Ryedir stared down at the dead assassin bleeding out over his plush carpet and tsked.
It had been a while since anyone had bothered to even attempt to take his life. The man was nondescript looking and the alpha knew he would have nothing on him that would point to the mastermind behind the plot. This man had been good, he had to give him credit, scaling up the side of the manor in the dim light of the early evening and even able to get a hit in on Ryedir while he was unarmed.
Although it would have been a different story had the little omega not been there, but he had not been willing to take a chance of Kari being used against him.
No, that one was a treasure of great worth- when he wasn’t being stubborn, that is.
An anguished scream tore him from his musing and Ryedir spun around with sword raised, intent on killing whoever attacked Kari.
Except no one was there but the little omega.
He sat curled up in a little ball with his nails scratching into the flesh of his throat and catching at the leather collar. The omega’s eyes were unfocused, seeing something beyond the waking realm, and he choked as though unable to draw breath. Ryedir dropped his sword, letting the metal hit the floor with a dull thud, and strode forward.
He scooped Kari up into his arms just as the door burst open. Jaid stepped in first with sword upraised followed by an equally armed Trois. Nevis must have heard the commotion and gone straight for help. He made a mental note to reward the beta later and turned his attention back to the struggling omega in his arms.
Kari fought against his hold, thrashing around wildly and crying out in fear. It was an awful sound- a high pitched, terrified whine. It grated on his alpha senses and had him wanting to lash out at whatever caused Kari's distress.
Except Ryedir couldn’t kill something that was in Kari’s own mind.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and trapped the distressed omega in the circle of his arms. Finally able to hold him still, Ryedir began to croon. It was a deep rumble that reverberated through his chest. Much like an omega crying affected nearby alphas, the croon an alpha produced had a soothing effect that was especially potent to omegas or their bonded mates.
Ryedir watched as Jaid and Trois walked into the room and went to inspect the corpse of the unfortunate assassin. Nevis popped his head in after and moved aside to let a concerned Laret into the room once he had determined that the coast was clear.
The healer quickly walked over and gave them both a critical look over. The young beta hovered behind her, alternating worried looks between his master, Kari and the corpse. Kari slowly relaxed and Ryedir could hear him beginning to breathe easier.
“Was he hurt?” Laret spoke quietly to avoid startling the distressed omega but Ryedir wasn’t entirely sure if Kari was aware enough to have noticed even if she yelled.
He shook his head in response, not willing to stop crooning just yet. The healer frowned and looked over Ryedir himself, the frown deepening as she spotted the shallow cut on his thigh. She pulled apart the cut material of his trousers and inspected the wound.
“This needs cleaning. I can’t see if there was any poison used but the flesh of the wound is not reacting as yet, which is a good sign.”
Ryedir peered down at the now limp omega in his arms. He appeared to have passed out, most likely from exhaustion. He gathered him up in his arms and stood, stepping away from the bed as Nevis and Laret switched places. The healer went to her large leather bag sitting by the door, while Nevis stepped forward and began removing Ryedir’s pants.
Jaid seemed to have finished with his inspection of the assassin’s corpse and Ryedir moved his attention to his master-at-arms while his wound was being cleaned and bandaged.
“No evidence of who sent him. Not a single thing on him other than the clothes and weapon. The weapon doesn’t appear to be poisoned.” The bulky alpha directed the last comment at Laret who hummed in acknowledgement. “Did he scale the manor?”
Ryedir nodded at the other man’s assumption. “Correct. I would be interested to know who was on guard duty today.” His tone was mild but the others knew him well enough by now to know the anger that simmered under the surface of his expression.
He had been distracted by comforting his little omega but now that he was asleep, the anger clawed its way back into his awareness. He watched Jaid’s expression harden. The man was normally quiet and laid back when off the battlefield but he was fierce when roused.
“I will have the names of all those potentially involved by midnight.” Jaid gave a small bow and strode from the room. Ryedir watched the other alpha leave before turning his attention to his frowning steward. The beta stood staring worriedly at the limp omega in his arms.
“What happened?”
Ryedir chose not to answer right away, instead turning to Nevis. “Go fetch someone to clean up this mess.” The beta nodded and scurried from the room. Ryedir turned back to Trois, “I am not entirely sure. The assassin came in through the open balcony door and attacked. Kari handed me my sword and I killed the attacker. It was after that when Kari panicked.”
“Flashback.” They both turned to Laret who stood, having finished bandaging Ryedir’s thigh. “I would bet anything on it. Did he seem sluggish or slow to respond during the attack?”
Ryedir thought for a moment before replying. “No. He was shaking when he handed me the weapon but still seemed there, if frightened.”
“Perhaps it was the blood then.” The healer looked pensive. “Or maybe the death itself. Time heals such things, so to have such a strong reaction… Perhaps it is tied to the state with which he was brought to us in. It would do us good to know what is a trigger for him, such a reaction could be lethal if there was another attack.” Laret helped Ryedir into a clean pair of pants before she grabbed a new cloth and gestured for Ryedir to sit.
She carefully cleaned the jagged wounds Kari’s nails had scored into his flesh. “Your Highness, he will need to eat but he most likely will not want to. You may need to hand feed him. I recommend a selection of sliced fruits and some light crackers. He may also be clingy and need extra attention for a few days. There is also a possibility of nightmares, given how he reacted.”
Ryedir nodded and looked over to Trois who acknowledged the unspoken command. He gave a small bow and strode from the room.
“You will need to be careful not to tear open your wound as well.” Laret stepped back and surveyed them both. She gave a small, satisfied nod and set to packing up her bag. “It might be good for you both to relax for a day or two. A day spent in bed together would do you both good, provided you don’t do anything too strenuous. It would help strengthen your bond as well.”