Page 52 of The King's Omega
“My adopted parents were apothecaries, and when my scent came in—I was very young—they used oils to collect and concentrate the scent for perfumes. But King Milian scours Verdan for girls like I was—innocent, and living with their families. When he finds one, he seizes her and gives her to his men.”
She paused, waiting for something. “Yes,” Rigol said slowly. “Or puts them into his own collection. Vilkurn told me as much. Milian has a harem of sorts.”
Her eyes narrowed. She hadn’t expected him to know that. By the time Rigol looked up, the dark glint in her eyes was pure vulnerability again. “Someone in his court obtained a bottle of the scent my parents had made, and he sent his troops to find me.
“My parents hid me under the floorboards, breaking bottles of the perfume everywhere so the men couldn’t smell me. King Milian’s men k-killed them both, then left empty-handed. I took herbs, a lot of them—too many—to suppress my nature. They made my scent vanish, made my blood bitter.”
Herbs? What was she talking about?
“I found one last partial bottle of my scent—I thought I could sell it to buy safe passage to the coast, to Mirren. But the madam at The Rutting Sow found me, chained me, and forced me t-to… oh, Goddess, I can’t speak of all the depravities I endured.”
Rigol made a comforting noise. I was going to kill him when she finished spewing these lies. I knew for a fact that Selene had come to the Sow on her own. Sure, Madam had chained her up, but that was only after she had threatened to leave, saying she could make more money at another brothel. At least some of what she was saying was lies. All of it could be.
“Your Majesty, please. I feared for my life when you took me. I didn’t know if you would kill me, or use me ill, or…”
She dissolved into perfect, crystalline tears. Rigol fished out a white handkerchief and used it to dab her eyes.
“When we mated, I had to run—I saw the rage in your eyes when you thought I was a spy. I didn’t know my scent would return, but when it did—when the herbs I took wore off—I cried tears of joy. I’m your Omega, Sire. Do with me as you will. I can’t stay away from you any longer. My heart yearns for you, my flesh aches for your touch.”
My flesh ached to touch hers, too. My fist in particular wanted to touch her face repeatedly until blood came out of everywhere possible.
Rigol didn’t speak, but turned to his brother. Axe shifted in his chair, his eyes flat. His hands flew for a full minute, and Rigol responded. It was so fast, I couldn’t understand their conversation, but their tone was obvious. Axe was furious and suspicious. Rigol was resigned.
I made a tiny coughing sound and Axe’s eyes flew to me. I made the sign for “shit,” like Sorcha had told me. I wish she’d taught me “bullshit.”
For a moment, Axe looked horrified, then intrigued. The king’s gaze found me as well, and the pain I saw there felt like a knife wound to my heart.
He tore his eyes away, and his hands moved even faster. Axe’s expression grew stony when Rigol took a ring of keys and inserted one into the manacle lock.
He wasn’t letting her go, was he? He believed this crazy story? Didn’t they know she was a spy for Milian? Maybe they hadn’t understood my signing.
I couldn’t hold back. “That’s the biggest load of horse dung I’ve ever heard.” I leaped into the room, and Selene cried out, latching onto the king like a leech.
When she recognized who I was, she relaxed and unleashed the brilliance of her perfect smile on me. I was so used to her snarling, I flinched. “Oh, it’s my dear Vali! I’m so pleased to see you are well,” she dissembled. “I’ve missed you so.”
“Missed kicking me, pinching me?” I shook my head, ignoring her crocodile tears. “Rigol, you can’t believe all this. She’s a snake,” I said, remembering the old woman’s words. “She was one before, and she is one now.”
Axe looked at me, mouthing a question: “Rigol?”
I blushed. “Um, I mean, Your Majesty.”
Rigol sighed. “I hear you, and you are right to suspect. I’ll ask Selene many more questions before I can trust her. And she will be kept guarded and away from… anyone under my protection.” He swallowed reflexively, then turned away. “But first… Selene, I need to taste you.”
Her thighs flexed and she cracked them open. “Of course, my lord.”
What in the Goddess’s name? I took a breath to scream again, but he wasn’t taking her up on her blatant offer. He had pulled out a knife and nicked the skin at her wrist.
Ah, not kissing. I could live with stabbing her a bit, though he could have gone deeper. Her nails could dig in farther than that paltry slice. Rigol put a finger to the droplets of blood and then pressed it into his mouth.
He groaned, but the sound wasn’t of pleasure. It was defeat. “She is an Omega. I must… for the kingdom.” He dropped his head and Axe turned away, leaving me the only one to see the gleam of victory in Selene’s eyes.
“My husband, my mate, my king,” Selene purred into his neck. “Take me to bed.”
He lifted her into his arms, without once looking my way, and carried her from the cell.
Her scent coiled around me, aggressive and powerful. It was suffocating and was mixed with Rigol’s pine. I staggered to the wall and threw up. Axe’s arms came around me, holding my hair back as I heaved. Axe’s fingers flashed, too fast for me to follow.
I wiped my mouth, wishing I could forget what I had witnessed. Wishing I were still in the Sow, or anywhere else. I signed,“What?”
