BEAST'S SLAVE - CHAPTER 21
“I was beginning to think you had fallen victim to some strange ailment that hinders your ability to attend to court matters,” Grand Lord Zaiper remarked casually.
He withdrew his ?ï?k from the girl lying on the table, turned her body around, and th-ru_st back inside.
“I have been occupied,” Grand Lord Vladya entered the hall.
He briefly glanced at Zaiper’s actions, pursed his lips, shook his head, and proceeded toward his throne. “You are disgusting.”
“Don’t take your foul mood out on me on this fine morning,” Zaiper smirked wolfishly. “I was craving something different.”
“Do you f-__-k dead bodies now?”
“She isn’t dead. Just drvgged into sleep. I’ve been craving them motionless for a while now. You know, to add a touch of excitement. And I never deny myself what I crave.”
“Where is Lord Ottai?”
Zaiper pumped his hips repeatedly. He smacked the girl’s buttocks and let out a groan of pleasure. “I have no idea. He is running late. Probably getting some from Morina.”
“Don’t you tire of segz, Zaiper? Unlike others who occasionally take breaks, you have been incessantly engaging in it for the past four millennia.”
th-ru_st. th-ru_st. th-ru_st. “One does not grow weary of one of life’s greatest pleasures, Lord Vladya. Not when there is such an array of choices available. I can never understand individuals like you who desire bondmates, or those like Ottai who have remained bonded for centuries. I would rather have variety than stick to one.”
At that moment, the door swung open and Grand Lord Ottai entered the chamber. “What did I miss?”
His gaze fell upon Zaiper and he scowled, “Too early for these antics, Lord Zaiper. Are you now engaging in necrophilia?”
Zaiper rolled his eyes. After a few more th-ru_sts, he climaxed into the motionless body. He cleaned himself and signaled for one of the guards to remove the slave.
Then, he straightened his attire and made his way to his own throne.
“Very well, gentlemen.” Ottai said, “Now that the tardy ones have joined us, let us commence the day.”
•••••••••
Emeriel was assigned the task of cleaning the floors of the annex.
It was a monotonous job, but he was grateful nonetheless. It was far preferable to spending his time at the tavern.
After completing the first and second floors, Emeriel found himself on the third floor.
He had not yet familiarized himself with all the corridors and their destinations. That’s why he was taken aback when he discovered where the floor he was cleaning led to.
He recognized the familiar paintings and the foreboding hallways. The fourth wing.
The forbidden chambers lay within that second hallway. Goosebumps prickled his arms. Bloody hell. Of all places, why here?
Just clean that hallway as quickly as possible and be done with it. The sooner, the better.
Emeriel tightly grasped his broom, crafted from bundled twigs, and resumed his work. The bristles swept across the cold stones, stirring up clouds of dust.
As he progressed, he used the pieces of clothing; dusting and cleaning as he went along.
Upon reaching the forbidden chambers, he halted. The first thing he noticed was the absence of soldiers.
Why was this place so deserted?
It was morning, Grand Lord Vladya was in court, so there was no reason for the soldiers to be absent. And what about the trays of untouched food strewn across the floor?
Perhaps the beast had been relocated?
Emeriel couldn’t resist. His legs moved instinctively until he arrived at the imposing metal gates. A gasp escaped him and he took two steps back at the sight before him.
The oak door stood wide open, and behind it, the beast’s eyes locked onto Emeriel.
“I could leave,” he whispered aloud, “I could depart from this hall and pretend I had already completed my cleaning.”
However, when he surveyed his surroundings, any hope of leaving vanished.
The two paintings hanging on the walls were coated in dust. The stone wall required thorough wiping. The lion head at the end of the hallway appeared equally neglected. And the floor itself…
He nervously bit his lip, stealing another glance at the beast.
It remained motionless, its gaze fixed on him. Its once-lazy yellow eyes now wide open.
Emeriel waited and waited, but when it became evident that the beast would not attack him, he started to relax.
He commenced his cleaning.
Throughout the process, he intermittently stole glances at the beast. Apart from those piercing yellow eyes tracking his every move, there was no other movement.
It reached a point where he nearly forgot about the ferocious creature behind those gates and became engrossed in his work. The swishing of brooms and the occasional clink of metal against stone filled the air.
“What are you doing here, slave? Do you have a death wish?”
Emeriel’s head snapped up. An Urekai soldier stood before him, glaring. “I was assigned to clean this hall.”
The soldier muttered words under his breath that suspiciously sounded like ‘foolish humans that want to die.’ “Fine. But be quick and leave immediately.” He snapped.
That would not be a problem, dumbass. “Understood, soldier. What are these plates for?”
“Food for the grand king. Orders from the third ruler. Once he is finished in court, he will come to attend to it. Do not touch any of it.”
Grand Lord Vladya. He feeds the beast? “Why does he have to be present for the beast to eat? Can’t the food be taken in, and let the creature to devour it?” Emeriel was certain there was raw meat among the offerings it could enjoy.
“Sometimes the feral refuses to eat. A few soldiers have perished attempting to get it to feed.” The soldier stared at Emeriel with authority. “Disregard the trays and focus on your duties, slave.”
“As you command.” Emeriel inclined his head, then resumed his cleaning. The soldier muttered as he walked away.
••••••••
“I propose that on the day of The Banquet, we have a presentation of a new slave. The banquet is only three days away,” declared Grand Lord Zaiper.
“Must there be a presentation? I do not fancy that ceremony at all,” Grand Lord Ottai replied, seeking support from the third ruler.
However, Grand Lord Vladya appeared utterly bored, completely uninterested.
“Why? Our people need all the happiness they can get. The Lords love that ritual, and most of them eagerly anticipate it. There is no good reason to forgo that ceremony,” Zaiper insisted.
“Lord Vladya, what are your thoughts?” Ottai extended.
“I do not care either way.” Vladya opened the scroll that a soldier had just brought in. Another soldier took it as his cue to approach him quickly, carrying an inkpot and quill.
Vladya took the quill, dipped it into the open inkpot, and began scribbling on the parchment. “Do as you wish.”
“You see, even Lord Vladya is in agreement,” Zaiper continued. “I mean, the male needs some downtime and fun. When was the last time he enjoyed himself? With his bloodhost bonded to another and heavy with child, he may not even be indulging in her body.”
“Please do not tell me that you still mount Adissa,” Ottai reproached him with a stern look.
Zaiper smirked, crossing his arms. “What do you think?”
“She is bonded to another. She has two offspring,” Ottai pointed out.
“And so? There is no law against it. It is not like we can help it. It is difficult to be rational when one’s body craves desperately,” Zaiper drawled. “Besides, she practically begs for it.”
“You get her drunk on pheromones; she does not have a choice. You can choose not to pump her full of your elixir while feeding from her.”
“Mmm,” Zaiper feigned pondering the idea. Then, another smirk emerged. “And where is the fun in that?”
Ottai sighed deeply, resigned. “You are beyond redemption, Zaiper. You think only of yourself and not of others.”
Zaiper dismissed him with a wave. “As for the upcoming presentation, we shall be holding two sessions. The first will take place atthe banquet. It’s possible that we won’t be able to introduce all of them on that particular day. Therefore, the second introduction is scheduled to take place four nights after the initial presentation.”
Ottai shook his head. “Every year, we lose what remains of our soul. We, the grand lords, should be striving to unite our people, to set them on the right path again instead of remaining in the depths of our despair. Daemonikai will not be pleased with what has become of us.”
Vladya’s elegant hand, moving rhythmically against the scroll, paused. He did not look up or acknowledge Ottai’s statement. His hand remained still for several long seconds before he resumed his scribbling.
Meanwhile, Zaiper waved Ottai’s concerns away. “Well, it is unfortunate that the Grand King is dead, but the living must move on. There is absolutely nothing wrong with our lives now. This is the way our people were always meant to live.”
“The humans are not only evil, but they are beneath us. They will serve us for all eternity. I eagerly anticipate this presentation,” Grand Lord Zaiper’s eyes gleamed. “There is a particular slave I am interested in.”
“Let me guess, the human royals we brought in? The siblings?” Ottai questioned.
“You guessed right, Ottai. The boy is quite attractive, but the girl… she is a sight to behold when she is unclothed.”
Vladya stiffened.
For some reason, anger coursed through him at that remark. “Not the girl,” he blurted out, regretting his words the instant they left his lips.
Ottai and Zaiper looked surprised, but they were not half as shocked as Vladya himself.
“You are interested in the human girl? You?” Lord Ottai exclaimed.
“I am not,” Vladya stated calmly, relieved that his voice remained composed. He resumed his scribbling. “She belongs to the feral.”
“Nonsense. Matters like that do not concern you. I have had nearly every slave, every maiden you have been with, and you have never batted an eyelash,” Zaiper’s gaze grew more penetrating, suspicious. “Is this girl different? Do you want her?”
Vladya would sooner sever his own arm. He signaled to the soldier, who stepped forward and took the scroll from him.
Rising from his throne, he approached Zaiper and stopped in front of him. “If you ever speak of this again, you will not like the way I respond.”
The second ruler’s face paled.
He cleared his throat. “There is no need to get so serious. Fine, you do not have an interest in the girl. That’s a good thing for me, as I am considering having either her or the boy. So, let’s not dwell on it. No need to get all… like that.”
Lord Ottai stared at Vladya with a puzzled expression. Vladya ignored him, returning to his throne and lowering himself onto it once more.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Anyway, let us discuss the preparations,” Lord Ottai finally broke the tension.
••••••
Emeriel had finished his cleaning duties.
As the hours passed, the beast made no move to attack him, and by the time he was done, his fear had somewhat abated.
Perhaps the creature had some sort of routine, a specific time or day when its instincts demanded certain needs…like segz. Perhaps today was not the day it became horny.
It made sense, in a way. This would explain why Aekeira was not sent in all the time and why his bloodhost only visited occasionally. The thought was oddly soothing and calmed the last of his fears.
Feeling exhausted, Emeriel decided to take a brief respite.
And what better place to find safety and tranquility than a spot that both slaves and masters avoided like the plague?
Emeriel settled down on the floor in front of the imposing metal gates, his legs folded under him, leaving some distance between himself and the gate.
“It’s not as if you would understand a word I say, right? Sometimes it’s simply hard to believe that you were once the great grand king,” he spoke aloud. “You probably have more reason to h@?? humans even more than Grand Lord Vladya.”
The feral creature lay down, its jaw resting on the floor, its eyes fixed on Emeriel.
“I bet you don’t even recall what you did to me. Why did you do it? Why me?” Emeriel shook his head. “I don’t understand. What baffles me the most are the strange things that have begun to happen to me since that night. I do not like any of it, Grand King.”
“Why does my body react to you? Why do I see you in my dreams? Why do I think about you all the time? Why does my body… why does my body crave more of you?” Whispering those words made them all too real, causing goosebumps to break out on his arms.
Emeriel’s attention shifted to the food nearby.
It was meat, but not as raw as the one next to it. He rose to his feet and carefully took out a plate from the tray. The aroma wafted up, tantalizing his senses.
“I could eat this, right?” he asked aloud, still eyeing the steak.
When he looked up, a gasp escaped him.
The beast suddenly stood close, having left its previous spot. It could easily reach out its paws and grab him.
I shouldn’t have come here. I should have listened to the soldier and left. Fear rooted him in place.
What was the point of running now? The creature could easily break free and catch him.
They locked eyes, a tense silence enveloping them.
Then, unexpectedly, the beast crouched down on the floor, sitting. Waiting.
A wave of relief washed over Emeriel. But, he still considered fleeing.
However, a low rumble from the beast stopped him in his tracks. Helplessly, he remained where he stood, unsure of what to do.
In the end, he cautiously lowered himself back onto the floor, watching for any reaction from the creature. To his relief, it did nothing.
That had to be a good sign, right?
“Look, I know I have angered you. I invaded your privacy, but…” Emeriel paused, realizing the beast was staring pointedly at his hands, which held the food.
$h|t. Of course, he should not have picked up the plate.
Driven by some unknown force, Emeriel’s legs moved on their own accord, carrying him closer to the beast. “Would you like to eat?” he offered, tossing the steak toward it.
The feral creature eyed the steak. Glanced at Emeriel.
Then, it’s head lowered, taking a bite.
It was eating? What was happening here?
Surprised, Emeriel threw another piece of meat. And then another.
The beast devoured them all.
For some reason, a surge of pleasure shot through him. Before he knew it, he was feeding the beast.
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