Page 56 of The Omega Thief

This was it, Attiker thought. Somewhere, somehow, he was addicted to fever white and having hallucinations. Then she appeared again. The demand this time for him to get on her leg was so forceful he was pretty sure his eyebrows were singed. But he didn’t argue and hobbled to her leg. She extended her neck and gently caught the red rock in her huge teeth, then Attiker held on as she extended two huge wings and took off.

How the hell had she done that? But then, dragon magic was as much a myth as the beasts themselves. Dragons were supposedly amazingly magical beasts. It was why humans had coveted them so. But vanishing? It was utterly incredible, but at the same time, it made the most sense. The dragonet may not be able to do that yet, and that’s how Markell had caught it.

He spotted Ash just as one of the horses reared. The horses might not be able to see the dragon, but horses were smarter than most humans, and they sensed a threat. Eldara landed, and he scrambled off. His ankle was a little improved, and he found he could put a small amount of weight on it. She deposited the rock at his feet and bent her head nearly to his level.

He reached out and put his hand on her neck, thanking her silently and telling her to go home and look after her baby. With a much gentler, warm breath, she snapped her wings and vanished.

“Good gods, Attiker, where the ever-living fuck did you come from?” Ash had glanced back when the horse settled and gaped at him.

Attiker chuckled. “Long story. Bit of a sore ankle, so you might have to get me on.” He nodded to the rock. “We need to wrap this somehow to my body to keep warm.”

Ash shook his head in bewilderment, but within a few minutes, they were headed back to the palace.

“Not the time, but I want to know how you were nowhere in sight, then the horses spooked, and you just appeared.”

“Not the time,” Attiker agreed and met Ash’s gaze.

Ash just nodded once, then swung into action. He used his own shirt plus one of the saddle bags for the rock, then strapped it securely to Attiker’s belly once he was back on his horse.

Attiker knew Markell would get to the palace first and win the challenge, meaning the next was his choice, but Attiker—thanks to a certain lady—wasn’t disqualified.

A few hours later, as they rounded the track, they got the first sight of Cadmeera in the valley below them, and the palace nestled proudly in the middle. Was Raz worried? Attiker huffed. He would be frantic. But at least they would make it back.

Unfortunately, that just meant he had three days before he had to do this whole thing all over again, and something told him he wouldn’t have a dragon to help him.

And Markell wouldn’t let him go if he caught him this time. He would do his damnedest to kill him from the second they walked through those gates.

Chapter twenty-five

Raz’seyessnappedopenthe second the horns sounded, and his heart pounded as he jerked upright, his feet hitting the floor. Not that he’d gotten any sleep. How could he when his bonded was out there somewhere taking risks that should be his? With barely a brief knock, Benta walked in.

“I don’t know who, sire,” he answered Raz’s unspoken question. “Let me help you dress.” He yanked a clean shirt from the dresser, and in barely a few moments, Raz was presentable. Not that he really cared. “Just like old times, sire,” Benta murmured, and Raz nodded. Benta had been at his side in a lot of conflicts, and they often shared the same tent.

Another moment, and he was striding towards the great hall and the throne room. Magically, Carter appeared looking as unruffled as always. The same could not be said for the judiciaries as they, too, stumbled in after him. After another few moments, Grandmother also joined him, and Raz was ridiculously pleased to see her.

Then his heart hit his boots because both double doors were swung open as Sovereign Markell marched into the room, followed by his personal guards and Emperor Johannas. His head nod to Raz and Her Highness were perfunctory at best as he marched up to the judiciaries and laid down an old bag with a mended broken strap that looked heavy. As he opened it, the heat it gave off was palpable. Donning a pair of gloves, he drew out a small packet wrapped in a cloth, which he quickly unwrapped and held up.

“An intact glowing prism of red rock.”

Raz bit back his comment as the judiciaries took it in turn to examine it and agreed it fulfilled the stipulations of the challenge. Markell bowed before them. “And as I am the first competitor to return with the prism, I hereby claim the throne of Cadmeera.”

The entire great hall was silent.

Carter stepped forward. “If you will allow me, Your Highnesses?”

Raz couldn’t have spoken if his life depended on it, and in that instance, he couldn’t care less about his throne or kingdom or any of it. He just wanted Attiker home, safe, and in his arms.

“Respected assembly,” Carter began. “The judiciaries have agreed that Sovereign Markell is the winner of the first trial, but we have another half-bell before the time limit is passed, so I’m afraid—”

But Carter didn’t get a chance to say what he was afraid of because the horns in the courtyard all blared once more.

And Raz didn’t wait. He would have said he shifted into his Fenrir, but he wasn’t sure his wolf gave him any choice, and he was already running on four paws before he cleared the throne room and the hall. No one made any attempt to stop him. No one dared, even if they stopped and gawped at their crown prince racing through the palace and bursting through the entrance.

He skidded to a halt, and a deep growl reverberated through his chest at the state of his bonded as Ash had to help him down from the horse he seemed to be barely staying on top of.

Instantly, Raz shifted back, and Attiker saw him. Attiker put out a hand to stop Raz from grabbing him, and then he noticed the small cloth-wrapped parcel tied to his chest.

“Sire, he has to get to the throne room. You can’t help him,” Thakeray said, catching him up and thrusting his ripped clothes at him, which Raz haphazardly pulled on. Ash surrendered both sets of reins and hooked an arm around Attiker, who limped. His Fenrir wanted to howl his anger. Their bonded was hurt. Someone had dared to…Raz took a step towards him ready to wrest Attiker from Ash’s arms and into his own, but Thakeray stepped in front of him. Raz snarled.

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