Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen

Chapter Fifteen

Three days,three attempts to apologize, and Darien was no closer to making amends to his husband. Raine was clearly hurt by his actions, more deeply than Darien had anticipated. He was at a loss as to what to do but give the omega time and hoped he came around. The guilt ate at him though, pulling his thoughts from his duties and driving him to distraction.

“Darien!”

Too late, he spied the pirate swinging at him with a wicked looking blade. The knife slipped between the panels of light armor he wore, cutting through leather and cloth to slice across the skin of his chest. He didn’t give the pirate a chance to lunge at him a second time, knocking him to the ground and forcing the blade from his wrist. He took a blow to the head and a kick to the chest, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs as he struggled to get the upper hand. With a roar of anger, he seized the pirate, lifted him into the air, and tossed him onto the sand. Two guards jumped on him, immobilizing him with ease, and Darien turned to find Rex at his elbow.

“That was too close, Darien.”

“I’m fine.” He winced even as he said it, feeling the blood dripping down his chest.

“I think you’ve had enough for today, don’t you? Thorne and I can handle the rest.”

Darien wanted to protest but if he hadn’t been in the right frame of mind before, he certainly wasn’t now.

“Might need stitches,” he conceded with a grunt and turned to make his way back to the castle, waving off the guard Rex tried to send with him.

They were only a few miles from home, and he walked along the cliffs, keeping his eyes peeled for any more pirate ships looking to sneak ashore. He knew it was unlikely—this was as close as the pirates had gotten to the castle in weeks. They were concentrating their efforts on parts of the island that were less well defended.

The wind picked up suddenly, howling around him, and making it all the harder to traverse the rough terrain. He was within sight of the castle, happy to be so close to home, when he caught a strange sound carried on the wind. It was distant and indistinct, but it almost sounded like a voice.

He paused and listened, the sound coming again. Definitely a voice. He followed it toward the edge of the cliffs, curious but not overly concerned. This near to the castle, with the heavy guard presence, people weren’t so afraid to spend time by the shore. The beach below was empty, but at the edge of his vision, he caught sight of something white.

They hadn’t had snow in recent days, and it was too big to be a seabird. He leaned over, trying to figure out what he was looking at. It was a person, clinging to the cliff face, and wearing a familiar white cloak. Raine.

He was perched on a little outcropping of rock, pressed to the cliff face, and he wasn’t moving.

“Raine!”

The omega glanced up, his eyes going wide.

“Darien?”

“Can you climb back up?” He was about six or seven feet from the top of the cliff, and there was a long way to fall.

“Uh… I’m trying, but I’m not so good with heights.”

At that moment, his foot slipped on the damp rock, and he let out a cry of fear.

Darien was over the side of the cliff before the sound had faded, climbing down on sure feet, his own pain forgotten.

“Hold tight, Raine.”

It wasn’t an easy climb, the rocks damp and slippery beneath his grip. But he was focused single-mindedly on his task—seeing Raine safe. When he was level with the omega, he found Raine clinging to the wall, his eyes clenched shut.

“Hey, there.”

Raine peeked his eyes open and started babbling.

“I’m sorry. I know you said to be careful on the cliffs, and I should have…”

Panic wasn’t going to help either of them out of this situation.

“Raine, calm down. Let’s just focus on getting you back on solid ground.”

“Up or down,” Raine asked, staring at him as if afraid to look in any other direction.

“We’re only a few steps from the top of the cliff.” Maybe that wasn’t entirely true, but the omega was already panicking. The simpler Darien made this, the better.

“A few steps?” Raine repeated.

“I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“You won’t let me fall?”

“Never.”

There was a long pause. “Okay.”

In truth, it seemed like a miracle that Raine trusted him enough to get him out of this.

“I’m going to guide you up, okay? Step by step.”

He eased toward Raine, knowing he’d need to be close enough to support him if something went wrong.

“Here we go. Nice and slow. Don’t look down.”

They climbed up, handhold to handhold, foothold to foothold. He could feel Raine shaking, whether from cold or strain or fear he didn’t know.

“Almost there,” he told him. “Just a few more steps.”

“You said that already,” the omega argued, his teeth chattering.

“We’re close, I promise. Look up and see for yourself.”

Raine shook his head, his body shaking harder. “I can’t. If I think about up, I’ll start thinking about how far down I can fall, and…”

“Good point. Don’t think about that.” Darien cast his mind around for something else to focus on. “Concentrate on the feeling of the rocks beneath your hands—rough and cold.”

Raine took a few deep breaths and the shaking eased. Darien took the chance to guide him to the next foothold. They were only three feet from the top now. Another few steps and Raine would be able to grasp the edge and haul himself up. The omega climbed on, reaching blindly for the next handhold when his foot slipped out from under him.

“Darien!”

He reacted without thinking, catching Raine around the waist, kicking off with his feet, and using one hand to pull them both upwards. They just cleared the cliff edge, landing hard on the rough but solid ground. His ribs exploded with pain, and it was all he could do to pant through it.

They lay there for a moment, struggling to catch their breaths, before Darien tried to move. It was a mistake, and he knew it the second he tried, groaning softly.

“Darien?”

He forced his attention away from his own hurts and turned to the prince.

“Are you hurt, Raine?”

“No, I…” The omega gave a quick shake of his head, glancing down at himself. “Cold and feeling foolish, but I’m not hurt.”

“Good.”

He tried to smile, but his expression elicited a wide-eyed stare from the omega.

“But you are.” Raine reached a hand out slowly, cupping Darien’s cheek. “What happened?”

“Pirates.”

“Again?”

“They never stop coming.” He sat up slowly, stifling another groan. “What about you? How’d you end up on the side of the cliff?” He had a good idea that the prince hadn’t just decided to take up free climbing.

Raine paled and took his hand from Darien’s cheek, letting it fall to his side. He stumbled over his next words, avoiding Darien’s eyes.

“I, um, I was walking, and I guess I got distracted. The wind picked up and the next thing I knew…”

“The gusts can be fierce this time of year.”

Raine sneaked a look his way. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“I know you said to be careful on the cliffs, and you just had to climb down and get me, and you’re already injured…”

Raine’s anxious babbling set his teeth on edge. Not the words, exactly, but the fear behind them. He preferred the cold indifference of their last few conversations to this.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

His words cut through Raine’s panic.

“And I’m glad I was there to help when you needed it.”

Raine was holding himself tensely, watching him as if he was waiting for something. Remembering the misunderstanding about the winter clothes and going outside, Darien was starting to suspect he had an idea what Raine was waiting for.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he asked again.

Raine shook his head. The silence was as unnerving as the babbling had been.

“Then allow me to escort you back to the castle.”

He stood, grimacing at the pain that lanced through his ribs, and held out a hand toward Raine. The omega hesitated only a moment before taking it but did most of the work of standing as if he was aware of how much pain Darien was in.

“I can run ahead and get the doctor,” Raine suggested, eyeing him uncertainly.

“It’s not that bad. Nothing a hot bath and a pint of ale won’t help.”

He let go of Raine’s hand only to offer him his other hand so they could walk side by side. The omega’s eyes flicked from his outstretched hand to Darien’s face.

“The ground is rough and you might be a little unsteady on your feet after your fall.”

He waited another moment and then turned toward the castle, hesitating when he felt Raine’s hand slip into his. He curled his fingers around the omega’s cold hand and started walking.

A guard spotted them before they reached the castle and the doors were open and waiting for them.

“Do you need anything, Prince Darien?” the guard asked, taking in Raine’s shivering form and Darien’s bruised face.

“The doctor,” Raine said quickly.

Darien was too tired to overrule him.

“Send him to the morning room. We’ll both need a change of clothes and some blankets. And have the kitchen bring us something hot to drink, it’s cold out there.” Who knew how long Raine had been clinging to that cliff, exposed to the elements?

“I’ll just return to my rooms…” Raine suggested.

Darien wasn’t letting him off that easily.

“You took a fall. The doctor should see to you too.”

Raine opened his mouth to argue, and Darien didn’t have the heart to keep pushing. Something must have shown on his face because the omega shut his mouth without a word.

The morning room was empty, of course. That was why Darien had chosen it. But a fire burned in the hearth, warm air billowing through the room. There were comfortable armchairs and settees, and Darien nudged Raine to the one closest to the fire.

“Warm up. The doctor won’t be long.”

Raine turned back to him, crossing his arms. “You’re the one who…” He trailed off, his eyes fixed on Darien’s chest. “You’re bleeding.”

He glanced down at himself. “It’s just a cut.”

“From a pirate?”

“Bastard was good with a blade.”

“Is he dead?”

Darien shook his head. “He’ll be a guest in our very comfortable cliff side cells for the foreseeable future.” They usually returned them to whatever rock they claimed as home after a few months.

The doctor bustled in, looking less than pleased. Darien insisted that he saw to Raine first, only letting his own wounds be examined when the doctor had made sure the omega was okay. It was as he was awkwardly tugging his shirt over his head that he realized this wasn’t his best plan. No matter how badly he wanted to talk to Raine and clear the air, this wasn’t a good time to do it. The omega wouldn’t look at him and see a strong husband or a future king. He’d see an injured alpha in desperate need of a bath. Hardly a good second impression.

But before he could send Raine away, servants arrived with clothes, blankets, and food and drink from the kitchens.

He escaped with only a handful of stitches, suffering the doctor’s poking and prodding with as much magnanimity as he could muster while doing his best to avoid glancing in Raine’s direction. When the doctor took his leave, and Darien finally sought out the omega, he found him standing by the fireplace, his arms crossed, with a set of clean clothes perched on the arm of the chair next to him. Despite his proximity to the fire, little shivers coursed through him every few seconds.

“I should go back to my rooms,” he said again, glancing at Darien over his shoulder.

“Eat something first. Get warmed up. We… we should talk. Please.”

“… Okay.”

Darien stood slowly, turning toward his own clean clothes. The servants had been thoughtful enough to bring towels and a damp cloth, so he wiped off the worst of the blood before getting dressed. He heard Raine moving about behind him and kept his back turned to give the omega some privacy.

There was an awkward cough before Raine spoke. “Tea?”

Darien turned to see the omega at the table, preparing to pour.

“Please.”

He moved to sit at the table, but Raine waved him toward the settee next to the fire. “You’ll be more comfortable.”

The omega handed him a cup and a sandwich on a plate. Then he returned to sit next to him with a mug clutched in his hands.

“Is this about my going outside?”

Darien was only a little surprised by the question, but he had a ready answer.

“No. This is about me being an idiot.”

Raine gave him a sideways glance, wide-eyed.

“I made a mistake last Friday. I acted completely inappropriately without considering your feelings. I’m ashamed of how I behaved, Raine. And I apologize for the hurt I’ve caused you.”

There was a long, strained silence.

“Are you in love with him?”

Darien jolted and almost dropped his cup.

“What?”

“Fian. Are you and he together? Was this marriage forced on you?”

Darien took a moment to compose himself. “Fian and I are nothing to each other. He’s never looked at me twice before that night. I had too much to drink, and I guess Fian has a thing for the unobtainable.”

“Is that supposed to excuse you taking him to your bed?”

Darien turned to stare at the omega. “Fian has never been anywhere near my bed.”

“I saw you. He was all over you. You left the hall with him…”

“And I found a servant to take him back to his rooms. Goren. You can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

“As if a servant would dare tell me anything that contradicts his prince.”

“Then ask my brother, Thorne. He was with me that night after I sent Fian home. Or ask my father about Fian being sent away.”

“I already know your father sent Fian back to his family.” Raine was staring into his cup as if it would give him all the answers.

“Ask him why.”

“And if I do, what will he tell me?”

“That I asked him to send Fian away.”

Another silence followed.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” Raine said softly.

Darien was in pain, frustrated, and so very tired.

“I’d like you to give me another chance. I’d like to start over. I…” He paused, knowing he wouldn’t get anywhere without a little honestly. “The answer to your second question is yes. This marriage was forced on me.”

“What? Why?” Raine’s puzzlement was clear.

Darien shrugged. “You were the only one to ever get off the airship. Marrying someone from your kingdom wasn’t an opportunity we could afford to turn down.”

Raine stood and set his cup down, pacing toward the window. He spent a long moment staring out before he spoke again.

“You didn’t want to get married, but my getting off the airship forced your hand?”

“If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else, eventually.”

He knew his father had been making quiet inquiries to nearby kingdoms to find a match for him. He just thought he’d have more time.

“I’m sorry,” Raine offered.

“This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. Though I… I do have questions.”

Raine turned to face him. “Questions about what?”

“Why you got off the airship. Why you agreed to marry me. It doesn’t make any sense from where I’m standing. I’m not sure we’ll be able to move forward, if you even want that, without some understanding between the two of us.”

Raine looked down, sighing heavily. “You’re right. We both walked into this blindfolded, and we’ve been stumbling around in the dark ever since. You might not like what you hear. I… I’m not the catch you seem to think I am.”

“I’m the prince of a kingdom that’s been ostracized by most of the rest of the world. I’m in no position to throw stones. Sit, Raine. Please. Let’s shed some light on this dark situation.”