BEAST'S SLAVE - CHAPTER 16
Throughout the day, Emeriel awoke twice, but only briefly to eat before returning to slumber.
On both occasions, she cried out in pain, prompting Aekeira to be grateful that her sister’s awakenings were short-lived. Aekeira pleaded with Madam Livia to administer a stronger pain reliever to Emeriel, but the woman insisted that additional doses would only harm her further.
In the afternoon, Lord Vladya visited, but Emeriel was still asleep, leaving only Aekeira in attendance. “He is not awake yet, my Lord,” Aekeira informed him.
Lord Vladya tilted his head to the side, “When he awakes and is well enough, tell him to come to Blackstone. I would like to see him.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Aekeira avoided his gaze, keeping her head lowered. There was just something in this grand lord’s eyes that made her feel apprehensive and nervous.
Something strange had happened to the previous night. Aekeira abruptly shut the door on it, refusing to dwell upon it.
Emeriel finally woke during the night. After Aekeira fed her, Madam Livia had Amie prepare a basin for Emeriel to bathe in the room instead of going out to the river. Following the bath, Aekeira noticed that Emeriel appeared better than she had been all day.
“How do you feel now?” Aekeira asked, once they had settled Emeriel back onto the bed.
“Better,” Emeriel replied with a soft, sad smile. “For a moment there, I was beginning to think I would not make it.”
Guilt filled Aekeira’s eyes as she said, “I am so sorry about—”
Emeriel’s hands grasped hers, interrupting her. “Do not blame yourself, sister. It was not your fault. Do not punish yourself for something beyond your control.”
Just then, Madam Livia entered once again. Her expression softened as she looked at Emeriel. “You’re awake.”
“Yes, madam. Thank you so much for taking care of me. I do not know what I would have done without you,” Emeriel expressed sincerely.
Madam Livia waved her off. “Do not fret over it. How do you feel now?”
“I feel better, madam. Thank you.”
“I do not understand why that beast is so interested in you, Em,” Aekeira pondered aloud.
When all eyes turned to her, she averted her gaze. “I had my suspicions that first night I was sent to him. You touched my arm before I went in, and it was particularly fixated there.”
Madam Livia interjected, “Those vicious scratches. I wondered what caused them.”
Emeriel exhaled shakily, “I have no idea, Keira. None of it makes sense to me. Not the heat, not the beast’s actions, and not the siren thing. Nothing at all.”
Aekeira was confused. “What are you talking about?”
Emeriel proceeded to provide Aekeira with detailed explanations of her ordeal, which began on the first night they entered the fortress.
By the time Emeriel finished recounting everything, Aekeira’s ears were ringing, and her hands felt cold and sweaty.
“You go into heats? Is that true?” Aekeira looked ill.
Emeriel nodded slowly, her expression wary. “Twice now.”
Aekeira’s face drained of color as she stared at Emeriel intently. “What if you’re his Soulbond? That would explain his fixation, wouldn’t it?”
Emeriel vehemently shook her head, looking just as pale as her sister. Considerably more terrified. “That is impossible, right, Madam Livia?” she asked in a tiny voice.
Madam Livia remained silent, lost in thought.
•••••••••
“Where is he?” Lord Vladya inquired urgently, his steps quickening as he descended the stairs.
“He is at the sixth square, Your Highness,” replied Yaz, his head soldier, matching his pace from behind. “The people have gathered there. There is quite a crowd.”
Lord Vladya clenched his teeth together, striding purposefully forward. The servants and maids cleared a path as soon as they caught sight of him.
He turned a corner and saw Lord Ottai hastening towards him with his own group of soldiers.
“Zaiper has gathered the people at the square. He is informing them about the beast’s escape the previous night,” Lord Ottai informed as he drew nearer.
“So I have been told. We must put a stop to this,” Lord Vladya stated firmly.
“What has gotten into Zaiper? This is a matter of the court, not a public affair. Why would he do such a thing?” Lord Ottai questioned.
“Clearly, he seeks to gain more support,” They walked together out of the fortress. “Lately, he has grown desperate for the throne.”
When they arrived at the sixth square, a sizable crowd had already gathered. With their heightened senses, they could hear Zaiper’s voice even before they approached.
“We cannot continue living in fear. The beast will keep breaking out, and more innocent people will be harmed,” his voice boomed, capturing the rapt attention of the onlookers. “We all loved the grand king. For thousands of years, he has been the ultimate ruler—the finest that Urekais have ever had.”
“Yes! Long live the grand king!” someone in the crowd shouted.
A chorus of voices echoed, “Long live the grand king!” three times.
Zaiper’s jaw tensed, his eyes darkening with anger, but he concealed it well from the crowd.
Instead, he wore that legendary pretentious smile. “Indeed. We all cherished our grand king, without a doubt. That’s why it’s a tragedy what has occurred. No one would wish the fate of going feral upon even their worst enemies. The grand king’s mind has been absent for five centuries, replaced by one of the greatest predators of our kind. One of the strongest.”
“And the rest of us rulers strive each day to ensure your safety, to protect you from the beast. But we cannot always succeed, for that feral is stronger than most of the defenses we possess,” Zaiper continued, his voice carrying through the square. “As you all know, many of our people die whenever the beast escapes. We cannot allow this to persist, can we?”
The crowd remained silent, murmurs filling the air. The people were afraid for their lives, yet they still held deep affection for their grand king.
The same ruler who had governed them benevolently, bringing peace and harmony.
Even though he was now mindless, with no hope of recovery, they still clung to their affection for him to the extent that the same Urekais—who despised and hunted all ferals—preferred their grand king to remain alive in his feral form rather than to be completely eradicated.
And for centuries, they stood united in this belief.
But someday, they were bound to confront the truth. The truth that the grand king they once revered was gone forever—had been gone for ages—and the creature that remained had to be eliminated.
Individuals like Zaiper desired that day to come sooner.
“We cannot coerce the people into making decisions like this, Grand Lord Zaiper,” Lord Ottai interjected, capturing the attention of all as he ascended the elevated podium where Zaiper stood.
“Our people have the right to decide for themselves how they wish to treat the beast that was once their king. Just because his mind is absent does not negate the fact that this beast was once Grand King Daemonikai’s.”
Many heads nodded in agreement as they exchanged murmurs. Zaiper turned his pretentious, sorrowful eyes toward Ottai. “Of course, you are correct, Grand Lord Ottai. But how can they decide when we withhold everything from them? They are unaware that just yesterday, during the festival, the beast escaped once again.”
Gasps filled the air. Eyes widened in horror, and the murmurs escalated into a cacophony. Amidst the clamor, a few discernible words emerged:
“May Ukrae protect us.”
“By the gods…!”
“I was at the festival, I could have perished…”
Zaiper continued. “We were able to contain the beast, of course. But imagine what would have transpired if we had been late? If a mistake had been made and the beast had escaped the fortress?”
“Silence, everyone,” Lord Ottai commanded softly, and the square fell as quiet as a tomb.
“This is a matter for the court. As he just mentioned, we were able to contain the beast and avert any catastrophe,” he directed a pointed gaze at Zaiper, “Lord Zaiper should not instill fear in all of you when the thr_@t has been subdued.”
“The people have a right to know when their lives are in peril,” Lord Zaiper’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he countered.
“The grand king turned feral because of us,” a woman in the crowd suddenly spoke up, garnering the attention of all. “We would have all died that night. We are alive today, thanks to him. So what if he is now mindless? What if his beast cannot recognize anyone, unable to distinguish between friend and foe? He protected us. We are not ready yet.”
Some agreed, while others did not. Murmurs once again spread through the crowd.
Lord Vladya simply crossed his arms, and simply observed.
He watched Zaiper as he ski||fully spun his webs among the people, and watched the people as they stood firm on what they believed in–that they weren’t ready yet.
He said nothing. Did nothing.
Just observed from the sidelines.
••••••••••••••.
EMERIEL
He felt a surge of panic as Madam Livia’s silence lingered, amplifying his fears. Aekeira’s ridiculous explanation could not possibly be true, right?
He desperately hoped not.
“Please, say something, Madam Livia,” Emeriel pleaded, his voice tinged with anxiety. The mere thought of becoming someone’s bondmate, especially the beast’s, sent shivers down his spine. The prospect was enough to induce a heart attack.
Finally, Madam Livia let out a sigh, leaning against the wall. “I believe you all may be jumping to conclusions here,” she spoke softly. “Perhaps the beast is simply fixated on your scent. It could be that you smell so good that it wanted more from where that scent came from.”
But Emeriel could see that her eyes held concerns. “You don’t truly believe that, do you?”
“I cannot say for certain, Emeriel,” Madam Livia replied truthfully.
Seeing the panic in Emeriel’s widened eyes, she added, “What I do know is that a feral beast does not differentiate between friend, foe, bondmate, or offspring. To them, everyone is either a thr_@t, prey, or an enemy. A feral lacks the ability to recognize a Soulbond.”
Her words provided some measure of relief to Emeriel. That explanation would suffice for him.
“You were fortunate to be in heat during your first time. Otherwise, when the beast entered you, it would have caused significant harm. Heat segz is different from regular intercourse.”
“With your siren gland and the changes it has brought to your body, your channel is now quite different from ours. It can stretch with enough elasticity to accommodate your Urekai male partner in any form, yet shrink back to its original size shortly afterward. And since Emeriel was a virgin, she would likely retain her V@???@l state, down to her hymen. Nature was thorough and remarkable in that way,” Madam Livia explained.
Suddenly, a loud shout pierced the air;
“All hail His Majesty the Second! The second sovereign ruler of Urai and the sole leader of the Northern Wings. All hail Grand Lord Zaiper!”
Madam Livia’s eyes widened comically, and she whispered sharply, “Bow your heads, both of you.” Immediately, her own head was almost touching the floor in a deep upper-body bow.
Without hesitation, Emeriel and Aekeira followed her lead, their bodies bending into a deep bow.
Despite the discomfort it caused, Emeriel ignored the soreness in his muscles.
“Rise,” a deep voice commanded.
As Emeriel straightened up, he finally gazed upon the infamous Lord Zaiper. He…didn’t look like the monster they claimed he was. But then again, monsters rarely do.
He appeared just as young and handsome as Lord Ottai and Lord Vladya, radiating masculinity and intimidation.
Lord Zaiper casually stopped at the center of the chambers, and crossed his arms. His scrutinizing gaze locked onto Emeriel and his sister. “So, you two are the human slaves Vladya acquired?”
“Yes, Your Highness. My name is Aekeira, and this is my brother, Emeriel,” Aekeira responded meekly.
“Such beautiful creatures. Are all royals as lovely, or are you two the exceptions?” Lord Zaiper remarked, catching them off guard. They exchanged glances and swallowed tightly, remaining silent.
“I expect to hear words.” Lord Zaiper pressed, eyes darkened as he focused on Aekeira.
“We do not know, Your Highness,” Emeriel quickly interjected, redirecting Lord Zaiper’s attention to himself.
“Interesting. Perhaps I should acquire all the human royals to judge their beauty for myself.” He seemed to genuinely consider the idea before refocusing his gaze on Emeriel. “You are the one the beast mounted last night.”
Emeriel noticed the barely concealed resentment with which Lord Zaiper spat out the words “the beast.” He lowered his head and replied, “Yes, my Lord.”
“How in Tartarus are you still alive?” Lord Zaiper furrowed his brows, sparing a glance at Aekeira. “You were mounted before him, how are both of you still alive?”
You would wish us to die, would you not? “We do not know, my Lord.”
An uncomfortable silence, filled with tension, ensued.
Then, Lord Zaiper locked eyes with Emeriel, “Undress for me. Now.” he commanded.
.
.
.
.