Page 40 of Fated or Knot

“You are the first fae who’s seen me when I walk in their dreams andremembered it the next day, besides other dream wardens like me. Do you know what that means?” he asked.

I didn’t know what it meant, but my curiosity piqued. “Is that your race? Dream warden?”

“Aye. I’m a dreamlander. My people are from a piece of land in Serian where the space between sleep and waking leaks into the real world,” he explained. “Dreamlanders weren’t originally Unseelie, but the magic of Ever, Always, and Never warped our magic. Plus, crossbreeding many generations ago with our Unseelie neighbors gave us designations and fae blood.

“Only those close to the royal family know that my line can walk in and effect dreams. Ordinary dreamlanders cannot be both essence spinnersanddream wardens.”

“But you’re not ordinary,” I said.

A teasing smile crossed his face. “Oh, you think so? I’m flattered.”

Even in a dream, I wasn’t able to stop the heat of a blush. “Yes, actually.” He was an approachable face amongst his brothers, and I felt a draw to him that had nothing to do with how he smelled. Even though… I leaned forward to nuzzle against his neck, trying to pick out any scent. My nostrils flared when I found it, the same teasing note that’d been coming in and out of my nose in a more concentrated form.

He smelled amazing, but not like anything I could put a word to. Like a feeling, or a concept, but not something tangible like with his alpha brothers.

“I don’t think you’re ordinary either, sweetheart.” Once I was done investigating his mysterious smell, he nuzzled me back and inhaled just like an alpha would.

I closed my eyes with a sigh. “Oh, I really am, though,” I murmured.

“Don’t hide from me,” he said gently, catching my chin between his thumb and forefinger. We were lying so close, face to face now, tucked together. Nothing else mattered in this dream but him, the solid anchor keeping me steady. “All the males in my line have had to accept the scent-matched omega their brothers select. Sometimes, chosen princesses aren’t the dream warden’s mate too. It’s part of the burden of being the pack’s beta.”

He stroked my cheek, cupping my face as his expression softened, searching mine with a whole galaxy of stars glimmering in his gaze. “But here, in my domain, you smell like Always and the promise of eternity. The stars have blessed us. No matter what happens in the waking world, know that I am yours and would follow you anywhere. We are fated to be.”

He kissed me. That was really the only way to keep me from pestering him with dozens of questions, and I melted into himlike his next exhale was the breath I needed. We tangled further, wings and arms and the heat of him growing hard between us.

He tasted like he smelled. Like Always, whatever he meant by that. It was dreams and potential and something more nebulous still, like the sparkling stardust that made up his magic. I wondered if I would’ve tasted this if he kissed me in reality, or if it was only for the time beyond our waking hours.

Warmth lingered on my tongue as I woke abruptly, clutching my fleece blanket. I cracked my eyes open to the light of early morning warming the room and made a mewl of denial at being awake.

“I am yours.”What a gentle male. Any ordinary alpha would turn it around and say“you are mine.”Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that I’d woken when I did, else I might’ve told him the truth: that I wanted to be his, too.

So much for not getting too attached. It was time to acknowledge it; I was ready for the fight to come. I would scheme against my stepmother and try to become the best potential princess in the week I had before I met the Queen of Serian. Only then could I keep these princes and let myself be their omega.

14

LARK

Snores and snorts permeated the other side of the room, most of them coming from Laurel, who was splayed on her side with her mouth open. I slowly stirred from my nest at another, lower sound and looked over the edge of my bunk.

Marius grunted and puffed on the floor, shirtless, his blue skin coated in a sheen of sweat as he performed pushups with one arm. His defined back muscles flexed, holding my admiring gaze. Males didn’t get as strong as him without significant discipline and focus.

My nerves quavered.If anyone is going to be brutally honest, it’d be him,I reminded myself.

“Marius,” I whispered.

He paused before his next pushup and cracked his neck, standing with a slow roll of those muscles. He looked up at me expectantly. Most of the impatience that I’d seen mark his yellow gaze yesterday was absent. From this vantage, I had a straight view down at his ridged abs and the gold bars piercing his nipples. Most of the thoughts populating my mind vanished.I wanted to ask him…about how much it hurt to get those piercings? No, that wasn’t it.

“What is it?” he muttered, drawing my attention back to his face. Oh, he was going straight back to his usual annoyance with me.

I willed myself to rally. “What do I need to do to improve?” My inner omega cringed when his gaze sharpened. I really should’ve just asked him about the piercings; that’d be a more pleasant conversation. “To…to be more like a princess? And to impress your mother?”

His answer was about as blunt as I’d expected.

Amongst the items the princes had gathered for the return trip was a primer on the Serian language and a blank journal for me. After breakfast, when we’d pressed the top bunks back into their place and stacked the couch cushions over the lower cots, I got to work.

On the first page of the journal, I put a charcoal pencil to the immaculate paper and marked it with my untidy scrawl.

Things to improve on:

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