A Savage Debt (Beholden Duet Book 1)

by Zoey Ellis

  It wasn’t long until the door opened.

  Tension sparked through the room as the outlaw stepped in, and Ana’s hands dropped to her sides, her mouth dry as she stared. Seeing him at a distance in the assembly hall had not prepared her at all.

  The man was huge—almost unnaturally large, like the giants in the old folk tales every child was told to fear. Ana almost expected the world would shake with each step he took. Thick, black hair swung just past his shoulders, and he wore the same furs and leathers he’d had on earlier. He was thick and bulky all over, and each time he moved something bulged.

  The facial hair along his jaw and around his mouth didn’t seem as scruffy or as abundant close up—it was as though he didn’t bother to groom but still wanted his face to be recognizable. And what a face it was. Deep-set eyes framed by black lashes, thick, dark brows, and a straight, wide nose made him look not only rugged, but also powerful and somewhat mysterious. She’d read that he purposely hid his face because there was something horrifically wrong with him, which was why no one had seen it. She’d expected him to be as ugly as the trolls rumored to live in the swamps of the marshlands, but he wasn’t. There was also no disfigurement to any part of him nor any affliction on his skin. The only striking thing about him that truly scared Ana was his eyes. Seeing them at a distance in the assembly hall did not prepare her for studying them close up. Pitch-black and drained of all emotion, they landed on her soon as he entered the room. It wasn’t just their color—or lack of it. Within them was a harshness she’d never seen before—as if he’d never had a joyful thought in his life and his eyes could suck all joy from anything he looked at. Even though she knew the high society of Allandis had cruel and mean undertones, she’d never seen anything so dark and violent in their expressions. This man certainly reflected the concerns everyone had about him.

  Thankfully, his eyes shifted from her to around the room, then as he fully entered the space he closed the door behind him, firmly locking it.

  Ana opened her mouth, preparing to introduce herself, but he strode into the middle of the room, his eyes hitting her again, and the trembling darkness simmering in her stomach heightened.

  “Come here.”

  With those low, gritty words, the tremble exploded into a nauseous cloud of unease. Ana step toward him, unable to drag her eyes from his face. He watched her with the same intensity that he had watched Father, but there was something different about it now, something she couldn’t decipher.

  When she reached within a couple of feet from him, she stopped and forced herself to bow her head. Maybe if she did what Milly said—didn’t speak to him unless necessary, and made herself to be the submissive Omega that all Alphas wanted—then she could save herself some of the discomfort that was no doubt about to come.

  “Kneel.”

  Ana’s eyes shot back up at him, but his expression didn’t change. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lowered to her knees, her dress puffing out around her. She kept her head down as he stepped forward, shuffling with his clothes.

  “Open.”

  When she glanced up, she froze, her breath caught in her throat. The outlaw had unbuckled himself and released his cock. Hard, thick, and long, it swayed heavily, almost as though it had a significant weight of its own. Though she’d had lessons about sex and her heat, she’d never imagined what a cock might look like close-up when aroused—of course she’d read the more racier stories in the library, the ones Milly thought she didn’t know about wedged between the boring land ownership laws and the thousands of recipes for pottage, but none of them described what a man’s appendage looked like, only what he did with it. This Alpha’s was huge—a thick, stiff rod that curved up slightly with a seeping bulbous tip, and veins scattering along it.

  Her eyes widened as he came toward her, and she almost didn’t register what he was expecting her to do until its warm, wet tip touched her lips. She stiffened, indignant that he was intending to treat her like a whore, but she already knew that was going to happen. She forced herself to calm, and let him rub himself on her lips. The skin was silkier than she thought it was going to be, and the scent that curled into her nose was nothing like she had experienced before. Deep and rich, it was pungent with strong spicy, briny, and caustic tones blended to create something so uniquely complex she couldn’t decide if it was pleasing or not. She took a deep breath of it, and another. And then another.

  “Open,” he ordered again, irritation crackling through his tone.

  Ana tentatively opened her mouth, but immediately he grabbed the back of her head and shoved himself in as far as it would go.

  She immediately retched, but he held it in, the tip almost touching the back of her throat as she tried to accommodate it.

  He said something, but she couldn’t hear anything beyond her own choking. With her eyes tearing up, she grabbed his wrist that held her head down and scratched at it for him to release her.

  Just when she thought she would certainly choke to death, he finally withdrew from the back of her throat but kept his cock in her mouth. Ana coughed around him,foaming bubbles of her saliva erupting from the corners of her mouth and dripping down to the floor in long, stringy strands.

  “Suck.”

  Glancing up at his unchanged expression, Ana knew that he was not going to allow her to remove him from her mouth completely. So she sucked on him the best she could, her lips wet from her own spit and the bitterness from the back of her throat strong in her mouth. The taste of him echoed his complex scent, and she lowered her eyes to focus on that, trying to push aside thoughts of where his cock had been rumored to have been.

  After a moment, he moved her head down on him, but before he got too far, pulled it back. He repeated this until it became a solid rhythm.

  Ana tried to remember to breathe through her mouth but with him being so big, her primary concern was to make sure he didn’t push in too far again.

  Finally, after what seemed like forever, he withdrew and pulled Ana’s head back, forcing her to look up at him.

  His eyes remained intense and angry. “You haven’t had cock in your mouth before.”

  Unsure if it was a question or a statement, Ana shook her head.

  “Good,” he said with a grunt. “You are lucky you haven’t.”

  Ana frowned, trying to make sense of his words, but she couldn’t think properly. He held her gaze for a moment longer before releasing her.

  She bent forward, breathing hard and trying not to retch again as the tears that already filled her eyes spilled onto her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away. No. She refused to get upset. This was what she was here for, she had to remember that. It was for Father.

  But the thoughts didn’t reassure her as much as she hoped they would—there was still the rest of the night to go.

  Firming her mind, she rose to her feet and returned to stand beside the bed, wiping her mouth as she watched the Alpha, trying to ignore the pungent taste on her tongue and calm the lingering terror of what was to come.

  He stood over the tables of food on the other side of the room, and drew something out of his pocket. He cupped his hand so his palm faced upward and held his hand over each dish for a few moments before moving onto the next. When he had done the whole table, he pushed whatever was in his hand back into his pocket and began to eat.

  For the next few minutes, he ate from almost every plate. Thick bread, stewed meats, herb cheese, honeyed nuts, and cakes, and other delicious dishes fit for a royal feast were all crammed into his mouth one after the other.

  Ana watched him, fascination edging into her terror. She’d never seen anyone eat so readily with their hands, except the infants of commoners when she visited some of the villages, and certainly not with such strong focus. He ate as though it was the first meal he’d had for a while, or as if he wasn’t planning to have another meal for at least a week. Perhaps it was both.

  Finally, he wiped his mouth and turned, looking over the room again as he chewed the l
ast of his mouthful. When his eyes hit her, she tensed.

  “Undress.”

  Ana’s cheeks warmed, but she couldn’t look away. So much for trying to distract him with food. She swallowed, gripping her hands together tight. “I can’t…. do it on my own.”

  The outlaw’s eyes remained on her a moment longer, and then he moved to the walled-off area and she heard him washing his hands and face.

  Ana closed her eyes and blew out a slow steady breath as quietly as she could, settling her nerves. She could to this.

  The Alpha took his time washing, and when he finally returned, he stood in the middle of the room and shrugged off his outer furs. The expression on his face made her stomach jitter, but she forced herself to hold his gaze as he rolled up the sleeves of his tunic.

  He came toward her and her breath hitched in her throat, but he stopped by the bed.

  “What the fuck is this?” He picked up the book on the bed, turning it over and flicking through it.

  Agitation nudged through her that he was touching it. “It’s called a book.”

  His eyes darkened as they flicked to hers. “You brought a book?”

  “It’s one of my favorites,” she said, hoping the shaking in her chest wasn’t present in her voice.

  A gruff sound came from his throat as he threw it back down on the bed. “You think I will allow you time to read it?”

  Ana pressed her lips together as he rounded the bed but couldn’t think of anything to say before he grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. Her dress jerked, and a harsh rip tore through the room as it suddenly loosened on her.

  Ana gasped, pressing her hands to her body to hold the dress in place. “What are you doing?”

  He spun her back around, gripping her by the base of her neck, his fingers entwined in her hair as his dark eyes captured hers. “Whatever the fuck I want, Analisa.” The bass of his voice echoed in her chest. “That is why I am here.” Before she could respond, he gripped her hard and dragged her to the window.

  What she saw made her gasp. Under the darkening sky, a large crowd had gathered at the edge of the royal grounds. They were far enough away that she couldn’t see their faces, but close enough that their bodies and clothing were distinct. They appeared to be commoners from the nearby fields, but why would they be gathered there? As soon as she appeared at the window, a flurry of activity jostled the crowd, some of them pointing directly at her and waving.

  Mortified, Ana struggled to move away from the window, but the Alpha was too strong. He held her in place, forcing her to stay put. “Be still.”

  She froze at his instruction, breathing hard as she quietly panicked. Something about his voice affected her in a strange way. It was as though when he spoke the vibration burrowed deep within her chest and tugged at something wild and instinctive within her.

  He grabbed her wrist and forced each arm down to her side, one by one, leaving her dress with no support. The neckline dropped to her shoulders, revealing her neck, and the Alpha lowered farther until his nose pressed into her shoulder.

  The crowd slowly stilled, and although Ana couldn’t see their faces, she could tell they were watching what was happening, and could see both her and the outlaw. She squeezed her eyes shut, embarrassment almost making her weak at the knees as the Alpha ran his nose along her collarbone and slowly up her neck. She exhaled and relaxed slightly as a tingling warmth rushed throughout her body.

  He was scenting her. And the experience was… not unpleasant.

  The tingle strengthened as it reached her nipples, hardening them almost painfully, and stretched along the length of her stomach to curl between her legs. Confusion swam in her mind for a moment, but it was chased away by the Alpha’s breath on her ear.

  “You smell better than I imagined you would.”

  Two rough fingers pressed against her shoulder, on her bare skin, and ran along the neckline of her dress to the center. A sharp pressure stung her earlobe, quickly replaced by a warm, wet sensation that rocketed the mellow tingle to a harsh beam of arousal that almost made her moan.

  He sucked on her earlobe roughly, tracing his tongue along the edge. It wasn’t until cold air swept along her stomach that she realized her dress had been pulled down.

  Ana cried out, grabbing for it as it slid down her body, but the outlaw held her firmly at the neck and swiftly caught both wrists again, his tongue leisurely grazing her ear.

  She whimpered as her dress and chemise fell down to the floor. The crowd was completely still now. Soon it would be too dark to see them at all, but with the lights from the room, they could see them in the window.

  “I wonder if your pussy stinks like the cheapest whores in Allandis,” the Alpha said, his voice low as his hand ran up her stomach to her breasts. “As the adored Omega princess, it would only be fitting if it reeked.”

  Ana closed her eyes, mortified as he chuckled. The man was a fucking savage indeed. She didn’t doubt that he had somehow arranged for the crowd to be here with their focus on the window to see her at her most vulnerable. Where were her father’s guards? How did no one from the palace know what was happening?

  She whimpered again as he pinched her nipples and rolled them between his finger and thumb, before grabbing and kneading her roughly. She tried to remain separate from the feelings of her body—ignoring the sensations building up in her that she didn’t recognize. It was all part of the false feelings her mother had warned her about. It didn’t feel overwhelming—perhaps she could handle this better than her mother thought. What troubled her most was the crowd. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from the mass of people still standing and looking up at the window. Anyone decent would move away, wouldn’t they? They wouldn’t stay and witness someone abusing her like this?

  But even as the thought arrived, she knew that it was a ridiculous notion. Even members of high society and courtiers, did not shy away from seeking out scandal. And this was one of the biggest gossip topics of all. If Mother and Father wanted to keep this quiet, it was impossible now. Once the commoners knew about it, it would spread far and wide, across the kingdom, and even possibly neighboring kingdoms. In one moment, the outlaw had destroyed all chances of keeping this quiet. And he had planned it.

  She gasped suddenly, a sting registered on her nipple. He’d slapped her! Before she could even figure out what to do he slapped her breasts again, and she was certain she heard faint gasps from the crowd.

  “It jiggles just like any whore’s,” he bellowed out suddenly, causing her to stiffen. He reached for the other breast squeezing and tweaking it before slapping her again, all while shouting out to the crowd. “If you thought that an Omega would be different from any other female, I can confirm that there is nothing extraordinary about this woman, apart from her very obvious beauty. She is nearly of ruling age and yet has never sat on the council, never given her opinions on any policy or law, or contributed in any way that has positively affected our lives.” His hand pressed over her stomach squeezing and pinching as he went, and as he spoke. “She is a pawn for her father, an empty vessel, a pretty shell he has hoarded to sell to someone else. Another man who will be the next king and will no doubt make all the decisions for us. She is lacking in even the basic common sense of anyone who would rule the kingdom effectively. She’s only good for one thing.”

  With his final words, Ana finally came to her senses. The bastard! Pushing her arousal and mortification aside, she began to fight him, her annoyance building to rage. “You have no idea who I am or what I have learned,” she hissed at him, trying to twist her wrists out of his hands. “Not all of us are criminals who spend our time stealing, breaking the law, and fucking everything we come across!”

  She winced at the sharp tug at the base of her neck as he yanked her head to one side. It was difficult to look at him in such a position, but she could feel him watching her and she tried her hardest to levy her most baleful glare in his direction.

  A rumble came from his throat, and it c
ause a spark throughout her body. “So the puppet speaks passionately.” She didn’t miss the mocking sarcasm heavy in his gritty tone. “And her choice of words are... interesting.”

  “Whatever you’re here to do, just do it,” she snapped. “Do you think this display will tarnish me any further than this entire agreement already has? Any more than having your disgusting cock shoved into my mouth?” The words came out of her so quickly and fervidly, she was shocked by them, but she tried not to let him see it.

  “Things can always be made worse, Analisa.” His voice vibrated close to her ear. “Always.”

  Ana’s mouth tightened. At this point, she didn’t care. The idea he was saying these things about her, about her father, had dulled some of numbing fear that had been paralyzing her. He couldn’t be allowed to get away with making statements like that to the commoners. It was a bold attitude to have, considering the reason why she was there and her inability to truly do anything to stop him. Both her father and Milly had told her not to provoke him, but she was quickly losing any reason to care about what he might do her. In court Maddoc had been simple, if not somewhat straightforward, in his request. He wanted to debase the king’s daughter by using her for three nights to seek whatever relief he was after. Based on the crowd before her, clearly it was more than that. He wanted to embarrass her as much as he could, tear her down, shred her reputation, and make her completely unfit for queen. Who would want to wed her now when everyone had seen her body?

  So now, she was too angry to care about holding her tongue and being a “good” princess. Fuck it. What ever he wanted to do to her, she would fight as hard as she could against him. She wouldn’t make it easy. After all, his agreement was with her father, not her, and their agreement was to spend nights with her—but she didn’t have to take it submissively.

  “Then make it worse,” she said, the taunt heavy in her tone, as she glared at him. The problem was, of course, he was significantly larger than her. Nothing she could do would be much of a fight for him.