Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen

Chapter Thirty

The pirate attackspicked up again, so Darien didn’t see much of Raine for a few days. Their new weapons were proving a success, but the pirates were quickly wise to their arsenal and were already changing their tactics. Still, they’d felled more boats in three days than they had in three weeks. If Raine could come up with something bigger, something better, their chances would be stronger. Or if his father agreed to let Darien show Raine the last secret of their kingdom, they may not need weapons at all.

Darien slept late, missing breakfast, and woke grumpy and sore. He washed, dressed, and headed for the kitchens to get some leftovers, lamenting the fact that he’d missed Raine yet again. With any luck, they’d be able to eat lunch together. Unless the pirates showed up again. He stepped out of the south wing and came face to face with the last person he wanted to see.

“Fian.”

The omega tilted his head to the side, regarding him with a smile. “Prince Darien.”

“I wasn’t aware you were back in the castle.”

“It’s almost midwinter. My father convinced the king that it was unfair to leave me cooped up at home during the festivities. It isn’t like I did anything wrong.”

Darien was too tired for this conversation. Fian knew exactly what they’d done—Darien still carried the shame of it though Raine seemed to have forgiven and forgotten.

“Was there something you wanted? I have things to do.”

“Always so busy,” Fian said softly. “Wearing yourself to the bone to protect the kingdom and running in circles trying to keep your omega husband happy.”

“Get to the point, Fian.” Darien didn’t want to hear any more of the other omega’s opinion of Raine.

“I’m trying to warn you. You shouldn’t give your heart so freely to King Uldar’s son.”

“He’s my husband.”

“But does he want to be?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Fian.”

He was more than irritated by the omega, always sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. He went to leave, but Fian stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“You need to hear this, Darien. Your husband isn’t as invested in this marriage as you think he is. He’s not as enamored by your relationship as you clearly are. I don’t know what he’s done to convince you otherwise, but he’s playing you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Sure, things between us were difficult at the start, but that’s true for many marriages. We’ve worked through it.”

“You have, maybe. But he hasn’t. It’s all arranged for him to leave.”

Darien shook his head, barking out a laugh.

“You’re out of your mind. Whatever fantasy you’ve got going on in your head, you need to keep it to yourself. Raine and I are happy. He’d never return home to Ludinia.”

Fian’s smile was predatory. “Oh, but he’s not going back to Ludinia. He’s going to Everstone. He has a friend there, Milo. Married to Prince Aloysius. Louis would do anything to keep his beloved Milo happy. Even arrange to find a place in his kingdom for Raine.”

“That’s not true.” It couldn’t be.

“Straight from the mouth of Prince Louis’s personal servant. I pity you, Prince Darien. All this time and effort you’ve been putting into your marriage, and Raine has had one foot out the door all the while.”

Darien didn’t want to believe it. Raine was happy. They were working things out.

“When? How?”

“There’s an airship landing here to refuel in a week’s time. Mostly cargo but they take passengers now and then. The plan is for him to leave with it, with that monstrosity he calls a cat. There’ll be someone from Everstone on the manifest to act as an escort. The ship only has one stop to make before Everstone.”

Darien shook his head. “You’re wrong.”

“If you don’t believe me, check the airship schedule.”

“He’s happy,” Darien muttered. “I thought he was happy.”

“He’s lived under his father’s thumb for almost twenty years, Prince Darien. King Uldar’s reputation is well-known. Raine must be very practiced at knowing how to appease alphas, how to make them see what he wants them to see. It’s no shame on you for being taken in by him. He must be a skilled manipulator.”

Skilled manipulator was a description Darien would previously have reserved for Fian himself.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, Fian.”

“No game,” he assured Darien. “Not this time. I was bored, last time, and maybe a little jealous. I didn’t think we were doing any harm. This is different. You didn’t care for Raine then, but you do now. Guard your heart, Prince Darien. And your kingdom. Any secrets you’ve shared with Raine will leave with him.”

With that, he bowed and turned to leave. Darien tried to call after him but couldn’t get the words out. His thoughts were a dull roar inside his head. None of this could be true, could it?

He walked on mindlessly, paying no attention to where he was going but trusting his legs to get him there.

He glanced up on hearing Rex’s voice.

“Darien, there you are. Father’s looking for you.”

“What?”

Rex’s eyes narrowed. “Father. He’s waiting for you in his study. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. I’ll go there now.”

He turned on his heel and headed toward the study, knocking before he let himself in.

“Morning, Father.”

“Almost afternoon,” the king said, looking him up and down with concern. “Long night?”

“Long night,” he confirmed. “We’re taking out more ships but for every one we destroy, another takes its place.”

“The benefit of backers with practically limitless wealth. I’ve been reviewing Raine’s designs for defensive weapons for the coastline. They’re very clever. Inspired, even. But the time it would take to build and position enough of them so even a fraction of the coast is protected would be significant.”

Darien nodded in agreement. “With the way the pirate attacks are escalating, we don’t have that kind of time. But then, that wasn’t the point of the exercise, was it? Has Raine proven himself yet?”

His father smiled. “He’s a true alchemist. The kind we haven’t seen in many generations. I think it’s time we shared with him the secret of Stormshield. If he’s as talented as he seems, our kingdom is in safe hands.”

Darien hesitated, wondering if he should share his strange conversation with Fian with his father. But there was hope on his father’s face for the first time in a long time. Darien didn’t want to dampen that with what was probably nothing more than rumor.

“I’ll take Raine to the tunnels this afternoon. Let’s see what he makes of the heart of Stormshield.”

On his way to the kitchens to find what would now be an early lunch rather than breakfast, he stopped by Lord Varken’s office to check the schedule of airship arrivals for the week. He was sure Fian was talking nonsense, trying to stir trouble, but he couldn’t shake the worry that he was missing something.

There on the board, in black and white, were the words he dreaded. A cargo and passenger ship bound for Everstone was landing to refuel in five days. He shook his head as doubts surfaced. Fian was clever. Of course he’d embellish his story with just enough truth to give Darien doubts. The fact that Darien knew Milo was Raine’s closest friend didn’t mean anything. Nor that Raine spoke to him over the touchstone at least once a week. They were friends, that was what friends did.

* * *

Raine was disappointed notto have breakfast with Darien once again, but the alpha sent a message with the servants to say he’d had a late night. He knew Darien was run ragged trying to counter the pirate attacks. He was doing what he could to help, but it never felt like enough.

He and Ferno ate a late breakfast in his parlor, and afterward, he trekked to the kitchens. If he couldn’t have breakfast with Darien, he would at least make sure the alpha ate something. He worried about him working so hard.

The kitchen staff were only too happy to help him, and he was soon sent on his way with a basket of food. He and Darien might only have a few minutes together, but he could make sure the alpha didn’t leave the castle with an empty stomach.

He rounded the corner toward the south wing and jerked to a stop. Darien stood just outside the entrance to the wing and with him was Fian. He had no idea what they were discussing but it looked intense. Almost… intimate. For a long minute, he stood there watching them, torn between whether to confront them or leave. Darien had promised that there was nothing between him and Fian. But the omega wasn’t even supposed to be in the castle. Why was he back? And why was he talking to Darien? Confused and hurt but unprepared for whatever truths a confrontation might bring, he turned and headed back the way he came. There was a reasonable explanation for this, he was sure. When he saw Darien later, he’d ask. He just couldn’t right then, not with Fian’s smug facing watching their every interaction.

He brought the food back to his rooms and curled up in an armchair in the parlor, Ferno purring away in his lap. The cat always knew when he needed some comfort. The basket of food sat untouched on his table as lunchtime arrived, but even the thought of eating made his stomach churn unhappily. So he sat there alone, the silence broken only by Ferno’s soft purrs.

He heard a muffled voice sometime later, followed by a knock on the parlor door. “Raine?”

“In here,” he called.

He hoped it was Darien and almost knocked Ferno off his lap sitting up when Fian stepped inside.

“Don’t get up on my account,” the omega said, peering curiously around the room. “What a colorful cat.”

Ferno hissed at him, but it just made Fian laugh.

“Cats never like me,” he said, his smile showing teeth. “I can never work out why.”

Raine knew why—they recognized a fellow predator.

“Was there something you wanted?” he asked. He was proud that he managed to keep his voice cold and detached. Whatever Fian had to say, he didn’t want to hear it, no matter how much he wanted to know what he and Darien had been discussing that morning.

“Just a moment of your time.”

Fian closed the door behind him and walked into the room unbidden, taking a seat opposite Raine.

“I have a message for you. But before I deliver it, I feel it’s important that you understand your position. I know Darien has pulled the wool over your eyes, but I also know that you’re not stupid. You’ve had your suspicions from the start that all was not what it seemed when it came to your marriage.”

“My marriage is none of your business.”

“Even if your husband has already promised his heart to me?”

Raine felt his chest tighten at the words and forced himself to take a breath.

“That’s a lie.”

“Darien has put a lot of time and effort into convincing you of that so I can see why you’d believe it. He needs you, you see. Stormshield’s position grows ever more precarious, and you are a key part of their plan to survive the coming storm.”

Raine knew there was no way Fian was aware of the particulars of what he was and what he’d done for Darien and his family.

“You’re just making things up as you go along.”

“At first, you were invaluable to the royal family because of your family connections. They hoped your presence here would stay the hand of your father. When that didn’t pan out, Darien was ready to give you up to your father to buy more time. But then it was discovered that you had more to offer the kingdom than just your family name. It was no longer enough for Darien just to keep you around, he had to court you, make you feel special. Convince you that you were family so that you’d help Stormshield defend itself.”

Maybe Fian did know something of what he was talking about, but he was twisting everything around.

“That’s not how it is.”

“No? Well, I’ll be glad to be proved wrong, for your sake. But I know who truly has Darien’s love, and it isn’t you, Raine. Poor, sweet, naïve omega that you are.”

“Not so naïve as to believe your lies.”

“I understand why you don’t want to listen to me. Denial is a powerful thing. But Darien is just using you, and I can prove it. He’s kept something from you, something important. The real reason they need you to stay. Soon, he’s going to ask for your help once again, and you’ll understand then that every word I’ve told you is the truth.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Not now. But you will. Which leads me to the second reason I’m here. I’ve been asked to deliver a message.”

“From who?”

“Your friend Milo and his beloved alpha, Louis. They’re aware of your plight, that things aren’t what they seem in your relationship. They’ve arranged passage for you to Everstone like Milo promised. You can leave Stormshield and you don’t have to return to your father.”

Raine and Milo had talked about him leaving but that was weeks ago, when things between him and Darien had been at their worst. Since then, he’d been happy and he’d told Milo that. But if what Fian said was true… this might be his only chance to get away.

“How? When?” Any details Fian told him could be confirmed with Milo.

“An airship landing here in five days’ time. All you have to do is be on it. It shouldn’t be hard for you to slip away. Ferno too, of course.”

Because everyone knew Raine wouldn’t go anywhere without his beloved cat.

“I know you don’t trust me,” Fian continued. “You think I’m lying. But soon you’ll see the truth, and then you’ll be glad of my help.”

Raine believed it would be a cold day in hell before he’d be glad of anything Fian said or did, but he was no longer as sure of himself, and of Darien, as he had been only moments before. A lot of what Fian had talked about was true. Darien had planned to send him home to appease his father. Him changing his mind coincided with his learning that Raine was an alchemist. What if that was the only reason he was keeping Raine around? What if he didn’t feel for Raine what Raine felt for him? Raine would not be made a fool of, not again.