FIRE NATION

CHAPTER 7

Lalisa paced her outer rooms like a caged animal, hands folded behind her back and muscles taut with tension. It had been over a day since she had last taken Roseanne, three since her father had ordered her to stay out of his sight. She had known fulfilling her duty wouldn't be pleasurable all the time, but she hadn't realized it would leave her feeling so trapped. The guards changed every few hours, but they never left the hall. If she tried to slip away, Lord Larce would know. The message was as clear as the one she had sent him with the come-stained sheets: she was as much a prisoner as the omega she had claimed for her own.

She slammed her hands into the nearest wall, ignoring the flickering spurts of fire that spat between her knuckles and the twining trails of smoke that curled up from her clenched fists. "I can't stay here," she snarled under her breath, heart beating too fast. "He can't keep me prisoner in my own room." But she knew that unless she was prepared to fight her way out and declare open rebellion against her father, he could keep her locked away as long as he wanted.

Worse still, Roseanne's heat hadn't ended. The omega's intoxicating scent filled her nose and mouth with every breath she took, making her cock swell. She couldn't escape it. She was supposed to be breeding her chosen omega at every opportunity. If her father caught her doing anything other than her duty, she knew she would be severely punished. She slid away from the wall and sagged over, still fuming. She hated the control Larce wielded over her, and she hated what he had cornered her into. It went against her every instinct as an alpha and the Princess of the Fire Nation.

For a moment, her thoughts veered into dangerous territory. An agni kai for control of the throne would free her of her obligations. But as furious as she felt, she didn't know if she was prepared to challenge her own father. She wasn't the same weak, simpering girl who begged for scraps of his approval, but to fight him and lose would be the ultimate humiliation. Since she was his only heir, he wouldn't even do the courtesy of killing her if she failed. More likely, he would force her to keep mating with Roseanne until she had produced a proper heir, and then dispose of her once she was no longer needed.

She turned toward the bedroom door, biting back a snarl. The ache in her gut was growing worse by the second. Her every instinct was urging her to rut, to take the woman calling out to her. But even though she was almost certain Roseanne was already pregnant, the thought of doing Larce's bidding disgusted her. For every part of her that longed to thrust her cock deep in Roseanne's pussy and flood it with come, an equal part rebelled against the idea. She refused to be her father's pawn again, no matter her body's needs.

Lalisa's mind wandered back to the previous morning, when she had admired the curve of Roseanne's ass. She had promised herself she would experiment with it later, once her obligations were no longer hanging over her head. But perhaps she didn't have to wait that long. Judging by the scent swirling through her head, Roseanne would be receptive. The eager little omega would whine and beg for her, no matter where she chose to bury her knot.

She made up her mind in a matter of seconds. The fullness in her shaft was already uncomfortable. She needed release, but that didn't mean she had to satisfy Larce's demands. Not this time. She stormed toward the bedroom, throwing the door open and scanning the room for the source of the delicious scent that had ensnared her.

Roseanne was curled up in the window seat, naked but clean, picking at a tray of food. The servants had provided more than enough for both of them, but it looked as though Roseanne had hardly touched her portion. For a moment, Lalisa felt a twinge of empathy. Surely the omega didn't like being imprisoned any more than she did.

"I can smell you all the way from the other room," she growled, ignoring the flash of fear in Roseanne's eyes. "You've been signaling all day. Why isn't your heat over yet?"