would keep them safe.
“…not deer, but very similar, Alyssa,” Father was saying to Mother. “I had the opportunity to visit Elusian Fields once… Gods, I think before Sierra was born? And there I saw moose. Huge animals. These cervos sort of remind me of moose.”
“And are they really rideable?” Mother asked, cutting into her flank of roasted meat.
“Oh indeed, Lady Linden,” Fadon answered. “A villager just happened to know of someone who had a ranch. Lucius saw the brilliance in purchasing them for our journey. Never would have even considered it, myself.”
I almost choked on my wine, hearing Fadon throw Lucius such an obvious compliment. There really was hope after all in this arrangement we had.
Lucius bowed his head in appreciation. “Our poor mounts have endured enough to last them a lifetime. No horse should ride out in that.” He nodded his head toward the window, where the cold wind beat against the panes.
“One less thing to worry about, I guess,” Mother replied, smiling sadly at me. We had both cried out our goodbyes in advance already, but our eyes leaked every now and then when we looked at each other.
Under the table, I felt Lucius’ hand touch my knee. He had felt it through the bond, my sadness, my not wanting to say goodbye. Fadon caught my eye, and he too must have picked up on it. He winked at me, making me blush.
Gods, how was I going to survive having three handsome men to touch and kiss and more… every day, every night?
Demos cleared his throat, and I glanced up at him with pursed lips, trying to hide my smile. My scent must have changed, letting on what my mind was picturing as the others kept talking.
Right.
Before the dessert was served, Father stood and made a toast. “To new allies and friends, to new members of the family, and to, what I hope, will be a new age, where we remember what really matters to us. May we promise to always fight for what is right and what is good.”
“Hear, hear!” everyone toasted.
The words flowed around the room and echoed in each heart. It was a new age, Father was right. What I was witnessing was unprecedented. Ongahri from all directions, all over Titus, were joining in a toast with a Constant and Servant of the Owl, and all with the intention of saving its people, whether they knew the details of what was coming or not. It was in the air, this monumental shaking of ground.
I looked at each face, memorizing this moment. A moment of truce and hope for a better world. I hoped it wasn’t going to be a one-time thing, the Ongahri coming out of hiding only to retreat from the world once more.
An image of Mari Trajan came to me, and I wondered how she was faring. She was the one element missing here at this table. I missed her charm, her ability to bring beauty and intrigue to a room with just a lift of her red lips and a dark eyebrow. And I simply missed her, my once-upon-a-time sister.
We finished our meal, and the bulk of the party parted to their respective rooms and guest houses, others finishing up with last minute preparations. Father and Mother invited Lucius and I to the drawing room, seeing that Fadon and Ander were busy in the library studying maps, while Demos sat with Cook in the kitchens gathering ingredients for tinctures and tonics.
The four of us sat in the cozy drawing room, where the fire burned. I was content, warm, and full from a real meal, one I would miss once we were on the road again.
“Are you happy, Sierra?” Father asked, looking at Mother with his hand hovering over his pocket, where he kept his beloved pipe. When she nodded at him, his sheepish smile warmed my heart. Mother was indulging him. He lit his pipe and the sweet smoke of many a night scented the air with nostalgia.
“I am, Father.” I grabbed Lucius’ hand and held it. We were sitting side by side on the divan. Father in his chair, mother on her own divan, tapestry hoop on her lap. “I know it wasn’t what we had planned.”
“Nor what I had agreed to.” He raised a rueful brow, but his smile told me he wasn’t chastising me.
“True. But it worked out for the best and beyond. Lysander and I are just friends, and really, it wasn’t meant to be, a marriage between us.”
“I can see that,” Father said. “I also see how much you care for my daughter, Lord Dega.”
Lucius inclined his head. “I love your daughter, Constant Linden, Lady Linden. She has changed me, made me into a better man. And I will swear right here and now that I will honor her all my days. She is most precious to me. With me, you will not have to worry. I do, however, wish she would stay here when we set off tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Mother butted in, eyeing me. “Stay here, Sierra, for the sake of the gods. Or at least for my sake!”
I wiggled in my seat. “Mother, we’ve discussed this already. I am going. I-I think there is a reason I need to be there. I cannot explain it.”
Mother looked at me thoughtfully. “You’ve had those dreams again, haven’t you?”
I’d always had “those” dreams, as she called them. Dreams that were now, I knew, visions. “Yes. And this time, I will heed them. Things are too important right now for me to ignore. That’s why I cannot stay here.” I looked at Lucius, who squeezed my hand. He sighed.
“It was worth a try.” His smile was tight, but he understood me.
The subject was closed and the conversation went to other matters. As my father puffed away from his pipe, my parents learned more about Lucius, asking him questions which Lucius answered graciously. Because I knew them so well, I knew my parents’ opinion of my husband was raised by each statement he made. I was proud of Lucius. A man who had started out with nothing had accomplished so much, becoming a respected leader.
When it was time to retire, Father kissed me goodnight at the door of the drawing room, Mother wishing Lucius a goodnight as well.
“I like him, Daughter,” Father whispered in my ear. “I think you made a great match.”
My smile said it all. “I like him as well, Father. And I love you. Gods, I’m going to miss you so much. I promise to visit, maybe not this summer but definitely the next.”
“And we’d love to have you in Ordelpho,” Lucius said, overhearing us.
“Your mother and I would like that very much. She especially, wouldn’t you Alyssa?” His love for her shone through as he looked at her with a husband’s eye.
“Oh, you have no idea how much I’d love to get away!” Mother laughed like a young girl, and I realized how beautiful she truly was. Gods, I hated saying goodbye.
As Lucius and I dressed for bed, he took me in his arms and kissed me. “I see a new rival mark, inches away from my own.” His fingers swept my neck. “I hope to Ongar it’s Fadon’s and not some poor love-sick farm boy you—”
I punched him in the arm, outraged and amused. “Oh, stop. I never had a paramour here.”
“I find that hard to believe.” He rubbed his arm as if I’d hurt him.
“No, it’s true. I was never interested in… that.”
He smirked. “Not sure what ‘that’ means. You mean cock?”
My stupid cheeks heated. Still, after all this time he could make me blush like a spinster. “No, I do not mean that. I mean romance.”
He grabbed my bottom and pulled me closer. I felt his own cock against my stomach—hard and fully awake. “Romance, huh? Is that what they call it here in Providence?”
I pushed at his chest, but he didn’t budge, simply chuckled, and the low timber of it had my sex instantly wet for him. Before I knew it, he had me in his arms and was carrying me to the bed. He wasted no time at all staking his claim, unclasping my osnat and sucking on his bite mark, as if he worried Fadon’s would wipe his own away. I had to admit his action had me burning for him. Territorial Lucius was right up there with a territorial Fadon.
I was a lucky woman, and I showed Lucius exactly how thankful I was.
“Oh, Boriel. All you have to do is admit it,” the man crooned. His hair was thick and long, black as a cold winter’s night. I couldn’t make out his eyes, not from all the shadows along the walls, permeating each corner. But his face was alabaster, and he had a rich, full mouth that was more pretty than masculine. And his voice… velvet and full of promises only made behind closed doors.
That voice lulled me, made my eyes heavy, made my shoulders drop, muscles melt into a comfortable fluidity. It was dangerous, that voice.
“Not even a word?” that voice went on, taunting, mocking. So mean. So insidiously lovely. “Even though we have company?”
Confused, I frowned.
“Isn’t that right, Sierra? I know you’re there, and I know you see me. Why don’t you come out of the shadows, little white Omega?”
Gasping, I woke up to Lucius leaning over me. “Wake up, Sierra. You’re having a nightmare. You’re safe.” He was rubbing my arms, and I blinked at him. Lifting my hand, he kissed my palm, his mouth warm. “These nightmares are getting bad aren’t they?”
I nodded. “Sorry if I woke you up.”
“You didn’t. And besides, we need to get up anyway. Let’s get you something to drink.”
I watched as he got off the bed, already dressed, and brought me a glass of wine. “Here, drink this. Do you want me to call your maid?”
I shook my head, gulping the sweet dry wine down. “No. I can get dressed without help. What time is it?”
“Early.” He kissed my head. “Feel better?”
“Yes. These dreams… gods, they are so real, Lucius. This one…” I paused, ready to explain the dream, but as soon as I mentally touched it, it poofed away. “Well, never mind. I can’t remember, but it was awful.” I studied him, noticing the tired, drawn look of his face. “How long have you been up?”
“About two hours.”
“Two? We went to bed late, Lucius. You need more sleep than that.”
He shrugged. “I can’t sleep before a trip. You know this.”
And it was true. His mind refused to rest the night before a journey.
“But I’ll be fine, my wild cat.” He winked at me. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
I nodded. “I’m all right. Just ready for all this to end and we can go home.”
“Me, too, little dove. I’ll take you downstairs, then I have to meet with Pateus.”
I got out of bed, dressed, and in no time, Lucius kissed me goodbye before heading out. Demos found me in the dining room a little later, Mother having wanted to have breakfast with me.
“We’re ready, Sierra,” he said, appearing at my side. I could tell he wanted to touch me, but because my mother was here… well, I didn’t feel like explaining that to her.
But when she met my eyes across the table, staring at us intently, I knew then that she already had figured out that Demos was more than just a friend. She smiled and sipped her tea, a twinkle in her blue eyes as she looked between us.
I took a deep breath and stood, tears already gathering in my eyes. It was finally time for us to leave. Mother and I stood, and when she came around the table, I was in her arms. After a moment, she walked me to the foyer, where Father was waiting, along with Cook, Hannah, and a few other well-loved servants. Demos stood beside me, the others waiting outside.
There were no words except “I love you” and promises to write. All the rest had been said. My parents held each other as they watched me go out the door.
Demos took my hand, and we went to the stables. The snow had stopped sometime in the night, and the result was a dim sunrise in a black winter of chilling cold.
“Are you all right?” Demos kissed my hand.
“Oh, I’ll just miss them, but I’m so glad I got to visit.”
“I am as well. I see you and Fadon mated.”
There was no heat in his statement, no resentment. I met his eyes. “We did. And I’m the luckiest girl on Titus, what with three handsome, delicious mates. So strong and so— what’s that look for?”
He laughed. “Trying to soften the blow?”
“Maybe.” I grinned.
He kissed my head. “I’m glad you’re happy. That’s all that I ask for, Sierra.”
At the stables, everyone looked ready to be off. A new group of Ongahri had joined us overnight, apparently, and not for the first time, I realized how organized Lucius was, how he was always four steps ahead. I glanced around to find him. Fadon was with him, and both men were speaking animatedly. I worried for a moment that they were arguing, but when Lucius placed his hand on Fadon’s shoulder, something in my heart warmed when that hand wasn’t shrugged off. It was true that the past few weeks had seen them at least making an effort at being civil, spending a few minutes a day conversing privately. Neither had told me about it, though.
As if sensing me, they both turned in my direction. Fadon frowned, but Lucius smiled. Whatever they had discussed, by his expression, Fadon was resigning to it.
Lucius stepped forward and spoke to those waiting. “Good morning. Trusting that everyone’s here, half our party has already departed. They are riding ahead to make sure the way is clear and will meet us at the next camp. Stay warm and stay vigilant. Let’s go.”
And with that, the journey to the Owl began.