Page 11 of Fated or Knot

“Li’l omega does not know where to go?” he asked. He put a little more pressure on a spot under my eye.

I should’ve been terrified of this male…but if he wasUnseelie, he was unlike every stereotype so far. He smelled like a scent match and hadn’t seemed to notice or care about my grass-stained servant’s attire and the dimness of my wings.

I couldprobablytrust him to get me to an inn. “Do you know the way out of the castle grounds?” I asked him.

“Aye.”

I didn’t know what he meant, but he nodded, so I took that as a yes.

“I just want to find a place with a room for the night,” I murmured.

He swung a heavy arm over my shoulders. “I will take you,” he promised.

We made it a few steps before I trembled. The sweat that’d clung to my skin from the last wave of pre-heat was swiftly becoming chilling now that my body was cooling. The big alpha paused and unfastened the hook holding his cloak over hisshoulders. He draped the blanket of warm fabric over me, his meaty fingers working the gold ring closed again under my chin.

“There,” he said. A moment later, he added, “Nay.”

“Nay?” I echoed, confused.

He dropped to one knee and withdrew a knife from his boot. The edge went into the beautiful cloak before I could protest, cutting off the bottom third so it wasn’t dragging on the ground.

“There,” he said again, putting the knife away.

“Thank you,” I said, baffled. What was done was done, but I didn’t know how to respond to him mangling his own cloak for me. Even with the bottom removed, it was still voluminous around my frame. I flattened my wings to my back and pulled it closed around my front, taking a moment to breathe in his scent clinging to the fabric.

Well, waste not.I picked up the length he’d cut away before he steered me down the garden path once more, folding it into a rectangle and stuffing it in my smock.

His shirt barely had sleeves, revealing his arms, both thick with muscle and cushioned from plenty to eat, and the ruby-gemmed armband wrapped around his bicep. The gold was engraved with maple leaves.

“I am Tormund. What is your name?” he asked.

I told him, and he grinned. He had a broad, charming smile, wide and toothy. I guessed what he was about to say in my head before his lips formed the words. “Lark, I like. Li’l bird.”

“Where are you from, Tormund?” I asked.

His big smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful squint. There was no answer for a long pause, before he finally said, “I tell you a secret. But it is between you and me, okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I am from Neslune, capital of Serian,” he whispered behind his hand. “My brothers didn’t want me to tell anyone. But the li’l bird should know.”

Well, I’d figured him out pretty quickly. He wasn’t exactly a subtle member of the Unseelie. He certainly didn’t seem to possess even a sliver of the deceitful nature they were known for.

Or maybe he’s anexcellentliar.

“Where’s your animal feature?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t a rude question.

“Oh, it’s hidden. You want to see?”

“Um, sure.”

He tugged his armband off, and an illusion faded from his face. We were walking through the part of the garden illuminated by essence-filled flowers, so I saw the change immediately. He had the same pack mark as Fal, which suggested they were both princes and half-brothers born of the same omega.

His Unseelie trait poked from his hairline, a pair of dark gray horns twice as thick as his fingers. They were pointed triangles, about three inches long. I saw why he had his hair cut short on the sides, as the longer middle rested perfectly in between his horns.

“Thank you for showing me. You might want to put them away before a guard sees,” I suggested.

“Aye, smart.” He put the armlet back on, erasing all signs that he wasn’t a salamander. I didn’t know what race he was, only that he and Fal couldn’t be more different.

---