Page 38 of Consort

It smells like the Omega. Her essence is woven into its threads. As exasperating as this foolish attachment is, I can’t let go of the only physical thing that I have of her. I lock eyes with the servant, daring her to try and take it from me.

The calmer one covers her mouth and giggles, softening the other’s stern expression.

She relents. “Fine. But into the bath with you,” she says, pushing me into the steamy bathing chamber. Folas must have told them I had returned.

“I can heat the water next time,” I offer, smiling over my shoulder at her as I toss the cloak onto a seat against the wall. “It’d only take me seconds. I’m sure it was more work for you.”

The servants glance at each other, then at me. “That’s acceptable,” the stern one says before gasping and narrowing her eyes at my groin.

“Shit,” I say, trying to glamour the curls away before she grabs her blade.

“Oh, it’s fine,” she says with a wave of her hand. “The queen won’t need you for that until the Radiant Season begins. In with you!”

I step in the steaming water, both relieved and surprised at the revelation. “Really?”

“Mm hmm,” she says as she soaps up the same scratchy cloth as last time. “She will only require you to perform at each season change.”

“Don’t ask why. We don’t know,” the younger one says

That’s… odd. I thought the point of a consort was to provide companionship and sexual pleasure. She only feels the need for release four times a year? And at specific intervals? Why did she take me the other day when it didn’t fit the timeline? Was it totest my willingness? My skills?

“I can see your mind flopping around,” the kinder fae laughs. “If you figure it out, do share the answer with us. We’ve been trying to work it out for ages.”

“WhenI figure it out, you’ll be the first to know,” I tell her, lowering myself into the water.

I’ve uncovered a mystery most don’t even realize needs solving. I know something I shouldn’t because of them. Of course I’ll share the answer when I find it.

The servants allow me to recline while they bathe me. I figure out what their magic is as they apply the oils and massage my scalp again, much less formal and hurried than before. That same drifty feeling comes over me, and it finally registers–serenity. The magic I need more than any other for this job.

After my bath, I dress in the clothing they laid out for me and crawl into bed. Holding on to the peaceful feeling, and the cloak, I try to empty my mind so I can truly rest. No queen, no magic, not even a fascinating Omega shifter who’s hiding from her own kind.

Just a blank mind, a hollow heart, and a much-needed escape.

Chapter 14

Rue

Weeks of bland days pass with more quiet moments than I’d prefer. My days consist of tending the garden with my mother, washing our few garments of clothing, and finding nuts and berries to eat. I have too much time to lie in my bed and remember the perfect lines of a face I need to forget.

Not only his face but his body, too. Nakedness isn’t shocking to me. The Alphas weren’t shy after shifting. I was never particularly impressed by any of their bodies, though. As much as I hate to admit it and despite my fear of the fae, I was taken with what I saw.

Alphas are big and broad, with muscles growing on top of muscles. The fae stood even taller than an Alpha but with a leaner frame. His muscles looked just as powerful, but they flowed across his body like a calm rapid instead of the choppy, towering waves of an Alpha’s. Just as impressive, but less intimidating.

Though his body tempted my eyes, I kept them away from the part he used to violate me. I didn’t want to see his weapon of choice. But now, even though I hate him for what he did to me, I actually regret not looking. I’m dying to know what a knotless cock capable of satisfying a heat looks like.

It’s stupid. I don’t even want to remember him. But I’msobored. The brief memories that flash through my mind are the only exciting parts of my day. What makes it worse is that they’re not just of his stunning looks. I have memories of being aroused and hearing my own sounds of pleasure.

Ugh. I need to get my head straight. If those bits are real, it was just the heat that made me enjoy them. There could be awful memories lost forever to the heat.

Still… I feel I deserve to at least enjoy the good ones. Shouldn’t I get to takesomethinggood away from what happened?

The memories are incomplete, though. It’s like having flour, water, and salt but no yeast to make the bread rise. There’s nothing for my mind to truly feast on. I’m forced to survive on the crumbs. It’s maddening, but I’ll admit that it passes the time fairly well.

At first, when I made it back to the safety of my new home, I was glad I didn’t remember the mating. I didn’t want to know if he had hurt me or mocked me. But now that I know there were pleasurable moments, I’d give anything to remember more. My curiosity is incessant. So many questions float around in my under-stimulated brain.

Did he kiss me?I touch my lips as if I could find any trace of him still there.

Was he affected by my slick like an Alpha would be? Was it repelling to him as a fae? Did I try to please him, or did he just take from me the entire time?

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