Chapter 33 Revelation

Ryedir heard Kari’s scream and was up and sprinting to the bedroom before he consciously registered what he was doing.

He was stopped in his tracks by the sight that greeted him.

An unknown man lay dead on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood and with a large, bloody shard of ice protruding from his back.

Kari knelt a short distance away, arms wrapped around his torso and mouth open in an unending scream. He immediately noticed the familiar faraway look in the omega’s eyes and started to croon as he slowly walked forward.

He had only gone a few steps into the room when massive shards of ice shot out from around Kari.

They had a different quality to them from the ones Ryedir had seen before and it set alarm bells ringing in his head. The omega hadn’t been triggered in their sparring sessions for some time now so it could only be the blood or the act of killing itself that set him off.

“Kari,” he called out. The omega twitched but gave no other sign that he had heard him.

Trois stood wide eyed in the doorway with Nevis peering out from behind him looking equally shocked and he waved them both back.

Ryedir crept forward, crooning as loud as he could, and hoped that the little omega would respond instinctively. The screaming trailed off as he approached and died down completely when he brushed his hands across tear-stained cheeks. Blue eyes blinked and he stared for a few long, tense moments as though he didn’t understand where he was before they finally focused on him.

“Lezzker?” Kari’s voice was raw from the screaming and he croaked the word out painfully. He paused the crooning just long enough to speak.

“It’s okay Kari. I’m here. Just hold onto me.”

The omega seemed confused as he gathered him in his arms. Ryedir would give everything just to chase away the terrors that lurked in the dark recesses of Kari’s mind. It wasn’t long before his mate was sobbing loudly and clutching at Ryedir, trying to pull him tighter and tighter against himself. He carefully picked the small body up and moved to the edge of the bed.

Thankfully the ice was centered on the other side of the room and most of the furniture was untouched. The shards had still ripped through a table, a chair, and a tapestry on the wall but it doesn’t matter. He would destroy a thousand more rooms if it will help annihilate Kari’s nightmares.

Cradling his mate, he looked over to the shell-shocked betas and they finally crept into the room cautiously.

“He… he’s an Aithyean Daiyan.”

“He is.”

“Your Highness, that’s…”

He trailed off at Ryedir’s hard look. “It changes nothing, Morse.”

“You knew.”

“Of course. That is why Oran brought him to me.”

Trois opened his mouth to speak, but he clicked his mouth shut, words failing him. Ryedir turned his attention back to the shaking omega in his grip. Multiple cuts oozed blood all across his body- clearly the fight had gone on for some time.

“Fetch Laret and Jaid. Not a word to anyone else, understood?”

Both betas nodded and darted from the room.

He had hoped something like this would not happen but that was just wishful thinking. Still, his little mate needed to work through this because it would not be the last time someone took an attempt on his life and he would be forced to choose- him or them.

But for now, he would do his best to soothe Kari’s wounded soul.

*****

Ryedir gently stroked his hand through Kari’s soft Silvery Ash hair.

The little omega still shivered in his lap, most likely due to shock, but the great shuddering sobs had subsided. The healer Laret carefully moved his limbs around so she could clean and dress the wounds littering his body.

She was careful to never pull him too far away from his alpha, although Ryedir wasn’t entirely sure who would react more strongly if she did, himself or Kari.

His protective instincts still roared in his ears and it was causing him control issues just to have the beta touching his mate as she was now. No outward sign of his internal conflict showed on his face, but the tight grip around his mate’s waist gave him away.

Jaid sighed as he moved away from the corpse staining the carpet of his bedroom. He looked at the other alpha and received a small shake of the head in answer to his silent question.

“No identification as usual. Whoever has been sending these last few has been overly cautious. Most of the ones in the past at least had some hint of affiliation.”

“They must be from higher up in the court, perhaps.” Trois rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Someone who has more to lose if they are found out. Still, two assassins for you, Your Highness, in a scant few weeks is concerning. Especially in light of the upcoming gathering for the wedding.”

“I do not believe this one was intended for me,” Ryedir spoke slowly, thinking aloud more than anything. “The timing is far too odd.”

“But why else would they be stationed in your quarters?” Ryedir glanced down at the omega shivering in his arms significantly. “Surely not. Who would target a pleasure slave? No one in the household had any idea of his powers until after the attempt, except yourself of course.”

“The tattoo is a symbol of his Daiyan status.”

That caught Trois by surprise. “He said it was a religious symbol.”

“Yhieris is the goddess of the moon and stars.” Kari’s voice was soft but there was a hint of steel in his tone. Ryedir couldn’t help the slight curve of his lips in satisfaction. His little omega always seemed to bounce back somehow. It might be muted but the fiery defiance was still there. “She’s also the patron goddess of all Daiyans. I was born with her mark and it has grown and changed with me. It will be there until the day I die.”