Page 62 of Oath of Betrayal
‘Signal the return,’ I said, and Vahin roared, relaying the information. ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked, his attention focused on my reply.
‘I will tell her the truth and let her decide what she wants to do. If she still wants to go on ground patrols knowing the danger, we will plan it carefully. You are right, but even if I put my feelings aside, this area is more dangerous than Zalesie, and it won’t be only about her safety, but also about my men’s. But I’ll make it work. If I don’t, she’ll probably go out alone. I wish we hadn’t argued. I just … I keep messing it up,’ I admitted to the dragon, which made him laugh.
‘She agreed to help, so let her,’ he said as we flew back to the fortress.
We arrived late in the afternoon, and I went straight to my office. I wanted to show Ani the letters, and I needed to gather my thoughts before meeting with her. Much to my adjutant’s annoyance, I couldn’t find them even after we scrutinised every document on my desk.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him; I just needed a sense of control with everything being so chaotic right now. Ani would probably be with Alaric at this time of day, and I wanted to come prepared with an apology and the information that would hopefully explain my behaviour.
A decisive knock broke through my thoughts, and after a moment, Alaric walked in with a deep frown on his face.
‘I heard you’d returned early. Ani skipped our session today, and the only reason I’m not raising the alarm is that her friend Katja seemed calm and told me to ask you for an explanation. So, could you please explain? Because gossip around town says you had a spat with your little Nivale,’ he said warily.
My confusion at the accusation in Alaric’s voice made me frown, but I answered truthfully. ‘And you came here because … you thought I’d know why Ani didn’t come to your session? I’ve been near the Rift most of the day with Vahin.’
I heard my adjutant mutter in the background, ‘Typical. He pisses off a woman, and now the entire fortress has to suffer because she’s avoiding them.’ Alaric had turned to him, having heard his muttering, but then his angry gaze snapped to my embarrassed features.
‘What is he talking about, Orm? What did you say to Ani to make her avoidme?’ Alaric demanded. His lips pressed in barely restrained emotion while my adjutant paled, likely realising he’d spoken out loud. ‘Fuck, I’m sorry. That’s not what I …’ the soldier wilted under Alaric’s stare before I placed my hand on his forearm, halting his nervous attempts to clean my desk.
‘Concentrate on finding those letters. It appears I have an angry mage to find.’ I said, and he nodded vigorously. Ari ignored the other man as we headed for the door.
‘So, where to start? Have you checked the garrison? Annika has become a regular there recently,’ I asked, sighing when Alaric rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, I did. Twice. It still amazes me how much they all love her despite you circling around like a bad-tempered lynx. It is a testament to how impressive she is.’
‘I don’t circle her like some horny wildcat,’ I muttered, but he smirked. ‘It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I struggle whenever I seesomeone other than us touching my Domina.’ He shrugged, and I sent him a sharp look.
‘Did you—your Domina?’
‘Why are you so surprised? I’m not just a mage. I’m also a male fae. Annika appeals to every aspect of my personality. Even if we didn’t have perfect synergy, I would still want her. She is cunning, ruthless, and she made me bleed,’ he grinned, and I gasped.
‘Did you … taste her blood, too?’ I asked cautiously, and Alaric nodded before I continued, ‘Does she know what it means?’
‘No, and you won’t tell her. She is not dark fae and doesn’t have to adhere to our customs.’
‘How the fuck did you let that happen? Was it on purpose?’ I accused, wincing at the hostility in my voice, but I was at a loss. Dark fae took their blood rituals seriously, and Alaric had just claimed Ani as his domina. ‘I didn’t intend for it, but fate decided for us. You remember the mess we made after getting carried away duelling?’
‘Yes, but Annika told me it was just horseplay and that she enjoyed it. Then she offered to cover the renovation costs.’
‘We both enjoyed it, maybe a little too much. Although, in hindsight, I will admit that challenging Ani to a duel might have been a mistake,’ he said with a crooked smile.
Gods, this is getting so out of hand, I thought, rubbing my neck. Even if Annika didn’t know what had happened,Alaricknew—and in dark fae culture, he was now a bloodied contender, someone whom a dark fae woman was considering mating with. ‘You have to tell her. Don’t make my mistake; look where we ended up.’
‘I will when she is ready. I want it to be her choice.’
I had no answer to that. Alaric wanted Ani to choose him, and I wanted the same. This was one massive fucking mess, but Icouldn’t argue or fault his reasoning, not when I felt the same. I could only grind my teeth in frustration.
We were exiting the central bailey of the fortress when a stern-looking soldier approached us. I recognised him as the sergeant in charge of the main gates and instantly focused on his grim expression.
‘Sir?’
‘Report, soldier,’ I ordered, noticing the furtive look the man gave Ari.
‘Lady Annika left the fortress and hasn’t returned.’ I felt the world darken around me.
‘When did this happen?’
‘This morning, sir. Just after you left.’
‘You didn’t think to tell Alaric about it?’ I asked, tightening my fist. The sergeant paled, hearing the low, menacing tone of my voice.
