Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(11)

As he spoke, the head keeper led Drocco upstairs until he became out of breath and then walked across an entire floor to regain his strength. When they reached the stairs on the other side, the keeper continued his ascent. This pattern repeated until they arrived on the top floor.

“This is the floor we have been arranging just for you, your Imperial Majesty,” the head keeper said, wheezing a little. “It has every piece of information that pertains to Omegas since the first disappearance. We are still copying files but within the next month or so it should be complete. You are welcome to visit anytime to peruse at your leisure or with the guidance of a keeper.” The keeper’s hands twitched and he glanced around the room. “Of course, if you prefer to dismantle the Records Keep we can assist with storage or—”

“I will not be dismantling this facility,” Drocco confirmed. This was one of the most impressive things he had ever seen in the Eastern Lands so far, and he finally understood why many held it in such high esteem. He would definitely not be getting rid of it.

The keeper seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, your Imperial Majesty. We wondered what may become of everything here; it would be a shame for such information to be lost.” He paused, looking around the room. “Would you like to browse anything while you’re here?”

For the next hour, Drocco looked at the factual data around birth rates. It was as bad as he had imagined. Over the decades, Alphas birth rates were in steady decline since the Omegas disappearance. This trend was true in every territory and there was even data from the Western Lands showing the same.

Drocco left the floor in a somber mood but was impressed by the quality of data collected about the Western Lands. Clearly, the King of Ashens had sent clerks over there too. He questioned the head keeper about this at length and resolved to talk to Torin about it. If Malloron had the gall to send spies to Drocco, it wouldn’t hurt to send a fleet to pressure him in his own territory.

He headed back down to the population room, and as he crossed the floor he froze at the sight that greeted him. Cailyn stood laughing and talking to a clerk just outside the room—a Beta male clerk who stood too close to her and looked at her in a way that suggested he was very familiar with her.

A rush of darkness embraced Drocco, and he was moving toward them before he could even register it.

As he neared, Cailyn’s brown eyes widened, the smile dropping from her face, while the Beta shrank back.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Drocco bellowed. “Is this your job? Standing around socializing like you haven’t a thought in your head?” His voice rose to almost a roar and seemed to bound off every surface in the quiet building.

Cailyn opened her mouth but nothing came out.

He turned to advance on the Beta, his body moving almost without control. “Run” was all the warning he could get out.

As the Beta escaped, Cailyn found her voice. Although it shook, it stopped him in his tracks. “I finished looking at the population data. I was waiting for you to—”

“Do not test me, Cailyn Lefroy,” Drocco said in a hoarse, low voice, stalking toward her. “I leave you for five minutes and you’re talking in a very friendly manner to a member of staff who is no doubt still loyal to the King of Ashens.”

Cailyn backed away into the room, her eyes fiery as she looked up at him. “You have been gone close to two hours, Emperor.”

“That does not explain your behavior!” Drocco barked, forcing her back until she reached the wall. “When we are out of the Palace, I expect you to behave as though you are—”

He bit off the word about to come out of his mouth, a sudden shock dampening his rage.

Mine.

No. That’s not what he had intended to say… was it?

He floundered, searching for words. “…capable of common sense,” he finished. “If you cannot do that, you are inappropriately skilled to do anything on this investigation that is of use to me.”

Cailyn was silent for a long moment. “I would like to resign my post, Emperor.”

Drocco’s jaw slacked. “What?”

“I don’t think I’m right for your investigation. I think you could find a more suitable historian for your needs.”

Drocco laughed, low and hard. “Do you think you are still in Vamore?” He planted his wide hands on either side of her head and leaned down. “Or Neka, or Grence? Do you think you’re even in Ashens? You are in the Lox Empire, kitten. And your employment doesn’t end until I fucking end it.”

Cailyn stared at him steadily, her eyes hard, no fear or shock present, and something fierce bloomed in Drocco’s chest. He glanced at her perfect mouth, a raw desperation rising to take it—fuck waiting.

“The Omegas were dying,” she said, bitterly.

Drocco frowned at the sudden change in topic. “What?”

“The Omegas were dying at unnatural rates before their disappearance.” She ducked under his arm and headed to a pile she had collated on the floor. Drocco exhaled harshly, pushing away the anger that had almost risen to an acute peak. Or was that desire? He approached Cailyn’s pile stack wearily. This woman loved her piles of parchment.

“The data in these files match the data we have,” she said, shoving a stack into Drocco’s hands. “There was a serious decline in Omegas from the first count to the last. There were too many deaths for it to be a natural occurrence.”