Chapter Text
“Vax, I think I found a live one,” Vex hissed, waving her brother over.
Vax slinked back through the shadows and peered through the cell bars at what had at first appeared to just be a pile of old bedding. Now they could see two pale blue eyes squinting up in their direction through round spectacles—whoever they were, they clearly were having a harder time seeing through the gloom than the two half-elves.
“Have you come to finally kill me?” the man asked. His voice sounded rough from what she could only assume was disuse and dehydration, but it still had a distinct lilt to it. Nobility. And it sounded younger than the shock of white hair had led Vex to expect. Interesting.
“Well hello to you too, handsome. What’re you in for? You with the cultists?” Vax asked, ignoring his question.
“If I were, I wouldn’t be in this cell, now would I?” the man replied, lifting manacled hands and wiggling his fingers. His eyes couldn’t quite make direct contact with either of them in the dark. “No. Are you?”
Vex and Vax glanced at each other. What was a young nobleman doing rotting in a cell in this backwater town?
Vex mouthed, Omega maybe? at Vax, and had to hold back a wince at the sudden look of concern and fury that crossed his face. They both took a deep breath.
“No… we aren’t either,” Vex replied, turning back to the man. She couldn’t smell him from here, but that didn’t necessarily rule out the possibility. She studied him more closely, looking for any signs of abuse out of the ordinary for a prisoner.
“In that case, any chance I could convince you to let me out?” He held out his hands, fingers spread wide. He seemed well enough, if malnourished and a little roughed up, but nothing overly concerning.
She tilted her head toward Vax, mouth twisting as they made eye contact again, and shrugged. The fiery look in his eyes cooled back to one of caution. They were omegas—they had to watch their own backs.
“That depends. Again—what’re you in for?” Vax replied, crossing his arms.
“Nothing untoward,” the man said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Just attempted murder. Completely deserved, I assure you.”
“Attempted, huh? You must not be very good,” Vax smirked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll admit my approach could have been more subtle—these cultists got to me before I ever even laid eyes on her. However, I am an excellent shot, once I have eyes on a target.”
“You’re an archer?” Vex asked.
“No,” he responded, sounding amused.
“Then what?”
“It’s a rather complicated contraption to explain, but I can show you, if you let me go. I believe they have my gear in the office upstairs.”
Vex considered him for a moment.
“How about a deal?” she suggested. “We let you go, and you help us take care of what we came for.”
“Oh? And what is it you came here for? Taking down the cultists?”
“Eventually maybe. First we need something from what they’re summoning.”
“And what are they summoning?”
“A Nightmare.”
The man went quiet for a moment, then tilted his head, a wry smile on his face. “As in the hell horse? Well, that doesn’t sound very pleasant.” He held out his hands again. “But, I suppose I’ll find out firsthand soon enough. You have a deal.”
Vex nodded at Vax, who still looked a little skeptical but nonetheless shifted over to pick the lock. Once the door popped open, he slipped inside and moved on to the manacles around the man’s wrists.
Once freed, the man stood and held out a hand. He was much taller than expected, lean and all angles, now that she had a better look at him. And his clothes seemed to confirm their guess at nobility—even if they were ragged at this point.
“Percy. I don’t believe I caught either of your names.”
Vex stepped forward to shake his hand, but was surprised to find it was rough and calloused. A working man’s hands.
“He’s Vax.”
“She’s Vex.”
The man—Percy—just nodded, then began to make his way out, brushing past Vex as he went.
Vex glanced at Vax, eyebrows raised.
Percy smelled like grime and refuse that clearly came from being imprisoned here for some time, but underneath that she could just faintly make out the smell of metal and something else she couldn’t identify.
He certainly wasn’t an alpha or an omega with a scent that faint, but it was odd. His smell was more akin to a blacksmith’s forge than the typical pheromonal scents.
A man with a noble accent and attitude, hands that had seen hard labor, and one of the faintest scents she had ever encountered.
Interesting indeed.
* * *
“Percival, darling, won’t you come up for dinner?”
Vex grinned as he startled, whipping around to look at her from his new workbench in his new workshop in their new keep. As usual, his hair was standing up in every direction, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and he was covered in soot and black powder. She warmed at the familiar sight. It had been so long.
“Vex’ahlia! I thought you weren’t expected back for at least another week.”
She winked and leaned against the doorframe. “Things changed and we decided to return a little early. Besides, I’ve been itching to get back since we received word that construction was complete.”
Percy smiled warmly at her, then seemed to remember something and twisted back around to grab an item from the shelf behind his workbench.
“Well, despite your best efforts, you’ve caught me only slightly flatfooted,” he said as he turned back around, looking pleased with himself. “I had wanted to make you more of these as a welcome home gift, but I suppose you’ll have to be content with only the one for now.”
He stepped forward and, with a flourish, placed an arrow in her outstretched hands.
It seemed… heavier? Heavier than a normal arrow. She inspected the bulkier head, wondering at what her gunslinger might have done, as he explained.
“This is an explosive arrow. You don’t need to ignite anything, simply shoot it at your target and boom—you should see exciting results,” he clapped his hands, a gleeful sparkle in his eyes.
“Percy, that’s incredible!”
“It is quite brilliant, I know.” He stepped closer and pointed at the arrowhead. “This is packed with a chemical mixture, which will take care of the explosion.”
As usual, Percy smelled faintly of metal, and the oils he used on his guns, and the black powder he was always covered in after enough time spent in his workshop. It was a familiar smell, and she let her omega instincts lead as she reached out and grabbed his hand, pressing their wrists together to scent him lightly at the same time that she closed the short distance between them to plant a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, darling. This is wonderful.”
He blushed and straightened back up, hands and eyes suddenly busy as he straightened his work shirt.
“Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll save our sorry hides with it at some point. It was the least I could do.”
Vex raised an eyebrow and was about to point out that the least he could do was nothing—in fact, no one had ever done anything like this for her and crafting a new type of arrow just for her was—
“Percy! It’s been a while,” a voice called from behind them. Vax sauntered in and clapped Percy on the shoulder.
“Vax’ildan. I see you also returned home in one piece.”
“I always do,” he said, grinning. Vax then turned to Vex, and she immediately bristled as his expression shifted. “It’s nice to see you Percival, but I’m actually down here for my sister. Vex. It wasn’t hard to find you, you know—just had to follow my nose. Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
Vex opened her mouth to say something indignant, but Percy was quicker.
“Getting ready?” he asked, turning toward her. “Are you heading out again?”
Vex sighed, then shot Vax a dirty look.
“No, darling. It’s almost my time, and brother dear,” she elbowed him, “is being overbearing about it as usual.”
“Ah.” Percy blushed and stepped back. “I have a rather weak nose for these things, I hadn’t noticed. Well, the new heat room is quite nice, at least.”
Vex felt a little twist in her chest, but smirked. “Oh, quite nice, is it? Experienced it firsthand, have you?”
They had all been traveling together for several years now, but the past six months had seen them go their separate ways as the keep was being built. It had been weird, traveling alone with just her brother again. She found herself missing their little group frequently. And somehow, she had failed to anticipate that there might be any big changes.
Percy was the last person she would’ve expected to find romance or casual sex in that time, but Emon was certainly the place for him to encounter some beautiful noble that would appeal to his more refined sensibilities and ask him to spend a heat or a rut together.
She just hadn’t thought he was interested in those sorts of things.
“Firsthand…?” Percy seemed confused for a moment, but his mouth popped open in an oh when even Vax whipped his head around in shocked delight. “NO. No. Of course not! I was simply given the tour when the keep was complete. It seemed rather comfortable.”
“A tour, huh?” Vax drawled, making an attempt at elbowing Percy in the ribs, which he deftly side stepped.
“That is crass, Vax’ildan,” he said blandly, but he couldn’t hide the blush creeping back up his cheeks.
Vex felt a little rush of relief that she was neither prepared for nor interested in examining, and quickly hid it behind a cheshire grin directed at Percy. She stepped forward into his space again, defaulting to her usual modus operandi, and maybe letting out a little more of her omega pheromones than she normally would dare pre-heat. She had already scented him and he wasn’t an alpha anyway—it couldn’t really hurt.
“Well, it is a shame, though. You ought to experience it firsthand sometime.”
Percy’s blush deepened, but he didn’t back down and was about to speak when Vax stepped between them and began shoving Vex toward the door.
“Alright, that’s enough watching my sister flirt,” he grumbled. Then, just for her, “And don’t think I didn’t smell that.”
Vax waved a hand behind them, “Goodbye!”
Vex looked back to shoot Percy a parting wink, then continued up the stairs. She really did need to go get ready.
It was only once she was back in her room with the door closed that she took a moment to look down at the arrow still clutched in her hands.
A welcome home gift. From Percy. Percy had been thinking about her while they were apart for six months. Had been planning on making more of these for her. For no other reason than to welcome her into their new home. And he had not, in fact, spent a heat or a rut with anyone while they were all apart.
She hadn’t thought she would care. And yet…
Fucking hell, Percival.
***
Percy continued to periodically make her special arrows, and Vex continued to thank him with a gleeful kiss on the cheek and a light scenting on his wrist. And every time he would blush, look pleased, and then move on. He never asked for anything in return, never made any moves, never did anything.
Vex was trying to come to terms with the fact that maybe in this case there wasn’t any other motive. Percy had always been a bit of an odd creature. Maybe that big inventor brain of his just enjoyed working out how to make the next interesting thing. Maybe this was what it meant to be close to someone other than just her brother—to give and take without expecting it to be a transaction.
Or maybe it was just… Percy. Generous and thoughtful and ridiculous.
***
He was a good man. She was certain of this, even as the Briarwoods came and he began to descend into a darkness none of them knew what to do about.
***
“How long has he been like this?”
Despite the low murmur, Vex was startled when Cassandra finally spoke. They had been walking silently, following behind Percy and Ripley for some time. Vex glanced toward the younger woman briefly, then allowed her gaze to shift back to the man in front of her.
“Do you mean all smokey and unsettling? Since the Briarwoods paid us a visit in Emon,” she replied, matching her companion’s volume.
“No, not that. Scentless.”
Vex looked at her again, confused.
“I mean, he’s a beta but he does have that faint metal-y scent.”
Cassandra stared at her for a moment, then looked back toward her brother.
“Right.”
“Wait—” Vex started, but Cassandra had already slipped off, falling in next to her brother without another word.
Vex fell back beside Vax, grabbing him and slowing until they could speak without being overheard.
“Vax, Percy is a beta, right?”
Vax glanced over at her, eyebrows raised.
“Of course. Why? Did Cassandra say something?”
“Not exactly… she asked how long he had been scentless.”
Vax tilted his head, considering.
“She’s an alpha. Maybe it’s odd to have a beta in their family. We know how weird nobility gets about subgenders.” Both twins grimaced, thinking of their own childhoods as twin omegas in Syngorn. “Perhaps she thought he would’ve presented since she saw him last. Percival is rather young. He can’t be too far past the expected window.”
Vex looked forward toward Percy, gun pressed into Ripley’s back and walking with a purpose. It was easy to forget he was the youngest among them, sometimes. And until recently, no one had realized just how much their gunslinger was keeping to himself. It would be just like him to quietly watch the time go by and accept that he wasn’t going to be whatever his past had expected of him. None of his life was as it should’ve been—what was one more thing?
“Yes, I suppose that would make sense.”
***
Whitestone had been liberated and Percy freed from his demon for three days, and Vex found herself pacing in front of a guarded corridor, waiting for Cassandra.
Something had happened when Scanlan threw Percy’s gun in the acid. One moment Percy was ready to sink his hands into the acid after it, the next that demonic black smoke puffed out and Percy fell limp in Vex’s arms. He hadn’t woken up.
They rushed him upstairs to an empty room, hoping it was just a side effect of the demon being parted from his soul, but true worry began to set in when they realized he was breaking out in a fever, and healing spells weren’t helping. It had been just as Vex was noticing his smell seemed off that Percy woke with a gasp.
“Out—NOW,” he demanded.
He made eye contact with Cassandra, a wild look in his eyes, and she suddenly was ordering everyone out of the entire wing, directing them to assist her in taking care of matters as the leaders of the rebellion, and posted guards to prevent anyone from coming to see him.
Vex didn’t like it.
She had respected Percy's privacy at first, and tried to keep away. But as time went on and Cassandra continued to keep them out without any updates on his condition other than “he’s recovering,” Vex began pestering the girl more and more. By the third day, the only thing stopping Vex from shooting both guards and going in anyway was that respect for Percy.
The problem was that Percy was also a stubborn bastard and she didn’t trust that he would simply open up about whatever his condition was before it caused him serious harm. Fortunately, Cassandra had finally agreed to try convincing him to change his mind. Vex suspected the younger woman was getting tired of the scent of angry omega—the guards certainly must be.
At the sound of footsteps, Vex rushed forward to the boundary the guards were keeping. Cassandra was approaching from the direction of Percy’s room.
“Well?”
Cassandra stared at her for a moment, seemingly making some sort of assessment.
“Come with me,” was all she said, then turned and began walking back down the hall.
Vex pushed past the guards in front of her, following Cassandra down the hall and into a study, still a ways away from the room Percy was in.
Cassandra took a seat behind the large desk, and gestured for Vex to take the seat across from her.
“Please, sit.”
Vex glared and crossed her arms. The young alpha sighed, acquiescing easily and clasping her hands on the desk in front of her.
“I wouldn’t normally be so straightforward in polite company, but I don’t think either of us has the patience for anything else at the moment. You’re an omega, correct?”
Vex narrowed her eyes. “What does that have to do with anything? What’s wrong with Percy? Did the demon harm him on its way out?” she demanded, stepping forward to grip the back of the chair she had been offered.
“No. Quite the contrary. His body is returning to normal after several years of what we might call demonic suppression.”
“Demonic suppression?”
“Yes.” Cassandra nodded calmly. “What he’s going through at the moment appears to be several years worth of ruts condensed into who knows how long. We were hoping he could get through it in a few days using the usual teas, but while they’ve helped enough to make him coherent, it seems far from over.”
Vex stared at Cassandra for a moment, then stepped forward to collapse into the seat in front of her after all.
“Percy’s an alpha?”
Cassandra raised an eyebrow.
“Is it really that surprising? He seemed of the right temperament, from what I’ve seen since you all arrived.”
Vex shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Percy isn’t like that. We’ve known him for years now, and that started when the Briarwoods came into the picture. And sure, he can be a little bit of a pretentious asshole, but he’s rarely been aggressive outside of combat and especially not with any of us. When we met him we assumed he was a beta, and the shoe seemed to fit. He certainly never said otherwise.”
Cassandra was silent for a moment, then looked down at her hands.
“Well. Then he hasn’t changed as much from his youth as it would seem. We were all shocked when he presented as an alpha.”
They fell into silence again, and then another thought occurred to Vex.
“He’s in pain, isn’t he?”
Cassandra hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, honestly. And we’ve already given him everything we can for it. He is just going to have to wait it out.”
Vex crossed her arms. “You asked me if I was an omega for a reason, I assume.”
Cassandra seemed to be debating something for a moment before she spoke.
“Percival, he… he mentioned you.”
“Mentioned me? That I’m an omega?”
“No, of course not,” Cassandra waved her hand, leaning back in her seat. “That would be incredibly rude.”
“Then?”
“Well, he’s mentioned your name when he’s been less than coherent.”
Vex sucked in a sharp breath.
“He’s calling for me?”
“Yes.”
Vex leaned back in her chair as well, unsure what to think of that.
She cared about Percy. A lot. Enough to kick up a fuss until Cassandra could no longer refuse to see her. But even when they flirted, she could feel the way that Percival was keeping them all at arm’s length. The teasing was always lighthearted, easy and meaningless.
But then, this didn’t have to be romantic, did it?
She could do it. She could help Percy through this as his friend. And it made sense he was asking for her—she and Vax were the only two omegas in their party, and her brother had whatever was going on with Gilmore and Keyleth, so he was presumably off the table. And Keyleth was an alpha besides being Percy’s best friend, so obviously not her either.
Another thought struck her, then.
“Does he know? That you’re telling me this?”
Cassandra nodded again.
“He was reluctant to agree, but finally acquiesced now that it seems like it’s going to be a prolonged experience. And as for the bit about you in particular…” she paused, making a face similar to Percy’s when he’s trying to find the right words. “He is aware that I’m telling you, yes.”
Vex studied her face, once again reminded of how young she really was.
“He didn’t actually agree to that part, though, did he?”
Cassandra heaved the sort of long suffering sigh that came from dealing with stubborn siblings.
“Not exactly, no. But he knows. He seems to be under the impression that you would be unwilling to assist except as an act of pure pity, and he would rather suffer alone than receive that from you. I agreed with his reasoning at first, but after three days of him suffering and three days of you pestering me constantly about his well-being, I decided he perhaps had no idea how you might actually feel on the matter, and that you ought to know.
“He isn’t terribly happy with me at the moment, but that is a price I’m willing to pay.” Cassandra folded her hands primly in her lap. “Now, Percival seems to trust you, so I’m going to ask you a question, and I expect you to be honest with me. You don’t need to elaborate if you’d prefer not to, but if I were to allow you to see him - would it be pity motivating you, Vex’ahlia?”
Vex stared at her own hands in her lap, and considered how honest she’s been with herself up to this point. She thought about explosive arrows, and pleased smiles, and fighting with him side by side; the way he sounded when he was intentionally being pretentious, and the way he turned pink when she flirted or kissed him but never turned her away. She thought about how he was the only one who never judged her habit of haggling and had never once made comments about anyone’s subgender; about how she wasn’t afraid of Percy but for Percy every time that godsdamn smoke began pouring off him, and the satisfaction of banishing his demon. She thought about how she would feel if he had been lost to them; about how she felt every time she reached out to him through the smoke and he let her in. She thought about how she would feel if he had been calling for anyone else.
She looked back up at Cassandra.
“No.”
***
Vex could smell him long before she reached his door, and it was a revelation. She was once again grateful for Cassandra’s protectiveness, because Percy smelled… mouth watering. And nothing like what she expected.
She had always assumed the blacksmith forge smell was both his scent and a side effect of his work, but apparently it was only the latter. Percy’s real scent was a heady mix of musk, the pine trees of the Parchwood, and something she couldn’t place her finger on but felt so distinctly Percy. It was deeply familiar but she was certain she had never smelled it before.
She would remember it if she had. Vex had never been this wet in her life without at least some fondling, and she had certainly never had quite this reaction to an alpha’s rut pheromones before.
Vex wasn't sure if she wanted to devour or to be devoured, but the only thing keeping her clear headed at the moment was the herbal tea Cassandra gave her before she left. It would keep her from immediately breaking into heat in response to Percy’s own condition, but she was beginning to think they needed to speak quickly or it would be a pointless effort.
She knocked.
“Percival, darling? It’s Vex.”
She heard movement behind the door, then a thud right on the other side.
“Vex’ahlia, why are you here? I told Cassandra, I’m not interested in anyone’s charity. I respect you far too much to ask that of you, and I had hoped that respect ran both ways.”
Vex had never allowed her omega instincts to rule her, and she wasn’t about to start now—she stomped down the instinctual hurt at her desired alpha’s apparent rejection.
“Then you’ll understand why I have to say, respectfully, fuck you.”
She heard a growl rumble through the wood, and she ignored the instinct telling her to back down, and the even smaller thrill that curled up her spine. She had never heard Percy growl before.
“Vex—”
“No. I can’t believe you think so lowly of me that you believe I’d ever do this out of pity. What, do you think I can’t handle my poor little omega instincts telling me to roll over for a big strong alpha in need?”
“Of course not, Vex’ahlia—” he was growling again, and she knew she was pushing his self control in this state, but she wasn’t done yet.
“Have you ever stopped to consider that we care about you? That I care about you? You’ve been trying to push us all away since the Briarwoods came back into the picture and you decided you weren’t a good person, but we’re your family Percy, and you can’t get rid of us that easily.”
“That has nothing to do with—”
“It does! Your refusal to allow anyone in has everything to do with this, Percy. Please let us in. Let me in. Let me take care of you.” Vex let her forehead fall forward against the door with a soft thump.
Fuck, that was a lot. She wasn’t usually so honest. But Percy could just be so godsdamn stubborn.
She didn’t hear anything on the other side of the door for a minute, and she was worried he had simply decided to ignore her till she left. She couldn’t help the small surge of distress at the thought, especially after saying something so embarrassing, and her own smell soured for a moment.
A few seconds later, the door cracked open, and she saw blue eyes looking down at her worriedly.
“I’ve upset you.”
How he could channel a feeling as gentle as concern in the state he was in, Vex wasn’t sure, but she softened, reaching out her own gentle hand.
“Percy. May I come in?”
He hesitated, then opened the door further, and she had to actively hold back a much larger surge of distress when she got a full look at him.
He was wearing only his glasses and smallclothes, so she could see that he was covered in presumably self-inflicted scratches on top of his usual extensive scarring, his hair was in disarray, he was still flush with fever, his face was tight with pain, and he looked like he hadn’t slept or eaten much the entire past several days.
The hair and sleeplessness might be familiar, but something about the full image just looked so… vulnerable. In a way that she wasn’t used to seeing from him.
She reached out again and cupped his cheek, releasing calming pheromones. She had never done that for anyone other than Vax before—she hoped it would have a similarly comforting effect.
“Thank you for letting me in. Percy, I’m not here out of pity. I’m an adult who can make their own decisions. But I also don’t want to force you into a situation that makes you uncomfortable or that you genuinely do not want. So please, be honest with me. Do you actually want me to leave? Would you prefer to be alone, or is there someone else you’d like to spend this with? I won’t be hurt if that’s the case.”
She wasn’t being completely honest, but she would leave and live with it anyway if that was what he wanted.
“No,” he closed his eyes and shook his head, taking a deep breath and seeming to relax a little.
“No what, Percy? I need you to be very explicit with me here.”
“No, I don’t want you to leave,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. “I’d like it if you stayed.”
Vex was suddenly overwhelmed with the intimacy of the moment, and pulled back, smiling brightly. “Good. Well, you have a headstart in the clothing department and I assume your tea is going to wear off sooner than mine as well, so let’s get comfortable shall we?”
She brushed past him more fully into the room, and began removing her layers as efficiently as possible. This part was easy, at least. Nudity was nothing. The way their group traveled, it was impossible to not have seen each other naked on multiple occasions, and Vex in particular had never been stingy with it.
She heard a slightly strangled noise from behind her as she removed her last layer of smallclothes, and turned to find Percy clenching his hands and looking pained, standing awkwardly where she had left him by the door. She smirked, and sauntered back up to him, pushing him toward the bed in the center of the room. The pained look seemed to lessen at her touch, and she realized the tea really must be wearing off quickly at this point.
“It’s okay Percy—I’m not just here to torture you,” she said, once she had pushed him to sitting on the edge of the mattress. She removed his glasses, then grabbed both his hands, gently placing them on her breasts. “You can touch.”
His eyes widened, but that seemed to be the breaking point for him. He suddenly surged back up to his feet and enveloped her in his arms, burying his face in her braided hair.
“Vex, you smell so good and I don’t know what to do about it,” he all but whined, pressing against her. It was strange, but nice, to be held by Percy. He wasn’t normally very tactile, and he certainly never initiated contact. And this was so much—bare, hot skin against skin.
She turned her face into his neck, breathing in deeply that heady scent that had almost overwhelmed her before she even got to the door. She could smell his desire, and was pleased at the way it had picked up even more in response to her.
Well. There was an obvious solution to his problem.
She licked a stripe up his neck, right over his scent gland. He gasped, cock twitching where she could feel it pressing against her stomach through his smallclothes. She nuzzled against him, and it was making her a little lightheaded, the way their scents were mixing and the taste of his skin. She licked over his scent gland again and Percy growled in response, threading a fist into the base of her braid and tugging her head back so he could bend down and do the same.
It was heavenly. Heat radiated out from the spot as his tongue passed over it, and he nuzzled against her as well. The smell of their combined pleasure and possessiveness and desire was palpable in the air and on her tongue and her skin was beginning to light up with heat. She almost moaned at the feeling of teeth scraping gently against the spot, but he moved on before pleasure turned to concern. Instead he moved to suck a mark just below her gland. She couldn’t bring herself to mind, even though she wouldn’t normally allow such a display.
She didn’t belong to anybody, and Percy didn’t belong to her, but maybe they could pretend, for a little while. They had earned a little guiltless indulgence, in her opinion. And if she was being honest, it felt so good, was such a relief, to finally give in to what her omega had been screaming for since the moment she caught his scent—what she would never admit she had fantasized about during more than one of her recent heats.
Once they were both thoroughly drenched in each other’s scents, Percy seemed temporarily calm again so she took the opportunity to push him back onto the bed. She climbed on top and leaned down at the same time that he reached for her, and they met in a searing kiss. He slid a hand into her hair and the other trailed down her side to firmly grab her hip, guiding her to settle fully against the tent in his smallclothes. They both moaned, and she used the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth.
Vex rolled her hips experimentally, and was pleased with the little growl and buck of his hips she received in response. He was so much more vocal and responsive than she would’ve expected. It was probably the rut.
She took a moment to appreciate that, but her slick was beginning to soak into his smallclothes, and she was getting impatient with the layer between herself and her goal.
Percy must have felt the same way, because she suddenly found herself being rolled onto her back, one large hand trapping both of her’s above her head, and the other yanking his smallclothes off so she finally had a full, uninterrupted view of his dripping cock. He was big, but it was the scent that left her moaning. With no fabric left to block it, the musky scent of sex and desire rolled over her like a wave and left her pressing her legs together, desperate for friction.
“Fuck, Percy,” she moaned. “I need that right now.” She arched off the bed, wanting—needing—to feel his body pressing against her. It felt like she was burning up, and touching Percy was the only way to find relief. She put up a token resistance where his hand was still pinning hers down just to feel him press her that much harder into the bed.
“Vex,” he groaned, kissing down her jaw and to her neck, gently sucking on her scent gland again—a dangerous game to be playing at this point. She wasn’t confident she would want to stop him if he decided to bite.
Percy nudged her legs apart with his knees, and didn’t waste any time slipping a finger between her folds. Her breath hitched, and she let her legs fall further apart, encouraging more. He added a second finger, then pulled back to play with her clit. He seemed determined to pleasure her as much as possible until he lost full faculties to his rut, but even she was going to need more than just those wonderfully dexterous fingers soon in her current state.
“Darling,” she gasped, bucking her hips into the way he had slipped his long fingers in and was now using his palm to press against her clit. “Fuck—I need more Percy.”
He leaned forward to suck a pebbled nipple into his mouth, and she shuddered at the sensation, arching against him again. She was so close, sitting on the edge of the precipice, but just as she thought she could maybe make it over the edge even without what she really wanted the most, she felt his hand slide away. She couldn’t help but whimper at the loss, but she was appeased a moment later when she felt his thick shaft sliding between her folds.
Percy groaned and sat back, letting go of her wrists to get both hands around her waist, rutting against the wet heat. He felt hot and heavy against her, and he was so close to where she needed him.
“Vex,” he panted, “I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself once this starts.”
“Good,” she said, hooking both legs around his waist and yanking him down right when his cock was in the right place. He slid in to the hilt, and they both gasped. “Fuck me, darling.”
Percy wasted no time, seeming to revel in the first slide back out, then snapping forward again. He dropped back down, caging her in with his arms, and she snaked hers around his neck, digging her nails into his shoulders. She loved the feeling of his muscles flexing with each thrust, her omega preening at getting fucked by such a strong alpha, his cock filling her up so good.
The air was filled with the sounds of skin slapping against skin and unchecked grunts and cries of pleasure. Vex felt like all her nerves were on fire in the best way. Every stroke of Percy’s cock seemed to stoke it higher and higher. And when she felt a sudden increase in pressure, the distinct feeling of his nascent knot beginning to catch with each thrust, she could only keen and cry out, orgasm crashing into her unexpectedly.
She writhed and clenched down on Percy’s cock, and he grunted. He continued teasing his knot in and out through her high until it was almost too big, then popped it in a final time with a sharp thrust. They both groaned, and he gently rolled his hips, knot continuing to swell.
And fuck, she could feel every inch of him burning deep within her. Her omega was reveling in it, especially the moment they were fully locked together and he started to pour into her. She felt as his cock pulsed, filling her up. Her omega was instinctively pleased her alpha had locked them together, that he’d keep pumping her full of his seed.
After the first wave he slowly rolled them onto their sides, keeping her leg hooked over his waist for comfort. They let their foreheads fall together, eyes closed. Vex was fairly certain she heard his breath slowly even out, falling into slumber, despite that his body was still periodically twitching with increasingly small waves of cum. This was day three for him—she supposed it made sense he was already worn out.
She let herself drift off as well, taking advantage of the brief respite she was sure she would need.
***
Percy fucked her bent over a desk, shoving her face deliciously into the wood after some creative taunts on her part. She was very good at getting what she wanted and his alpha could only resist for so long.
He fucked her against the wall, lean, forge-hardened muscles glistening as he held her up.
He fucked her in his coat after she put it on to retrieve the food that had been left outside for them. He sucked a lot more marks along her neck and breasts, too. She came on his cock when he sucked the same spot just below her scent gland, darkening it to a deep bruise.
He fucked her slow and sweet when they both woke up in the middle of the night aching and wet and needy, but were too exhausted for anything more. She fell asleep to the gentle slide of his cock and woke up later to him still spooning her, knot locked firmly in place.
Percy filled her up over and over again, and once, after his knot died down, he slid down and ate her out after, lapping up their leaking spend. She dug her fingers into his hair, reveling in it, then slid her hand down to grasp his jaw and gave him an order. He obeyed, and she dragged him upward to her. She opened her mouth, and he slid his tongue inside, a mouthful of cum and slick slipping past her lips. She sucked on his tongue, mouth still full, then took his hand and placed it around her throat. He squeezed lightly, watching her with dark eyes. She swallowed.
***
It was two days after she arrived that Vex woke at dawn and realized they had actually slept through the night. She still felt warm but her need felt more distant, and she felt like she was thinking a little more clearly.
She took stock of herself as best she could, registering aches and pains, bruises that might last a while, strong arms holding her snuggly against a warm chest.
She slowly turned over, trying not to wake Percy.
He was always grumpy when woken up before he was ready. She wasn’t sure if that would hold true when coming down from a rut, and she couldn’t help how endearing she found it, but she wasn’t ready to wake him yet anyway.
He stirred slightly, arms tightening, but slept on.
Vex studied his face: the strong curve of his jaw, the regal hook of his nose; dark eyebrows and sharp cheekbones; soft white hair curling and wild from days of her hands tugging on it.
Mine, mine, mine.
He certainly smelled like hers.
Her omega had never latched on to an alpha like this before, not even in heat. And she had never reacted to a scent as strongly. Initially she had brushed it off as a side effect of his alpha pheromones being in overdrive from the years of suppression, but it didn’t explain why he was now coming down from his rut and she still felt the same magnetic pull that she had that first day.
She brushed a hand through his hair, curling a soft white lock around her finger, and he stirred again, mumbling something in his sleep. She pressed a soft kiss against his jaw, something quiet and tender and completely inappropriate for their current arrangement. She felt his breath deepen, coming slightly more awake. She wondered if he had had the same reaction to her. If he felt the inexplicable connection.
A blue eye cracked open, squinting down at her.
They say that scents indicate compatibility. She wasn’t sure how true that was. Her parents certainly hadn’t been compatible but they made mistakes anyway. It certainly impacted attraction. But then, Percy had come to mind during heats long before she ever actually smelled him like this.
He lifted a hand, brushing back a piece of hair that had fallen out of her braid, and shifted forward to press a kiss to her forehead. Vex froze. He pulled back, eyes closed, content smile on his face. She waited.
And he slipped back to sleep, breath evening out and face falling slack.
Vex couldn’t help the little kernel of hope and want that was blossoming in her chest. She burrowed forward in his arms and allowed herself to join him in slumber for a little while longer.
***
Vex woke up sometime later to Percy slipping out of bed and padding over to the door, apparently only bothering to put on his glasses. There was a tray just outside that must have been left for them earlier in the morning, and she relished the view of his backside as he bent to retrieve it. He had a very cute butt, in her professional opinion.
He smiled when he turned around with the food and saw she was awake.
“Good morning, dear. It seems we’re almost to the other side. How are you feeling?”
She grinned, stretching sore muscles and curling her toes luxuriously. “Oh, not too bad, darling. Nice to have such a long stretch of peace, but looking forward to the grand finale. I think I’d like to put that mirror to good use.”
He blushed, but sat down next to her, laying the tray out between them.
“I suppose I could be amenable,” he said, tearing a piece of bread off a loaf and dipping it in some oil. She laughed, and dug into the meal as well. Just the thought of it was warming her up but she wanted to enjoy this while she could.
They chatted and ate for a while, and it felt oddly easy. She had expected some amount of awkwardness as Percy came down from the haze of his rut, but he was… normal. Friendly. He accepted any references to sex graciously and with a blush, but didn’t make any of his own, and he certainly never steered near anything romantic in nature.
She very carefully filed away her disappointment, and tried to appreciate that their friendship would at least come out of this intact.
Once the food was cleared, she resolutely clambered into his lap, thighs bracketing his waist and arms snaking around his neck. His hands automatically clamped down around her thighs, and she took a moment to appreciate the way that they matched some bruising there.
“Now, darling,” she said primly.
“Yes, dear?” he asked, sounding only slightly strangled.
“You’re going to pick me up and carry me over to the mirror in the corner there.”
He looked bemused as he replied. “So that was a serious request. As you wish, my lady.” And he stood, hands shifting boldly under her bare ass. She snagged the end of a blanket and dragged it along behind them as he carried her over.
“Shall I put you down, my lady? Or would you like me to fuck you against the mirror like this?” he whispered into her ear, and she could feel the heat of his skin beginning to rise, and his cock with it. She shivered, her own heat beginning to simmer.
“Down. It would be a real waste of the mirror to not ensure a full view, don’t you think?”
He placed her gently on the floor, and they quickly arranged the blanket into a little nest, grabbing a few pillows along the way for extra padding. It was getting increasingly difficult to not be touching him, like an ache she could feel in her chest and under her skin.
Just as she was satisfied with their setup and turning to pounce, hot hands landed on her shoulders, brushing her braid to the side and making way for a kiss on her shoulder.
“Get on your hands and knees and face the mirror,” he murmured, calm voice belying the final wave of his rut that must be crashing through him right then. She could smell the spike in his scent, his cock hot and heavy against her ass. Her own heat finally tipped over the edge, and she only ignored the order, instead wiggling her ass back against his cock, for as long as it took to get him to growl.
Satisfied, she dropped to her hands and knees in front of the mirror, stretching out her arms and arching her back and watching Percy watch her.
Mine, mine, mine.
Her omega instincts were back in full force along with her heat, and she couldn’t quite keep a firm grasp on why that wasn’t true. Their scents were tightly entwined, she could smell the way his alpha wanted her just as much as she wanted him in that moment, and he was kneeling down behind her, getting ready to fill her up with his seed.
Mine.
His strong, calloused hands started on her thighs, then slid upward, spreading her open so he could bend forward and lick into her heat. His tongue teased her clit then delved deeper, and his fingers came up to take its place. She dropped her head to the ground to watch from between her legs, and she couldn’t help the additional gush of slick at the sight of his jaw working and his fingers moving against her. She could feel every slide of his tongue, the way his callouses teased her, and she wasn’t sure she was going to last long like this.
She keened when he hit a particularly sensitive spot, body tingling and pleasure radiating out from her core, and tried to form words despite her state.
“Fuuuuu—Percy. Need—” she gasped as his tongue did something magical and she almost came right then. “Cock.”
He continued for another moment, then slowly pulled back, kissing her ass as he went. He sat up, making eye contact with her in the mirror. He reached a hand back down, collecting some of the slick and spit dripping out of her, and fisted his cock with it. He tipped his head back and groaned at the slick slide, and she found herself fixated on the line of his throat.
Mine.
He tipped back forward and grabbed her waist with one hand, the other guiding his cock to her entrance. He slowly slid in an inch, then rocked back out, teasing her clit with the head of his cock. He repeated the action, this time sliding in another inch before rocking back out to tease her.
She loved the stretch of being slowly speared on big alpha cock, but she was quickly getting impatient with the pace. She planted her hands more firmly to shove herself back onto him like she had that first day, but he caught her this time, pressing her back down into the nest of blankets with a hand on her upper back, the other still on her waist.
“No,” he growled.
She shivered and whined. He made eye contact with her in the mirror, then pointedly looked back down at where their bodies were joining. She realized he was watching his cock each time it penetrated her, the way she stretched around him. She flushed with pleasure at that, but still couldn’t stop herself from teasingly clenching the next time he slid into her. He grunted, jerking forward an inch further than he intended, then looked back up at her and smirked.
He slid all the way back out, then used both hands to jerk her back onto his cock, slamming home just how she had wanted it. She cried out and fisted the blankets in front of her, anchoring herself as he began pounding into her. He continued using her hips as leverage, sliding her on and off his cock.
A hand came around her chest, squeezing a breast before flattening to press her upward so she was kneeling, back to his chest. He continued fucking into her, but now she could watch as one hand pinched a nipple and the other slid down to her clit. Pleasure shot straight to her core from both places, and she reached back, fingers twisting into his hair as her eyes dropped to the way he slid into her, thick and glistening with her slick. Without thinking about it, she tilted her head, exposing her throat for him as she let out little cries, only capable of vowels at this point.
He seemed automatically drawn to her offering, and she watched him lick a stripe over all the bruises blossoming from her shoulders to her neck. She writhed when his tongue passed over her scent gland, the air growing thick with pheromones. He lingered there, mouthing at her gland while continuing to rock into her at a steady pace.
His knot started to grow, and her omega was calling for the obvious next step. The thing that would lock them together forever. Just as his knot started to catch, she felt the brush of teeth and it was enough to send her over the edge.
She gasped, clenching down on his cock again, pressing her neck back against his mouth.
“Yours,” she squeaked, breathless and wanting and completely gone except for the feeling of Percy all around her and inside her and hers.
“Fuck,” he gasped, and suddenly she was shoved down into the nest of pillows and blankets, swelling knot pressing in and out of her with a stretch that burned so good. The pace was brutal but heavenly as her orgasm continued to crash through her, and the noise she made when he finally locked them together was animal.
She would’ve collapsed immediately if not for the knot, but he thankfully lowered himself down, panting and still rocking slightly as it finished growing. They collapsed into a sweaty mess, and Vex felt as his cock finally pulsed, spilling into her whatever he had left after his prolonged rut.
After, he lifted slightly and planted a kiss between her shoulder blades, then slowly rolled them onto their sides.
Vex mourned the loss of a mating bite. She was already covered in evidence of his claim. The bruises weren’t limited to just her neck and chest—his hand prints were all over her body from days of the best heat of her life.
And his hands were still on her, thumb brushing back and forth on her stomach. Knot still filling her up.
But a small part of her knew—Percy wasn’t hers. And if he had wanted to be, he had had every opportunity to actually claim her. He didn’t.
But her omega was still calling for him, so she focused on Percy pressed warmly against her back instead. She was warm and comfortable and satiated. She let herself drift to sleep.
***
Vex woke to the soft comfort of fresh linens and fluffy pillows. It took her a moment to register why that was wrong.
She sat up, looking around.
She was in an unfamiliar room, tucked into clean sheets, and Percy was nowhere to be found. His scent was still thoroughly mixed with hers, and she was surprised when she looked down and realized she was dressed in one of his shirts.
She sniffed it and got the distinct impression that he hadn’t actually worn it since re-presenting as an alpha, but had done her the courtesy of scenting it, at least. She wasn’t sure what to make of that.
She slid out of bed and wandered over to the window, taking stock of where the sun was in the sky. It looked like evening, which meant she had been out for several hours. She paused to appreciate the view of the parchwood from here, then turned to find what else had been left with her.
As expected, there was a desk and it had clean clothes, food, and a note.
Vex’ahlia,
Don’t worry—no one else was allowed near you. I had Cassandra prepare this room for you in the same wing we had already cordoned off, and I carried you here myself.
Your brother—
Vex winced—fuck, Vax was going to kill her.
—supplied the clothes from your pack, apparently, but I thought it might be disorienting to wake up in such a drastically different state from the past few days besides being in a strange room. I also didn’t want to wake you, and the shirt was easier. You may keep it.
Feel free to rest as long as you need. There is a bath prepared at the end of the hall on the right, and this area continues to be strictly off limits for anyone else.
I’m returning to my sister to begin dealing with the consequences of our actions here in Whitestone before I was so inconveniently indisposed.
-Percival
She noticed a drop of ink underneath his name, and then text that seemed more hastily scrawled.
And thank you. For everything.
Vex sighed, running a hand over her face, then picked up the plate of food and brought it back to the bed.
She remembered everything, of course. She began digging into her meal, and contemplated what, if anything, she needed to do about it.
So she had slipped up—badly—while in the literal heat of the moment. It wasn’t unheard of for people to say things they didn’t mean during a heat, and Percy had clearly had more good sense then she did at the time. The fact that she had meant it was irrelevant. That he hadn’t reciprocated was something she would just have to live with.
Besides, Percy was a lord. That might not have mattered before, but it certainly mattered now. She was literally sitting in a bed in his castle, and he had left her to oversee the safe reorganization and care of his people he had just recently liberated.
Vex took her time eating, then rose to bathe and change into her own clothing. She was surprised after to find a scarf amongst her items. She sniffed it and immediately wrinkled her nose, jerking back.
Cassandra was well meaning, but probably had not stopped to consider that she herself was an alpha, and therefore the idea of putting on any of Cassandra’s clothing was going to be repulsive to Vex at the moment.
Vex put on her normal clothes, unbraided and rebraided her hair, and checked herself in the mirror. Then paused.
Perhaps Cassandra had taken that into consideration and decided to err on the side of caution anyway.
Vex was covered in marks. She had known that, of course, but somehow seeing them post-heat in her normal clothes really shed a new light on the situation. Her clothing covered anything below the neckline, but her neck was a problem all by itself.
Marking a partner during a heat or rut wasn’t unusual per se, but unmated pairs were usually more reserved with the practice, and generally gave the scent gland a wide berth. Percy had not done that. At all. And Vex had egged him on at every turn.
This would likely result in a lot more questions than she was willing to answer.
She sighed, and picked up the scarf.
***
Vex asked around and was quickly pointed to the office Cassandra had been working out of. She made her way to the door and was about to knock when she heard the woman in question speak to someone on the other side.
“I did tell you so.”
“Yes, Cassandra, thank you. Now please never bring it up again.” That was definitely Percy’s voice. And if she took a deep breath, she could just faintly make out his scent—well, their scents. He still smelled like her. And, faintly, soap.
“It is so fun to watch you squirm, though.”
Vex should definitely not be listening in.
She sidled closer, putting her ear against the door.
There was a lull and some shuffling of papers. Vex almost gave up and left when the conversation picked back up again.
“So, you’re wearing your cravat as usual. Hiding a bite under there?” Cassandra asked, sounding rather casual for such a question.
Vex heard Percy sputter.
“What part of our previous conversations sounded like Vex and I were ready to be bonded?”
“Ah, so you haven’t but you might?”
“No! I mean—I don’t know.”
“But you like her. Do you love her?”
Vex really shouldn't be listening to this. But she also couldn’t bring herself to leave.
“Cass, please, I have had a demon attached to my soul and been completely disconnected from an entire portion of my biology for literal years. Of course I like Vex, she is objectively attractive, and kind, and clever, and I cannot believe she and the rest of our little band have done me the kindness of seeing this suicide mission through to its unlikely conclusion. But romance hasn’t exactly been on my mind during all this. I wasn’t expecting to have another rut in my life, let alone a mate.”
She heard him sigh.
“And besides… I’m not the boy I was, Cassandra. I have put things into the world that I can’t take back, and it will bring more darkness than even the Briarwoods have. Ripley is out there with my designs for my terrible weapons. I have to stop her. And I can’t saddle Vex with my baggage. I may not be as broken as I was, but I’m certainly not whole. She deserves better.”
“Hmph. I suppose I can’t dispute that. You can’t just leave, though, Percival. You’re needed here.”
“Ah, actually, I’ve been thinking about that. I have some ideas. Let me stew on it for a bit, and we’ll discuss it with Keeper Yennen later…”
As the conversation turned back to Whitestone and the work at hand, Vex slipped away.