Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(16)
“You may enter, Miss Lefroy,” the man said, gesturing to the door.
Cailyn took a moment to compose herself before entering.
She stepped into a large room with heavy multi-colored rugs, cream walls and windows along the back wall letting in the last of the evening sun. A mahogany dining table sat on one side of the room and the Emperor sat at the head, watching her as she entered.
“How may I help you, Emperor,” Cailyn asked, lowering her head.
“You are to dine with me,” he said, his cold gaze taking her in. “Take a seat.”
Cailyn glanced up, confused. He planned to have dinner with her? “Excuse me for being bold, Emperor,” she began, “but I have a lot of work to do—”
“You are done for the day,” the Emperor stated, as though bored. He began pouring red liquid from a glass jug into two glasses.
“Emperor,” Cailyn said, trying again. “I really need to be spending all my time working if I’m to meet the dead—”
“So you were working in your quarters?” He served her a glare, placing the jug down. “With files I told you not to remove from the research room?”
“No, Emperor.”
“Then you are available,” he said. “And from what I understand, you were awaiting your dinner.”
Cailyn mumbled confirmation that she had been and then pressed her lips together to avoid saying anything more. She moved to the other end of the table, only to discover that the only other chair at the table, apart from the Emperor’s, was positioned on the corner right next to him. She hesitated. Normally a visitor of equal standing would sit opposite the host, while a visitor of lesser standing or an employee might sit a few seats down along one side. They were certainly not seated next to the host like their confidant, lover, or mate. He was making a statement by removing all the chairs.
“You will sit here,” Emperor Drocco said, gesturing to the other chair after she hesitated too long.
She glanced around the room for any other chairs, but the rest of the furniture consisted of plush, teal couches, end tables, and short bookcases.
“Sit,” ordered the Alpha.
“Are there no other chairs?” she asked. She couldn’t be so close to him again.
“They are not needed,” he said, his voice deepening. “You will sit here.”
Annoyed with his demand, and frustrated with her lack of choice, a retort slipped out of her before she had time to even think about it. “If you’re having a problem securing furniture, I could arrange help for you, Emperor. There’s no need to live like a foolish market trader.”
The man’s entire body tensed and his eyes slipped into a darkness she hadn’t seen before. Instantly, she reined in her scowl and hurried toward the chair. As she sat down he grabbed her jaw and yanked her face close to his.
“That is the last fucking time you will speak to me in that way, kitten,” he rumbled. “I have been extremely lenient with your attitude, as I’m sure you recognize, but it is becoming tiresome. Am I clear?”
She stared at his face looming in front of her and nodded, unable to speak with her jaw tight in his grip.
“Good.” He slowly let go of her but kept his face close. As his eyes flitted over her face, the look in them changed, and there it was—that feeling again.
Cailyn leaned back, away from him, and took a breath, resisting the urge to rub her jaw. She turned her attention to the table. A number of jugs filled with water and other colored liquids had been placed among empty plates and bowls.
The Emperor clapped his hands and a line of servants entered bringing with them steaming bowls and plates of food.
Cailyn’s mouth watered as the delicious spicy aromas filled the room. She stared at the numerous plates and bowls being placed down on the table; cold and hot slices of spiced meat, curried and baked potatoes, fragrant stews of all colors, buttered greens, crusty charcoaled bread, mashed roots, and even delicacies like peppered cow tongue, jellied purple eggs, and cracked claw.
“Do you eat like this all the time?” she asked the Emperor, in wonder.
“Not really,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what you ate. Pick what you’d like.”
Cailyn selected a small range of dishes to try and began to eat cautiously.
“What progress have you made so far?” The Emperor asked, spooning meat stew into his mouth.
Cailyn kept her eyes down. “I found reference to information about the Alpha/Omega connection.”
“Yes.” The Emperor hesitated. “Is that of importance?”
“I’m not sure,” Cailyn said. “It could be. No current living Alpha has ever been with an Omega, have they?”
Emperor Drocco let out a growl that caused her to glance up at him. “No. What has this got to do with the investigation?”
“I was thinking that maybe an Alpha that had bonded with an Omega could be used to locate her.”
“No, that theory has already been disproved,” he said. “Wherever the Omegas go, it isn’t possible for their mates to locate them.”
“Hmm…” Cailyn said, feigning thoughtfulness.
“What?”
“Well, that in itself is interesting. There are very few places where the connection cannot be felt.”
“I never said the connection could not be felt,” the Emperor said. “The connection can indeed be felt, very deeply. I’m willing to guess that the bonded Omegas who were taken suffered greatly.”