Page 185 of Fated or Knot

I wetted my lips, knowing I had to be making a terrible new first impression with this male. “I can’t.”

He held his hand out for it, then scanned its contents while snorting twin plumes of smoke. Without questioning me further, he read it out loud. “‘Dear Lark, I am saddened to inform you that we cannot see one another in person at this time. There is a plan afoot that I have been forced to agree to. However, upon arriving to Neslune, I hunted your enemies for you and successfully captured one Floris of Osme Fen. We call him Fangless Floris now. I thought you may want to hold some peace of mind and know that I will deliver you four more fangs to complete the set. With love, Marius.’”

He handed me back the letter. “Hmm. That’s sweet, coming from him,” he remarked.

I took it back and looked at the fangs with new appreciation. He’d defanged Floris for me? I’m sure Kauz had mentioned one of the Ellisar brothers losing his fangs, but it’d gotten lost in the avalanche of other information about my stepsister.

As I understood it, defanging an alpha was much worse than a simple dental procedure. Alpha fangs were the one pair of teeth that wouldn’t dull, chip, or fall out under normal circumstances. Even alphas with terrible gums would lose every other tooth but their fangs.

It was part of their identity, connected to the soul in some small way. Alphas claimed their omegas with their fangs and left their scent in other bites. Without them, their bodies degraded, losing physical size and strength, but also the bonds they’dcreated, transforming them into the equivalent of a broken beta. Healthy betas could still have bonds, but not defanged alphas.

No matter what, Floris could never claim me. I’d recently confided in Marius that carrying Pack Ellisar’s claim—and thus, their scents—on my body forever was one of the most terrifying threats. So, he’d done this. Broken one of the Ellisar brothers, after everything they’d done and intended to do to me.

A small, vicious smile lifted my lips.Very thoughtful, in a feral kind of way.That was Marius in a nutshell.

“Oh, stars. My gift for him seems so small now,” I said, pulling the metalark feathers out of my pocket. I’d placed them carefully in an envelope to keep them pristine. “Will you give this to Marius for me, Lon?”

She took the envelope with a perky smile. “I’m sure he’ll love them, Princess,” she said, before fluttering off.

This left me alone with Theodred. His serious expression and craggy features didn’t leave much room for interpretation, but he had a thoughtful air as his gray eyes drifted from the handmaiden back to me. “Come with me. And don’t be scared,” he stated. “I wish to share about my tattoos.”

“Um, okay,” I said.

He lumbered into motion, heading away from the guards and stables. I had to hurry to keep pace with his long stride. He extended his arm, tracing one path of blood red knots that spiraled around his limb. Each was the size of a full moon coin. “Each linked tattoo represents a life I have taken. I have so many now that I have taken to tattooing the insides to represent another honorable kill.”

Icy discomfort skittered over my skin. He had to be covered inhundredsof them. I knew he was Serian’s executioner and a decorated fighter, but to see him carry the evidence proudly was something else. “That’s a lot of lives,” I squeaked out.

“I don’t regret a single one. On my arm here, these represent the fifty-seven souls that have attempted to murder my mate or a member of my family.” His squared fingertip traced the path of tattoos approximately halfway up his forearm.

“And here, the males that have plotted to steal away and forcefully bond with my daughters. Fifteen for Tanith, twenty-three for Siora, and eight for Eletha.” He switched arms as he added, “Here represent the deaths of those who have attempted kidnappings for ransom. Many of them were trying to take Nemensia or one of my sons before they were old enough to manifest their alpha marks, or magic in Kauzden’s case.”

My eyes just kept getting wider as he listed out the exact number of fae who’d died for each crime.

“And here is my aegis of triumph upon successfully enacting new laws for the rights and protections of omegas, upon ascending to my seat as Blood King. I have killed countless alphas for the crime of gravely mistreating the life-givers of the fae race. I have added them as a pattern around it.”

He showed me the inside of his elbow, where indeed there was a different style of redcap tribal knot, this one a faded gray with rays of small tick marks radiating from it like the rays of the sun. This one knot could represent the deaths of hundreds of alphas, if he’d stand there and let me count the tiny marks around it for hours. However, I suspected he knew exactly how many there were already.

He gestured to our surroundings. Servants tended to the flowerbeds around us, coaxing the beginnings of growth from the soil. “It is like tending to a garden. We must give little value to the weeds that choke life from the flowers. They must be removed for the good of all.”

“I understand,” I said. At this point I must’ve had an expression verging on awe just from the fact he remembered allthis.Andhad placed the knowledge on himself permanently as a warning to others.

He patted me ever so gently atop my head. “That is my duty, daughter. There’s no need to be afraid of the one who keeps you safe.”

I swallowed thickly. “Okay, um, Dad,” I murmured.

“Very soon, I intend to add three more marks to myself.”

I smiled up at him, oddly comforted while still being downright terrified. Maybe he just had that effect on others.

“I must return to my duties now. Have a lovely day.”

I waved in farewell and noticed he’d left me a few paces away from a garden gazebo, where Thalas, Nemensia, and Elion were gathered. The kelpie king took in my thunderstruck expression and hid a laugh poorly behind a sip from a tiny ceramic mug.

52

LARK

The queen waved for me to come over. The gazebo had a central table with eight sides, each with a small bench. Nemensia and her two mates had me circle around it for hugs, even Elion, who intercepted me first with a brief, warm purr that helped me shake off the lingering feeling of being overwhelmed by Theodred’s presence. Thalas gestured for me to sit between him and Nemensia, and I settled there.

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