Page 20 of The Omega Thief

Attiker swayed, but he didn’t think he would fall. If he was honest, he felt he could fly. Soar above the palace. He frowned. The palace? Why would he be going to the palace?

“Give it another minute.” Grape patted his arm and studied him. Attiker wasn’t moving. There was someone on either side of him holding him up. That was nice, and he laughed. How bad had that ale been? He yawned, then blinked, trying to keep his eyes open. He didn’t know where he was, but he was happier than he’d ever been in his life.

Attiker squinted. Grape seemed to be all fuzzy. He tried to tell him, but his tongue was so thick and sluggish he couldn’t form the words.

“It won’t last long,” someone muttered. “Not with the wolf.”

Grape smiled kindly at him. “Not to worry. Plenty more fever white where that came from. Another couple of doses, and he’ll get us the prince exactly where we want him.”

Attiker tried to keep his eyes open as long as he could, but then he couldn’t remember why he should even bother.

Chapter nine

Raztorethecityapart. He concentrated on the main area and sent soldiers to the rest. He thought at first Attiker would have gone running back to his friends. Maybe he’d gone back to help with the aftermath of the fire? He liked to think his bonded was honorable, and from what Captain Thakeray had found out, he was a seeker.

Which was a difficult and skilled job, and it explained the Lapiz bloom debacle and Attiker’s injury.

Raz had taken over a tent in the main square, much to Thakeray’s disquiet, but he had to be in the middle of things to find Attiker, not shut away in the castle. He wasn’t in the way of the cleanup of the fire, as that was ongoing.

But what Thakeray didn’t know, and would never know, because it was too powerful a weapon not to remain a closely guarded secret, was the only downside of the Fenrir bond.

Attiker had been missing approximately fourteen hours, and with such a new bond, he would already be feeling the effects. The bond with the Fenrir wolf was extremely powerful, especially newly made. If Raz didn’t find Attiker very soon, he would sicken. The omega never lived for long without the alpha. It was a very closely guarded secret because the power it would give someone over the Fenrir’s was absolute. Everyone thought his mother had simply died of grief, but she’d died because the bond had been suddenly and irrevocably broken, and she’d refused another. His grandmother had only survived because she’d taken a second bond, which diluted the first and had kept her alive, even if it was a poor substitute.

“Your Highness.”

Raz looked up as Thakeray and one of his men entered, practically holding up a young boy between them. “This is Albert, Highness. He collects glasses at the Bluebell on a night, and he was heard boasting he saw His Highness last night.”

Raz nearly dragged the seemingly terrified man over. “The Bluebell?”

“A less salubrious establishment near the docks,” Thakeray explained. Raz frowned.What in seven hells was he doing there?

Raz nodded, and they both let go of the boy. “Just tell me what you saw,” Raz asked calmly. “You’ve not done anything wrong, and, in fact, I’ll pay you for your trouble.” The lad’s eyes lit up hopefully. “The most important thing is to be honest. Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. If there is any doubt in your mind you could be mistaken, please say. You get paid either way.”

Thakeray looked at his sergeant. “Back to your duties.”

“Sir.” The guard saluted them both and left.

Albert was already shaking his head in denial. “No, um, Prince, Your Worship, s-sir.” He stopped clearly having trouble deciding what to call Raz.

“Just call me sire,” Raz said, trying to keep the impatience from his voice.

“Well, um…sire. I knows it were Attiker, like. Soon as I clapped eyes on him, even with the cloak hiding his face.”

“What makes you so sure?” Raz pressed.

“Oh, he treated my gran.”

“Where?” He hadn’t thought Attiker had any medical training.

“On her arse, sire.”

Raz blinked.

“It were the warts, see.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially.

The warts?

Thakeray coughed. “His Highness means did he have a place where your gran received her treatment?”

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