To Seduce an Omega (18 page)

Once he’d organized his volunteers, Titus considered all possible contingencies for the coming raid, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Viola. If he didn’t stare into the midnight blue of her eyes or suck on her sweet breasts soon, he’d implode.

He hated that he’d looked on chained and helpless while Daniel and Tansy had put their hands on Viola’s body. His primal beast wanted their blood for that, but his calmer, more rational side knew they’d made a bad situation better for Viola. He told himself he should be grateful, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. He paced the courtyard, worrying over what Viola must think of him. He’d never betray her trust, let alone look at another woman, but she didn’t know that yet. Once he figured out how to flash to her side, he’d make her understand she was the only woman for him.

Chapter Seventeen

Titus sat through the world’s longest war meeting. Planning the rescue should be so easy. The women would retrieve the cubs, and once assured of the boys’ safety, the Lykae army would move in and take out the sphinxes. Titus would lead the raiding party, but the Lykae king insisted on going with them.

Finally as they adjourned to check out the cubs’ new home, Titus approached King Leonidas. “Sire, a word please. I need to see Viola. To tell her—”

“Stay away from her,” the Fae king barked. “She’s my half sister and a Fae princess. She wants nothing to do with you or any other Lykae. You’re lucky my warriors don’t mount their war dragons and destroy your pack for the way you’ve treated her.”

Titus jaw dropped, and his eyes opened wide. “My mate’s a Fae princess?”

King Leonidas headed toward his war dragon. “You’ve already found your mate, but you weren’t man enough to keep her. Don’t disrespect my newfound half sister by pretending you care about her. Bad enough that a wolf fucked her to fire up her powers for the first time. Stay away from her, and stay away from my court. I trust I make myself clear. I’d hate to execute one of King Caleb’s alphas.”

Titus froze. “I just need a moment to tell her—”

“Nothing.” The Fae king flashed onto his dragon’s back. “You will tell her nothing. She made it quite plain she never wants to see you again. You stay away from her and suck up to your true-mate. That way you might win her back on a permanent basis. Viola’s Fae through and through, and tonight she’s attending the healers’ orgy. Sex with a handful of my Fae warriors will fire up her powers while she trains to be a top-class healer.”

Titus threw back his head and howled. His claws came out, and his fangs lengthened, but he’d never felt so useless in his life.

The red war dragon spread his wings and leaped skyward. Whatever Viola had told the Fae king, Titus refused to let things lie, but having his true-mate reject him felt like the worse sort of déjà vu.

Sylvie, the Lykae queen, hurried to Titus’s side. “What’s wrong, T.?”

He stood still and silent, head down, and unable to form any words.

Sylvie took his hand. “T., you’re scaring me. What is it?”

He deliberately retracted his claws. “Viola. Apparently she’s a Fae princess, but just like Jilly, she’s wants nothing to do with me. I can’t… I won’t. Damn it, what’s wrong with me? Am I such terrible mate material? Let’s face it, there’s no future for a Fae princess and a wolf who can’t keep his mate.”

Sylvie gripped his hand. “Look at me, T., and listen hard. It’s not over yet, and any woman would be proud to be your true-mate.”

Every nerve in Titus’s body throbbed as if exposed to a naked flame. He lived to please Viola, but just like Jilly, she rejected him. “Once the cubs are home, I’m moving on. I’ll go lone wolf and roam the prairies. If I stay near the packs, I’ll only cause trouble.”

Tears filled the Lykae queen’s eyes. “Give it time. I’m certain she’ll come around. The Fates wouldn’t put you through that again.”

He shook his head but refused to meet her gaze. “Time? Tonight my true-mate’s planning on screwing a legion of Fae warriors to fire up her powers. Where the hell does that leave me?”

Sylvie thought a moment. “Don’t give up, T. I have a sudden urge to visit Queen Meena and meet my new half sister. Ha, you’d forgotten that for all Leonidas’s pomp, he’s my half brother, hadn’t you? See, we can work this out. While I’m visiting Meena, I’ll do what I can to smooth things over. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Meet me here then.”

“Take me with you,” Titus pleaded.

Queen Sylvie shook her head. “Not if Leonidas has forbidden you to visit. Much as I love my half brother, I’d cause an international incident if I defied him. Just trust me on this.”

Titus’s natural wolf’s ears flattened, and its tail drooped. Even his primal beast bowed its head. He didn’t care whether the sun shone or not or that the Rock Prowler pack had taken him to their hearts. Without Viola beside him, he hardly cared enough to keep breathing.

* * * *

Viola’s heart ached for Titus, but a bubble of excitement welled up inside her. She’d lived with her deformed knee for over fourteen years and hadn’t believed that Queen Meena—aka the strongest witch out there—could help. In hindsight, Viola wished she hadn’t stormed off. Maybe she’d offended the Fae queen. Viola hadn’t known how react when Meena offered to look at her knee.

Maybe… If… Perhaps, but Viola didn’t dare think about the possibilities. Moving freely was a gift she’d never take for granted. Finally, having stayed in her room so long she’d missed lunch, she decided to talk to Mrs. Superwitch back in the workroom.

If a mystical healing happened, then the pack might accept Viola, but she wasn’t Rock Prowler anymore. It surprised her how much that hurt, but since Titus and his true-mate ruled Rock Prowler territory now, Viola couldn’t have stayed, whatever her species. Besides, here with the Fae she could finally learn how to be an effective healer.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to think. I needed time, but I shouldn’t have run. Can you do it?” Viola asked as she entered Queen Meena’s workroom.

The Fae queen didn’t look up, just studied the amulet in her hands. “I’ve no idea how many of these the Lykae will need, but to be on the safe side, I thought I’d make around fifty. Can I do what?”

Viola took a deep breath, but her voice still shook. “Can you fix my knee?”

Queen Meena put down the amulet. “Probably, but I need to take a look first. I could do with a break. How does sharing a pot of herbal tea in my sitting room sound?”

The Fae queen set a brisk pace, unintentionally leaving Viola to limp along behind. When they reached the parlor, Meena brewed them both an herbal tea as Viola flopped down on the chaise longue.

“Lift your skirt and stretch out your leg,” Queen Meena commanded.

Viola used two hands to support her knee as she swung it onto the velvet-covered chair. After the long trek home and a night in the sphinxes’ cell, it had swelled up like a football.

Meena gasped. “That must hurt.”

Viola nodded. “Like hell, but a ginger-and-willow-bark poultice usually calms it down.”

The Fae queen rested her hands on the swollen area. Heat flowed from her fingers and flooded into Viola’s knee. Even as her leg bones overheated, the swelling vanished as if Queen Meena had popped a balloon. For the first time since Zebadiah ordered his soldiers to beat her, she could move freely. Unsure if Fae etiquette permitted her to kiss the Fae queen, Viola grinned. “There aren’t words, but thank you.”

Suddenly giddy, she stood and took a few tentative steps, spun on her bad leg, and performed a hesitant pirouette. When it didn’t hurt to move, she lifted her skirt and stared at her leg. “Why do the Fae need healers when they’ve got you?”

Queen Meena smiled, but she looked weary. “I can’t be everywhere, and I have limits. In fact, I’m close to it now. Do you mind if I finish your leg after you’ve attended your first-ever orgy? I need my reserves to finish the amulets. The Lykae need them for tomorrow’s dawn raid.”

Viola sighed and flexed her knee. “For the first time since Zebadiah’s thugs smashed it, my knee doesn’t hurt. Thank you. I’d forgotten what it’s like to be pain free. Another night means nothing, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but will there be dancing at the orgy? I’ve never danced.”

Maybe the orgy wouldn’t be so bad. She’d let the warriors twirl her around the dance floor and love every minute of it. Other healers might be more graceful, but she’d finally get to date like a regular she-wolf, not a cripple and outcast. Tonight, she wouldn’t be a wallflower, but there was still the question of sex.

The Fae queen nodded. “There will be dancing at first, and judging by all those handsome Fae who dropped by earlier, you’ll be in the most popular woman there. Did I tell you the Lykae queen called earlier? She wanted to meet her newly discovered half sister, but I told her you wanted nothing to with Lykae after the way the Rock Prowlers treated you.”

Viola’s face fell. Accepting she wasn’t a Lykae anymore came hard. She had so many questions about Queen Sylvie’s visit, the most important being did they discuss Titus? But she stayed silent. Not that she cared.
Who am I kidding? Tonight I’m going to screw a stranger when I’m lusting over Titus. How sick is that?

Meena finished her herbal tea. “You’ll have a great night, but I’ve some amulets to finish. Go spend a couple of hours getting ready. I had the seamstress make you a dress. If it doesn’t fit, there’s still time for her to adjust it.”

Viola sat awhile, enjoying the way her knee had stopped aching, but the incomplete healing left her knee still twisted. She limped back to her room, but after sixteen years of agony, Viola was grateful for the queen’s witchy touch.

When Viola slipped into her room, a green gown lay on her bed. Viola held it before her and swayed in front of the mirror. Gold threads cobwebbed the fabric and shimmered in the sunlight flooding though the window.

Impatient and eager, she shed her homespun gown and slipped her new gown over her head. As she pirouetted before the mirror, she loved the way the low-cut neckline made her look as though she’d finally developed some breasts. The skirt flared out over her hips, then fell to the floor in a waterfall of silk and shimmer. The seamstress must have guessed her size, and it fit so well Viola never wanted to take it off.

And then she thought about taking lovers—in the plural, no less—and the allure of the gown faded. She stripped and lay on the bed.
I can do this. I have to. Besides, I screwed Titus while Daniel and Tansy looked on. How hard can fucking a masked man be?
Only, her stomach churned, and she felt sick at the thought.

Even though she’d missed dinner, her appetite fled. Finally one of the trainee healers brought her tray of sandwiches and a glass of milk. “You need to eat something. You’ll need all your stamina later.”

Stamina? Later? Gods, this is really happening
. Tonight she planned to screw a stranger or two. Maybe three. She needed guidance to improve her healing skills, but she’d never expected the price to be so high.

A glance out the window, and she saw a keep full of dragons and stern-faced warriors practicing their drills. Suppose she fled and they came after her? Suppose they hunted her down and treated her worse than Zebadiah had? The Fae had shown her nothing but kindness, and much as she wanted to, she didn’t know them well enough to trust them yet. The one thing life had taught was how fleeting affection and acceptance could be.

Dry mouthed, she perched on the edge of the bed and forced down a sandwich, but she felt like she chewed on feathers. When she finally choked it down, her stomach ached as though she’d swallowed a stone and cramped in disgust. Out of options, she decided she’d better go ahead and get tonight over with.
I’d rather attend my own funeral. Still, have sex and a career, or nurse a broken heart over Titus?
Just like that, she pictured Titus lying above her, his weight on his knees and elbows as he explored her body.

Moving in slow motion, she slipped her new gown back on and gave her hair a cursory brush. Oddly, it seemed brighter, more chestnut than mousey brown, since she’d had sex with Titus.
No. Forget him, and screw some Fae warriors
. Not that she had a heart left for them to steal. Hers had crumbled when she watched Titus and Jilly kiss.

Viola slipped through the palace like a specter. Outside, glowing stones edged a pathway and led toward the healer’s hall. Fae magic, she supposed. After tonight, she’d have magic of her own if she just spread her legs and let some faceless warrior fuck her.

Chapter Eighteen

The Healer’s Hall reminded Viola of a barn with its wooden walls and exposed beams. Groups of masked warriors flirted with the assembled women. Some slow danced with their chosen partners, holding them so close they came together in sensual heat.

As her eyes adjusted to the semidarkness, she realized couples leaned against the walls, legs and arms entwined as they kissed. Farther back, a couple of women had bunched up their skirts while four warriors simultaneously screwed them—two from the front and two from behind.

Somewhere nearby, one healer shrieked as she climaxed. Viola blushed when she realized almost half the women had their tops off and flaunted their bare chests. She swallowed and tugged hers farther up onto her shoulders.

In the far corner, two naked females danced on a table while their masked companions urged them on. Embarrassed, Viola turned away, only to find her gaze riveted on a woman who’d spread her legs to let a warrior lick her cunt. In public too.

No way would Viola let someone suck on her clit while people stared. Not again. With Titus, it had been an unexpected delight. With a stranger, she’d die of mortification. The atmosphere seemed supercharged with sexual tension and redolent with the scent of women’s musk.

Across the room, one blond warrior leaned against the wall and glared at her. He looked dangerous and deadly, alert for the slightest threat. The way his blond hair spilled from beneath his mask and flowed around his shoulders fascinated her, but she preferred her men dark-haired and sporting a crew cut—just the way Titus’s hair looked.

Not wanting to antagonize the angry-looking blond, she gave him a slight smile, then turned away. She felt exposed and vulnerable enough to wish the women wore masks too. Being impersonal and partly hidden would be easier than standing here pretending she didn’t wish the ground would open up and swallow her.