Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(17)

Cailyn watched him. He seemed to be agitated even discussing it, but this was one of the things she needed to know. She had to press him. “How do you know?”

The Emperor chewed slowly for a long while, and Cailyn thought for a moment he wasn’t going to answer. “I knew an Alpha who had bonded with an Omega who was taken,” he said, finally. “He felt their connection every day, right up to the day of his death. The loss of her changed him, distorted him, made him vastly different to who he had been. I can only imagine the same fate fell on her.” His face clouded over as he spoke and Cailyn couldn’t look away from his eyes. They were stormy and hard yet tinged with something so slight she almost missed it; a subdued mellowness. It made his entire expression different. She couldn’t think clearly to ask her next question, so she kept quiet until she had eaten her fill.

“You don’t eat enough, kitten,” he commented, pushing his plate away.

The servants returned to collect the dishes and their plates.

“It’s Cailyn, Emperor.”

He turned to look at her, his gaze intense. “I know.”

She made a face. “You keep calling me kitten.”

“Yes, that’s what you are.”

Cailyn struggled not to bristle. He had given her a nickname as though she was his whore. Coupled with where she had been placed at the table, the insult was too great for her to remain quiet. “At the risk of insulting you, Emperor, I’d like to point out we are not familiar with each other in that way.”

The Emperor leaned forward. “Incorrect. I’m completely familiar with the kind of Beta you are.”

“And what kind am I?” she asked, evenly.

“The kind who likes to show their claws and nip and scratch, and make noise for the sake of it,” he said. “But ultimately, doesn’t make any real impact.”

Cailyn’s anger rose steadily. “So you’re saying I’m useless?”

The bastard had the nerve to smirk at her, his black eyes gleaming. “Even kittens have their uses.”

“Because they’re entertaining?” she spat. “Nice to look at and easily pacified?”

The Emperor broke into a grin as she spoke.

“Because they can be put in their place and are easy to confuse and distract?” She glared at him, grinding her teeth in annoyance.

He threw his head back, releasing peals of husky laughter.

Cailyn sat and fumed. He had already warned her of her impertinence and saying anything else would certainly cause her to be punished, but she found that she didn’t care. “I wonder if that’s how you see the Omegas you seek. Playthings to brush aside when you get tired of them.”

“An Omega has a lifetime duty to her Alpha just as an Alpha has a lifetime duty to his Omega,” he said, still chuckling. “It is a unique connection. You would do well to stop trying to understand it.”

At least he perceived Omegas as special, even if they were to be akin to breeding machines for his men. “Yes,” she muttered. “I think I will. Thank the stars I’ll be bonding with a Beta and not have to deal with being seen as ineffective and dumb.”

The heavy chuckle from the Emperor stopped abruptly. “Are you betrothed?”

“Why? Do you not think a Beta would be interested in a dumb little kitten?” she said, unable to help the retort.

“I asked you a question,” he snapped, his eyes suddenly hard.

She glared at him but backed down when she noticed the wildness in his eyes. He was angry. “No,” she said, tightly.

He relaxed back into his chair, observing her.

A servant entered and hovered by the door. “Would you like dessert, your Imperial Majesty?”

Cailyn stood up before he could answer. “I’m heading back to my quarters, Emperor. Thank you for dinner. Is there anything else?”

The Emperor’s jaw constricted and he straightened in his chair. “Sit down.”

Cailyn sat and waited while the Emperor told the servants to bring dessert.

“There will be a celebration in a few days marking the Lox victory in the Eastern Lands,” he said.

Cailyn’s interest peaked but she avoided reacting.

“Rulers of all the territories in the Eastern Lands will be attending, as will many Lox warriors. All who are in the Palace will be loyal to the Lox.”

There it was—her distraction. “It sounds like it will be an enjoyable event, Emperor,” she said, demurely. “I will not be a disturbance to you or any of your people during that time.”

“You will attend,” the Emperor said. “And you will pledge your allegiance to the Lox.”

Cailyn jolted in her seat, her eyes snapping up to his. “What?”

The Emperor’s eyes bore into her. “All who remain in the Palace must be loyal to the Lox.”

“I’m happy to give you my word about my loyalty, Emperor,” Cailyn said, as her horror rose. “But I cannot pledge it. I only have my sister. I will not sacrifice her just to make you feel more comfortable to have me here. I’ll leave if that’s what you need.”

Occasionally an innocent person would be caught up in the missions she undertook, but Miss Lefroy’s sister was only eight. Cailyn had always ensured that children were never affected by her missions, and this would not be the exception.