A Tainted Claim (Beholden Duet Book 2)

by Zoey Ellis

  He held her in his arms as they both panted, contentment blending with his lingering orgasm as his Omega lay limp and exhausted in his arms.

  Maddoc watched her fall asleep. She couldn't deny it now; she belonged to him, and she wanted him to belong to her. It didn't matter what she said or did, she had just taken steps to claim him, and she couldn’t explain away that behavior.

  So when she woke, it was time to discuss his real plans with her, and she would talk to him, whether she liked it or not.

  The next morning, as Ana stirred awake, Maddoc pulled her tight against him and kissed her deeply.

  She responded slowly, threading her hands through his hair and sucking on his tongue, a whimper on her breath as their mouths locked.

  He pulled away and looked down at her. “Good morning, Analisa.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes were different now. There was no defiance in them. No fire or hardness. Something had certainly changed, but if it didn’t produce a different result, then it remained unacceptable.

  Maddoc tugged at her chin until she looked back at him, a hard edge in his voice when he spoke again. “I said, good morning.”

  Various expressions flitted across Ana’s face that Maddoc couldn’t decipher, but she remained silent.

  He growled, sitting up and yanking her up with him. He pulled her into his lap and looked her in the eye. "Do you know what you did yesterday?"

  She nodded, her eyes lowering, face glum.

  “And you are still choosing not to speak?” Maddoc exhaled harshly, grabbing her and pulling her closer. "You cannot have it both ways, Ana. You cannot rub your pussy all over me to warn off other females and then be unwilling to talk to me! How long do you think I will allow this?” He grabbed the back of her head and yanked her back. “Do I really need to fuck other women until you admit it?”

  Ana’s mouth trembled, but she didn’t move or answer.

  "Answer me! How can you continue with this behavior after yesterday?"

  Finally, her eyes rose and met his, but they were filled with tears. "You killed him."

  Conflicting emotions spiraled in Maddoc’s chest, both tempering each other, both bringing about a realization that he did not want to accept. "Your father was deeply involved in every atrocity you have witnessed in the last four days, and many many more you haven’t."

  She nodded, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "But he was still my father."

  Maddoc growled and released her. “So you will allow his crimes and keep a false memory of him to mourn, but you will not accept what is real between you and me?”

  Ana shook her head. “It’s not that.” She slid off his lap and sat cross-legged on the bed. Maddoc forced himself not to drag her back, if only so she would speak. "I can't deny anything you’ve said," she said miserably. "I can't explain what is happening between us. All I know is that I feel and behave differently with you. I am… confused by it. It doesn’t fit with anything I know or recognize. But that's not the only confusing thing. Everything is different now. My life, the life I knew, has been so distorted by what you’ve shown me… I don't know how to view it anymore. What is my life supposed to be?"

  "Your life is with me, Ana."

  "Is it?" She shrugged, pulling her knees up and hugging them. "How do I know? For years, I thought it was with Ryden. Since I was born, I thought it was the court. I thought my life would follow the footsteps of my father. Now you are saying it is with you, when the first thing you did was use and humiliate me, then you hurt the people I care about, and now you keep me here."

  “You were never used,” Maddoc said sharply. “You were reporting to your parents. There were things I couldn’t say, and you wouldn’t have believed me anyway. It may seem harsh, but certain things had to happen, Ana.”

  “Like Milly’s home being attacked? Her husband being killed?”

  Maddoc scowled and got up from the bed.

  “That was when I decided I couldn’t trust you,” she said quietly. “When I realized you willingly hurt innocent people to punish others.”

  “You still think they are all innocent?” Maddoc bellowed, anger blazing in his chest. “Even now? Milly’s husband knew what would come eventually, Ana. All of them do. That is why they are so afraid of me.”

  A frown flickered across her face, but he continued.

  “You are here because this is where you belong. Do you think you can somehow go back to the court and play princess again? Do you intend to take your place among murderers, thieves, and rapists? Is that why you yearn for that fucking duke?"

  “No,” she shot back. “I do not. But I also don’t want to be here watching young children like Trea grow up to kill, to see this never-ending cycle of killing and abuse. All that bright light in her will be put out if she has to witness those things.”

  Maddoc was silent for a moment. “That will not happen. Trea will never be a highcloak, none of the children here will. This will not be a generational fight, Ana. That’s not the plan.”

  "Then what is the plan?" she cried. "You are the only one who knows it. Am I supposed to live here in the middle of the Oakenshire while you and your men save some of the commoners from the houses? What about the rest of them? The Allandis people are supposed to be my responsibility.” Ana pushed herself up to her knees, her voice breaking. “Do you know how hard it is to see those crimes happening to them? That is not what the crown was supposed to be about, it's not what the royal houses were supposed to be about. All my studies and training have been against this, my father was against this. And without him, I don’t know why it happened or how to correct it.” She shook her head, closing her eyes and holding in the sobs that threatened. “I made a promise to myself to still be a princess to those people,” she whispered, “to uphold everything the crown stood for. It was the only thing that helped me get out of bed when I first got here.” She opened her eyes. “I have no purpose anymore. So if you want me to be your little pet Omega, to take your cock and tell you pretty things, and do whatever you say, I’ll do that. I’ll be anything you want me to be. But I'm still my father's daughter, and you killed him."

  Sobbing, she lowered onto the bed, curling herself into a ball.

  Maddoc held back from comforting her, the sinking feeling in his stomach tingling around his whole body. He had done this all wrong.

  When they didn’t have their third night together, too many things changed from his original plan. He had overwhelmed her with the wrong information, and now she couldn't even see the way forward, or that her way forward was with him. He’d been relying on her to trust her instincts, but she never would, because she’d been cocooned in an environment that taught her not to. The same environment that taught her never to trust him or anything he said.

  He needed to correct that, and he needed to do it in a way she understood.

  Clenching his jaw, he turned to the entrance of his pavilion. “Tonight, you will go home.”

  9

  ANA

  Maddoc didn’t return until just before dusk.

  He entered with a bundle of furs and hats and cloaks and threw them down on the table before pulling her out of bed to dress her. Ana observed him. He seemed solemn as he untangled her hair, but she couldn’t judge his mood.

  She’d spent the day in bed, mulling over their conversation and everything that happened since she arrived, but she still couldn’t make sense of much. Part of her recognized she was exhausted and emotionally drained and couldn’t think clearly about anything. It could be what happened yesterday in the healing tent, or it could be the breaking point of seeing all that abuse in the kingdom. Another part of her recognized that she had stopped thinking of trying to escape—that she was starting to care Maddoc was successful when they went out to interfere with the royal houses. And that scared her. She could see with her own eyes that what the houses were doing was wrong, but after reading all those reports and hearing about Maddoc’s “destruction�
� all her life, supporting him felt like treason. Not to mention, she was beginning to care greatly for him beyond their attraction.

  “Why do you always dress me every morning,” she asked tentatively.

  Maddoc made a sound in the back of his throat. “It is not morning.”

  Ana lowered her head. So he was still annoyed.

  After a moment, he said, “I started doing it because it was the only way I could have time with you alone when I stopped sleeping in here. And then I noticed you enjoyed it, so I kept doing it.”

  A flush crept up Ana’s neck. She did enjoy it, and it was for the same reason—she wanted to be near him.

  “I need to bathe,” she said, as he pulled on a thick tunic over her head.

  “No.”

  “But… I smell.”

  Maddoc paused, looking at her in the eyes. “Should I bathe?”

  Ana leaned forward to sniff him. He still smelled of last night, and it wasn’t just her scent—her dried, old slick still coated his face and neck. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she leaned back, but deep within her, a preening satisfaction bloomed that he smelled like he was hers.

  “Should I?” he asked again.

  Ana shook her head.

  Maddoc dipped his head in agreement. “And neither will you. You will smell of me while you travel so all are aware. Bathe when you get there.”

  “Get where?” His cryptic last line to her earlier seemed to suggest he would take her back to the palace, but she knew that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to go back.

  Maddoc didn’t answer. Once she was wrapped in layers of clothing and furs, he lifted her into his arms.

  They trudged outside as the darkening skies approached, and when they reached the campfire several families stood with the highcloaks, talking excitedly among themselves.

  “These families are coming with us?” Ana asked, confused.

  Maddoc nodded.

  They exited the camp and traveled through the dense trees as usual, but when they got to the more spacious area, no horses waited. They trudged through the forest on foot, veering sharply to the right, and the whole party was quiet, even the children. Ana noticed that Maddoc was carrying her slightly differently, more heavily on his left arm.

  “I can walk if your shoulder hurts,” she said, quietly.

  “No.”

  “If we walk for too long, your injury could get worse,” she insisted.

  “It’s not much longer.”

  “Did…” Ana swallowed. “Did Raine finish treating it?”

  “No, but there’s not much she can do anyway.”

  “What do you mean.” Ana’s voice rose slightly, a tinge of panic fluttering in her chest.

  Maddoc glanced at her, his beard twitching. “Our main healer is traveling, but I will see her to treat me.”

  Ana relaxed a little. “Oh.”

  After a while, they came to a wide river. Ana looked up and down it curiously. This must be the river Joe and Conrad’s camp had been talking about. It was calm, not a ripple across the waters reflecting the fading sun.

  Maddoc carefully set Ana down and drew something from his pocket. The families around whispered quietly, eager for something, everyone watching Maddoc and the river.

  He held a fist of what looked like sparkling sand over the water and sprinkled it in a circular motion until his hand was empty. The sand made tiny, golden, ripples in the waves, and as Ana watched them, they came together and hardened to form a huge, flat, golden raft with tiny ridges on its top.

  Ana opened her mouth and then closed it again, blinking to make sure she hadn’t just seen the impossible. The sand suddenly turned into the raft? But before she could say anything, the families and highcloaks were already climbing on.

  Ana dragged her eyes from the raft, her eyes wide on Maddoc. “Did you do that?” she gasped.

  Maddoc chuckled.

  Ana’s eyes widened even further and she turned to look back at the raft. “That’s magic?”

  “Yes.”

  Ana stared at the raft as the families all climbed on and shuffled near the middle. The highcloaks stood around the edges.

  Maddoc took Ana’s head in his hands and pulled her eyes back to him. “Analisa.” Ana quickly sobered, at the strange look in his eyes. “It was not my intention to shoot your father.” His low voice rumbled through her just as it always did when he spoke quietly close to her. “I did what I had to do in battle, and in that one, I took actions against the man who ripped my Omega from my arms. I didn’t know it was your father until my arrow released from my bow.”

  Ana swallowed, recalling how quick everything happened.

  “I do not regret shooting him,” he clarified, “but I am sorry that you are unable to see past your grief for such a man. Your father made an agreement with me that he would let me keep you if I got to you first. And I did. But he still tried to take you away.”

  Ana opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. What could she say? Why would her father make such an agreement? She recognized that there was very little point in Maddoc lying about it, but Father was also not here to defend himself.

  “I know you are already forming excuses for him in your mind,” Maddoc said, a snarl in his throat. “You are a specialist at making excuses for them.”

  Ana smiled at him, but it was sad. “We come from very different worlds, Maddoc.”

  “That does not mean we do not belong together,” he said. “We do. Once I have finished my duties, I will join you.”

  Ana frowned. “What do you…?” She glanced at the raft. “You’re not coming with us?”

  Maddoc kissed her hard, just the way he always had when he came to see her in the evenings, full of passion and longing and a desperate need to taste her.

  When he pulled away Ana had tears in her eyes, but she didn’t know why. “I thought you were coming with us,” she said accusingly.

  “Griff will look after you,” Maddoc said, ignoring her. “Unfortunately, he is an Alpha and also a male. So I will not permit him to stand near you.”

  Ana snorted softly.

  “You may send messages to him through a female.”

  At that she did laugh, and Maddoc’s eyes softened. “I will see you soon, my Analisa.”

  He let go of her and suddenly she felt unsteady without him. She wasn’t ready to step away.

  “Princess,” one of the high cloaks called. “You can step on, it’s safe.”

  Ana turned. Everyone was waiting for her, but she hesitated. Finally, Maddoc lifted her and placed her on the raft. As soon as he let her go, it began to move smoothly and swiftly across the river.

  “Wait!” She turned to Maddoc, but he was already shrinking into the distance. Tears sprang to her eyes as desperation and panic began to overwhelm her.

  “Princess Ana!”

  Ana turned to see Alice standing on the raft, Trea on her hip. “Alice? I didn’t realize you were here.”

  Before Alice could respond, Trea reached for Ana, climbing into her arms. She wrapped her arms around Ana’s neck and her legs around Ana’s torso.

  Ana laughed and patted her back. “Are you scared of the raft, Trea?”

  “No, I’m protecting you,” she said into her neck.

  “You are?” Ana said, smiling at Alice.

  “Yes,” she said. “Doc said it’s my first mission.”

  Ana’s face dropped. She turned to look back at Maddoc but she could no longer see him. She blinked away tears that rose as Alice placed a hand on her arm. “He’ll be with us again before you even know it,” she said gently.

  The raft moved along the river at an unnatural speed. The river barely rippled as it slid along the water. Trea encouraged Ana to sit with them among the families. The little girl wanted snacks while completing her mission, then she promptly fell asleep. Ana rocked her gently and kept glancing back in the direction they’d come, wondering how far they were going.

  When she tur
ned to look ahead, she noticed the river opening up to a wide lake or sea, but she wasn’t aware of anything like that in the Oakenshire. However, Allandis was enormous, and some of it remained unexplored. Maddoc had said he had traveled all of it, and at this point she was willing to believe she was heading somewhere safe.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” she asked Alice.

  “Not exactly,” Alice said, her eyes were alive with excitement. “But I can’t wait to get there. Trea and I are the first coming here from our camp.”

  “The rest of the camp is coming?”

  Alice nodded.

  Within a quarter of an hour, it looked like land was rising up on the horizon, coming toward them quickly as the raft sped forward. The families around her jittered in excitement, but Ana was nervous. She had never left the known areas of Allandis before, and now she suddenly realized, she was without the one person who always managed to calm her. She glanced up at the highcloaks and Griff was looking back at her. He nodded in reassurance. She forced herself to relax.

  She watched the land come closer, hills and buildings coming into view as they neared.

  Within another quarter of an hour, they were slowing as they neared the beach. The raft headed right into the beach and then jolted as it landed on the sand, dissolving itself and causing the passengers to fall over each other.

  Trea laughed heartily and Ana found herself laughing with her as she got up and brushed the sand from her clothes.

  The beach spread as far as the eye could see in both directions, but behind them were beautiful, well-kept gardens.

  “We’re going this way, Princess,” Griff called, heading towards the gardens.

  She turned to see that the families and some of the other highcloaks were heading in a different direction. Alice waved at her, but Trea hadn’t yet noticed that Ana was not with them, so she quickly tiptoed away with the highcloaks.

  Griff led the way, but it wasn’t until she was halfway across the gardens that she realized five other highcloaks surrounded her in a wide circumference. One of them was Raine.