Текст книги "Scars of his warth"

Автор книги: Zoey Ellis

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Many men and women wore the same layered plain-colored tunic as Meiro, and Naya guessed they were all aides or servants. Guards stood at the end of each corridor, uniformed in similar outfits to her guide rather than the ones outside of her room.

“What’s your name? Naya asked, as they started up another flight of stairs.

“You don’t need it.”

Naya frowned. Before she had a chance to ask why, the woman paused outside a huge door and looked her over. Satisfied, she pushed the door open.

Inside was a vast room painted in patterns of red, yellow, and blue, drawing the eye to a dramatic battle scene on the far wall. Thick pillars sat between several ceiling to floor lattice windows that softened the glow of the afternoon sun in the space. In front of each pillar, gleaming weaponry was displayed with pride, including some pieces she had never seen before.

The focal point of the room was a large wooden table at its center, edged with an intricate swirling pattern that matched the surrounding chairs. Behind it, large maps on stands depicted each of the three Known Lands, each map showcasing a different continent.

Several people stood inside, most in conversation leaning over a table or looking at the maps, but they went silent when she entered. Naya swallowed, her eyes sweeping the room once more. This was their battle planning room. Her father had one, though he rarely used it anymore. He and his commander and generals used to plan strategies of attack, sometimes spending weeks or months in there.

Naya walked slowly to the nearest map, a horrid gnawing in her stomach. There were no maps created in this size in the Known Lands. These had to have been hand drawn. How did they even get them? Why did they have all three Lands and not just the Lox Empire? Were they planning attacks on everyone? And more importantly, had they kidnapped anyone else from the other Lands? Her mind immediately went to Kaari.

A throat cleared, interrupting her thoughts. Naya turned, dragging her eyes away from the maps.

Three men and two women other than her guide were in the room. Although they didn’t all dress the same, there was a formality to their clothing. Two of the men wore leather and weaponry like her guide, while one woman was dressed completely in red fabrics. The only person dressed neutrally was someone she recognized—the stout healer from the desert.

At the sight of him, she instantly recognized the others. They were the same group that she’d seen walking with the beast. They were dressed more formally than they had been in the desert. The guide who’d brought her to the room had also been in the desert, but Naya hadn’t recognized her in her new clothes.

As a group they exuded power and strength, even without the beast in the room. It wasn’t just their weapons or the more formal clothing—something about the way they stood and looked at her gave Naya the impression they were used to being in control and getting their own way. They had to be his generals or important advisers.

None of them looked pleased she was there. Even the healer looked uncomfortable.

“Good afternoon,” she said to the room. They all tensed. “I’m Princess Nayara Andaus, first daughter of Drocco and Cailyn Andaus, heir to the Lox Empire, Guardian of Omegas, Keeper of Peace.”

Something in the air changed. The group’s demeanor shifted, and a voice came from behind her. Deep, strong. “Your titles are not relevant to our discussions. Tell us about these maps.”

Naya turned and astonishment jolted through her, curling into a sweet quiver in the pit of her stomach. He seemed bigger than she remembered, easily bigger than the other Alphas in the room. Even though he stood just inside the doorway, several feet from her, he felt too close.

Like everyone else, his attire had changed too. He wore an array of mixed fabrics in shades of reds, browns, and whites, complementing his bronze complexion, but the cut of his clothing was more severe, which along with the gold accents and crisscross pattern at the edges, made him look formidable and striking and regal.

The hair on his face had been trimmed, revealing a full, set mouth and firm jaw. The intensity of his dark eyes remained the same, but his expression was colder; closed and stern. The only wild thing left from the man in the desert was his hair and even that had been wrangled back, showing more of his face. And that was unfortunate because he was incredibly handsome.

In her pain-filled delirium and terror-induced sleeplessness, she’d recognized he was the epitome of an Alpha, but that had been a severe understatement. He was still a fearsome beast, but he was a gorgeous one.

Heat flared up Naya’s neck, but she forced herself to maintain her tone and posture, bleeding out the emotional reaction. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything. You will give us all military knowledge of the army.” Akoro’s voice rumbled from the wall. "You will give us all information about your father and his allies. Your mother and her allies. All information about yourself, who you are associated with, and all plans for the empire’s future. You will tell us exactly how magic works in your world, its history, and how it has been tamed. Everything you know about these other two lands," he said, gesturing to them, "and what access they have to yours. You will tell us everything you know and give us anything we ask.”

He walked forward slowly, his eyes locked onto hers until he towered over her. Even washed and dressed, danger permeated the air around him. His scent surrounded her, the same heady warmth, but much to Naya’s relief, it wasn’t as strong as it had been in the desert.

He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pressed down on her shoulder with his thick forearm. Naya fought against the pressure, digging her nails into his fist and bracing her feet apart so she could bear it. They struggled for dominance, eyes locked, while the rest of the room watched on silently.

Naya inched down, her breathing heavy, her grunts strained, until one knee struck the floor, the sharp pain signaling her defeat. Akoro kicked her remaining foot from underneath her so she was on both knees. He wasn’t even out of breath. “And you already know that questions are not permitted. That was your last one.” He lowered his voice to a vicious, threatening rumble, eyes gleaming as they roamed her face. “Do you want to be tied, and spread, and used? Or will you behave?”

Naya glared up at him, a retort threatening to burst from her lips at his mention of using her. He’d fucking said that on purpose—trying to reference what he did back in the cart. But she forced herself to hold it in and focused on what she was trying to do. Letting him get to her right wouldn’t help her. When she spoke again, it was through gritted teeth. “I have one more question.”

The contempt in the beast’s eyes hardened to anger. His fist tightened on her hair, spreading agony across her scalp.

She spoke anyway. “Who are you?”

Fury contorted his face, but before he could say anything, she spoke again, careful not to ask a question. “Most kings are eager to announce their names and kingdoms or tribes or… empires.”

The beast’s anger cooled to disdain. He released her slowly, straightening to his full height. “Most kings are fools.”

Naya almost dropped forward onto her hands. Her scalp, shoulder, and knees all reeled in agony, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of looking pained. “Yes, or they are too proud,” she uttered. “But sometimes a name holds a reputation.”

Something fierce flashed through the beast’s callous expression. He glanced up at someone behind her, casting a look conveying something she couldn’t decipher. He moved away to lean against the wall as footsteps approached. Arms crossed, he directed his gaze at the window.

The guide walked into view. “You are in the region of Tshokora in the Onn Kkulma Palace,” she said. “I am Prillu Ollehh of the sukkurian, diplomat and trade administrator for the Sy Dynasty.”

Naya staggered to her feet, trying to make her movements light and easy, like her knees weren’t about to give way. She nodded at Prillu, though most of what she’d said slipped past her. But she heard the word diplomat. That was probably why Prillu had been chosen to collect her.

“I am Nrommo Hirkkel of the sukkurian.” One of the Alphas stepped forward. Bushy eyebrows framed his narrow eyes and balanced a wide nose. He wasn’t an ugly man, but it seemed he only knew how to wear ugly expressions. “I’m the zmola’s battle chief. I will lead the attack on your world.”

Naya tensed, her dislike of him instantly deepening.

“This is Akoro Sy, the rightful ruler of the Sy Dynasty,” Prillu said. “He will be the new zmola for your world, which translates to king or ruler.”

Naya took a breath and nodded.

“Now, tell us about these maps,” Akoro said.

Naya walked to the maps, aware of the scrutiny on her by everyone in the room. The man who’d introduced himself as Nrommo looked the most tense, like he was expecting her to attack them at any moment, even though she was an Omega in a room with at least three Alphas.

She examined each map closely, taking her time before turning to face them. "The Southern Lands’ map is the most accurate," she said finally. “At least, that is as accurate as we have it. They don’t allow others to map their continent, but I don’t think it’s changed much in the last twenty years. This land"—she pointed to the one on the right—“is now called the Lands of Eiros. There have been some changes to it. And this one"—she pointed again—"is called the Lox Empire now, not the Eastern Lands, and there have been many changes.”

Nrommo looked at Akoro, a brow arching.

Akoro glanced back and nodded, as if confirming that what she said was true. Naya’s mouth tightened. So she’d guessed right. They were going to check whether she lied to them by asking her things they already knew. Calm, considered, and careful.

Prillu picked up a roll of parchment and spread it on the table in the middle of the room. “Where on this map has it changed?”

Pushing aside her unease, she began pointing out the discrepancies—where borders had changed, where houses and empire buildings had been built, and any significant changes that had happened across each country.

The battle chief questioned her about travel between the regions and the palace’s surrounding areas and potential access, which wasn’t noted on the map. That was intentional—no one could map it. But he didn’t ask for as much detail as she expected him to.

Over the next hour it became clear that at least three of them spoke the Common Tongue too well to have not been among native speakers. Her gaze flicked over everyone in the room. If they all spoke the Common Tongue well enough and were dressed in clothes common to the empire, they could completely blend in. After all, no one was looking for people from a distant land intent on invading and conquering the empire.

When the skies turned dark, Prillu escorted her back to her room. She used the time to organize her thoughts, mentally listing everything she’d learned about Akoro, his council, and his people today. They hadn’t asked any difficult questions, but she got the feeling they were starting gently. Tomorrow would certainly be more difficult.

Looking out the lattice window, the city was still busy at this hour, its people were moving through the streets finishing their day.

Akoro had said he wanted her land for his own people. Did that mean everyone who lived in this city? Based on the view from her window and the number of people she'd seen on the way in, there were a lot of people. How did he plan to get everyone there? She still couldn't figure out how he'd managed to get to her land and take her from a place that no one else could reach. It had to have something to do with the blue glimmering stone.

She sipped her tmae and pushed down the fluttering of concern.

Akoro and his people had a very sophisticated use of magic. It didn’t respond to her, yet they made use of it constantly, and in more significant ways than even the Lands of Eiros, the historic home of magic—from the way they traveled, to their camping material, to portable baths. Right now, that worried her more than anything else. It was one thing to be good in combat, but her land hadn’t had much magical growth and aside from the Talent-crafter twins, the Lox Empire didn’t use magic at all. That put them at a significant disadvantage with this opponent.

Placing the tmae back in its stand, she moved to the center of the room to work on her sequences and tire herself out so she wouldn’t dream. She would play the game Akoro had set out for her. She’d help them. She’d act like the chastened prisoner. And then she’d use anything she could to find to destroy them. To destroy him.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Lox Princess was a problem, and not in the way he thought she’d be.

Akoro prowled in his strategy room and scowled into his beer. He had thought bringing the Omega to his palace would solve the way he’d been feeling during the journey—on edge, aroused, compulsive—but things were worse.

Back in the sand drift, he found himself watching and analyzing everything she did. It felt criminal that she was so small and alone in that cart with no Alpha to curl into. The nnirae amazed her, particularly his nnirae, which pleased him. When they’d ridden together on the last day of travel, her back against his chest, it hadn’t been a pleasant ride, but he had wished it could have been. She would’ve enjoyed it.

It satisfied him to watch her eat and enjoy her food, and watch her walk around the camp during her escorted walks.

She liked Oppo, which fucking infuriated him. He’d tried to limit their contact but Oppo passionately argued that he needed to monitor her after everything she’d suffered, and Akoro didn’t have a single logical reason why he should stay away.

In general he didn’t sleep much when they traveled. The sand drift in particular was a dangerous place for traveling camps, and even though they had magical protection, he still liked to patrol with the guards most of the time. He expected to see her sleep well during the night, so when he realized she had nightmares, it unsettled him. Why would a pampered princess who had everything she needed in life be unable to sleep? When she screamed in her dream, thrashing and whimpering like something terrible was happening to her, all he could do was watch. It annoyed him she wouldn’t tell him what was behind it—and that small thing was a huge reason he kept coming back to her cart.

Then things escalated.

Once she’d admitted to fighting in battles, he wanted to see the skills her people had boasted about for years, but he didn’t expect that in her worn tunic, bare feet, and a sword too big for her, she would actually knock him off his feet. Anger still flared wildly at the thought of it. She’d been so quick and strong in the dome—much stronger than she looked. Back in the forest, she’d fought him, yes, but this had been a completely different side of her. It had been fascinating and alarming and arousing. Her scent developed into something he couldn’t resist. With her legs open, nails in his scalp, humping her cunt onto his face, it was the most blissfully erotic experience he’d had. And she tasted fucking delicious.

Akoro set down his beer and leaned on the edge of the table, his cock hard thinking about the sounds she made. It unnerved him how far from his control he had gotten. It was only through a sliver of his well-honed restraint that he had not fucked her that night, especially after tasting her and hearing her come.

He considered visiting the tent of a woman who was traveling with them, one who had offered him her throat in the past to relieve tensions while traveling. But if he was going to do that, why not with the princess? After having her sweet clit throbbing on his tongue, the thought of her made him harder than he’d ever been, and the idea of her mouth wrapped around his cock was too enticing to resist.

But after their fight in the dome, Tshel, the Hearer, had warned them new dangers approached, and he realized how stupid he was being. He didn’t know what risks he was taking by taking her out of her cart. He’d told the patrolling guards not to work that night so he could fight with her without an audience, but what if the camp had been attacked? He put in danger the very people he was supposed to be protecting.

Akoro rubbed his face and sat down at the table, looking at the maps of the known Lands. What was wrong with him? The fact he’d gotten to this point—about to invade the destroyers—was a feat no other dynasty, clan or line could claim. He couldn’t be distracted, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

He’d been completely unprepared for her.

Even though he’d seen her years ago when he’d first visited the Lox Empire, he hadn’t expected that she would grow to become the most beautiful woman in existence, or that she’d smell so delicious he would crave her constantly. He didn’t know that her presence in the camp—and now in his palace—would be like an awareness under his skin, something he couldn't ignore and yet couldn't do anything about—a distraction he didn't want, and yet one he craved so badly.

The compulsion didn’t make sense. No other female had drawn out these impulses, and it wasn’t like women were a problem for him. He simply didn’t have time for them. His attention was always on getting his dynasty back to where it belonged, and that’s where it should be now.

A knock startled him out of deep thought.

Akoro got up. “Enter.”

Prillu came in and bowed. “Honor to your line, my king.” She started reeling off all his titles but he stopped her with a wave of his hand. It was too late in the night for formalities.

“News?”

“The nnin-eellithi.”

Akoro tensed. “How many. Where?”

“Five. The Northeast and the Southeast. Three will arrive next week. The other two in a month. We have time to prepare but… it will take resources to repel them.”

“What about our time? Has it changed?”

To her credit, Prillu didn’t flinch when she spoke. “Yes. We have six months instead of eight to invade.”

Akoro let out a low grunt. “All right. We still have time.” He glanced up at Prillu. “Do you think it’s because of the princess?”

“It’s hard to say, but we knew this might happen.”

Akoro nodded. That they had prepared for. “What do you think of her?"

Prillu took a moment to scratch the side of her face, which she did when she was thinking how to phrase something carefully. "She is observant and opinionated, which isn’t good for us. She made the initial attempt to escape, which we expected, but hasn’t tried again. I think she will make another attempt.”

Akoro tensed. “How?”

“I don’t know. I think she’s biding her time.”

“Do you think she’s lying to us when she gives us information?”

“Not yet, but I can’t say if she will remain honest.”

Akoro grunted. He suspected as much as well.

“For an Omega, she isn’t as emotional as I expected considering the situation.”

“It’s only been one meeting.”

“Yes, but…” Prillu’s brows hitched, her eyes darting as she thought. “I thought she’d be more emotional when we were questioning her. I think there were too many of us in the room. We all have different questions on a range of topics we want answers to. It would be more productive if she only had to focus on one at a time. The initial answer she gives may not be as useful as the ones she might give if she had more time to think.”

“She cannot know what we want to discuss in advance.”

“No, but each of us might need a whole morning or afternoon with her.”

Akoro growled. “That sounds like it’ll take too fucking long.”

“With everyone’s schedule, it shouldn’t take more than two weeks, my king.”

“All right. Make a schedule,” he served her with a serious look. “We need this to go well, Prillu.”

“I understand, my king.”

“How is Oppo?”

Prillu sighed and rubbed a finger along an eyebrow while she thought for a moment. “He’s not good,” she said finally as though there was no other way to make it pretty. “Being back in the desert wasn’t good for him, and the Omega… he is very much against her being here, as you know. He said she needs to be looked after, that it feels unnatural and unsafe for her here.”

“No one is pleased about it,” Akoro said. “He still needs to do his duties like everyone else.”

“He is intending to,” Prillu said. “He’s still fully involved in the princess’s care and her diet. He’s just been in a strange mood…”

Akoro nodded. Oppo’s memories were probably torturing him. “Keep an eye on him. Dismissed.”

Prillu bowed low and left the room.

Akoro turned his attention to the table. If they could get through her interrogations in two weeks and then adjust their plans as necessary, then everything could be kept within a six month schedule. But there was no room for error or deviation.

He hadn't told any of his council about the late-night visits or their sparring session because he couldn't explain it rationally, and for a man who prided himself on his control, it would have signaled something alarming for them. His council didn't need to know, as long as his behavior with her stopped immediately.

He had to go back to thinking of the princess as a means to an end—a source of important information to help his people. That was the only way he'd be able to function. If he was desperate, he could still fuck her, but just for the pure physical pleasure, nothing more. He didn’t need to know anything else beyond what was necessary for the mission.

And he’d had already begun, telling her that she was no better than any other female prisoner who loved to spread their legs for their masters. In fact, he didn’t know that wasn’t true. He knew his attraction for her was because of a strange compulsion that had probably come from being in the desert so long, but why was she also so aroused? As an Alpha he loved that she behaved differently in those moments; softer, tentative, needy, but it was a far cry from the steely Omega who demanded he return her to her father. She always seemed unwilling to indulge him, but her arousal was powerful all the same. Maybe she was a female who loved sex. Maybe she’d been covertly fucking her way through her father’s army. He didn’t have evidence to support that but it would make sense since she’d indulged him eagerly.

He picked up his beer and took a long drink to wash the bitter taste out of his mouth at the idea of anyone else touching her. It was better to stay focused on the goal at hand, although when he saw her today he thought he’d have to abandon what he'd started. Dressed in a ssukkurian outfit, she looked absolutely stunning. Beyond beautiful. And she hadn't even had her hair done or worn any jewelry. She was an Alpha trap, like those creatures who paralyzed their prey before they even realized they’re caught.

But worse, she brought out a part of him that conflicted with everything he was trying to do. He couldn't allow it. Too much had been given for this cause, too much suffering had by his people. He couldn’t let this strange impulse destroy everything he’d been working on for decades.