Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(3)
The woman’s head rose slowly, confusion in her eyes. “Working… with you? Oh… I-I thought—”
Drocco looked her over as she cast around for something to say. Her dark brown eyes swept the room, avoiding him, and her curly copper-brown hair seemed to sway on its own with hardly any encouragement. Her features were pleasing—petite and well portioned—in fact, she was extremely attractive, even though no one thing about her stood out as being remarkable.
“I assumed you would be too busy to actually conduct the investigation yourself, your Imperial Majesty,” she said, finally.
“You think there is anything more important right now than finding out what has happened to all the Omegas?” Drocco asked, almost mockingly. Everyone knew of the phenomenon and no one could explain it.
“I don’t presume to know what is important to you,” the Beta woman commented, somewhat dryly. “I’m just here to do a job.”
Drocco’s nostrils flared. “What?”
The woman’s eyes widened and she lowered her head again. “I cannot assume what is important to you, your Imperial Majesty. I was only sent here to confirm and order your research.”
Drocco stared at her. She had most certainly spoken out of turn. And yet, when asked to clarify her statement, she had simply repeated it. Choosing to let it slide, for now, he gestured to the piles of books and stacks of parchment. “Is there a reason for this mess? Have you found something?”
“Many of your records are out of order, your Imperial Majesty. I’m trying to sort them so that they make sense chronologically.”
“That isn’t much progress. I could get an administrator in here to do that.”
“Yes, you could have,” the woman said, in a low voice. “It would have made things easier for me.”
Drocco’s eyes narrowed, though with her head bowed, she couldn’t see his face. “What is your name?” he asked.
“Miss Cailyn Lefroy.”
She was unbonded. A satisfaction mellowed in him at the thought. Drocco frowned at the feeling and cast it aside. Why the hell did that matter? “Did you find that your rude and disrespectful attitude earned you favors in Vamore?”
The woman rose her head again, her eyes wide. “No… I apologize if I have displayed such an attitude, your Imperial Majesty. I’m known for my honesty and sometimes it can come across as being… I thought you would appreciate honesty.”
Drocco said nothing. In truth, he would prefer honesty in all situations, but only wanted boldness from his warriors. Everyone else should be submissive to him and it was his right to expect that. “Honesty and rudeness are not mutually exclusive. Find the balance.”
She frowned, and an urge to grab her neck came over him, but then her brows smoothed and her head dropped again. “I offer my apologies, your Imperial—”
“Emperor,” he interrupted, annoyed with the long and awkward address. “Call me Emperor.”
“Emperor,” she whispered.
A slither of pleasure shuddered through him at the sound of her voice so quiet and intimate. He stilled, unfamiliar with the feeling. Something about her voice affected him. He watched her closely, looking at her stance and manner. She was a normal Beta, a little too bold, but nothing remarkable. He fucked plenty of Beta women but none of them had caused any kind of desire without more provocation than a tone of voice. Maybe he was due to get under one—it had been at least a week since he last had a woman in his bed.
He gazed at the historian for a moment longer and then moved away, back into the center of the room. “Tell me what you know.”
The Beta lifted her head. “It has been at least one hundred and eleven years since Omegas began disappearing. First, all the adult Omegas in this city, Ashens, and then all surrounding cities and territories. The Western Lands reported the same about half a year after. The last publicly known siting of an Omega was on the White Ocean, and it is said she drowned.
“Then female children began disappearing—young children under the age of twelve before their dynamic could be discovered. Currently, female children are still disappearing soon after birth. It is assumed that all missing females are Omegas who have not yet been declared as such. Although many precautions are taken, it’s impossible to predict which child may be targeted since their dynamic is not known.”
Drocco turned toward the woman and watched her. She relaxed as she spoke, getting into her stride. The collared, tawny tunic that skimmed her curves was typical of Vamore wear but it didn’t show enough of her natural shape for Drocco’s liking.
“Children are still being taken all over the known Lands but with the prolonged lack of available Omegas, the Omega and Alpha birth rates are beginning to decline. Most Alphas born over the last few decades have been to Beta parents and they only come from Betas who have Alphas in their immediate family.”
“I don’t need to know about the effects of this on the Lands,” Drocco interjected. He was highly sensitive to the fact that Alphas could eventually become endangered if the current situation continued, but he refused to discuss it with anyone. “I want to know how to find them or stop them from being taken.”
“From what I have gathered, it is almost impossible to stop the Omega children being taken. There are mishaps and coincidences that cause no one to be around when they disappear. Many claim the use of the Talent is the reason—reports suggest that bodyguards lose their memories and locked rooms remained undisturbed, however, there is no concrete proof of this. It is possible, and likely, that all of the Omegas are still alive, although whether they are in good health cannot be known.”