Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I do not miss company. When I require companionship, I spend time with Plutus, taking him out for a jaunt. When I wish to satisfy my carnal urges, I don a disguise, and head out to find a pleasure slave. Since they are all Betas, I never need to worry about going into rut, or impregnating them. I slake my dark desires on their willing, supple bodies—if I like them, I ensure they, too, have their satisfaction—and then I leave.
A perfect arrangement.
When I first became king, the Pyredii begged me to be a different kind of ruler than my father. They sent emissaries to petition me, pleading that I visit their villages and bless their hunting parties and their crops. To quiet the rumbling volcano, since Mount Vracor is said to be tied to the king’s moods and will, and it spews fire when I am discontent. Or suffering from indigestion.
I scoffed then, as I do now.
Eventually, they gave up. Those who persisted in pestering me learned the hard way not to irritate their king—especially if he happens to be a demon. A few flights over Mount Vracor when it was at its most threatening silenced my people’s whining.
Fear is an incredibly powerful tool. A great motivator. The end result was that I was able to enjoy a great number of years of being left alone, in peace, with no one begging, demanding, or requiring anything of me—at least, not in person. I still receive the occasional missive, but they’re set aside. Ignored. I have no interest in what the common folk have to tell me.
Until today.
A jynx brings me a message from the head of Solum, the village closest to my palace. Apparently, they have a gift for me. An offering. As someone who wants for nothing, who can conjure up almost anything he desires, I am bemused by the notion. Then I hear that since they are too afraid to bring this gift directly to me, I must go and fetch it myself, like some common delivery whelp. My bemusement immediately turns into irritation.
I refuse to be summoned. I send a jynx ahead to see what this offering might be, and whether it’s worth leaving the comfort of my castle to obtain.
The jynx returns and whispers a single word in my ear. Certain I misheard, I ask him to repeat it. And again.
Omega.
The ground shudders. In the distance, Mount Vracor smokes.
“Is that so?” I rise from my chair and begin to pace, the hem of my long cloak sweeping the floor. A while ago, I learned in a Kings’ Council meeting that the Stone King had found some way to bring Omegas to Ulfaria, but nobody knew how many there were—or where they could be found, since the magicians had miscalculated and scattered them across the planet. That golden buffoon Aurus merely told me his warriors were searching for the missing females. I never did get an update on that—probably because Aurus only cares about Aurus, and he already has his Omega.
Then I received an invitation from Medela, inviting me to some ball, so it seems King Bestian, too, has found a queen. Since I didn’t attend, I don’t know whether his new mate is also one of these Hoo-man Omegas, but it’s likely.
Could this random gift from Solum truly be an Omega? A real one? I close my eyes, trying to recall every detail of the ones I saw at the council meetings. They all seemed tiny, although the orbs do distort size somewhat. Perhaps I should have bestirred myself to attend in person for once.
Ah well. Too late now.
“Prepare my chambers,” I order the jynx. “Fresh bedding—oh, and lay out some refreshments fitting for an Omega—whatever Aurus feeds his queen.” Just in case this Omega is one of the Hoo-mans the Stone King brought over. The jynx can search the magicians’ records for more information on suitable food and drink. “I’m off to collect my gift.” Unwilling to wait one more moment, I shuck off my cloak and let my wings unfold as I stride to the extra-large window I had built into the wall of my quarters, which are on the upmost levels of the castle. I like to have an exit in every room.
I generally detest surprises, but this one could be interesting.
We shall see.
Two
Renee
I’ve lost all sense of time. The suns have shifted slightly, no longer blazing directly onto my bare skin, which I’m grateful for, but I’m still tied to a fucking tree like the bimbo lead in a second-rate horror movie. At least the wind has suppressed the plumes of ash so I can breathe. The smoke trails from the volcano have thinned.
The initial panic has subsided a little, and I’ve had a lot of time to think. Not sure if that’s a good thing. I’ve tried and tried to remember what I was doing before I fell asleep/passed out/died and went to alien hell, but I just can’t. Considering my outfit, I definitely wasn’t in bed asleep, nor was I at work. But there are still so many other options…