Page 65 of The Assassin's Promise
“She sacrificed herself for me. Before the fall of Verdan, my father had decided I was useless to him. I hadn’t bloomed as an Omega. He had kidnapped the queen of Rimholt and was marrying her. I was sixteen, and he was rewarding his guards before the final push to war. He gave me to one of them, an evil man with a whip and a history of abusing women to the point of killing them.”
Icarus stopped breathing for a moment. I glanced at him and saw his eyes were wild, with his wyvern’s slitted golden and black pupils staring back at me. I put out a hand, calming his beast.
“She saved me, distracted him and offered herself up. She didn’t even like men that way, but she went with him willingly so he would leave me alone.”
“Is she still alive?”
“Yes. She was the one who found passage on the boat that brought me, Thorn, and Kavin…” I hissed a breath when my core clenched at the thought of my giant, penitent Alpha on his knees, asking forgiveness.
“She must be very proud of you.”
I inhaled, waves of sadness and anger fighting for dominance. “I hope so. She really loves me, not like you. She knows everything about me. That I hate bitter greens in my salad, and I love roasted potatoes more than custard. That I can’t sing to save myself, but I can hide in a nearly empty room for an hour. She let me learn my poisons when I was twelve, until Milian killed my friend, Paulo, the apothecary who taught me.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nodded. I was sorry, too. “Love isn’t a feeling you get in your gut, Icarus. It’s not some mystical bond. It’s something that grows. It takes time.”
He laughed softly. “You’re right, even if my stubborn wyvern disagrees. He still says he loves you, the person beneath the surface, and he can sense you on a soul-deep level. He, um, sees the outside but doesn’t care. He doesn’t even love that part.” His lips twitched.
His wyvern didn’t like my looks? “What do you mean?’
“Well, he says you’re not scaly enough. Too soft. He worries his claws will cut you when he embraces you.”
A smile threatened to creep out. “You have claws?” I peeked at his hands. “He has claws?”
“Only in his memory. They never come out. I mean, they might in moments of passion, erm…” He trailed off.
“So you do have claws!” He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes. “It’s good information. If we need to get out of here, need an extra knife or two, maybe…” I hesitated. “You will help me escape, right?”
“Absolutely,” he promised. “You said others had sworn to serve you. I’m glad. I don’t care if I’m one of many. The chance to honor you, to get to know who you are, to fall as deeply in love as my wyvern already, is all that matters. You are the one I’ve waited for. You are unique.”
I sneered. “Yeah, yeah. Everybody wants an Omega. You know Kavin’s dad bought me for him? I found that out right before your asshole brother made one of his last mistakes and kidnapped me.”
“Please explain,” he gritted out. I did, relishing the affront, rage, and indignation that crossed Icarus’s face as I did so. “He thinks he can force you to be with him? I’ll teach that young pup how very wrong he is—”
“No,” I interrupted. I had to be fair. “He said Omegas choose. That I was his queen, and not because of what I am. He said he told his father he would only mate me if I accepted him.”
Icarus’s eyes gleamed, and I know he was wondering the same thing I was. Would I accept Kavin? The idea didn’t disgust me, even if I couldn’t help but fear that my Omega nature was a large part of his attraction.
“You know they’ll come for you, little dove. Your Alphas will find you. Thorn would lay waste to continents to save you.”
Shit. He was right. Even injured, Thorn would come, and Talon would be waiting. I let out a slow breath, trying not to panic. Panicking killed more spies than poison, Thorn always said. I had to stay calm and find a way out.
“I know. I don’t want to give Talon the chance to take us to Wyngel. That’s his home and he’ll know how to defend it.”
“Where do you want to go, then?”
“Back to Havira,” I murmured, the plan unspooling in my mind. “Two wyverns with one stone.”
“Ouch. Care to explain?”
“Of course, Icarus. After all, you’re the one who’ll have to help me poison your brother.”
ROYA
When I was sixteen, the very first week after Thorn brought me to the training camp, I cut all my hair off, as short as any boy’s.
Thorn had found me sitting behind the trainees’ barracks while the rest of the group was at dinner, the knife I’d used still in my grip. He hadn’t said a word, but his raised eyebrow asked the question.
