I snarl, the pain fueling my rage, stabbing blindly. He lunges for me, and suddenly a blade emerges from his chest. As he slides off it, face frozen in shock, Lora’s furious face becomes visible. She yanks her sword back, panting.
“Good job,” I grin harshly, as she wipes her blade on the downed bat’s shirt.
Something flashes near me and just as I duck, Lora screams a warning.
A deep breath, and I dive back into the fray.
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 andterrified, 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.”
