The volcano is awakening.
More tremors rumble beneath my feet. Heart thumping, I race through the castle. Renee should be secure in her rooms, but if anything falls on her or she loses her balance, she could be hurt.
When I reach her chambers, I stop short. The fur robes are piled up outside her door. Beside them rests the tray ofleeberrytarts thejynxprepared. My Omega is rejecting my gifts.
Another mini-quake shakes the hallway. The turmoil I feel inside is finally making its way to the volcano. It could not happen at a worse time.
I stamp on the stone and wait for the door to slide open. Nothing happens. I slam it again and again before pounding my fists on the door. “Pet?”
“Shoot, he's here!” she exclaims. Who is she talking to? Her voice is hushed, muffled by the closed door. The blood is roaring in my ears.
She’s locked in but nothing will keep me from her. Unwilling to wait for thejynxto come and fix whatever’s broken, I tear at the hinges and wrench the bronze slab aside. It knocks the pile of gifts over and crashes to the ground. Renee shrieks.
My heart hammering, I peer inside. Everything is dark except for a giant glowing circle spun by blazing magic. A portal. Beyond it, the room is furnished unlike any in my castle. The seamless stone walls of an unfamiliar palace.
Renee stands before the whirling gateway, in the dress I designed for her the day we spoke with Khan and Emma. She turns and looks at me, her eyes wet.
“Quickly,” someone hisses from inside the portal. A smallHoo-manwith a pale face and golden hair—my skin prickles as I recognize Khan’s queen—beckons to my Omega.
“What is happening here?” I shout. “No!” As Renee turns, I race to catch her, but I’m too late.
She steps through the portal a mere instant before I crash against the invisible barrier.
“What’s happening?” Dazed, I reach for her, but the magic repels me. I stagger back, my wings flaring out to keep me upright. “Pet!”
My Omega scuttles further inside before turning to face me. I hammer the portal with my fists but it’s futile—they just bounce off.
Renee flinches back, her green eyes wide with fear. Is she afraid of me? The notion is like a blade in my gut.
“Don't worry,” Emma says. “He can't enter. I had the magicians set it so only one being can step through.”
I fumble for the portal's edges as if I could pry it open, but there’s nothing to hold. The ground rumbles again, but I barely hear it over the discordant twang in our bond.
“Pet? What is the meaning of this?”
“I'm leaving you.” Renee’s voice is defiant but she’s trembling.
A crashing cacophony of ear-bleeding sounds almost deafens me. The earthquake’s aftershocks have faded but I sway as if dealt a blow. “You’re not. I won’t allow it!” I snarl, recovering myself. I need to attack the portal, force it to admit me so I can reach my pet and drag her back to me, where she belongs, but the magic is too powerful. I cannot counter it. My wings droop as I’m overtaken by a crushing exhaustion.
Khan’s queen crosses her slender arms defensively. She’s so slight but the expression on her face is fierce.
I stab a talon in her direction. “This is your doing. You stole my Omega.”
“You can’t steal a person,” Emma snaps. “Renee makes her own choices. She’s not an object you cansteal.”
“Thanks, Emma. Can you give us a minute? I promise I’ll be okay.” Renee waits until her friend is out of sight before turning to address me. Were it not for the infuriating, invisible barrier between us, I could reach out and touch her. “She did it for me. I asked for it.”
“But… why?” Confusion and anger strain my voice.
“Because you don't care about me.” She reaches for her throat, curling her fingers around the collar she wears for me, the one I made for her, even as she accuses me of neglect.
“That’s a lie! I do care for you. I've given you everything!” Vibrating with indignation, I point to the hallway behind me strewn with furs andleeberrypastries. “Food, shelter, jewels, outings—anything you want, everything you desire—”
“Everything… except what I want most. I’m just a pet to you. A booty call. I thought I could deal with it at first. You’ve gotta play the hand you’re dealt, ya know?” She dashes her fingers across her face, swiping her tears away. “And at the start, it was a fun, sexy fantasy. I pretended none of it was real. But as time went on, I caught feelings for you. Real feelings.”
“I know, pet,” I say in the tone I always use to soothe her.
“No!” she snaps. “You don’t know! Or you don’t care. You’re incapable of it. You don’t wantme. You want a plaything… a pet. But while that was fun for a little while, it’s not fun anymore. I want to be more. Ideserveto be more, goddamnit!”
