A Tainted Claim (Beholden Duet Book 2)

by Zoey Ellis

  When she didn't respond, the man sighed. "I suppose this is not a great introduction to the base," he said sheepishly. "Sometimes my manners can get misplaced. I’m sorry if I seem rude to you, Your Majesty. It is very hard to be unemotional about some of this. I will say the base are excited you are here. You have been the talk of every camp."

  The hardness had melted from the man’s eyes, and Ana chose to give him a small smile.

  "Another day gone," he said on a sigh. "Another day to question our existence here in the middle of this forest. Has it been strange for you?"

  Ana shrugged. "A little. But it’s felt more like a village. Everyone is very friendly."

  The man nodded. "Almost everyone," he said pointedly gesturing to Maddoc’s pavilion.

  Ana laughed, nodding.

  A familiar whipping sound flashed across the air, and the man jolted, yelling out. Gasps and muffled murmurs filled the air, and everyone stilled.

  Ana leaned toward the man but suddenly saw an arrow stuck out of his thigh, blood creeping along his pants from the wound, eating up the circumference around the arrow.

  A violent blend of horror and fear crashed into Ana immediately and she screamed, her body frozen. Heart pounding, Ana’s mind swarmed with memories of the wedding. Squeezing her hands into fists and digging her nails into her hand hard, she forced herself to remember she was not there. The man blinked rapidly, his head straight ahead and his eyes filled with fear. Taking a breath, she followed the man’s line of sight.

  Maddoc stormed toward them, a bow in his hand, his face solemn and his eyes dark.

  Ana could make no sounds. What was she supposed to do? Maddoc looked furious once again, and this time she didn’t know why. But before she could do or decide anything, Maddoc reached them.

  He grabbed the highcloak and dragged him up off the bench. “Were you not given specific instructions regarding the princess?” he bellowed.

  The fear on the man’s face made Ana want to look away, but she couldn’t.

  “Yes,” he rasped. “But she looked lost so I—”

  “If you cannot follow instructions, you will die,” Maddoc shouted over him. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s by my arrow or a royal assembly blade. I would almost prefer it to be my arrow because then you’re not putting other men in danger.” He threw the man down, and he bounced off the bench and onto the floor, the arrow still protruding. “You will be transferred.”

  He turned to Ana and swooped her up in his arms before walking away.

  Ana clung to the Alpha, her mouth dry at the exchange. Thankfully, the fear that overwhelmed her dulled when she was against him, and she quickly calmed, sinking into the security of his arms. She didn't want to find comfort in him—he was the damn reason she was fearful in the first place—but when he was holding her, when he touched her, he contented her in some way, and she had no choice but to lean into that now.

  “Maddoc.”

  She lifted her head to see another Alpha approaching. This one was as large as Maddoc, scruffy grey beard and curly grey hair.

  “I gave specific instructions, Griff,” Maddoc thundered.

  “I know.” The other Alpha held up his arm. “I know, I just want to make sure you are all right.” He struggled to find his next words. In the end he just shrugged. “You have never shot any of the highcloaks outside of training.”

  “I have never had my Omega here at the base before and had anyone directly disobey orders,” Maddoc shot back. “This is what will happen to anyone that does. It is your job to make sure they do as they’re told, Griff.” He shot the Alpha a dark look, a warning in his tone. “Do your fucking job.”

  As they entered his pavilion, she struggled to be released from his hold, but he carried her straight to the bedroom.

  "So you are refusing to talk to me, but you will talk to him!" Maddoc thundered, throwing her down on the bed. “And laugh with him!”

  Ana gripped on to the bed and glared at him. So it wasn’t about her safety.

  "This silence of yours is unacceptable, Analisa! If you will not speak to me, you will not speak to anyone!"

  Ana decided to ignore him. She fixed herself on the bed, tucking her legs underneath her body.

  "You think I do not know that you left the pavilion today after I told you not to? That you talked to some of my people and explored the base?" Maddoc's eyes burned. "I allowed you to do that so you can be comfortable here. And what do I get in return? You laughing and talking with someone else while I get silence!"

  Ana's mouth tightened. She shifted onto her bottom and then opened her legs, bearing her pussy to him, defiance in her eyes. That was what he'd had in return—her body, multiple times last night.

  Maddoc growled, deep, gritty and agitated, clearly understanding the meaning, but unable to stop himself from being aroused, for his scent changed as it flooded the room. "That is mine, I get that anyway."

  Except… he didn’t. Not since he made that rule this morning that he wouldn’t fuck her. Ana couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, but it only incensed Maddoc, who seemed to be able to read her easily.

  He grabbed her legs and pulled her down the bed toward him, and then roughly pulled off her tunic and grabbed a rope from a small table nearby. He used it to bind her wrists together and attached them to the head of the bed. Ana winced at the pain that still lingered on her back, but Maddoc didn’t notice. His anger, present in his scent, worked through her body, affecting her the same way that it did in the woodlands. By the time he climbed off the bed, her nipples were pebbling, and the tingling between her legs made her hum.

  Maddoc yanked off his clothes and stood at the end of the bed watching her, his cock already bulging.

  Ana watched it sway, the urge strong to press her nose against it, to lick and suck its length. She kept her legs apart, ready for when the Alpha decided to descend and thrust into her. But he didn’t.

  Maddoc grabbed his shaft and worked his fist up and down, his eyes running over her naked form. A jarring annoyance barreled into Ana and she frowned, lifting her head to see what he was doing. The more he twisted his fist around his cock, the more aroused she became, but he didn’t approach her. Within moments, her need was unbearable. The Alpha’s musky scent filled the room, but none of it saturated her, his growls and lidded look of pleasure were not caused by her body, and she couldn’t even reach him to force him to take action. All she could do was lie there, her slick streaming onto the bed as the Alpha found his release in his hand. Even when he came, he did not mark her, and the sight of his seed dripping from between his fingers, utterly wasted, had her wailing in annoyance.

  Maddoc went to the washroom and started filling the bath. Ana lay there as her arousal lingered, infuriated by his offensive actions. But as her mind cleared, she was confused by her anger. There was no doubt she wanted him to touch her. And not just touch her, but hold her down and fuck her as savagely and passionately as he always had, bringing her the twin peak of pleasure and pain until only bliss remained. But she’d always thought that if she had the choice, she wouldn’t want it, even if it was presented to her as an option.

  Clearly her attraction to him ran deeper than that, and for the first time she thought back to her time with Ryden. It had been easy to say no to him, to avoid his touch, to push him away. What made Maddoc different? The question made her uneasy, but she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

  Even when Maddoc had just carried her to the tent, there was nothing he did that was sexual, and yet she took comfort from being in his arms. Why? As she pondered, Maddoc returned from the washroom.

  She watched him get dressed, unable to help admiring his enormous, muscled form. His black hair was slightly wet from the bath and his beard was a little overgrown, but that made him even sexier. The tingle between her legs strengthened again just watching him, and she pulled her eyes away confused. Something had to be causing this attraction between them and she had to figure it out so she could stop it. She co
uld not be attracted to her father’s murderer, to the man who terrorized the kingdom.

  Maddoc approached the bed and leaned over to untie her wrists but was careful not to touch her. He loomed over her, his eyes softening as he examined her face. “I will punish you as necessary… but I am still very glad you are here, Analisa.”

  She blinked up at him, a warmth blooming in her chest, but she dragged her eyes away from him.

  “Good night.” Maddoc leaned up off the bed and headed to the exit of the pavilion.

  Ana pushed herself up to her elbows and watched him leave in disbelief. He wasn’t even going to spend the night in here? She cursed and dropped down onto the bed. Good. At least she would be able to sleep in peace.

  But as hard as she tried, the torture of the intense arousal he caused took a long time to subside. She yearned for his heat and his scent and the security of his hold, and she was infuriated that he withheld them.

  7

  ANA

  The next morning, Ana woke to the Alpha lifting her out of bed. She immediately tried to snuggle into his chest, keen for the comfort she had missed all night, but Maddoc bathed her, applied the salve to her back, and dressed her without saying a word.

  Strangely, he dressed her in a long olive dress that was typical commoner wear. The coarse material scratched her skin but she found she liked the style and fit. He pushed hard sandals on her feet and brushed her hair so that it fell loosely over her shoulders.

  Picking her up again, he carried her out of the pavilion toward the clearing she was in yesterday. A number of highcloaks waited for them by the campfire, and as soon as Maddoc joined them, they all started heading in a specific direction.

  Ana took the opportunity to enjoy being in Maddoc's arms. She hated that she did, but it wasn't as though she had a choice. When she pressed her cheek against his chest and sighed, he looked down on her, his beard twitching. She scowled and turned her face in toward his chest so he couldn't see her face.

  When she turned her face back out again, they had left the camp and were trudging through bushes and bramble and leaves. Ana cursed inwardly. She had missed how they exited the base, and didn't even know which direction they had headed in to access it.

  She remained alert, trying to make note of what she saw, but all around them was greenery and bushes. It was impossible to pinpoint anything in particular.

  Finally, they came to a more spacious area where horses awaited them. Maddoc climbed the same huge, black horse he had ridden to the base and placed Ana on the saddle in front of him, a thick arm around her securing her against his body.

  They rode for a long time, possibly even longer than when they had arrived here, but Ana had been so disorientated she couldn't tell. Being on the horse for so long, she began to ache, and right when as she thought she couldn’t take any more, the horses angled to the left and the forest began to thin out. They rode into a medium-sized town and stopped outside of a tavern.

  Maddoc dismounted and lifted Ana off the horse, but this time allowed her to stand, even though his arm remained around her.

  They all headed to the outskirts of the town, toward the fields and took position in a small cluster of abandoned buildings near one of the fields.

  The highcloaks clearly had a routine. Some of them positioned themselves farther down, crouched behind a broken wall. The ones with Maddoc rolled a blanket underneath the windows to kneel on, propped up a bow next to the window, lay their swords on the floor in front of their knees, and took out magnifying lenses to look through.

  Maddoc rolled a blanket on the floor and knelt down, pulling Ana to stand next to him, his arm around her hips. She didn't need to kneel.

  "I have been watching these fields for a while," he began in a low voice. "There are eight farmers across the entirety of the land, but in this quarter, only two manage it. Their families help them maintain their crops." He gave her a magnifying lens, and she took it, confused about why he was telling her this. Through the lens she saw men, women, and children working on the land.

  "These farmers don't own this land," Maddoc said, taking back the lens. "They used to, but they were forced to sell when the owner of the neighboring lands threatened their family if they didn't."

  Ana made a face. That shouldn't have happened. Anyone forcing someone to sell through threats should be dealt with by the crown. The farmers could have petitioned for a hearing with the king.

  "Since they have been bought, they have not been able to meet the quota of crops demanded by the new landowners," Maddoc continued. "They have struggled mainly for two reasons; the land is too big for the two farmers and their families to successfully manage, and the crops that the landowners want do not grow well on this kind of land."

  Ana nodded. These landowners seemed like they were being unnecessarily unreasonable.

  “At the beginning of this quarter, the landowners told the farmers that if they did not meet their requirements, they would be made nameless."

  Ana shot Maddoc a sharp look. That was not the way things were supposed to go. She had read the boring rules around landownership, farming, and crops when she had been researching him. It was completely unlawful to threaten namelessness for those reasons. Besides, only the crown could make someone nameless, not some noble with an ego.

  Maddoc met her gaze, but she was unable to read the look in his eyes. He gestured back toward the fields. "Watch."

  Ana turned to see horses approaching the field where the families were frantically working. There were at least fifteen horses!

  A dark tremble drifted at the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. It was impossible for fifteen people to own one piece of land, so what were so many doing here?

  The horses stopped by the field, and the riders called out to the farmers and their families. They reluctantly all stood together while they conversed.

  Ana watched closely, wishing she could hear what was being said between them. She hoped the farmers were threatening them with the crown and Allandis Law that had been so painstakingly put together to avoid abuses of this kind.

  Suddenly, one of the people on the horses drew a sword and pointed it at the farmers. Ana tensed, unable to believe the sight in front of her. Surely, this person would not attack anyone in broad daylight simply for not providing crops on time.

  The families in the field shuffled on their feet, and then one of them began running across the field as fast as they possibly could. Ana watched in shock, hoping that he would be able to find some help before the rest of them were hurt, but suddenly, he fell to the ground, sprawled out. She gasped and clung to the edge of the window.

  Looking back at the men on horses, she saw that one of them held a bow and arrow.

  The remainder of the families, huddled closer together, but the rider moved the bow and arrow and aimed it at them.

  Some of the riders dismounted and headed toward the families,

  “This is the way they make them nameless," Maddoc murmured, as the riders approached the farmers’ families. “After this, they will have no status in society and no one will believe them.” It wasn't clear what they were doing, but it was clear that it was violent. Some of the farmers fell to the ground, some of them were pushed until they became a big jumble of people and she couldn't determine what was happening.

  Ana shook her head in horror, but just as she was about to say something, Maddoc handed her the magnifying lens again and gestured that she looked through it.

  Nerves rolled in her stomach, but she lifted the lens to her eyes. The sight sickened her.

  The riders were much better dressed than the farmers; it was easy to tell who was who, and they were carrying out the most horrific acts.

  One man was driving his sword into the twitching torso of a man lying on the ground, another had a woman on her knees and held her head as he pushed his cock into her face, a third man had a young girl on her knees, gripping her ass as he pounded into her, her panties tangled at her knees, and yet another man wa
s doing the same to a young boy. Another older boy was topless and being whipped on his bare skin as he knelt. An older man, possibly one of the farmers, was watching in horror while another one of the riders stood by talking to him.

  "You can increase the distance by turning the dial here," Maddoc said, pushing her finger onto a dial on the magnifying lens.

  Ana wrenched the magnifying lens away from her face, glaring at him. Why did he bring her to witness this? If he knew it was going to happen, he could have called the crown and asked for support for the farmers from the king, even in the current state of the kingdom, somebody in the court would be able to help.

  Maddoc watched her closely. "It is to help you see who they are," he said. "You will recognize them."

  Ana’s stomach dropped, the sickening feeling creeping into her throat. Hesitantly, she raised the magnifying glass again, and turned the dial.

  She gasped at the sight of the faces in front of her. She recognized all of the riders. They were from House Thorneshaw. It was Everard who she'd met at Ryden's house who was talking to the farmer, but the man he was speaking to had been beaten at some point. His mouth was full of blood, his face bruised, and all he could do was watch what was happening with despair. The men who were raping those women and children were married men—they were well respected in court. Thick dark blood ran down the back of the thighs of the young girl on her knees. The younger boy who was being whipped, was screaming. Even though she couldn't hear him, she could tell he was yelling at the top of his lungs. And it was a woman who was whipping him. A woman who had congratulated Ana on her tour only a few days ago. It looked as though she might be laughing.

  Ana swung the lens over to the horses, to the men who had not dismounted, and the nausea hit her harder when she realized they were knights—trained knights who belonged to the house and they held weapons, including bows and arrows, presumably to stop the commoners from fighting back.