by Zoey Ellis
Ana tilted her head as she gazed at her. Milly had been the one to deliver almost all of her lessons on a variety of topics. “Why do you think he is doing this? Saving Father for a promise and then demanding me?”
Milly shook her head slowly, her blue eyes troubled. “I’m not sure, Ana. But he is not as stupid as court allows everyone to believe. He doesn’t act as randomly or as foolishly as people think. He has also demonstrated a careful approach to almost everything he does and uses specific strategies to make sure maximum damaged is caused when he wants it to be.”
Ana’s mouth went dry. “So you think there is a grander reason for this? Other than him just wanting to lay with me.”
“Undoubtedly,” Milly said, lowering her voice to a murmur. “But it’s not for me to speculate, particularly to you. Your parents have been very clear about it. I find myself at odds with them for the first time, because I just want you to survive this. I don’t care about anything else. I know they must also be concerned about wider issues that I have no right to ignore.”
Ana met her gaze, unease creeping into her. What could Maddoc possibly be planning? The end of the crown? That seemed to be what her parents were mostly concerned about preventing, but how would he accomplish that? Currently he was only protected by the promise, and Father already planned to kill him at dawn after the last night.
Maddoc had hinted that she could figure it out if she bothered to read, but reading was the main activity she’d partaken in her whole life. She’d seen nothing that could explain this. “How do you know about his strategies?”
“It’s in all the material about him. I studied them, read between the lines, and saw patterns and similarities that arose.”
Ana’s frown deepened. Milly had never spoken about analyzing text in that way before. Maybe that was how she taught Ana her lessons.
“But that’s nothing you have to worry about, Ana,” Milly added, hastily. “Just do what your parents have asked. But stay safe.”
Ana spent the rest of the afternoon studying Maddoc’s recorded movements in the kingdom. Milly was right—he was indeed very clever. He used disruptions on one side of a village or town as a distraction to rob a building on the other side, similar to what he did with the crowd last night. Or he created some kind of diversion to cause an entire noble family to leave their house so he could rob them twice—their household, and while they were on the road. It seemed he managed to have plans for each of the buildings he targeted because no one ever saw him when he entered, indicating he knew the staff’s routines. Everything about the way he operated suggested he had intimate knowledge of the upper nobility and potentially the royal houses too. He had never directly attacked the palace, so there was no way of knowing how acquainted he was with it or with the ruling family, but he clearly knew the rumors about Ana.
By the time dusk was approaching, Ana had built a more accurate picture of him. And regardless of what Mother said, it was somewhat frightening.
The man was a heinous criminal. His reputation preceded him, as an exceptional archer and swordsman who’d kill anyone who got in his way, or anyone who’d seen his face, which was why no one knew what he looked like. His victims included women and children of both royal and common blood. He burned down villages and towns to steal gold and other precious items held in their treasuries, and his men used the destruction to rape women and steal boys of fifteen and up who would become part of their “fellowship,” twisting their minds by promising them riches and women.
It was reported that he had thousands of men in his guild—not all of them were known, and some hid in plain sight as men of respectable stature. Apart from the children, he also recruited from those made nameless from failing to pay taxes on their land or those who were outright criminals. Most of the men wore masks when taking part in his criminal activities, but some of them didn’t. As such, there were a number of sketches in the files, but never a sketch of the man himself. It was suggested in one document that he had spies in either the royal assembly or the royal court, which made him a powerful threat. But the notion had been discarded after further analysis.
Ana tried to objectively analyze what she read, but it was difficult. Maddoc was the most destructive man in Allandis, and what stood out to her the most was his utter lack of concern for civilized life. He didn’t care who he hurt in his crusade. Everything he did was for his own gain, and he took pleasure in hurting innocent commoners in the process. It was sickening, and she detested that she’d had him inside her.
She remained confused about his approach to the Royal Promise; it didn’t make sense he used it for sex with her when he could have taken more direct steps to tear down the kingdom. He could have acquired much with that promise; a pardon, land, gold, anything of significant value to the traditions and history of the royals. Something wasn’t right about his request for her, but she couldn’t figure it out.
Thoughts whirled in her mind as she prepared for dusk, bathing and braiding her hair, and dressing in another elaborate gown.
By the time the guards collected her, she had decided on the second thing she would withhold; her anger. Maddoc was the only person who had managed to somehow burrow down deep into her being, skipping all of her careful training, and made her react instinctively, even sometimes causing her to bypass sensible thinking. It had to be because he was an Alpha. She didn’t like it. Maybe that was his plan?
One thing Maddoc had been right about was that she wasn’t a child anymore, and she needed to act like it. Although the legal age of adulthood in Allandis was eighteen, many didn’t assert themselves as adults until twenty-two. Ridiculous as it was, Allandis mythology had always revered double numbers, and twenty-two was when most people married, bought land, and asserted themselves to confirm their status as an adult. Ana was twenty-two in three weeks—the day before her wedding, but she wasn’t a child. She should be doing whatever she could in this situation to help not only her parents, but the kingdom as well. It was her duty.
So as she walked down the empty corridors of the palace, she affirmed her decisions; no purring, no emotional responses. Even if she couldn’t find out what Maddoc planned, he would no longer be using her as his puppet.
The room looked the same. An elaborate array of food was laid out on the tables, just like before, and the bed had been remade as though nothing had happened. Even the hint of them that had permeated the room was so faint it was like a lingering memory of something that had once been powerful.
Ana went to the window. This time, multiple guards strode across the grounds and many were positioned along the edge to move along anyone who loitered. At least some steps were being taken to minimize another crowd. But it wasn’t likely Maddoc would try the same thing twice.
She positioned herself next to the bed, on the right-hand side of the room nearby the window, where she had stood before, reaffirming to herself the decisions she made for tonight.
She was surprised when the door opened within a few moments. Maddoc stepped in, looking as huge as he did the previous night. An air of menace surrounded his large frame and the joyless gaze he had entered the room with yesterday was back, although Ana couldn’t recall seeing it when he’d left that morning. He wore a mix of slightly different furs, but mostly everything was the same. He stepped in, locked the door behind him, and walked to the middle of the room as he had done the previous night.
Ana glanced at the window again, pushing her surprise away. “You’re early.”
Maddoc didn’t respond, simply staring at her with an intensity that made goosebumps rush up the back of her arms and spark that annoying tremble that lived in her stomach that began yesterday when she first saw him.
She shifted her feet, waiting for him to say or do something, but when she glanced at the window she suddenly realized it wasn’t yet dusk. He couldn’t touch her until the sun had set. He was waiting.
For some reason, that made her more nervous. Why had he come early only to stand there and wait? Mayb
e he was trying to intimidate her. Exhaling a breath, she pushed the discomfort aside.
They stood facing each other, waiting for dusk to arrive.
Ana took the opportunity to examine him more closely. Strangely, although he was certainly rough and rugged at first glance, he clearly took efforts to maintain elements of his appearance. His boots, while dusty, were well made and had no holes or scuffs. His clothes were not frayed or torn, and his hair was not matted with dirt. In fact, today, he had the top part pulled back away from his face, giving him a more civilized appearance than yesterday. He might not groom, but he wasn’t disheveled. He also didn’t look like someone made wealthy by robbing multiple towns and villages. She eyed his clothing, wondered what he was doing with his riches, and why he didn’t already have a wife. The files on him included multiple rumors about him, which even the authors made clear were not based on any real evidence. One rumor claimed he’d had a wife who had been executed by the royal assembly, another claimed it was his sister, another asserted he was a sexual deviant who could only find release and comfort with animals, another said he and his men lived with a group of whores whom they all rotated through.
Ana was inclined to believe the last one, and that made her feel… strange. Her eyes dragged up Maddoc’s chest, and the tremble in her stomach strengthened to a fluttering of desire as she remembered his massive torso on top of her, contracting beautifully as he thrust.
Ana caught the thought, shocked with herself. Flicking her eyes up to look at Maddoc, she hoped her desire hadn’t been obvious, even though her face was warm. However, Maddoc was still looking at her with that brutal gaze—he hadn’t deviated and hadn’t moved.
Ana swallowed, turned her attention to other areas of the room, before returning to him, realizing something. He held a book in his hands.
“You brought my book back?” she asked tentatively.
Surprisingly, he answered. “No.”
She peered at his hands. “What is it, then?”
“A different book. One that is actually worth reading.”
Ana’s eyes narrowed. “The book you stole from me is one of the best stories that exists.”
“Untrue. It has no fucking in it.”
Ana flushed and averted her eyes. “That is n-not the standard for a good book.” Her eyes snapped back to him. “Wait. You read my book?” She wasn’t sure if she was more surprised that he’d read it or that he could, in fact, read.
He didn’t answer, simply stared at her with those soulless eyes.
“What is that.” She gestured to the book in his hands, and he threw it on the bed.
Ana picked it up and examined it. The Lox Empire. She certainly hadn’t read this book before. It didn’t even look familiar. “Where did you get this?”
Maddoc didn’t answer.
She flipped through it slowly. “Is this a story or a report?”
She glanced up at Maddoc but he didn’t reply, that harsh and intrusive gaze remaining on her, unrelenting.
With a sigh, Ana threw the book back on the bed. He was already being an annoying ass. Whatever point he was trying to make made no difference to her. All that mattered was that she stuck to the two things she was withholding for the night.
“Take off your dress,” Maddoc said slowly, his gritty voice heavy with obvious desire.
So many retorts sprung to Ana’s mouth, but she held her tongue, and annoyingly had to ignore the swirl of arousal in her stomach.
Maddoc tilted his head toward the window. It was almost dusk. “If you don’t want your dress torn, I suggest you start taking it off now.”
His eyes were making her nervous again, so she shifted her gaze to the window. Today seemed less bright than yesterday.
A low harsh growl erupted in the room, drawing her attention back to Maddoc. His whole body was tense as he looked at her, the fierceness of his gaze blended with either annoyance or anger. Ana almost whimpered at the sound, but she bit her tongue and watched him, trying to divorce herself with the apprehension and overwhelming need that rose with his growl. Her slick was already abundant between her legs, but she firmly ignored it. Her body wasn’t within her control around him, and she refused to allow her emotions to get involved again.
She kept her eyes on the sky as it darkened further, ignoring the bitterness seeping into the air from Maddoc’s anger.
As soon as the day shifted to dusk, Maddoc shot forward, grabbed her around the waist and slammed her back against the wall; his face was close to hers.
“Are you trying to provoke me, Analisa?” he growled as he tore at her dress. “I told you to take this fucking thing off.”
Ana was forced to cling to him. “Now that it is dusk, I will do whatever you ask of me until dawn.”
Maddoc glared down at her. “You think you can decide when you listen to me and when you don’t?”
Ana shook her head. “You have me for three nights,” she said evenly. “I did not choose that.”
Maddoc pulled her from the wall and threw her onto the bed, scowling. “That doesn’t answer my question!”
Ana curled herself in protectively as he advanced toward her, but he flipped her onto her stomach and grabbed the back of the neckline of her dress. A harsh ripping and cool air signified he tore away the back of the dress again, but Ana was prepared for it this time. At the sound, her nipples hardened until they were painful, and her slick gushed from between her legs. It annoyed her to admit that she liked the aggression.
Maddoc wasted no time in pulling her hips up so she was positioned on her knees, then he climbed onto the bed behind her. Grabbing her neck and her hip, his thick tip bumped into her slit, eager to enter, and Ana arched her back and spread her knees wider to welcome him in, desire bounding through every inch of her body.
When he slammed in, hard and rough, she squealed in both delight and surprise. She’d almost forgotten how big he was, how that tang of pain, tempered by a glut of potent pleasure shot up her when she was being split apart. He drove right into the hilt, making her twitch slightly. The burn between her legs, the depth at which he reached, how full she was when he was inside her, all contributed to the raw sensations that pushed every thought from her mind. She tilted her hips, rotating them and clenching down on him, moaning at the pleasure the action bought. The Alpha didn’t make her wait long. He drove into her again and again, slamming his hips hard against her ass as he took her, as if he had been waiting to fuck her for years and not only a day. His hand brushed around to her stomach, reaching up to fondle her nipples, and slid down to stroke her clit, while the hand by her neck wound into her hair.
Maddoc fucked her rough, then rougher until she was screaming at the brutality of his thrusts, pleasure and pain battling for dominance viciously within her. When her orgasm approached, it was in an overwhelming rush of sensation that made her body seize and collapse.
When her senses came back to her, the Alpha was still pounding on top of her as she lay flat on her stomach on the bed, his body slapping hers as he sought his own release. Ana widened her legs and pushed her ass back up to meet him, prolonging the sweet sensation of her orgasm still lingering.
The Alpha groaned as he thrust sharply, ramming the enlarged base of his cock into her and locking himself to her.
Panting hard, and stretching out on the bed, Ana enjoyed the sensation of being knotted. Last night, she hadn’t paid much attention to it, only noticing the discomfort of being permanently stretched wide by an overly large piece of flesh, but there was some comfort to it beyond the physical. It felt instinctively right for him to be locked to her in such a way, and previously she’d enjoyed the closeness of his body and the way he touched her while they were knotted. In this instance, he propped himself up on his elbows, his body hovering over hers as they lay catching their breaths.
Maddoc played with her hair, and then lowered his mouth to suck on her ear. She sighed, sinking into this feeling of comfort, but keenly aware she was going to refrain herself unlik
e last night. So she simply tried to enjoy it.
Maddoc kissed behind her ear and down her neck, and then across her shoulders. After a long moment, he raked fingers along her scalp, causing her to moan with pleasure from his touch.
“Where is my purr, Analisa,” he murmured, after a long moment, nuzzling his nose behind her ear.
Ana’s eyes snapped open. He’d been expecting her to purr? For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer. Although, he had repeatedly encouraged it the night before, she didn’t realize he would be expecting it from her each time. She turned her head to the other side as she stretched underneath him.
“Analisa.” There was a warning in his tone.
Ana kept her body relaxed, forcing herself not to purr.
The weight of the Alpha came down on her, pressing her into the bed with his warm, thick, body and smothering her with his beautifully potent scent. It was one part she couldn’t deny about Maddoc, his scent was spectacular. Whether it was his sweat, his cock, his seed, or just his pheromones seeping into the air around him, she enjoyed experiencing it—almost too much. The warmth of him settled her into the semi-state of sleep, but she was mindful of keeping her promise to herself.
The Alpha grabbed the back of her hair, twisting it hard in his hand until prickles of pain scattered along her scalp. “Purr for me.” It was a demand, but not one Ana was willing to abide. He couldn’t order that of her.
“It’s not something I can control,” she said.
“You think I believe that?” His breath was harsh against her ear. “You think I cannot make you the way I did last night?”
“I didn’t realize that was part of what you wanted from me,” Ana said evenly. “Last night was my first time. You cannot expect the same reaction and response from me.”
“I can,” Maddoc sharply. “And I will have it.”
“Why?” Ana tried to keep herself and her tone calm and collected. “It is not yours to experience.”
