by Zoey Ellis
He simply grumbled in satisfaction as he pressed her close to him, pinning her against him as he ran his hands over her body.
He pulled the neckline of her nightgown down so her breasts popped out over the top and began to caress them gently as he lowered his nose to her neck and breathed her in.
Shaya sighed as the coarse pleasure he always drew from her tumbled through her body. He kissed and sucked and licked her neck as her nipples hardened by his touch, and the tingles between her legs caused her to wriggle and rotate her ass on the hardness behind her.
The shinno’s chest rumbled, and he pulled up her gown and slipped his thickness between her legs and rubbed it against her slit, grabbing her hips to move her back and forth.
The wet sounds of her slick as he thoroughly drenched his cock in it made her face heat, but she couldn’t think about it for long, because he was wrapping his hand around her neck and tilting her head back so her chest jutted out. Then his other hand tilted her hip so she was positioned for him.
“I finally have you in my bed, Shaya,” he said, his voice low. “Fly for me.”
He impaled her in one brutal thrust and Shaya yelled in shock, but she loved the feeling of being so full. And this position rubbed spots inside her that were simply divine. He didn’t hesitate, slamming her rough and hard, taking her to the immediate edge of that raw addictive pleasure that flooded her. Her slick gushed at his merciless treatment; she panted and moaned, trying to buck back on him, but he held her too tight.
“It doesn’t matter if you are pinned down, little bird,” he grunted. “You can still fly.” He groaned as she clenched in response to his gritty tone and pumped her harder.
“Those nipples of yours should be in my fucking mouth,” he growled. “That’s where they belong. Take your flight so I can claim them.”
Shaya squeezed down on him, and her body began to convulse as the stormy, blissful orgasm clawed her body. He held her tighter, plunging deeper and his growls and grunts deepening the intensity. And then she was soaring once again.
The night was long and sweaty, and the shinno took her as though it was that night on the ship of the celebration. Shaya remained in a state of bliss as Kardos wrecked incredible pleasure on her, plundering her and dominating her like he always had.
But when she woke in the morning, he was gone.
CHAPTER NINE
KARDOS
The crowd hushed and parted as Kardos strode up the large steps that led to the temple of the high chief.
It seemed as though the entire Southern Isles had gathered outside, members from all eight tribes and numerous smaller clans.
Kardos hadn’t seen a crowd that big since the current high chief was appointed. He was aware that his achievement of bringing an Omega to the Isles had already reached the other islands. Somehow the information had spread wildly as soon as his ship docked yesterday—naturally, the Nyek people were proud and keen to boast of his achievements, but he didn't expect his meet with the high chief to turn into an event.
Almost everyone wore their tribal colors, suggesting that they all thought whatever was discussed in the temple would be Southern Isles business and that there would be an announcement afterward. Tribe Nyek were, of course, the loudest in the crowd, calling out and declaring him superior to all, but Kardos kept his gaze on the building at the top of the steps, his mind focused on the task ahead.
The underhanded tactics of the other shinnos had already started since he arrived back. He was infuriated that he’d been ambushed on his own island while with his Omega. He should have been able to show her the beauty of his island. Instead the incident reminded him that she was vulnerable. He’d reiterated to his guards that no one other than members of his own tribe approached his property and no one was to go to the house unless it was the Omega’s handmaid.
He redressed his thoughts back. He had to stop thinking of her as his Omega. She was not his, no matter how much it felt that way. He understood now why Alphas fought over Omegas, why Omegas could end up being so dangerous if they were not partnered correctly. Shaya brought out instincts and urges he’d never experienced before; it was as though everything within him that made him an Alpha came to the surface and she took pleasure in it. She made him feel like he was everything to her. And she did it without words, without even trying; it was simply naturally within her to touch him the way she did, to look at him the way she did, to encourage his deepest, purest, roughest attentions on her and she reveled in it. He connected with her deeper than anything or anyone he’d experienced before. He wasn't even sure how he could even go back to sex with anyone else. And the thought of giving her up…
He clenched his fists as he pushed the thought from his mind. The fact was, he had obtained her for a reason, and that reason still remained highly important. He had to keep his mind focused on that, because now that the knowledge of her had spread beyond his control, he couldn't turn back, even if he wanted to.
As he reached the top of the stairs, one of the temple’s attendants welcomed him and led him through the dark passageways to the large temple hall.
As Kardos suspected, the other seven shinnos were in attendance, standing in a semi-circle around the hall facing the high chief’s throne which was situated on top of a square platform with a dozen steps leading to its peak. The high chief was dress in his red and gold ceremonial robes and a headdress, while the other shinnos were dressed in their representative tribal colors, just like the crowd outside. It seemed they were all waiting for Kardos to arrive, even though he hadn’t been told this was a shinnos’ summoning. He was glad he decided to wear his own official tribal clothing, complete with armor.
Instead of walking to his place in the semi-circle, Kardos strode to the middle of the room. “Greetings, High Chief. I request a choosing.”
The other shinnos bristled, some even daring to mutter.
“Kardos.” The high chief’s deep voice filled the expansive hall. He leaned forward, a half-smile on his face. “You have returned.”
Kardos said nothing, keeping his eyes locked on to his father's. They didn't actually look much alike, apart from their general bone structure, and the shape of their bodies. The high chief had dark hair, dark eyes, and the tanned skin that most others in the Isles had. Kardos apparently looked like his mother, but he had never met her, and had only been told about her through stories from his father and Rozalia.
But since his father had become high chief, things had changed. A high chief had different responsibilities than a tribe leader, and there was only so much he could continue to be a true father to Kardos.
“When do you ask for this choosing to take place?” the high chief asked.
“Immediately.”
“And your reasoning?”
“I assume you know, since all the shinnos have been summoned without my knowledge.”
The other shinnos did indeed mutter after that but when the high chief leaned forward in his chair, they fell silent. “Your reasoning,” he repeated.
“I have an Omega.”
The hall fell silent.
The high chief braced his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped as he studied his son. “You never fail to surprise me, Kardos,” he said, a somewhat amused tone in his voice. He shook his head and smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Tell me how you managed to get her.”
“I negotiated for her,” Kardos said.
“From where?”
“The Western Lands”
The high chief inclined his head. “She is not bonded or betrothed?”
“No.”
“And she is aware of what will be expected of her?”
“No,” Kardos said. “I've tried to prepare her the best I can but she has grown up in a different land. She is intelligent but she will not be an Isle woman at heart until she has learned more about our culture and can appreciate it.”
“You argue hard for her,” the high chief commented dryly. “It is likely she will not become accustome
d to Isle culture before she needs to do what is required.”
Kardos didn’t respond. He had always known that Shaya would probably have a hard time of it and tried to prepare her, but she had learned too little. Still, he couldn't deny that she was a perfect Omega to be the first one to return to the Southern Lands, regardless of how well she fared. She had been perfect from the beginning.
The urge to ask his father what he planned to do with her rose swiftly but it wasn’t his place to question the high chief’s intentions, especially while the other shinnos watched. “Why is there a shinnos summoning the day after I return, High Chief?” he asked instead.
“It was requested by all.”
Kardos swallowed the growl that threatened. The only way a shinno summoning could take place was if the high chief issued the summons or if all the shinnos requested it. Kardos had only requested to meet with the high chief on his return, which means the others coordinated their requests extremely quickly. They were worried. As they should fucking be.
“Since all the shinnos are in attendance, let us first deal with the question of the choosing,” the high chief said, raising his voice louder so it echoed throughout the hall. “As you are aware, we are currently in the Year of Selection. You have been named shinnos of your tribes because you are Alphas who have proved yourselves worthy in your contribution to the well-being, safety, and flourishing of the Southern Isles. During this year, you were tasked with completing a quest that will determine who will be most suited to become the future high chief. Many of you have been completing your quests successfully, and I've heard good things from the tribes and the clans; however, in order for shinno Kardos to request this choosing, the implication is that his achievements outshine all possible achievements that have been or could possibly be made by any other shinno, therefore declaring the choosing should take place now and will likely favor him.”
Kardos did not need to glance around the hall to know the other shinnos were tense, he could feel it radiating from them.
“I agree with him that the incredible accomplishment he has made in bringing an Omega to the Southern Isles is indeed difficult to surpass. So I open the floor to you all. If you dispute this request, you may do so now, however,” he said, his voice ringing with warning, “by the end of this discussion, a decision will be made immediately if the choosing is uncontested.”
Kardos stood tense, his demeanor guarding himself against the hostility around the room. Unless the other shinnos had a good argument, he would be leaving this room named as the next high chief, as he rightly deserved.
“I do not contest,” came the voice of the shinno of Tribe Jenzi. He turned his thick body to the rest of the shinnos. “An Omega in the Southern Isles is good for us all. It will allow us to thrive in ways we have been unable to since we had true dynamics born in every tribe and every clan. We all know we have been living in dishonor without that, even having to change how we pair mates and how we live because we no longer have tribe leaders who are true Alphas. With an Omega back in our Lands, we can finally honor Az Eshra the way we are supposed to, and any Alpha who achieved such a feat deserves the seat of high chief as far as I am concerned. It cannot be argued.”
Surprise and relief pierced Kardos' defensive attitude. He hadn't expected any of the shinnos to support the decision, simply based on the fact that he was the one who made the achievement, but anyone who truly cared about the well-being of the Southern Isles could not deny that every single word spoken was true.
“He says she is not aware of why she is here,” Gergo from Tribe Byedor responded. “He has not prepared her correctly.”
“She is on Southern Isles soil,” the shinno from Jenzi argued back. “It matters not if she is prepared. She will soon be.”
“It matters a great deal! The benefit of her presence here is dependent on her ability to do what we need her to do.” He turned to Kardos. “What kind of preparation did you do? Did she learn our tongue?”
“She is in the process of it,” Kardos responded.
“Does she call on Az Eshra?”
“Daily. She is drawn to the ocean.” Kardos saw his father smile out of the corner of his eye.
“Can she look after an Alpha? Groom him, make fevvoli, and mix potions?”
“Yes.”
“Have you bed her to ensure she’s not afflicted with undesirable traits unsuited to an Alpha’s bedroom?”
“Of course.”
Gergo huffed in displeasure that Kardos had answered all questions but did not continue to question him.
“She needs to be able to do more than that,” another shinno called from opposite Gergo.
“She is not from the Southern Lands,” Kardos shot at him.
“No, she is from the Land of the deviants,” the shinno shot back. “She could have many undesirable behaviors you simply haven’t seen yet.”
“So?” Kardos said sharply. “For an Omega to return to our Lands, she would have had to come from somewhere. She spent weeks on my ship, and she was watched closely. She is smart and she can learn. She already has learned some Mayaros quickly. This is not a reason to deny me the seat.”
A murmuring grumble spread across the shinnos.
“My concern,” came the lazy voice of shinno Sethol of Tribe Azzan, “is that you did not bring her to the temple. How do we know she truly exists?”
“The entire island of Nyek saw her yesterday.”
Sethol shrugged. “They saw a woman. We have no idea if she is an Omega or not.”
Kardos' fists clenched. “Are you saying I'm a liar?” he bellowed.
“I am saying that you did not bring her to your meet with the high chief.” The man almost sneered. “You came to ask for a choosing and you did not even bring proof of what you say you have provided the Southern Lands.”
“I agree,” said the shinno next to him. “We are only six months into the Year of Selection, High Chief. If you are going to cut it short, I would like proof that Kardos has indeed done what he says he has done.”
“Have I ever lied?” Kardos boomed, the anger coursing through his body, rippling out from where he stood. “Have I ever lied about my achievements? When I discovered the extensive use of the izak-rock, was that untrue? When I determined it would be more beneficial to take the most blood-thirsty and criminal of our warriors to a better Land, a Land that they would thrive in, was it not for the best? When I promised to bring enough bondmaids for all your tribes so you can have women suited for bonding and breeding, no one argued or doubted me then! And yet now somehow my word is not good enough.”
“You are taking this too personally, Kardos,” shinno Sethol said, coldly. “This is too important for us to take your word. It doesn't mean that your word is not worthy, it just means that we need to see her and ensure that she is indeed an Omega before we make such a decision about a choosing. It is a reasonable request.”
Kardos drew his sword. “It is not reasonable,” he bit out. “If any of you had your word questioned in this way, it would be cause for a bout. Do not try to tell me that this isn't simply because you do not think I deserve it. Let us battle now and our swords decide whose word is true.”
“No cannich otto deserves to be high chief!” Shinno Gergo blurted at him. “We all know it except you.”
“Enough!” the high chief bellowed, rising to his feet. He shot shinno Gergo a furious glare. “I will not have that language in my temple,” he said fiercely. “And since you are clearly prejudiced, and you do not believe that Kardos should be high chief in any instance, your vote will not count toward a choosing.”
Kardos shot a look at his father, shocked that he would make such a decision. Shinno Gergo’s opinion was not unique, most of them thought the same thing, but he was the only one foolish enough to voice it so brazenly.
The rest of the shinnos stilled in shock, but did not remain silent for long.
“I urge you to consider the concerns we have raised, High Chief,” shinno Sethol said. “Thi
s Omega will mean a lot for our land. She will disrupt many of the things that have been in place since Omegas were lost to us. We have arranged pairings that will now need reconsideration, she will need to be blessed by Az Eshra, she will need to demonstrate a capability of strong motherhood and understand the needs of our tribeswomen. If you decide to take her yourself, High Chief,” the shinno said, inclining his head, “she would need to be suitable for your bed and to be at your side. There are many expectations placed on her that she probably will not understand, but we need to know that she at least has the capability to do what is expected of an Omega. Any uncertainty, any doubt, any reluctance or refusal on her part will upset the people of the Southern Isles. They have had faith Omegas will return for decades and improve our lives. She could destroy that faith, and that would be detrimental for us, especially while we deal with these conditions every day. It is not unreasonable to ensure that she is what Kardos says she is. All it will take is an examination.”
“What kind of examination?” Kardos asked abruptly. He had to remember that Shaya was blocked. He would need to give her the last dose of Rozalia’s potion if she was to be examined.
“To ensure that she is of good health and an Omega,” Sethol said simply. “A potionist could do it quite easily.”
“My potionist has already examined her,” Kardos said.
“An impartial potionist,” the man said sharply.
Kardos growled. “Once again you question my word,” he said, his voice low. “Once more and I shall formally request a bout, Sethol.”
“Kardos,” interrupted the high chief. “This is a sensitive subject. Some of these concerns are not without merit.”
“I was not aware that I had to bring her just to inform you of my arrival,” he snarled. “This summoning was arranged without my knowledge. It is an insult for my word to be questioned in this way, High Chief.”
“It is a relevant concern that the Omega is suitable for our lands,” the high chief admitted.