The Omega Fire (Book Three of the Omega Game Series)

Chapter 9

Nira

The Town of Nack

Present Day

    “Didoka, have you seen my green scarf?” I asked the boy while we started dismounting our camp in the early morning. Didoka’s yellow eyes shined under the rising sun while he inspected the tent we shared every night. 

    “Did you have it with you last night?”he asked me.  I frowned, trying to remember if I had it on me when we had visited the town of Nack. I couldn’t remember if I had it on or not. All I could remember this morning seemed to be Aros’s deep blue eyes when he hugged me and took care of that horrible spider for me. And then, to my horror, he had carried me all the way back to the camp and let me right in front of my tent without saying a word. Which didn’t make sense because Aros liked to fight me as much as I liked to fight him back.

    “I think so,” I murmured and then turned around, “Let me ask the Mongrel.”

    I had only taken three more steps when a deep voice that wasn’t quite like a voice but as a rhythmic melody with meaning rose in volume inside of my head. I froze in the middle of the camp and ignored the other sounds around me and my friends to try and make sense of the voice that I was hearing inside of my mind.

    Your Alpha has the scarf. 

    I swallowed nervously. I looked around trying to understand who was making me the butt of the joke in here. I scanned the camp and started feeling more scared with every passing moment. I could see Katala and Noctis kissing passionately while they tried to leave their tent for the day. It always cost them an insurmountable amount of time to leave their tent every morning. And then I spied Kun and Aros by the trees at the end of the camp. They were taking care of clearing our footprints and any sign that we had been in there at all. Didoka was several steps away from me and preoccupied with organizing his books. Who the hell was speaking to me?

    I scratched my head and turned in a circle, looking up at the sky and then at the rocks around our camp. Who could possibly be talking to me? A deep roar that sounded strangely like an unused laugh scratched my temples from the inside out, making me shudder.

    So fast do you forget the dragon residing inside of you, Little Red?

    “Aww s**t,” I cursed under my breath.

    Right. I closed my eyes and focused on following Teran’s unmistakable presence all the way inside the darkest corner of my mind. This time around he wasn’t sleeping, or roaring and tearing his powerful tail around. He was sitting on his hind legs, his red feathered wings extended across the span of my mind and his strong shoulders poised back. Teran was regarding me attentively, almost as if he was curious beyond belief about my much smaller presence. I stood away from him and returned his curious look, eyeing his powerful claws and then taking one step back for good measure. It didn’t matter how curious I was about him, I simply wasn’t ready to die again anytime soon.

    I’m sorry about that. 

    He said this without moving his maw. It felt as if he was speaking directly into my senses. A voice without sound that vibrated against my barebones. A shiver ran down my spine at the memory of my death and grimacing I shook my head at the dragon.

    “Let’s never talk about that incident again,” I murmured and then I sighed, eyeing him carefully, “You are forgiven, but in return I ask you forgive me for keeping you a prisoner. I hope you understand that I can’t let you go. Without you I am as good as…”

    Dead. 

    “Can you please state that differently?” I asked him with a frown, “It sounds like you are threatening me.”

    I’m not threatening you, young one. 

    “Yeah well, let’s not talk about death anymore,” I scoffed, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes, “Why are you speaking to me?”

    I do as I please.

    I rolled my eyes at that.

    “Oh dear, I know that Teran. You have literally burned that idea into my mind by now. What I’m trying to say is...why are you speaking to me now? Why not yesterday? Or the day before that?” At my question the gigantic dragon closed his wings and moved his head to a side, inspecting me from above.

    Your innocence has finally made me come out of my madness.

    “I need a direct translation to that,” I said slowly, pacing from left to right, “ What do you mean Teran? And I warn you, I can be thoroughly obtuse when people speak in riddles. I don’t have the patience nor the inclination to understand tongue-twisters.”

    I can see, hear and feel what you do Little Red. I can choose not to, but for days now I’ve been spying on you, getting to know you better. I’ve learned that you love life. That you respect life and that above everything else you choose to care for creatures that scare you. Like you did for that spider last night.

    I felt my jaw hit the floor.

    “You have been spying on me!”

    Yes.

    Teran blinked slowly while admitting this, unapologetic and unconcerned.  I groaned. Of course he had been spying on me! By the Gods he could have seen me naked! Or even worse, spy on my thoughts! And if he had spied on my memories then he knew the real reason why I was afraid of spiders!

    You are scared of spiders because they remind you that you are scared of what you feel for your Alpha.

    “That is just so intrusive on so many levels Teran,” I said with indignation, trying to push my hair back and regain some control over the situation, “Fine, so you can see, hear and feel as I do, right? But you said you can choose not to. Explain.”

    I can go dormant from time to time. I would still be inside of your vessel, but asleep. 

    “Good, those are good news” I nodded now pacing faster,  “Let’s get some ground rules in here Dragon. This is a democracy but there are some rules to be followed. You can spy on me as much as you like but I need some moments of privacy. I don’t know if you know this but as an Omega I have...well I suffer from...at times I…”

    Go into Heat. I know this Little Red. I’ve walked this Earth a long time before the first Omega was born.

    “So then you know that I’m not quite myself when I go into Heat. I would appreciate it if you don’t see me in pain next time that happens. Can you please go dormant then?” Teran c****d his head to the side, his ruby eyes brightening in wonder.

    Pain? Do you mean your Alpha doesn’t take care of you? He seemed quite adamant on serving you last night.

    “My Alpha? Do you mean Aros?” I asked in horror and Teran nodded. I snorted impolitely at that, “He is not my mate.”

    He is your fated mate. I can feel these kinds of things as a spirit. There’s no doubt about it. 

    “Well then you are the first spirit that is wrong in the history of spirits being wrong!” I screamed back at him and Teran laughed, his laughter long, harmonious and monstruos at the same time.

    So much fire. You would have been a fierce dragon Little Red.

“The point is we need some boundaries Teran. In my private moments please go dormant. It will be easier for me knowing that you are not a first-in-line spectator,” I sighed again, staring at him and frowning when I remembered the first thing he had said to me, “You think that Aros has my scarf?”

    I saw him clearly last night, picking the green scarf from the cobblestones when you weren’t watching.

    I started playing with my hair while I dissected his words.

    “That doesn’t make sense. Why would Aros take my scarf?

    It was Teran’s turn to scoff at me. The only difference was that when he scoffed Teran exhaled a powerful whirlwind that pushed me three steps back. When I finally centered myself and looked back at him he was slowly doing rounds, trying to find a comfortable place to lie down. He grew comfortable and crossed his front legs, resting his head over them and staring pointedly at me.

    Alphas are beasts not that different from dragons Little Red. If I had to speculate I would say the Red God wanted a token of your scent. 

    “What for?” I asked him and Teran only blinked, staring silently at me as if I should know better. He grew bored after that and closed his eyes, exhaling calmly.

    If you want to know, go to his tent tonight and ask him.

    Teran was dismissing me and annoyed I scoffed at him one last time before leaving him. I opened my eyes to find everyone staring at me in curiosity. Katala and Noctis were looking at me, inspecting me while Kun and Didoka spoke in low tones and watched me. Aros was standing closer, a worried look obscuring his blue eyes.

    “Why were you standing in the middle of the camp with your eyes closed?” asked Aros with a line marking his brow.

    “What? Can’t I just stand still and quiet for a moment?” I said, bewildered by all the experiences I’ve just had and to my surprise everyone looked at me and shook their heads.

    “No,” they all said in unison, making me roll my eyes.

    “Did anything happen between you and Teran?” asked me Katala carefully, almost as if she knew more than what she was letting on. I shook my head and turned around fast, not ready to go down that road and open that discussion just yet. I still needed to process what had happened between me and the dragon and there was a long road to cross before we got to Naccara.

    “Nothing is wrong,” I said over my shoulder, “I just need to pack.”

    And then I made myself as busy as I could until we had to leave the camp for the day.