by Zoey Ellis
Drocco exhaled a breath, a raw anger clawing through his mind, through his every muscle. If she had to be drugged and carried onto the ship, she was not going willingly. “What ship was it?”
“We think it was one of the big slaver ships from Eiros,” chunky beard replied. “It was blue…” He turned to the other men who nodded in confirmation. “…and the big blue ships are usually from there.”
Torin began speaking and the shackles clanged, but Drocco couldn’t pay attention to what was going on, only one thought dominated his mind; Malloron had taken Cailyn. He had dared to use the Talent to steal Drocco’s Omega. Maybe he did know she used the Talent—maybe he didn’t. Either way, if he could organize her capture so quickly after her escape, he had planned it. It explained everything; why he had been so amenable, why he had taken the deal, why he hadn’t cared about his traders being imprisoned. He had an Omega… Drocco’s Omega. That bastard thought he could challenge Drocco in this way and nothing would come of it? Drocco had no idea the man could be so fucking stupid.
“Do you want to kill all of his people that we hold?” Torin asked, quietly.
Drocco blinked, reemerging from his dark thoughts. “No,” he said. Turning on his heels, he left the Records Keep and headed back to the Palace.
***
“Lox!” Drocco’s address boomed out across the Great Hall. His army of Alpha quietened and looked up at him expectantly. After spending so long searching for this particular female, they were clearly eager to know what was going on. “Our enemy across the White Ocean, King Malloron, has done the unthinkable,” Drocco spat, his anger bubbling in him. “He has dared to use the Talent to steal my Omega, your future Empress.”
A vicious blast of exclamations burst into the hall.
“She presented herself to me, in her Haze, in front of Lox warriors and rulers of territories in the Empire—she is obviously mine,” Drocco bellowed over the din. “She is our best method of finding the rest of the Omegas, but she is also the mother of future heirs to the Empire you secured. And Malloron had her drugged and forced onto a ship heading for Eiros.”
The warriors before him snarled and bellowed and gnashed, becoming louder as their anger built, shifting on their feet with outrage. The discord made the entire hall buzz with a harshness that matched Drocco’s mood.
“I do not know what King Malloron seeks to do with her,” he shouted, a dark tone in his voice, “but I am declaring war on Eiros.”
The hall erupted. Roars and yells came at Drocco from all angles. He held his palm up until the noise quietened somewhat.
“Obviously the Empire is still under reconstruction, and it would be unwise for it to be left unattended, so some of you will be remaining here to guard what I leave behind.” He lowered his voice. “And I expect my Empire to still stand when I return.”
The noise rose again, chuckles amongst the calls and urging to be allowed to go with him.
“We crushed many kings on our way to our victory, and now will crush another,” Drocco shouted, clenching a fist and rising it into the air. “We are Lox! And we will remain eternally dominant and just.”
His warriors’ roars blasted at him with the same ferocity of raw anger that burned within him. Drocco snarled back at them, a dark anticipation settling within him. He was going to enjoy destroying that bastard Malloron and he was going to enjoy teaching his Omega the consequence of running from him, as soon as she was back in his bed, where she belonged.
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Author Note
This story was a bit of a tidal wave for me. I’m a planner—I like to organize and forward-think, and do all that stuff most people think is boring, but this came upon me in a rush, with the sparking of an idea and the suggestion to tackle my own version of an Omegaverse. Once that spark took hold, I couldn’t stop world-building and plotting and figuring out who these characters were, and pretty soon I was compelled to write it. I had no idea I was going to be writing this even a month before I started and I’ve never had that happen to me before! But I loved, loved, loved the process.
This book won’t be for everyone. There are contrasting elements that don’t always sit together; M/F Omegaverse (with knotting beings), a dark romance (with a couple who cannot understand each other), in an epic fantasy world (with magic)… the only thing missing is dragons! But it is exactly the story I wanted to tell.
Even though this is an Omegaverse, my number one inspiration for this work was The Golden Dynasty by Kirsten Ashley. I absolutely love that book—I think it’s probably my favorite romance book of all time—and it helped me to see that romance can be the feature of a story in an Epic Fantasy setting, and it can be complex, and steamy, and raw, and brutal. The Omegaverse element is what brought the final details of this story together, for me. The power struggle and conflict typical to Omegaverse stories suited my initial dark romance idea so much that it kinda slotted into place almost fully formed. I wasn’t able to make sense of the story without that defining element, and being a PNR fan, the animistic nature of the dynamics felt natural. Plus, I do love a ‘true mates’ story :) I hope to continue to create more stories that fall within my own brand of Dark Epic Fantasy Romance.
If you enjoyed this book, I’m so glad to have found you! If you know anyone else who would enjoy it, please recommend it to them. If you didn’t enjoy it, I’m sure you’ll find something to love in your next read. Either way, thank you for giving it a chance, and please consider leaving a review wherever you bought the book so other readers know what they’re getting into if they decide to try it.
P.S. If you did love the story, come over to my reader’s group, Dark Halos, where I can keep you updated and feed you loads of dark, erotic treats :D
Acknowledgments
Randie; thank you for coming with me on this much darker ride! Ha! I’m so glad all my warnings didn’t put you off, I love working with you. Once again, your great editing skills have improved my words and I can’t thank you enough for your constant support and enthusiasm for my work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
L; you deserve a stiff drink for dealing with all my moaning and whining! Thank you for slapping me out of my self-doubt, helping me with my obsession over names and content concerns, and banning me from reading when ‘comparison-itis’ almost made me scrap this—I know it was all for your own benefit so you could get your grabby little hands on Drocco, but I’m thankful anyway LOL! I hope this book is everything you imagined. Of course, Drocco is all yours… except when he’s mine ;)
To the readers who decided to take a chance on this book, thank you so much. I loved building this world and hope you enjoyed spending time in it. There’s more to come! Drocco and Cailyn aren’t done yet :)
Lastly, a massive thanks to all of my friends and family, who consistently encourage me on this journey. I love you guys.
About Zoey Ellis
Zoey Ellis writes dark-edged, speculative romances bursting with passionate, carnal steam. She loves tortured, possessive, alpha heroes and is obsessed with exploring love in its raw form, and how that can manifest in different circumstances and settings.
Her goal is to build a catalogue of thrilling, sexy, fantastical romances that come complete with roller-coaster experiences, unique worlds, and happy endings.
Zoey is a Londoner, a bookaholic and a proud collector of OTT possessive book boyfriends she won’t share.
Zoey offers exclusive news, bonuses, and giveaways to her reader’s group, Dark Halos.
Snoop around her online home: www.zoeyellis.com
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