The Serpents Hold | Ominis Gaunt

Chapter Ten

Nova's fingers laced through Ominis' hair as she guided him back across the threshold. His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her against him as they stumbled in tandem. His other hand rose to her face, but as his fingertips grazed the gouge carved across her cheek, Nova recoiled from him with a sharp hiss.

Ominis looked shocked, then upset, then downright furious. He fumbled for a handle before muttering a terse "Excuse me" and stormed out the doorway.

The ensuing slam gave way to retreating footfalls echoing down the hall. Nova fought to draw breath, brushing her thumb over the lingering sensation of him on her lips.

Her memories were shrouded in a thick mental fog. She couldn't muster any details between waking up with Ominis earlier that morning and finding herself now, staring blankly at a swirling pool of bubbles. All she knew for certain was the lavender-scented water beckoned to her with each melodious ripple against the tiles, so that's where she directed her focus.

She winced in pain as she peeled off her clothes, patches of the fabric heavily saturated with coagulated blood. Whimpering softly, she eased herself into the water and wrapped her body in a veil of frothy foam.

The stained glass mermaid filtered the moonlight into muted hues that danced across the soothing wavelets. Nova floated onto her back, the pull of the water teased her hair into its depths and her mind along with it

Her meditation was cut short by a jarring rap at the door. It took her a moment to register Ominis' return, clutching a nurse's satchel which had likely been pilfered from the hospital wing. 

He muttered what she assumed was an apology, his cheeks flushing crimson at the inappropriate intrusion. "I... The nurse was on to me."

Had it not been for the thick blanket of bubbles, she might have felt embarrassed too, but they concealed more of her skin than her clothing had. Though, she supposed his visual impairment concealed enough.

"You're fine. I'm fully clothed," she told him, just to see if he'd believe it.

He huffed in lieu of a reply and turned towards a nearby bench, rummaging through the contents of his stolen goods. "This won't fully heal you. You'll be scarred unless you decide to wise up and go see a nurse."

The back of his head was awarded an irritated glare. He turned to toss a vial in her direction, and the small container sank through the bubbles, disappearing somewhere beside her.

"Thanks."

She made no effort to retrieve it.

He pulled some bandages from the bag and flung them onto a chair before striding toward the door.

"Ominis, are we alright?" she called after him.

"We're fine."

"Are you alright?"

He halted, his grip on the doorknob so tight his knuckles turned white under the pressure. "I'd prefer if we could just forget tonight ever happened."

She would have interrogated him further, but dealing with his tantrum exceeded her current mental capacity.

"Forgotten," she said flatly, knowing her immediate surrender would ruffle his feathers.

He drummed agitatedly on the doorknob before loosening his grip and turning around, his feathers duly ruffled.

"If someone were to… If my family were to assume I had any involvement with..." A wave of self-disgust contorted his features as he choked on a word.

Half-blood.