He clearly didn't want me to know who he actually is, where he came from beyond the vaguest parameters. And the only reason I can think of is that he's embarrassed.
Of me.
If I ever see him again, I'llgivehim something to be embarrassed about.
The silk robes they provide afterward are beyond luxurious. Softer than anything I owned even in Reinmich, in a deep sapphire blue that's universally flattering. The fabric flows around me like water, and for a moment I feel like the princess Nikolai suggested I could have been.
Once I decide I'm presentable enough, all things considered, I step back into the hallway, and that's when something drops on me from above.
"Fuck!" I shriek as a blur of red hair and fury tackles me to the marble floor.
Teeth sink into my shoulder, and I realize with dawning horror that I'm being attacked. She's a bit taller than me but wiry, made of pure vicious intent as she tries to get her teeth into my throat.
Oh my gods, it's a rabid fucking omega.
"This is for hurting my mate!" she snarls, her voice muffled by the mouthful of my silk robe she's currently trying to tear off.
Ivy.
Of course. I still owe her for the rolesheplayed in my kidnapping. It was sweet of her to deliver herself, really.
"Your mate fucking started it!" I snap back, driving my elbow into her ribs hard enough to make her grunt.
She's quick, I'll give her that. But let's see how she fares without the element of surprise.
I grab a handful of vibrant red hair and use it to slam her head back against the marble floor. She hisses like an angry cat and retaliates by raking her nails down my arm, drawing blood.
"I choked you out before," she pants, trying to get her hands around my throat. "And I'll do it again."
"Yeah, while I was distracted taking on your alphas, Little Red." I catch her wrists and somehow manage to pin her down. Briefly. "Let's see how you hold up in a fair fight."
We roll across the polished floor in a tangle of silk and fury, neither of us willing to give ground. She's faster, but I'm stronger, and we're both perfectly willing to fight dirty. She goes for bites while I use my sharpened nails to maximum effect, leaving bloody scratches all over her arms and face.
"Fucking feral weasel!" I gasp as she manages to get on my back again, pulling my hair hard enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"Says the psycho who poisoned a prince!" she retorts, wrapping her arm around my throat. "Myfucking prince!"
That's when I hear familiar footsteps approaching. Multiple sets, moving fast.
"Alright, whose perverted dream are we in?" Nikolai's dry voice cuts through our grunts and cursing.
"Ivy!" Plague's voice is sharp with alarm.
"Oh, hey, baby," Whiskey's amused drawl follows as he skids to a halt beside the prince. "Biting again?"
I use the distraction to flip our positions, getting my thighs around the other omega's head and squeezing. She makes a strangled sound of pure rage and claws at my legs.
"Vryzat!" I curse at her in Vrissian, tightening my grip.
"That's enough," Plague growls, but I can hear the uncertainty in his voice. No one was planning on breaking up an omega fight today.
"You're only saying that becauseyoursis losing," Raven observes with obvious amusement.
Ivy chooses that moment to sink her teeth into my thigh, right through the silk. I shriek indignantly, my grip loosening just enough for her to scramble free.
"Were you raised in a fucking barn?" I demand, checking the bite marks she left. "Disgusting!"
"Better than being raised by a psycho warlord," she wheezes, wiping blood from her split lip.
