Chapter Thirty-Three
Ahearn
I put the first part of my plan to get reacquainted with the Omega I’d made mine into play first thing. Having found a treasure trove of scrapbooks and other mementos when I was picking through the attic, I’d brought them down. What better way for me to learn about our past together than a stroll down memory lane? And if my physician was to be believed, it also had the possibility of helping to trigger more memories, much the same way my conversation with Alpha Byrne had.
It was early afternoon when we’d finished the last of the scrapbooks, and while Bari remained tense, he had answered all of my questions. We were just finishing up a late lunch of cold sandwiches and deli potato salad when a thought occurred to me.
“You said we had to commit to five pregnancies,” I commented. “And there are five pregnancy albums.”
Bari nodded, his eyes still glued to his half eaten lunch pushed to the center of the table.
“But you just completed a sixth pregnancy. Why?”
Bari’s eyes fluttered closed. “That wasn’t a result of the agreement with the high court,” he said finally. “You already know that Colm Byrne was a close friend of ours from University.”
That was one of the memories that the conversation with his father had triggered, so I nodded.
“Colm was pregnant with the twins when he and the sire were killed in an accident.” Bari drew in a slow breath as a tear leaked from beneath his closed eyelid. “There is a very brief window after the death of the carrier where the dragonlets can sometimes be transplanted to a new carrier and saved. Since I was already receiving hormone treatments, I was a good candidate for the transplant to take, so we agreed to offer my services to his father to save his grandchildren. I sent all of the photos and other mementos to Petroh so he could prepare his own book, if he wished. I, ah, didn’t think it would be right of me to keep it.”
“I see.” I collected the plates and scraped them into the trash before adding them to the pile of breakfast dishes in the sink. “Why were you receiving the hormones?” When no answer came, I turned back to see that tears were cascading down Bari’s cheeks. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“Thank you.” The words came out on a sob that made my chest clench.
Hoping to distract him, I moved onto the next portion of our day.
“Now that we’ve eaten, I think this would be a well-chosen time to release our dragon forms.”
Bari swallowed, but nodded resolutely. “As you wish.”
It wasn’t exactly the heartfelt enthusiasm that I’d hoped for, but given that I had no idea if flying together was even something we had enjoyed in the past, I couldn’t be sure if the idea didn’t appeal or if he was still simply tired.
Leading the way outside, I began to strip out of my clothes, folding them into a neat stack on the step. A hulking shadow passed overhead, followed by another equally large shadow. The hounds began to yap as the downdraft from their immense wings beat down on us as the two dragons landed, one of them stepping out of a large traveling harness while the other began an immediate shift.
Petroh approached with long, purposeful strides and a deep frown creasing his face. In another moment, the Prince of Dragons was helping his wolf-mate from the travel bag and then also making haste across the grass.
“Ahearn!” Petroh chastised me. “What is this I heard about reclamation?”
“’Tis a private matter,” I growled, looking from one to the other in confusion. “Why are you here?”
“You don’t want to do this,” the Prince Consort said softly, his troubled eyes looking past me. “What is there to be gained?”
Before I could answer, the Prince himself spoke. “You asked why we are here. If you will not hear reason, then we present ourselves as witnesses to assure that the court properly records the event,” his words were clipped and his voice cold. “You may be within your rights to enforce the archaic law, but that does not ensure you a place on the right side of history.”
“Enough,” Bari’s voice was firm from behind me. “As my master said, this is a private matter. I have admitted guilt and accepted my fate, so please cease trying to intervene. Alpha Walsh shall have the retribution he is entitled to.”
More confused after his odd but impassioned defense of me, I turned to find Bari was again naked and on his knees, his head tilted back to bare his throat.
“What are you doing?” I snarled, quickly losing my tenuous grip on my temper at the lunacy surrounding me. “Why are you on your knees every time I turn around?”
Bari’s head snapped down and his eyes widened. “I offer apologies. You had instructed me to shift.” The air began to hum around us as Bari’s body stretched and twisted into the breathtaking dragon I’d seen the night before.
Then, he folded his wings and again bared his throat.
I sighed. “Why are you doing that?”
“To make it easier for you to make the kill,” the Prince of Dragons said quietly. “By showing his throat, he is making room for you to slice it with your fangs and spill his blood, completing the ritual.”
“What?” I spun around in horror.
“The ritual of reclamation ends with the death of the Omega,” Harry repeated. “The spurned Alpha having been granted the writ of reclamation tears out the Omega’s throat, thereby restoring his honor.”
“That’s absurd!” Turning back to the dragon sitting perfectly still, the sadness in his eyes had bile rising thick in my throat. “You thought I was going tokillyou?” I managed to gasp in disbelief even as all of his odd behavior over the past twenty hours suddenly made sense. Stumbling toward the flower bed, I dropped to my knees, retching until my stomach was empty.
