Bird of a Flock (Bow 2)

Chapter 45 [Updated]

A/N: An updated version of this chapter removing rape from the story. Let me know how you feel about the changes. The aim was to remove the rape but to keep the actions serious enough that the continued fallout in the story isn't too out of place. Enjoy. 

"Not quite?" Ryraso dared question, not missing how Nel'os was refusing to look at him now. The man's entire posture from his shoulders and wings to his feet radiated shame and guilt from whatever had occurred all those years ago. Ryraso almost didn't want to know, but he had to now.

"Rather it got derailed," Nel'os waved a hand. "We, um. I continued the plan to drug Tai'ray, so he was weaker Dyn'ad noticed I was having doubts, so I admitted the truth. I didn't want to kill Tai'ray anymore. Dyn'ad was angry with me but accepted it. He decided to leave. He didn't want me to have to pick between them. I didn't want that either! Then, well. Tai'ray walked in on us in the act."

Ryraso hissed. He could tell how that would have gone. As free as Nel'os was to sleep around now, back then at the beginning, it would not have been so simple.

Nel'os eyes glanced up at him with a weak smile, but the desperation in his eyes was clear to see. "It put us in a tight spot. The drugs weakened Tai'ray and Dyn'ad pinned him to the bed..." he trailed off again, talons digging into his arms as he hugged himself. "It wasn't good."

"Please don't tell me you ..." Ryraso trailed off, not even sure at this point what the worst thing could have been.

"It was him or us, and I still wanted to bond to Dyn'ad. So we came up with a new plan," Nel'os breathed. The look in Tai'ray's eyes as he had listened to them debate what to do with him still haunted his dreams from time to time.

"Which involved apologising and letting him go?"

"I am not proud of what happened, Ryraso, but it happened. We didn't force him then. We blackmailed him. Having me cheating so early on would have been disastrous. Dyn'ad and I would have died as martyrs to love, but it would have disgraced Tai'ray. The drugs meant he wouldn't have lasted long against challengers. He had to accept Dyn'ad into the bond," Nel'os stopped, the cut off almost audible.

"Nel," A force in the sound that had Nel'os flinching again.

"We made a point of it in front of him. We didn't touch him. Well, I think I kissed him. He didn't kiss back so I... We didn't... He went along with the aftermath. He smiled in front of the nation and courted Dyn'ad. In private, it was cold, but we expected that. We had just hurt him. I tried to help... I tried to make things up to him."

"You said 'then'"

"Then?"

"You said, you didn't force him then, when did you force him?" Ryraso demanded, grabbed Nel'os and shaking him a little.

The noble looked up at Ryraso's face if not his eyes. "We didn't force penetration, but we needed to consummate the bond. Arguably exchanging fluids with us was more humiliating than anything else. We let him decide the best way to do it. He chose when and how. We stopped him doing anything extreme, but he wanted it over and done. It was faster than we should have allowed. We should have slowed it down and got Tai'ray to court Dyn'ad proper before bringing him into the bond."