Crave To Conquer (Myth of Omega, #1)(8)

“And yes, I do expect everyone to be subservient to me,” he added, moving around the couch between them. “I’m the most accomplished Alpha in every Land that exists. Expecting subservient behavior is my right.”

“Just like it’s your right to have an Omega?” Cailyn snapped, her annoyance breaking down all self-preserving cautions she had given herself to be polite to him. Fuck him. This man had an ego the size of the entire Eastern Lands. “Whether she wants it or not?”

“Of course it is my right. It is the right of all Alphas to have their Omegas. It is the only way to live a life that is complete,” he said calmly, stepping toward her. “I don’t expect any Beta to understand it. You don’t have that kind of connection—that kind of want or need that an Alpha has for an Omega. You have not been blessed with that and you shouldn’t try to understand something you will never experience. As for what my Omega wants?”

He came closer still, and Cailyn backed away. She couldn’t have him close to her again.

“Any Omega would find it an honor to be with me,” he said, a determined gleam in his eyes. “Only I can provide her with what she needs and craves. It is an absolute atrocity that these abductors have kept Omegas away from the men that could give them that gift.”

Cailyn pressed her lips shut. Anything she would say right now would reveal too much about what she knew about Omegas. His traditionalist views were so archaic, it was almost humorous, but what did she expect? Everything he had learned about Omegas was from the Alphas of times past. And they had been animals.

“In fact,” he added. “It is akin to torture.”

“Torture?” Cailyn scoffed before she even thought about it. “It is torture to not be fucked and dominated into some kind of slave by some massive, egotistical Alpha?”

Her laugh had barely left her before the Emperor rushed toward her in a flash and slammed her up against the wall behind her. She gasped in shock and blinked, looking into his stormy eyes, her fear rising. She had gone too far in provoking him and who knew what he might do now? But as she continued staring, she realized no anger clouded his gaze. Annoyance, yes. Conviction, yes. Even a tinge of curiosity. But no anger. She held her relief in her throat, trying not to breathe in his scent. Even though she couldn’t really smell it, she knew it was there because that trembly feeling cut through all others as a signal, a beacon directly to him.

He leaned into her ear. “Do not mock things you have no understanding of, kitten,” he whispered. “You have barely left the luxuries of your life in Vamore, surrounded by old books and statues, to even brace the concept of torture or need.” She shivered as he leaned into her and ran his nose up her neck, breathing her in. “But you will.”

He let her go and she slumped against the table next to her trying to process what he had said. Had he just threatened her?

“Finish your pitiful lunch and get back to the research room,” he ordered.

As he walked away, Cailyn drew herself upright trying to hide her shaking. She should have abandoned this mission when she first realized he would be her contact. For some reason, this man affected her in a way no other Alpha did. She found it difficult to hold her tongue around him and at the same time wanted to submit so desperately when he stood close. She had ignored the potential threat in favor of getting the knowledge the Mothers needed, but he knew much more about the real Miss Lefroy than she had anticipated. One wrong move and she could be discovered. She had to work quickly and carefully, and get the fuck out of the Palace.





CHAPTER THREE


DROCCO



The historian was becoming a severe distraction.

Drocco was unsure exactly what it was, but something about her aroused and intrigued him, sparking a fierce need to dominate her. It was a strange feeling—one he’d never had before. He sat in the corner of the research room watching her daily for nearly a month trying to figure it out. It couldn’t be her smart mouth—he most definitely preferred submissive types, even in Betas. Her bland scent wasn’t enticing, so it couldn’t be that. It couldn’t be her dynamic since he was looking for his Omega. Betas were sufficient to slake his needs, but the pleasures an Omega could give were known to be incomparable. It could be the historian’s looks. It would seem as though a studious woman in shapeless clothing with brown hair and eyes would be easily forgettable, but it was quite the opposite. She was uniquely attractive in a way he found slightly fascinating. Yes, that had to be it. She was beautiful and he wanted a taste of her, yet was forced to wait. That must be what caused this unhealthy draw to her. He’d never had to wait to fuck anyone before.

After meeting her that first time, he had summoned a Beta female known for her talented mouth to relieve him of his arousal, but as she knelt to tend to him, he lost interest. She had been stunned when he ordered her away and, in truth, he had surprised himself; however, he had still been reeling from the historian’s bluntly antagonistic comments and he couldn’t focus on gratification. He spent the rest of the evening looking over the profile of her that they had obtained when they had learned she was coming. It suggested nothing of her personal life or personality—it just contained dry, factual information about her impressive abilities and skills as a historian.

As Drocco continued to watch her, he noticed little things about her manner. When she read something she found interesting, she played with her right earlobe. She pursed her full lips when she read something she didn’t quite like and bit her bottom lip when she was trying to decide where something should go on the Chron Line. The way she moved around the room was sexy as hell, smooth and fluid, very feline, and when she knelt on the floor sorting random files, her rich copper curls bouncing over them, he had to grip the arms of his chair to stop himself heading over there, pinning her to the ground and ripping away her clothes. The simplest thing would be to stay away from her completely, but when he wasn’t in the room, he thought about her constantly. He hated it. He was always in control of everything and this impulse was too wild. He couldn’t wait for the day the investigation ended so he could claim what he wanted and move on.