by Zoey Ellis
Contents
Copyright
About
HIDDEN BONUS CHAPER
About the Author
Copyright © 2018 by Zoey Ellis
All rights reserved. Sale of any edition of this book is wholly unauthorized. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part, by any means, is forbidden without written permission from the author/publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First Edition: January 2018
Crave to Conquer
Hidden Bonus Chapter
This chapter is in Drocco’s point of view and takes place just after he mates Cailyn for the first time after her Haze. It ends just after her first torture.
Reminder: Crave to Conquer is an explicit reading experience and is strictly for readers aged 18+.
HIDDEN BONUS CHAPER
DROCCO
By the time his knot shrunk and slipped out of Cailyn, Drocco had formulated a plan.
He stood carefully, trying not to jostle the sleeping Omega in his arms, and walked to the door where he knew Torin waited.
“Summon my healer,” he said to him. “Secure my bedroom and bring blankets.”
He sat on one of the gray couches at the back of the room, Cailyn still in his arms, staring at her until Torin and his healer entered.
“I have had the lock on your bedroom door replaced with a mechanism that will allow you to keep her secure,” Torin said, handing the blankets to Drocco.
“How secure?” Drocco asked as he wrapped the blankets around Cailyn. A raw edge fell away from his nerves as soon as she was covered up.
“The lock was designed by engineers in Neka and made in Grence,” Torin replied. “It is extremely well designed and well made.”
His healer, Mahila, hovered in front of him, trying to look at Cailyn. She was an older woman with a puff of black hair and the slanted eyes of the people of Saderthorne. Mahila had gotten him through many difficult battles and potentially life-threatening injuries, a testament to her studious training of healing practices and medicines since the age of ten. “Please put her down so I can examine her, your Imperial Majesty.”
Drocco tensed and shot her a hard look. “I will not,” he growled. “Examine her from where you stand.”
The older woman observed him for a moment. “Emperor,” she said, softly. “This is your Omega. No one in this room will harm her or take her from you. Please put her down so I can make sure she is well from her Haze and your mating. She is tired and cannot speak to tell me if she is all right.”
Her words of logic filtered through Drocco and he loosened his grip on Cailyn. Standing, he turned and placed her on the couch but did not move from her side. He kept his eyes on the healer as she examined Cailyn carefully and slowly. She lifted her eyelids, felt along her ribs, and pinched the skin on her arms. When she gently lifted the blankets to widen her legs, Drocco let out a growl.
“I’m simply making sure she isn’t damaged,” Mahila murmured, moving slower. “If this was her first mating she may suffer from significant damage and discomfort, Emperor.”
Drocco nodded, but the warning rumble in his throat did not die. He remained tense, watching Mahila’s every move. She moved extremely slowly, gently, and precise. She clearly knew what she was doing, but it didn’t sit well with Drocco that someone would touch his Omega so soon after he had mated her. Still, he was the one that had called the healer in. Torin spoke at some point but Drocco ignored him, his attention completely on Cailyn.
“Is she well?” he asked, as soon as Mahila wrapped Cailyn back up in the blanket.
“She’s a little dehydrated and very sore,” Mahila said, turning to him. “I would like to suggest medicating her so that she remains asleep for a little longer, which will give her time to heal.”
“How much longer?” Drocco asked.
“Two days.”
Drocco stared at Cailyn as he considered it. As much as he wanted to begin her questioning, he needed her in good health. “Fine.”
“I can also use the thistle cream to completely heal her sore—”
“No,” Drocco said, abruptly. “I want her to still feel some of the effects of the mating when she wakes.”
Mahila lowered her head. “I will prepare the medication.”
As she left, Drocco gathered Cailyn back into his arms.
“I have locked the balcony in your room,” Torin said. “Is there anything else you need?”
“The window needs to be covered. I don’t want any distractions from outside.”
“It’s only the Palace forest that fills the view from your bedroom,” Torin reminded him.
“Yes, and I don’t want her distracted by it,” Drocco snapped. “I need the right conditions for her questioning to be successful.” And for that, he needed her attention solely on him whenever he was in the room.
Torin bowed. “It will be done, Drocco.”
Within the next few hours, things seemed to move quite fast. Drocco bathed Cailyn’s delicate body and washed her hair. He took his time exploring every inch of her, lathering her with his basil and lemon soap and rinsing her before drying her off. She possessed a beautiful body; soft, honey-colored skin, full breasts, round hips and toned legs. Although she was smaller than a Beta female, she was clearly an adult woman, and completely ripe to be dominated by an Alpha—by him, specifically. Mahila had applied a steam treatment that kept Cailyn asleep throughout her bath, but part of him was annoyed that she wasn’t aware of his hands on her. As he rubbed a rich cinnamon oil into her skin, he tried to sift through his conflicting emotions.
She had outright lied to his face, pretending to be someone and something she wasn’t. And yet she hadn’t tried to kill him or harm his operations as far as he knew. Why had she come pretending to be a historian? It infuriated him that she would take him for such a fool. All those conversations they had about the Alpha/Omega connection… he stilled as he remembered her responses. She rejected the idea of Alphas with Omegas. He frowned, his eyes running over her face. She was certainly wayward, but to reject an Alpha when she was an Omega? It was ludicrous. The only thing he could take comfort in was that, in her Haze, she was perfect—obedient and worshiping. She had looked at him and desired him the way all Omegas should desire their Alphas.
He placed her carefully in his bed and watched as she curled up into a ball, breathing into his pillow. He forced himself to step away so she could recover. A desire for her had arisen strongly and he was once again painfully hard, but it wouldn’t satisfy him to take her while she remained in a medicated sleep. He needed her to recognize him as Alpha and submit the way she should. He comforted himself with the knowledge that she would wake soon, and he would enjoy her fully at that time.
Once he secured Cailyn in his bed, he made sure all potentially dangerous objects were removed from the room and personally visited the kitchens to instruct his chefs to ensure that all food prepared for her met the required nutritional needs for Omegas to thrive and prepare for breeding. He also ordered for all tableware to be made from safe materials that couldn’t smash or break.
Torin walked with him from the kitchens. “We need to talk about the celebration.”
Drocco slowed. He had completely forgotten about the celebration in the Great Hall. “It has been over a week. Don’t tell me it’s still going on.”
“It’s in full swing,” Torin said, his lips pursed. “Part of the reason is that your Omega’s scent has lingered and cause
d…”
Drocco slowed to a stop, his eyes narrowing. “Caused what?”
“Multiple and group mating,” Torin said, watching him carefully.
Drocco remained still. He was unsure how he felt about others reveling in his Omega’s scent. Still, they would never experience the full potency of it the way he had. “Her scent is indeed enticing, Torin.”
“Yes,” Torin said, though his tone was disapproving. “But many Lox warriors engaged in sexual behavior.”
“They are Alphas. Of course they would be affected.”
“Many of them mated with the gray-robed servants.”
Drocco’s brows lifted. “All of our gray-robed servants are male.”
“Indeed,” Torin said. “That choice was made to discourage warriors being distracted while on Palace grounds.”
Drocco began walking again. “I wasn’t aware of that choice.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Nothing. Any warrior who wishes to allow himself to be distracted cannot stay within the Lox, whether it is cock or pussy that distracts him.”
Torin frowned. “They are Alphas, Drocco. They will be distracted.”
“Then they shouldn’t be in my fucking army,” Drocco growled, annoyed with Torin’s insinuation and at the same time realizing he himself had been completely distracted by Cailyn. “Besides, it was my Omega’s scent that caused it. They aren’t solely to blame.” He paused. “What of the guests? The rulers from the territories?”
“They joined in,” Torin said, grimly.
At that, Drocco let out a low laugh. Those rulers allowing themselves to be fucked by Lox warriors? What a sight that would have been.
“We shall see if they find it funny once they return home,” Torin muttered.
“Did anyone force them?” Drocco asked sharply.
“No.”
“Then they have no one to blame but themselves. End the celebration now and get the Lox under control. Nearly two weeks of no training is enough.”
***
That night, Drocco slid into bed next to Cailyn. She was sprawled out in the center of the bed, her curly hair all tangled over her face and the pillow. He settled on his side for a moment, trying to resist the urge to touch her. He would have to torture her when she woke—he couldn’t get too attached to the feel her body on his. But he couldn’t resist. He pulled her into his arms, and as she settled, began combing his fingers through her hair to neaten it.
It had been more difficult ending the celebration than he and Torin had both thought. After remaining in such a state for so long, the Lox Alphas were like animals. Talent-crafters circulated an abundant amount of fresh air through the space so that Cailyn’s scent dissipated, then Torin called in a nearby troop to remove all of the non-Lox from the Great Hall, which finally helped the Alphas to consider their actions. Finally, after a few hours, the Great Hall was empty with only rotting food and mead remaining.
However, the situation caused a spark of uneasiness in Drocco. If Alphas were that susceptible to Omega scent, what did that mean for the army? Would they still be able to carry on their duties once they had the Omegas he had promised them? Their wild reaction to Cailyn’s scent did not bode well. Torin seemed to think that it was because they had not been prepared. It was the first time any of them had scented it anything close to an Omega, let alone one in her Haze, and it drove them wild. Furthermore, they could not even locate the Omega or where the scent was coming from, so it sparked a frenzy that had been unavoidable. It was a reasonable rationale, but Drocco was interested to visit the records keep and see what had been recorded about the Alpha rut.
Cailyn sighed against his chest, pressing her nose into him as she breathed in. Drocco watched her as he caressed her face, neck, shoulders, and stroked his fingers all the way down her back until he was cupping her ass. He lowered his face to the crook of her neck and breathed in as he squeezed her ass. She smelled so good and felt even better against his skin—smooth and soft. Once again he was rock hard. It seemed he would be in a constant state of arousal with her around, but that wasn't such a bad thing as long as he was able to fuck her. And nothing would stop him now. There was no way that he was ever letting her go. As soon as he got the information he needed from her, he would be planting their first child in her.
The next day, a persistent knocking on his door forced him to release Cailyn and get up, a harsh agitation working through his peaceful mood.
“What?” he snarled at Torin. If it had been anyone else, he would have found it difficult to be even half as civil.
“Letters and parcels have been arriving all day,” Torin said, pushing himself into the room and closing the door. He kept his voice low, even though it was unlikely the guards at his door could hear through it. “Citizens have gathered at the gates and are pleading to know if the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?”
“That you have found an Omega.”
Drocco pressed his lips together, an annoyance shooting through him. “No. Say nothing.”
“I plan to,” Torin said. “But I think you should speak to them.”
“No,” Drocco growled.
Torin raised his eyebrows. “You have an Omega, Drocco. It is something that should be announced.”
“I didn’t find this Omega,” Drocco said, his voice hard. “It is not how I wish to announce my final victory.” He exhaled harshly. “It’s not my achievement, Torin. She’s already been here for numerous months. I cannot admit that she…” Another wave of anger threatened to overcome him and he paused until it passed. “That she tricked me.”
“No one has to know that,” Torin said. “I have already told everyone that the historian left the Palace for Vamore the night of the celebration. None of her belongings remain in her room and the files are organized. She must have finished them.”
Drocco thought for a moment. “Is there anything interesting in her belongings?”
“No. Just clothes, reading material and a few pieces of cheap jewelry. The Talent-crafters examined everything. There’s nothing noteworthy there.”
Drocco nodded. “And what about the files? Did she damage any research?”
“Nothing has shown to be damaged or destroyed so far.” Torin shifted on his feet. “It is a mystery to me why she came.”
“And to me,” Drocco said with a clenched jaw. “But I intend to find out.”
“In the meantime, you should celebrate your victory, Drocco,” Torin said. He held his hand up as Drocco began to speak. “I know it hasn’t happened the way you want, but it has still happened. No one needs to know the details of how she came to be in the Palace. The fact is, you have an Omega and no one else in the known Lands can say that.” His expression relaxed into a smirk. “I would even go as far as to say, if you don’t boast about it, there are those that will think something is wrong.”
A silence grew as Drocco considered Torin’s suggestion. It was the most logical thing to do, but it went against Lox principles—principles he had lived by. And that frustrated him. “Surely we can hold them off for a while at least?”
“I know this isn’t ideal, Drocco,” Torin said, his voice quiet. “But this has been taken out of your hands. The rulers already know about it. If you do not declare that you have her, they may feel you are not taking ownership of her and—”
Drocco growled.
Torin nodded, a knowing look entering his eyes. He bowed. “I will prepare a time for you to address Lox citizens.”
***
Drocco paced in front of his bed, his eyes on the little Omega that claimed the center of it. It was now the third day that she had remained in medicated sleep. Three days of pretense. Three days of hearty congratulations and admirations from his warriors. Three days of praise he didn’t truly deserve. It was tantamount to using the fucking Talent to fake a result. He hated it.
He growled and fought the urge to shake Cailyn awake. Mahila had just left after checking her over. She insisted tha
t Cailyn would come out of the sleep soon and that it would be unwise to try and rouse her, but at this stage, Drocco was willing to risk her health. He wanted information on how to find the other Omegas and he wanted her to pay for her deception. The urge to punish her rose wildly every day, and yet at night, when he slid in beside her, he couldn’t help but hold her, scent her, and touch her like the precious being she was. Once again, the wildness of his emotions was out of his control, and that annoyed him even more.
A knock at the door disturbed him from his thoughts and when he yanked it open, he roared into Torin’s face, “Never disturb me in my bedroom again.”
Torin stepped back slightly, his brow risen in shock, but he recovered quickly. He bowed low. “My apologies, Drocco. I will ensure never to do so again without permission.”
“What is it?”
“The ruler from Neka is here. I am happy to deal with her if you are busy—”
“No.” Drocco exited the room, closing the door behind him. “I will speak to her.”
However, the interrogation proved to be a waste of time. The ruler from Neka claimed not to know anything about Omegas being sighted in her territory during her father’s reign. Her terror at simply looking at Drocco was enough for him to suspect she was telling the truth, but what if she wasn’t? How could he trust his instincts when the sleeping Omega in his room proved they weren’t to be trusted? After questioning her for hours, Neka’s ruler still said the same thing, only she was now bloodied and bruised. Drocco ordered that she spend some time in the dungeons to encourage her memories to come back to her.
After washing up, he visited Mahila to get the healing cream for Cailyn’s questioning. He was tired of waiting—her interrogation would start now no matter what he had to do to get her awake.
The instant he opened his bedroom door, however, something felt different. He stepped inside and noticed that the bed was empty. Next to it stood Cailyn, wrapped in a sheet from the bed, covering up that body he had gotten to know. An excitement bloomed in Drocco’s stomach. “It is fortunate for you that you’re finally awake,” he said, his voice low.
