by Zoey Ellis
The servant kept her head down, but muttered as she passed. "Keep heading in the same direction and then sharp left when you start seeing the gardens."
"Thank you," Amara whispered back, but the servant was already too far to hear.
Amara hurried along the corridor. If she was supposed to start seeing the gardens, then she was still quite far away, because all she could see from the scarce windows in the corridors was the Royal Fields.
After a while, she saw the very edge of the garden, then took the first left that she came to. Finally, she recognized where she was. She headed straight to the statue room but turned off into a little alcove just before she reached the entrance. There were three doors in the alcove. One was a cleaning room and the other two were storerooms. Amara slipped into the storeroom on the right and used the system set out by her team to locate the key, hoping that no one had yet picked up the gem that held the castle floor plan. Locating the key, she opened the safe, a tiny, almost undetectable cubbyhole hidden by the vent in the bottom of the storeroom, and grabbed the ruby gem.
Amara locked the safe and returned the key to a new hiding place, setting up the clues for the next person who used the room, then backed out of the room and proceeded along the corridor in the direction she came. She only allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief once she saw the Royal Fields reappearing through the castle window.
Now that she had the gem, she could navigate the castle much easier. Her first priority would be to inform her team, speak to the Mothers, and then attempt to discover more about what was happening to the children.
With all of those factors in mind, shame tore through her at her indulgence and enjoyment of mating with Malloron. Yes, it was part of their agreement, but she didn't have to actually enjoy it. She couldn't control the feelings, but it still filled her with guilt. When she spoke to the Mothers, she had to ask them about it. She wondered if her Omega sister, Cailyn, had experienced the same thing. The Mothers said Cailyn had a faulty block, but Amara still could not access magic, so surely her blocks were not faulty.
She made it back to her room just as the sun was setting, and her meals appeared on the table in the living area. She hurriedly changed, and sat at the table, yet strangely, Malloron never arrived for dinner.
Later that night, she woke at the time he would normally be coming through the door, her pussy wet and throbbing in anticipation of him, a hot desire running all over her body to feel the leather of a bench on her skin, to feel the buckles pulling at her wrists, and most importantly, to experience his cock deep inside her. But there was no sound of him moving in the living area.
After a while, she got up and padded to the living area. It was empty.
She stood in the center, slightly lost and confused. She began to pace, her arms wrapped around her stomach, a strange anxiety trembling over her as she waited. She glanced at the log bench, once, twice and then approached it slowly, before turning to gaze at the other benches in the room. They were all different shapes and sizes, and she had climaxed on all of them numerous times. But she had become quite fond of the first bench he had strapped her to. She reached out and pressed a hand against the leather seat.
At the feel of the cool leather, she immediately snatched her hand away. What the fuck was she doing? Pining for him? Hoping that the Alpha would come and fuck her into oblivion? How could she have become so weak so quickly?
She marched back to bed, but struggled to sleep while still so aroused. Eventually, she slipped her hands between her legs and brought herself to an orgasm, remembering the rough, claiming, mating in the meeting room. Although her climax was no way near as powerful as what she experienced with Malloron, at least she was finally able to sleep.
***
The next day an assistant escorted her to one of the meeting rooms. As she arrived, King Malloron approached from the opposite direction. He walked confidently, his violet cloak swinging around his large form, and in his hand a golden staff. She could not help but notice how handsome he was. His brown hair had grown a little so that he almost had a little mane that reached the bottom of his neck. He was broad-chested and walked with confidence, clearly in good shape. Amara wondered what kind of physical activity he did to stay as fit as he was. Most of the rulers of the Western Lands suffered from the effects of their addiction—drugs, sex, food, pain… The list went on. And yet, Malloron held none of the typical attributes.
She steadied herself, clasping her hands in front of her as he approached.
"Good morning, chameleon," Malloron greeted, a smug look in his eyes. "Did you have a good night?"
Amara curtsied low. "Yes, thank you," she said, grinning widely as she rose. “The best night I have had in a long while, Your Majesty. I hope to have many more in a few weeks.”
Something in his eyes hardened, though his smile remained in place. He turned abruptly and headed into the room.
She took a breath and followed him. Maybe she had made things harder for herself? She couldn’t wait for their agreement to finally be over. Her primary focus needed to remain on her job, not the Alpha before her.
The morning meetings were about as boring as expected, although she learned more about territory lines and gem origins. When the meetings ended, as she was leaving the room, the king swept her up in his arms and held her against his chest for a moment. She waited for him to start tearing her clothes away or to undress her, but he didn’t. He simply held still. She blinked up at him in confusion and found he was already looking down at her.
“I missed you last night,” he said, his voice low and rough.
The swoop in her stomach had her pressing her legs together. The look in his eyes made her feel odd and she wasn’t sure what to say.
He pressed her harder to him. “Say you missed me.”
Amara looked away, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “I missed you,” she whispered.
Using a finger, he turned her face back up to his and simply stared at her for a long moment, his eyes flicking over her face. Then he slowly released her from his grasp. “Let’s go to our next meeting.”
“But it’s noon break.” She hated that she sounded desperate for him to fuck her during this time like he normally did. Being near him again, smelling him again, had awoken the raw desire that plagued her last night.
“A meeting was arranged last minute.”
Amara nodded, disappointment bounding through her. She hoped he couldn’t tell from her face.
She followed him out of the meeting room and down the corridor to the next room, only to stop short when he abruptly halted in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Malloron boomed.
Amara peered around him to see a man sitting at the meeting table. He sat leaning back in his chair, completely relaxed and casual, very different from almost all guests and visitors that Amara had seen in the meeting rooms. He had quite long brown hair with glints of golden-brown threaded through it that fell just past his shoulders in a ruffled, tussled, and totally unrefined way. However, he had a neatly trimmed mustache and beard that extended over his chin and across his jaw until it joined with his hairline. He was also dressed quite casually, in a shirt that was unbuttoned to his chest, and rolled up at the cuffs. He had the same tan skin coloring as Malloron.
He grinned, opening his arms wide to the king, who was standing stock-still. "That is no way to greet your brother."
Malloron remained rooted to the spot. "I just saw you a few weeks ago, Elion. What do you want?"
The man at the table leaned forward onto his elbows. “Can I not visit my brother to say hello?”
“You did not announce you were coming,” Malloron said tightly.
“Because you wouldn’t see me if I did,” the man said, furrowing his brows. “I actually had to lie about who I was to get in here, what does that say about you?”
“I am busy,” Malloron snapped. “I don’t have time to—”
"I have a serious matter to discuss with you," the man said
. "Honestly, this is serious."
Malloron stood still for a long moment, and then stepped toward the table. As he moved, the man at the table perked up as he caught sight of Amara, and she realized that another person sat at the table. Kyus. She wore a dress similar to the kinds Amara wore, although gems sparkled from her ears and fingers. Her rich cinnamon skin contrasted beautifully with her wavy scarlet hair, which was pinned up much more eloquently than the attempts Amara made. Amara dipped her head in greeting at her, and she did the same in return.
“Well, who is this?” said the man at the table, staring at Amara as she settled herself in her normal seat in the corner behind Malloron. He looked at Malloron incredulously. “This is new. Have you been taking father’s advice after all?”
"What do you want," Malloron asked, irritably. Amara was surprised at his tone. "You gave a false name in order to have this meeting with me. Why?"
"Are you not going to introduce me to this delightful lady?" Elion asked, his eyes not moving from Amara.
"No," Malloron almost growled. "Why are you here?"
Elion dragged his eyes from Amara. “Is she to be your queen.”
Malloron tensed. “That is none of your business.”
“That means she is.” Elion sighed. He looked back at Amara, a sorrowful look on his face. “My condolences, dear.”
“Get the fuck out!” Malloron roared, shooting out of his chair.
Amara and the woman jumped at his sudden reaction while Elion stared at him, his expression slowly morphing from one of shock to realization. He glanced again at Amara and back to Malloron. “Well, that is interesting,” he murmured, as he shifted in his chair.
“If you have fucked up your trade with Volgart again, I cannot help you,” Malloron fumed. “I do not exist to solve your problems, Elion. At some point you have to—”
Elion held up a hand. “That is not why I’m here.” He was suddenly serious, every ounce of humor dropping from his manner.
Malloron hesitated and then lowered back down to his seat. “Then get on with it.”
"I’m here for two reasons, brother," Elion said. He held out his hand to the woman next to him, placing her hand in his. "Firstly, this is Kyus she will be my next wife."
"Congratulations," Malloron said, the irritation not leaving his tone. "Is that all?"
Elion's hand closed over the woman's, and he squeezed lightly. "I am making sure that you are aware of who I am about to marry," Elion said, slowly, his eyes boring into Malloron's. "I do not want you to be mistaken again about my future bride."
The atmosphere in the room shifted slightly, but Amara could not tell why. She watched both men closely. They stared at each other, communicating something between them that she did not understand.
"I don't know when you will stop blaming me for what happened," Malloron said, his voice low and threatening. "But it is not my fault if you cannot keep your women."
Elion snarled. "You sought her out!" He leaned forward. "You enticed her with promises that you never intended to fulfill and then got rid of her when it suited you." Elion's eyes flashed. "You treated her just like you treat all the others in your kingdom, even though you knew what she was to me."
"I am not going to repeat this argument again," Malloron said, his voice still low. "It has become almost a ritual for us to have this disagreement every time we meet. I am bored with it. When will you get over it?"
“Well now I know you have a future bride of your own, I may work harder to do so,” Elion commented, glancing again at Amara. “But the warning still stands.”
“Warning?” The mocking tone made Elion’s face harden. “Was that a warning, Elion?”
“Yes it is,” Elion hissed, leaning forward. “Stay away from my women.”
“I take no responsibility for your women’s interest in me,” Malloron said, nonchalantly.
“Maybe your queen will have an opinion on the matter,” Elion said, looking again at Amara.
“My queen has nothing to do with this, and stop looking at her!”
Amara stiffened. Had Malloron truly just referred to her as his queen? That couldn’t be right. He seemed to be in a state of heightened agitation, more so than she had seen before. Something about this man irritated him.
“Say the second thing you have come to say and then leave,” Malloron boomed.
They glared at each other for a short while and then Elion slowly relaxed back into his chair. “I cannot say in here,” he said, quietly. “I need to speak to you in private.”
Amara couldn’t see Malloron’s face from where she sat but she could tell from his posture he was irritated.
“Let’s go to the room next door.” He got up and stalked to the door, yanked it open and left.
“I’ll be back soon, my love,” Elion murmured to Kyus as he kissed her cheek. “Maybe you can get to know our new queen.”
He followed his brother and left the room.
Kyus poured wine into two of the glasses on the table and gestured that one was for Amara before moving to stand at the window overlooking the castle city. Amara stood and picked up the glass before joining her.
“Is it safe to talk here?” Kyus said, her eyes remaining on the view before her.
“Yes, I think so,” Amara replied.
“Good.” Kyus took a sip of her wine. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“It is not what it looks like.”
“Then what is it?” Kyus spoke under her breath, her voice harsh. “The last contact we had, you were a servant here, and now you’re his fucking queen?”
“I’m not his queen,” Amara said quickly. “He misspoke. He was annoyed by that man.”
“King Malloron does not misspeak,” Kyus warned. “Maybe he didn’t mean to say it, but it’s what he thinks is true.”
“No,” Amara insisted. “We have an agreement that’s all.”
Kyus turned to her, her face a picture of disbelief. “You made an agreement with King Malloron? Fuck, Amara! I thought you were smarter than that.”
“He discovered I am an Omega and he knows some members of my team are too. I had—”
“Stop,” Kyus said, holding up a hand. She turned back to the window. “We haven’t got much time. I don’t know how long their conversation is going to take. So all I will say to you is be careful about becoming his queen. His last queen did not fare so well.”
Amara blinked. “I forgot that,” she murmured. “I forgot he had a queen. What happened to her?”
“No one truly knows. The rumors were that she became deaf and completely blind, losing even her irises, and then lost the will to live.”
Amara stared out the window, suddenly remembering merchant gossip that the king had caused his queen’s death.
“Eiros is still in mourning as far as I’m aware,” Kyus continued. “He would only be able to announce you as his queen once he removes the mourning flags from around Eiros. So you have a bit of time.”
Amara did not bother to argue that she was not going to become Malloron’s queen. It was not going to happen, but Kyus was right, there was no telling when the conversation would be over in the next room; she couldn’t dwell on it.
“He said that there were rumors circling in the Western Lands that Omegas exist,” she asked. “Is that true?”
“Not yet,” Kyus said, stiffly. “But I have heard from some of the sea merchants that Omegas have returned to the Eastern Lands.” She glanced at Amara. “It is said that your sister Cailyn is Empress and she leads their return.”
All words left Amara and she turned to Kyus in shock. “What?”
Kyus lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know how true it is. There are only a handful of sea merchants who are saying this, but each of them has a slightly different story. It could be nothing, it could be everything. But if it is true….” She shook her head. “We need to prepare.”
“What about the Mothers?” Amara asked, almost frantically. “What have they said?”
�
��The last time I was in contact with them it was the same as always, nothing was out of place or unusual,” Kyus said. “We spoke about my mission and then that was it. This is why I’m not sure whether it’s true. Surely, the Mothers would tell us if it were.”
Amara nodded slowly, though an unease built in her that she could not explain.
“Are you fucking him?”
It took a moment for Amara to figure out what she was talking about, but she didn’t know how to answer.
“Oh, Amara,” Kyus groaned, closing her eyes lifting her head to the ceiling.
“What do you expect me to do?” Amara almost snapped. “Of course that’s what he is going to want as part of our arrangement.”
“He hasn’t had sex for years,” Kyus pointed out. “If he wanted it with you, it’s because he wants you. Badly. You could have used it as a bargaining chip.”
“I did,” Amara insisted. “I used it to negotiate.”
“He will definitely have you as his queen,” Kyus murmured thoughtfully, as though she hadn’t heard her. She turned to Amara. “I won’t ask you if you feel anything for him, that is your business—”
“How can I feel anything for him?” Amara interrupted, incredulously. “Think about who you are referring to—this is King Malloron.”
“I have completed missions in every Land. Some of the greatest women I have known have loved worse,” she said. “If you do, that is of no concern to me, but as one team leader to another, protect your team. Make sure they get out unscathed.”
Kyus turned away from the window and headed back to the table. Amara continued looking out over the city, the jumble of conflicting emotions and feelings overwhelming her. There was no way she was becoming Malloron’s queen, she was completely adamant about that. However, she had to take action to protect her team. Now that she had the gem, she could navigate anywhere in the castle. At the first opportunity, that was her priority.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MALLORON
"This had better be fucking important," Malloron growled, as he stormed into the room.
