Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen
Chapter Twenty-Six
Raine kept runningthe events of the morning over and over in his mind. His glove worked, Darien was a shapeshifter, he’d been taken by pirates… Darien was a shapeshifter.
The doctor had stitched his hand and chided Raine for being careless and wandering the shores alone. Raine let the words wash over him. There was so much to think about. His glove had worked.
Darien burst into the parlor, all energy and agitation. The mood of the room shifted, the doctor and servant on edge, both of them leaving as quickly as possible. And then Raine was alone with his husband. His shapeshifter husband.
Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out the glove.
“Tell me what this is.”
It cut right through Raine’s shock, straight through the thrill of his success, and carved a swathe of fear through his heart. He opened his mouth to speak, to lie or deflect or do something to move the alpha’s attention onto anything but this. But Darien was laser-focused. There’d be no talking his way out of it.
His heart was in his mouth, pounding in time with the pulsing pain in his palm as the alpha crossed the room toward him.
“I… It’s… I didn’t…”
Each sentence he tried to start trailed off unfinished as the alpha got closer and closer. And then Darien was kneeling in front of him, right down on the floor, so that Raine was looking down at the alpha, not up.
“You’re not in any trouble, Raine. I’m not angry with you. I just need to understand. What is this? How did you get it? What happened on that boat?”
Darien’s voice was impossibly gentle, as if he knew the terror running through Raine’s veins. It was too much to take in. Was Darien really not angry? Would he truly listen to what Raine had to say? There was only one way to find out.
“I made it.”
“You made it?”
“Yes.”
“What for?”
He could lie, couldn’t he? It looked like jewelry, so he’d just say that’s what it was. But he found that he didn’t want to lie to Darien, to be forced to hide what he was doing. Maybe they’d banish him, send him home to his father, or maybe they’d never let him practice alchemy ever again. But that was the risk he’d have to take.
“For practice.”
“You made it for practice?” Darien repeated slowly, as if trying to make sense of the words.
“I’ve been teaching myself for years. I only had a tiny bit of celestial silver, so I could never do much. But I found some here, in an old storeroom. I didn’t think anyone would miss it.” He was babbling, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
Darien held up a hand. “Okay, okay. Slow down. You said you made it for practice, but for what? What is it supposed to do?”
Raine swallowed hard, admitting, “It destroys spelled objects.”
Darien’s eyes lit up. “You used it to punch a hole in the pirate’s ship.”
“That wasn’t my plan. I was on the beach looking for spelled wood that might have washed up so I could test it. I didn’t even know if it would work. The pirates just… got in the way.”
“I imagine they’re regretting that, even as we speak.”
Was Raine seeing things, or was there a smile on Darien’s face?
“I’m sorry. The, um, the silver I took for the glove. It was only a tiny amount, and I can remove it. It’s not irretrievable.”
Darien canted his head to the side. “Remove it? Why would you do that? It works. We need it. And more.”
Raine had to be hearing things.
“More?”
“As many as you can make. We might need to refine the design. It looks more like jewelry than a weapon.”
“Weapon?” Raine echoed.
Darien pushed to his feet, distracted.
“You should get some rest. I’ll be back soon. I need to talk to my father.”
And then he was gone, striding out the door.
“No, wait. Darien—”
Darien might not care that Raine had been doing what he was doing or realize the gravity of his actions. But the king would. There was so much wrong with all he’d done. Not just the stealing—and where to even start with that?—but the workshop, daring to even practice alchemy as an omega, and creating a… a weapon. If it was his father, his fate would already be sealed. Raine didn’t know what view King Tiberius would take but he knew it wouldn’t be good for him regardless.
Too tired to move, with escape from this island prison an impossibility, he simply curled up in his chair and huddled beneath the blanket, awaiting his fate.
* * *
He’d falleninto a light doze when the door opened again. Darien stepped inside, followed by his father. The king took one look at him and stepped back to the door, speaking to someone out in the hall.
“Fetch the doctor to see to Prince Raine.”
“At once, Your Majesty.”
The king came back inside, closing the door after him. He took a seat opposite Raine and waved Darien into the other empty chair.
“I’m sorry,” Raine offered, knowing it was too little too late.
King Tiberius regarded him for a long moment and then said something Raine didn’t expect.
“I’m not your father.”
He didn’t know what the proper response was or even what it meant. Was the king trying to say that he didn’t see Raine as a son-in-law?
“And Stormshield is not Ludinia,” the king continued.
No, he was saying something else altogether.
“I… I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Tell me about your study of alchemy.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
He flicked his gaze toward Darien, and the alpha gave him an encouraging nod.
“Please, Raine,” King Tiberius said, drawing Raine’s attention back to him. “I would very much like to hear your story. There hasn’t been an alchemist in this kingdom for over a generation.”
He stared at the king, contemplating his answer for a moment.
“My uncle was an alchemist. He used to tell me all about the amazing things he’d make. Sometimes he’d bring them to show me. Amazing, impossible creations. Unlike most people, I could see the magic below the surface. I wanted to understand it, to learn it. I wanted to be just like him. But any time I said it, people would laugh, or—or worse.”
He swallowed hard, remembering his confusion and humiliation, how much he’d hated being told that he couldn’t be what he most desired. How he’d learned to hide his interest and feign indifference.
“He died when I was eight, and he left me a pocket watch. There was a hidden compartment inside with a tiny piece of celestial silver. I found it when I was ten. It took me three years to figure out how to use it. And even longer before I could create the simplest of things—like a toy for Ferno.”
It wouldn’t have taken nearly as long if he hadn’t had to work in secret, stealing the tools he needed and hiding every scrap of paper he ever wrote on. Forever afraid of discovery and bringing the wrath of his father down upon his head.
The king gestured to Darien, who handed over Raine’s glove.
“And you created this just in the time you’ve been here?”
Raine gave a cautious nod.
“How did you manage it?”
“I… turned one of the rooms into a workshop.”
“May we see it?”
Before he could think better of it, he was on his feet. Darien was by his side in an instant, offering him a steadying arm. Which was just as well since the world threatened to tip over on him. He leaned heavily into Darien as they made their way out to the corridor.
“It’s the last room,” he said, pointing. “I think it used to be some sort of workroom for growing seeds and potting plants.”
When Darien tried to walk straight to the door, Raine had to tug him back.
“That door is locked. I’ve been going in and out through the adjoining room, just in case anyone saw me.”
He probably shouldn’t have been so honest about the lengths he’d gone to to hide what he was doing. But Darien’s only reaction was to look from door to door in question.
Raine pointed to the right one, feeling strong enough to let go of Darien’s arm and lead the way. The two alphas followed him through the room and into his workshop. He stood to the side and let them in, let them see everything—his homemade forge, his distillery, his sketches and plans. The celestial silver he’d pilfered.
“Remarkable. You haven’t even been here two months and you’ve managed to put all this together. Without anyone noticing a thing.” The king aimed a pointed look Darien’s way, and the alpha prince looked a little abashed.
“I—” Raine didn’t know what to say. Should he be defending himself, or apologizing?
“Far be it from me to discourage real talent. Darien will see to it that you have what you need.”
Raine froze. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They were going to let him keep his workshop? And the silver? He could… he could still practice alchemy?
“But I’m an omega.”
“And a self-taught alchemist of some skill,” the king said, picking up one of Raine’s sketches with care. “Talent like yours should be nurtured. Omega or no, if you can help us defend and protect the kingdom against our foes, we are very happy to encourage you in your quest to learn.”
Suddenly, Raine’s secret plan to become an alchemist had the royal seal of approval. The word shocked didn’t even touch on how he felt. Everything went a little squirrelly for a moment, and then Darien was there, a strong arm around him, holding him up.
“Let’s get the doctor to check you over and then you can get some rest.”
Raine didn’t argue, his head buzzing with so many revelations. This couldn’t be happening, could it? After a lifetime of misfortune, he could not be this lucky.