Omega’s Gamble by Claire Cullen
Chapter Eight
Raine’sfirst few days of married life were a weird mash of loneliness and awkwardness. He spent most of his time in his bedroom, packing his belongings away and carefully hiding those few things that he didn’t want anyone to know he had, like his notes and sketches, Ferno’s clockwork toy, and the handful of small gadgets he’d created over the years. He took most of his meals in his parlor, though he went to the main hall for dinner, hoping it might be a good way to get to know his new family. More often than not, his husband and brothers-in-law weren’t even there.
The omega members of the family were almost always in attendance, but he found them cliquey. Really cliquey. His few attempts to engage them in conversation were met with a cold wall of politeness. Of the rest of the family, Etta was the only one who didn’t seem to realize she was supposed to be excluding him. It was she who took the time to explain the words peculiar to Stormshield’s language and some of the customs he was unfamiliar with. Though he suspected it was more that she liked to talk and had run out of willing listeners.
All in all, by the time three days had passed, he was fighting the desire to stay in his rooms and never come out. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Darien since their wedding night, and other than Etta talking his ear off and the occasional chat with a servant, he spent his days entirely alone. Except for Ferno, of course. The cat was his constant companion and his saving grace, staving off the loneliness. But Ferno wasn’t too happy with the new accommodations and his lack of freedom—a fact he’d started to make known by turning his nose up at any food brought to him and giving Raine the cold shoulder whenever he tried to play with him.
It came to a head when he stepped out of the bathroom one morning to find Ferno doing his best to shred the curtains.
“Ferno, no!”
He hurried over to shoo the cat away, wincing as he took in the damage done to the heavy drapes.
“So much for making a good impression.”
Ferno turned baleful eyes on him.
“Okay, okay. You’ve been cooped up long enough. If they were going to throw you out, I’m sure they’d have said something by now.”
If the servants had been surprised to discover Ferno, they were hiding it well. Raine had half-expected someone official to arrive to discuss the breach in protocol or Raine’s flagrant disregard of Darien’s instructions. But it had been three days, and not a word had been said. The only changes were the arrival of a litter box and that twice a day, food arrived for both him and Ferno.
“How about a walk?” A glance out the window showed him that it wasn’t raining for once. Ferno really needed to stretch his legs unless Raine was willing to sacrifice all the soft furnishings to his claws.
After donning the warmest jacket he owned, he went to the door, peeking out to make sure no one was around. It was breakfast time, which meant the halls would be quieter. Still, there was little chance of them getting around completely unseen. He just had to hope that word of Ferno wouldn’t get back to Darien.
“Come on, then. Let’s go.”
Ferno looked like he wasn’t going to move, but Raine waited him out, knowing the cat’s curiosity would win out. Soon, they were wandering the corridors together as Raine steered them toward the outer doors. He didn’t know what Ferno would make of the bleak landscape outside, but he was keen to prevent another shredding session.
The guard at the entrance eyed them curiously but readily stood aside, pulling the heavy door open for them. Raine braced himself for the cold, ready to step out, and glanced down just in time to see Ferno take one look outside and turn tail, tearing away back down the corridor.
“Um, I guess I’d better…” He threw an apologetic smile at the guard and took off after the cat. “Ferno? Ferno.”
Ferno slowed down once he was away from the immediate danger of the outside world. But as soon as he had any idea he was being chased, he took off again, streaking down a corridor. Raine ran after him, catching sight of his flame-red tail disappearing around a corner. He groaned and sped up, turning the corner just in time to see Ferno vanishing from view once more.
It continued like that for a few minutes. Every time he almost caught up with Ferno, the cat took off again. By the time Ferno tired himself out, Raine had no idea where they were. They hadn’t passed by anyone in a while, and the corridors they were walking through appeared empty and full of echoes.
“Let’s see if we can retrace our steps,” Raine told the cat, spinning in a slow circle as he tried to get his bearings. “This way, maybe?”
He started walking, Ferno almost tripping him as he darted between Raine’s legs to get ahead of him.
And that was the moment they spotted the mouse.
“Ferno, no!”
But it was too late—the cat was gone.
Raine chased after him, realizing as he did that he’d missed this. Being on the marriage circuit had been such a confining experience. He always had to be aware of how he looked, how he held himself, how he moved. Running wasn’t ‘appropriate’ for an omega prince. Well, there was no one around to watch him or scold him now. He pushed himself, feeling the burn in his lungs and his legs as he ran faster, almost gaining on Ferno before the cat leaped around another corner and disappeared from sight. He skidded across the floor as he tried to follow, catching himself before he could fall, and then rounded the corner to find Ferno pawing at a door.
“Got away from you, huh? Lucky mouse.”
But Ferno in hunting mode was singularly focused. He refused to be drawn away from the door, even when Raine tried to pick him up. Realizing that the mouse was probably long gone, he relented and eased the door open a crack, peering inside. Darkness met his eyes, so he felt it was safe enough to open up the door and let Ferno in. As he did, he searched for a light. The castle was a weird mishmash of lighting, from old magic-powered lanterns to newer electric lamps. It took a few attempts of patting down the walls and waving his hand through the air before he got some light on the situation.
The room was covered in a deep layer of dust, and Raine stared around in dismay as Ferno padded through it.
“You are so going to need a bath after this.”
Ferno shot a baleful look his way, and Raine held up his hands. “Hey, if you want to lick a pile of dust off your fur, be my guest. Better you than me.”
Beneath the dust, the room appeared to be some sort of storage area. There were drawers, cabinets, and shelves filled with random items—everything from paper to metal. Ferno sniffed around, clearly trying to find his lost mouse. He stopped at a drawer and pawed insistently at it.
“I think it’s time to give up the chase. How about we see if we can’t wheedle some more tuna from the kitchens, huh?”
But once again, Ferno wouldn’t be dissuaded.
“I guarantee you; your mouse isn’t in there.” Unless he was. Hell, there could be a whole nest of mice in that drawer. “Ferno, come on…”
The cat meowed plaintively, scratching at the drawer.
“Fine, fine.”
Raine crouched next to him, knocking on the drawer in the hopes that he’d scare off any mice nesting inside. If they were smart, they’d go behind the shelves or under the floors. Somewhere Ferno’s sharp teeth couldn’t get to them.
He had to use both hands to drag the drawer open, and even then he could only get it to move an inch at a time while Ferno hovered impatiently next to him. When it was finally open enough for the cat to see in, Ferno took one sniff and lost interest, wandering away. Raine rolled his eyes and grabbed the handles of the drawer to close it again when he caught a glint of something inside. It was tucked in the back of the drawer, behind loose, tattered sheaves of aged paper. He reached in with his hand, feeling around blindly until his fingers came into contact with something cool and hard. The mysterious object was around the size of a large orange, its surface rough and uneven. The weight of it was the biggest surprise as Raine closed his hand around it to lift it out. He turned with it in his hand, wanting to get a look at it in the light, and almost dropped it when he realized what it was.
“Celestial silver.”
Despite its name, celestial silver wasn’t an actual silver. There were many theories about where it came from—deep within the core of the planet, from within volcanoes in the ocean, or even carried to earth on shooting stars, like its name suggested. Without a doubt, it was the most sought-after element on the planet, and for one very important reason. Even the tiniest amount of celestial silver could power magic stronger than any other element in existence. Wars had been fought over it, and kingdoms hoarded what they had with a fierce zealousness.
His uncle—his omega father’s favorite brother and the only relative to ever show Raine attention or kindness—had bequeathed him a watch after his death. Hidden inside, Raine had found a small piece of silver, about the size of a marble. He’d known what it was the moment he’d set eyes on it, having listened to his uncle’s many stories about his days as an alchemist’s apprentice.
Raine had spent years teaching himself how to use the silver. It was what powered his small gadgets and Ferno’s toys. But this… this was more celestial silver than he’d ever set eyes on. Even the time he’d managed to convince his tutor to let him visit the alchemist’s workshop at the palace, they’d been working with pieces no larger than his own. Yet the one in Raine’s hand was bigger than his fist. And it was just lying there, forgotten and discarded. Years’ worth of dust in the room told him that no one had set eyes on it in a long time. Which meant that no one would miss it.
He had only seconds to think, to make a decision. He would never have an opportunity like this again. His heart thundered in his chest, his whole body shaking with excitement and fear as he went to slide the silver into the pocket of his jacket. But doubts crashed over him before he could, making him hesitate. He was newly married. A marriage that hadn’t even been consummated and went against the wishes of his own father. He couldn’t afford to risk his place here, to court trouble in his new home. Not by stealing something so valuable, and not by dabbling in alchemy, which was not a suitable pursuit for an omega prince. With a sigh of regret, he returned the silver to the drawer, forcing it closed.
“We were never here,” he murmured to Ferno, turning the light off with a wave of his hand as he followed the cat out.
Ferno led the way through the castle, seeming instinctively to know where he was going. The corridors grew busier. Raine worried about Ferno being spotted, but all eyes were on him and no one noticed the cat slinking along ahead of him. In the distance, he caught his first glimpse of Prince Darien since their wedding night. He paused, taking in the alpha’s rough and ready appearance, not unlike the first time they’d met. Ferno slipped off into a side corridor, safely out of view. Raine was about to do the same when Darien’s gaze swung his way. He knew the proper thing to do was to go to his husband, make polite small talk, and play the role of eager new husband. Darien didn’t come his way, and Raine couldn’t seem to convince his feet to move. It wasn’t like the alpha was making an effort, so why should he? This was a marriage of convenience, a union in name only. He was okay with that, or so he told himself. With one last glance in Darien’s direction, he followed after Ferno.