Forget Me Knot (PoisonVerse #2), page 32
“He said you asked for me,” Malakai said, dropping down onto the bed.
“I was just being polite.”
“Of course.” He dug under the covers and lay on his side, facing me and King, a smile curving his lips.
“Does this mean your conversation with Viper went well?” he asked. My purr stuttered out, which made my cheeks heat. I felt King tense around me as if worried.
“We’re…” I swallowed. “We’re going to try and make it work.”
“Good,” King breathed, his breath tickling my neck as he held me closer.
Malakai reached out, curving his fingers beneath my chin, his thumb brushing my cheek. “We’re going to fix this, Duchess. You belong with us.”
I shut my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, he was still there, still reaching out and touching me.
Skin pale as death with jet black hair, his full lips were curved in a smile with the cutest dimples. Ocean blue eyes like mine were crinkled in crescents as he looked at me like he never wanted to look away. His scent tangled in the air.
Sugar and spice.
I blinked again and Malakai’s dark eyes held mine. The sweet scent gone, replaced with riverside and clove.
That was… I stared, my heart rate elevating for just a moment before settling back down, before I sank further against King and reached up, taking Malakai’s hand in mine.
This was right. He was mine.
My purr rose again as I shut my eyes again and drifted off between them both.
FORTY-TWO
Ice
The Oxford house was massive.
It was the next day, and Malakai and I were following up on our plan to visit Viper’s dad. We were at a mansion in the middle of the city, yet the perimeters of the property were acres wide, which meant it must have cost a fortune.
Then again, he was an Oxford, so it’s possible the family owned the house long before the cityscape grew the way it did.
We pulled up in our beaten up jeep at the front of a set of tall gates.
There was a little drive up button thing, and Malakai drove near it to hit the comms.
A voice appeared on the radio. “Who is this?”
“Um…” Malakai cleared his throat. “We’re here to see Kenneth Oxford.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Appointment?”
I snorted. It was 5pm, and this was supposed to be his home.
“I’m sorry sir, but you can’t see the family without—”
“We’re from the St. James pack. Viper’s pack. Tell him that.”
There was a long pause, a buzz, then it cut off.
Viper was sick. Pressing him on it would just make him worse. And we needed Onyx to feel safe.
This was it. We had to get information. Onyx had fallen asleep in King and Malakai’s arms. I had fallen asleep in Arsenal’s. I hadn’t planned it, but Viper had been left alone.
I couldn’t miss how wounded he felt in the morning, still unable to close off the bond—and then feeling guilty about that, too. He’d put on a cheery smile and ordered us all breakfast in so we didn’t have to cook.
We needed to fix it. No one needed to be left out.
For a moment I daydreamed of a pack bed where I could keep them all in one place and no one felt left out. And then I could cuddle Onyx too. All night.
I blinked, taken aback. I didn’t have basic bitch omega dreams like that—
The intercom buzzed to life again, cutting off my thoughts. “Mr. Oxford will see you. Please drive up to the visitor’s parking.”
We entered the vast property, and I stared at the stupidly clean cut lawns with little pathways and benches. What the fuck was this? I didn’t believe anyone wanted a nice garden stroll when they could hear the city of New Oxford blaring around them.
We pulled into what was our best guess of ‘visitor’s parking’ and hopped out of the car. I noticed Malakai positioned himself just a little ahead of me as we walked up the drive.
We were met by two towering doors with large knockers that Malakai banged a few times. There was a long pause.
I was surprised, given the rest of the place, that it was Kenneth Oxford himself who opened the doors. A maid or a butler would have been more fitting, but perhaps the mention of his son’s pack was enough to draw him out in person.
“What are you here for?” he asked coldly. He had a neat strap of a beard, his attire was rich-man-casual—as in golf shirt instead of suit—but despite all of that, he did remind me of Viper. He was tall and slender, and his eyes were bright yellow.
He smelled like licorice and rum. Why did older alphas always smell like some sort of alcohol?
“We need information about O—Viper’s old pack,” Malakai said.
Kenneth’s eyes flicked from Malakai to me. “Is there any reason you can’t ask him yourself?”
“He’s not well enough, yet.”
“And you’re in such a hurry, because…?”
“Our pack is being threatened,” Malakai said.
He considered us for a long moment. “Her stalker.”
“You know?”
“I make an effort to stay current with my son’s business. He does tend to cause trouble if I don’t.”
I opened my mouth, but Kenneth Oxford held up his hand. “Before you ask, no, I don’t know who is harassing Onyx Madison.” He said her name like it was poison on his tongue, and I heard the faintest rumble of a growl from Malakai.
Kenneth sighed. “I have tried to find out.”
My brow furrowed. Kenneth Oxford was one of the richest people in New Oxford. I’d be willing to bet he was one of the richest men in the country. He’d looked into Onyx’s stalker and found nothing?
“We just want to—”
“I am aware of what you are here for.” But his eyes were weary all of a sudden. He sighed. “Come in. But I warn you, you might not like the answers I have.”
Onyx
The rain tumbled down around the wooden gazebo, landing on the tiles and shattering into a million glittering flecks. Viper handed me a mug of hot cocoa as he sat on one of the metal chairs at my side.
This was it. Our time to try and figure out a middle ground.
“You’re… okay?” he asked.
“I’m…” I considered that, swept away by the piercing yellow of his eyes. “I don’t know. Where do we start?”
“Right out here. The rain was always our thing.”
I smiled, something about that feeling right. “Why are you so afraid?” I asked.
“Because there is nothing worse in this world than seeing you hurt.”
I held the warm mug close. “Whatever it is, I’ll have to face it some day.”
“I hope you’re wrong,” he whispered.
I smiled faintly at that, getting to my feet. His scent, mint and mist, drew me to the rain. It made me want to step out into it and feel it on my skin.
I set my mug on my chair, stepping out into the rain before looking back at him. His brow was pinched as he watched me, but his scent changed. Shifting to something wanting.
He followed, his hand tangling in mine. “I don’t know the right way to do this, Onyx. If I fuck this up, I could hurt you again.”
“If you don’t try, you hurt me, too,” I replied.
How silent my life would be, returning home after getting a taste of what it might be like to love. Going on dates with packs of alphas who didn’t value me for anything but my looks. Spending my evenings alone, afraid…
Viper looked pained, glancing away and out over the city. “I know.” Mint and mist tangled with rain, rising in the air around us and I took his hand without thought.
“We danced,” he blurted. “Like this. In the rain. We did it all the time.”
“Show me.”
Arsenal
Riot was at the door.
I had called him, knowing I had to bite this bullet sooner rather than later. Ice and Mal were out. Onyx was upstairs with Viper. It was just me and King.
I blocked the way as he made to step in. “I’m not welcome?” he asked, a thick, dark brow raised. His dark hood was wet with rain, but his coat was open. Enough that I could see the gun at his belt. I had mine tucked away, too. I’d been carrying it since the moment I’d told him I needed to meet him.
“This won’t take long,” I said, then steeled myself. “We won’t be doing the job.”
“You won’t?” Riot asked, a crooked grin on his face as he cocked his head, emerald eyes flashing.
My heart smashed into my ribs, my mind spinning the thousand tales I’d heard of him. But he was just a person. Another alpha just like me. “Find another pack. We found another way to get what we want. I can’t risk our pack on a job I don’t need.”
Riot cocked his head. “You’re backing out.”
People were terrified of him—and for good reason—but acting like I was too wouldn’t get me anywhere.
“We have nothing to discuss. I won’t do a job for free and I don’t need what you’re offering.”
Riot’s eyes were narrowed, and I was afraid, for a moment, of what he would do. Then slowly, he held his hand out, palm up.
Right.
His USB.
I almost released a breath of relief. I dug in the inside pocket of my jacket—the one I’d barely taken off since Riot had come last.
I frowned, rooting around. Could it have slipped through a hole? But my fingers closed around something. Something that didn’t feel right at all. I tugged it out and stared at the brittle thing.
My blood turned to ice.
In my palm was a single dead forget-me-not.
FORTY-THREE
Viper
My hands gently touched Onyx’s waist, drawing her closer. She reached up, as if on instinct, wrapping her arms around my neck. Cool rain trickled down my face and neck and into my clothes as we swayed.
“You remembered me?” she asked. “All this time?”
“Always,” I whispered. I reached up, brushing her cheek with my knuckle. For a moment her eyes closed and she leaned into my touch.
We remained like that, taking slow steps in the rain until she bumped into the railing of the roof. I glanced out, eyes finding the Gritch District in the dark and rain, gaze sliding down to the street beyond, and then to the gravel and doorstep below us.
There was not another soul in sight.
Just me and her in the rain, like in my dreams.
She reached up, her hands cupping my cheeks, her eyes holding mine. Her hair was damp with rain, her sapphire eyes everything I’d ever remembered. There was the smallest hesitation, and then she seized me, drawing me closer in a kiss like I’d never felt before.
A warning sounded in my head.
Danger.
I woke in the hospital, knowing there was something wrong. There was nothing else in the world but her. Nothing left for me to live for.
And she was in pain. I didn’t know how I knew.
Blood dripped down my fingers. I’d ripped out… something from my arm. Machines beeped, each noise pounding against my skull. I staggered toward the room beside mine, needing the wall to hold me up until I saw her.
Then my heart sank.
She was alone and there was a metal nail file gripped in her hand.
“Onyx!” I staggered toward her. She shied away, sharp edge coming closer to her skin.
“Don’t!” I froze, hands up, hearing nothing but the horrible beeping and the faint sound of my own dripping blood on the linoleum floors.
“They keep telling me they’re gone,” she whispered. “Why, Viper?” The shake in her voice split my heart in two. “Tell me they aren’t…”
“No… They’re…” I tried so hard because she needed it, but the words wouldn’t come.
“T-tell m-me…” Her breath caught, a wild look in her eyes. She shook her head. I took another step toward her, slowly.
“You’re all lying! Why are you lying to me, Viper?”
“P-please, Onyx. Give it to me.”
“I n-need it gone,” she sobbed, tears in her eyes as she stared at me. The sharp edge of the file was hovering over the tattoo of a forget-me-not. Each flower was a member of our pack.
“I don’t… I c-can’t…” She shook her head again. “I need it gone.”
I lunged for her, going straight for the nail file. She panicked, dragging it down to her skin. I was a second too late. It tore down her arm just as I seized her wrist.
“HELP!” I shouted, ripping her arm back.
“I don’t want it!” she screamed, fighting me with wild eyes. “GET IT OFF ME!”
I was trembling from head to toe while I clutched her writhing body as she tried to claw at her own skin.
“GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!”
I trembled, sobs tearing from my throat as I held her, staring at the nail file upon the ground, smeared in her blood.
Onyx
It was years of distance and need and grief, closed in one.
My world shuddered, other kisses just like this flickering through my mind. And when he drew away, they were gone.
I was breathless and he looked panicked, eyes darting between mine as if he expected something terrible to happen.
But it didn’t.
There was nothing terrible about that kiss.
I smiled, and in that moment it felt like everything clicked into place.
“I’ll take the bond,” I whispered.
He stared at me, his mouth working for a moment. I traced my thumb along the ridge of his high cheekbones, committing every inch of his face to memory.
I’d forgotten it.
How had I ever forgotten it?
“You will?” His voice was hoarse.
“Yes.”
Finally, a smile lit his face, a guilty excitement brightening his features.
“We should go and tell them,” I squeezed his hand, dragging him toward the door.
“Mal and Ice are still out.”
My grip was on the door handle as I glanced back to him with a smile. “I’m not keeping him waiting. You know he told me he loved me back in the hospital?”
“Who?” Viper asked, startled.
“Jake.”
Viper halted as I pushed the door open. I blinked.
My heart smashed against my ribcage.
What just…?
I shook my head, daring a glance back at him. He was staring, all peace gone from his face. His yellow eyes were wide. “Who?” he asked, voice a croak.
I frowned. “King.”
I’d said that, hadn’t I?
“He… said he loved me the first time he laid eyes on me.”
Viper said nothing, still frozen.
But… Why were we waiting?
I tugged my fingers from his grip and went to hug my handbag to my side, only to find it wasn’t there. My eyes snapped to it in the room below. On the kitchen counter.
I hurried down the steps toward it, fixated, but when I stepped onto the main floor, I drew up.
There was something wrong. The air was wrong.
In it was a scent that wasn’t supposed to be.
Then my eyes fell upon the first body in the garage below and my mind shattered into a million pieces.
FORTY-FOUR
Ice
We followed Kenneth Oxford across a grand entryway. I couldn’t help staring around. Had Viper grown up here?
How… completely opposite that was to us. It didn’t upset me, but it made me curious. How different was he from the rest of the pack? We needed different.
Kenneth ushered us into an office and I took a seat as he slid behind a desk, leaning on his elbows and arching his fingers.
“What has Viper said?” he asked.
“Barely anything,” Malakai said. “He’s still healing. It’s difficult for him to speak about it. But we know his pack were Onyx’s mates.
“She wasn’t a good suitor for my son,” Kenneth said quietly. “She’s a good woman. I’ve kept tabs on her over the years. She gives—and not just where it’s easy like many wealthy young people. I did not warn my son away from her lightly.”
“What?” I asked, shocked. “How is she not a good suitor?”
“Well, her… condition, of course. It might have been alright—”
“Condition?” Malakai’s voice was low, and his riverside and clove scent went bitter in the air.
“What?” I asked.
“She can’t bear children,” Kenneth said, much too mildly.
Wait.
What?
Kenneth Oxford continued on, but I barely heard him, mind reeling. “I had her records all unsealed when the match happened, of course. And like I said, it might have been fine, but then I was a fool and I told my son he wasn’t to offer her anything but a normal bond. So, of course, what did he do?”
“She was his match,” Malakai said, shocked. “If he wanted her to have the princess bond, it was his right.”
Kenneth sighed. “Yes. I should have had the foresight to realise he would absolutely claim that right simply because I forbade it.”
It took me a second to catch up.
Princess bonds could only be offered to mates, and—like dark bonds—packs with princess bonded omegas could never have another. If Viper had offered Onyx a princess bond, it would have been reasonable to assume they would never look for another omega.
To Kenneth Oxford, a princess bond meant… “You were worried about lineage?” I asked, disgusted.
“Of course I was. I thought, at first, that was all there was to it, but even after everything, he was still in love with her. It took too much to keep him away from her.”
“Keep him away from her?”
Kenneth sighed. “If he hasn’t told you yet, it’s only a matter of time. My son and I don’t get along—we never have, but I do love him. His circumstances, over the last few years, have worsened. I have been pushed to further extremes in order to try to keep him well.”
