Vox didn't realize anything was amiss until he entered his inner chambers. In fairness, he had told all of his guards that his empress had unrestricted access. But in this case, he wished they had warned him.

The first thing that caught his attention was the open linen chest. Discarded cloth and blankets spilled from it and across the floor like guts from a carcass. His wardrobe suffered similarly on the other side of the room. The two trails converged by the bed, which currently sported piles of extra cloth.

Oh. Oh. It was around that time, wasn't it? He crept towards the mass on the bed with a tentative "Darling?" A sleep tousled head of hair poked up over the makeshift walls with a soft growl.

It was all he could do to not coo at the sight. No, wait. Judging by the pillow hurled at his face, he'd definitely done that out loud.

This was Ike's first heat after their marriage. His first heat that Vox had witnessed. In theory, he'd learned all about what to expect. In practice, well, he inched closer to the bed with a placating smile on his face and the pillow clutched in one hand. At least until his empress' sharp glare froze him in place.

"Do you need anything?" It wasn't often he felt nervous. But all of the reading and teachings in the world about 'a typical omega's heat' were useless. Ike was anything but typical. At least this close Vox could tell that he probably didn't have a knife in hand. It would be awkward to explain to the royal physicians that the stab wounds came from his empress and not an assassin.

After a tense moment of consideration, Ike reached out a beckoning hand. Perking up Vox stepped forward eagerly only to have the pillow snatched out of his hand to be returned to its rightful place in the nest.

He didn't even have time to slump over in disappointment before the hand returned to tug at his sleeve. But Ike's next word killed the budding celebration in its cradle.

"Strip."

The guards' concerned stares as he left the room reminded him that he was lacking a layer. At least Ike wanted clothing with his scent. Rather than acknowledge that he'd just been robbed and kicked out of his room, the emperor ordered someone to deliver the drinks and light refreshments his empress favored and then relocated to a side room with his head held high. If he ignored reality he could pretend he didn't look like a kicked puppy.

Edit

Pub: 12 Oct 2022 03:58 UTC

Views: 66