BEAST'S SLAVE - CHAPTER 49
Aekeira stirred from her slumber, feeling a weight pressing upon her. Even before opening her eyes, she knew Grand Lord Vladya had joined her.
Her body tingled with warmth, and she could already feel herself becoming aroused, even as dread filled her. Swallowing nervously, she looked up at him.
“Aekeira,” he uttered in a guttural groan. He appeared livid, though that was nothing new. But this time, he looked…tired too.
Not physically exhausted, but mentally burdened. Aekeira struggled to find the right words to describe it, but tiredness seemed to fit.
“Your Highness,” she whispered. In close proximity to him now, Aekeira forced herself to look beyond the fear that always clouded her perception of this male and truly observe him.
As she surveyed him, Merilyn’s words echoed in her mind. Knowing what he had endured helped Aekeira to see him as more than just her captor, slave master, heartless grand lord, and tormentor. She saw him as just any male. As flesh and blood.
She wanted to hug him. Even if he would likely strangle her for it, Aekeira still wanted to hug him anyway.
Huh. People must mean this when they say one was playing with scorching fire.
“Do not look at me like that,” he growled, his voice sharp.
“Like what?”
“Like…” he seemed to search for the words in his head but gave up. “Just don’t look at me like that.”
Like I want to embrace you and ease your pain? Aekeira had always been compassionate. It was her and her sister’s strength as well as their doom.
Ever since she had learned about his struggles, she had thought about him more times than she cared to admit. Living a long life was one thing, but living it in misery was something else entirely.
He leaned down and pressed his nose against her neck, inhaling deeply. A rumbling growl escaped him, sending shivers down Aekeira’s spine.
“You smell so good,” he grumbled. “You should not smell like this. No one has the right to smell like this.”
Aekeira opened her mouth to speak.
“Don’t,” he interrupted, his voice muffled against her neck. “Do not talk,” Pulling back, he rose above her and undressed.
Then, in quick, jerky movements, he pulled Aekeira’s nightdress over her head. His claws slipped out, slashing through the fabric, leaving her nude before him. His eyes devoured her naked form.
Aekeira let out a shameful whimper, aware of what he saw. She was so drenched that she could feel her own pool of moisture without glancing down.
“wh-_-re,” he uttered, his voice low and deep. Devoid of the usual aggression. “Sweet, little wh-_-re.”
The insulting word made Aekeira more aroused. Her head rolled to the side, her eyes tightly shut.
His body came over hers, his hands gripped her thighs and spread them wide. His manhood probed her entrance, once, twice, and then, it was in.
Aekeira cried out, the usual pain was there, but dulled. And pleasure. Sharp, intense pleasure.
His body covered hers completely, his hands encircling her throat. He withdrew and th-ru_st back in, again and again.
He wasn’t as rough with her as he had been in the past, and Aekeira couldn’t fathom why. She didn’t dwell on it. Her body felt full and strange. A sigh escaped her lips as he kept rocking into her.
“So good,” he sounded wrecked, his grip tightening around her throat. “Why do you feel so d@mn good? I could stay inside you all week and not tire of you.”
The lack of air was doing something to her. Somehow, it heightened the strange pleasure she was already experiencing, leaving her feeling lightheaded. In a good way.
Aekeira Mõ@?ed, her eyes closed again. Time slipped away. She reveled in the weight of his body on top of hers.
The intoxicating pleasure that was coursing through her. It was there, just below the surface, tingling and trickling through her.
Maybe, just maybe, it might be better this time. Bearable.
But suddenly, Lord Vladya’s movements ceased. Lifting one of her legs, he positioned it above her head, angling her hips before plunging deep once more.
He was deeper than ever before, and each stroke sent shards of pain through her body. The pleasurable feeling slowly dissipated, replaced by a harsher, unpleasant sensation.
“Oh, please,” Aekeira sobbed, her body writhing in discomfort. But there was no escape. The sensations washed over her like a tide, relentless and unyielding.
And with each powerful th-ru_st, he bumped against her cërv|x, prodding it, and causing sharp pain to sizzle through her body.
The new position allowed for direct contact, and his phallus relentlessly surged in and out of her, repeatedly hitting the mouth of her womb. It was excruciating.
•
The sound of a girl screaming reached Lord Vladya’s ears. But it felt distant, as if coming from afar.
An overwhelming urge had taken hold of him, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
The powerful need to enter the deepest part of her, meant for him. Her most sacred place. Vladya had never experienced anything quite like it. The need was irresistible. All instinctive.
Vladya tried to fight it, but even he recognized a lost cause when he saw one.
For some inexplicable reason, his Urekai instincts had mistaken Aekeira for a Siren. Capable of full heat. Capable of opening to accommodate his organ in her womb.
With each unsuccessful attempt to enter her deepest core, frustration coursed through Vladya. Why would his female deny him this way? Why would she not let him in!?
“Let. Me. In!” The words spilled from him in rage, his movements erratic, his th-ru_sts vicious.
“I can’t…!” Her screams pierced the night, high-pitched and agonizing. “Please, I can’t!”
“You can, you do not want to.” He snarled, angrily.
“No, no, please, I really can’t!” She sobbed, tears spilling, head shaking from side to side, “I really can’t, please. Have mercy, it hurts a lot.”
Of course, she couldn’t. Aekeira was not in full heat. She was no Siren. She was not his.
So, what in the world was happening to him? Why wouldn’t his body, his almost feral mind, take that freaking hint and stop?
Summoning all his willpower, Vladya managed to slow down his th-ru_sts. His beast roared within him, fighting him to keep going and give them what they need.
What in the name of all that is holy was going on?
Vladya stopped completely. Disregarding the headache that split through his skull and the tumultuous waves of anguish that washed over him, he withdrew from her warm, tight heat.
Instantly, her legs came together and she curled into herself protectively, crying and shaking like a leaf.
Seeing her in such a state hurt him deeply. Perhaps it was because, this time, Vladya had not set out to make it hurt, and all his actions had been purely instinctual.
He had no idea why his heart was squeezing the life out of him, in his chest.
“I am sorry,” he blurted out. But seeing how distraught the girl was, he doubted she had heard him.
He rose, willing his erection to go down. Then, completely ignore it as he put on his garments, and silently walked away.
Arousal still pulsated through him like a relentless drumbeat, his throbbing Ç0ç? hard like granite, begging for release. But Vladya was done for the night.
This time, he was not driven by a thirst for her blood, but a profound yearning to fill her womb with his seed until her belly swelled up.
Either the feral madness was taking hold more rapidly than he had thought, or the human princess, Aekeira, was truly some kind of witch.
•
What just happened? Aekeira wondered, her body and soul wracked with pain. Everywhere hurts. She had come dangerously close to passing out.
Her chamber door opened once again, and her heart impulsively reached out in desperation, wishing for Lord Vladya’s return.
“Keira?” A familiar voice reached her ears.
A breath of relief left her. “Em?” she croaked.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here for you.” Emeriel climbed into bed beside her and hugged her tightly. “He won’t hurt you anymore. I saw him leave.”
Her younger sister murmured soothingly, gently patting her hair. Emeriel’s body trembled, and Aekeira could hear the strain in her voice. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. I’m sorry that I can’t protect you from this. I wish I could.”
How could Aekeira express to her sister that, despite the pain he had caused, she secretly longed for Lord Vladya to return?
How could she explain that, even in the midst of her hurt, she still yearned to feel his touch, to have him inside her again?
Something was seriously wrong with her.
Aekeira buried her face in Emeriel’s throat and let her tears flow freely.
•••••••••••••••
The day bled into dusk, casting long shadows that stretched from the looming towers of Ravenshadow fortress like grasping fingers.
Emeriel and Amie walked along one of the many winding paths that led away from the sprawling fortress.
“Where did you say we were headed again?” Emeriel asked Amie. Dust rose from the path with each step, swirling around their ankles like a smoky haze.
“To the barn, my lady. Madam Livia said you should assist me in milking the cows,” Amie replied.
A flicker of doubt crossed Emeriel’s brow. He’d seen Madam Livia just moments ago in Blackstone, and the headmaid had not mentioned anything of the sort to him.
He followed Amie anyway; after all, the girl had no reason to lie.
“Did you service Lord Vladya, last night?” Amie asked as they walked. “I overheard two maids from Blackstone conversing by the well. Apparently, Lord Vladya dismissed an Urekai maid to go mount a human royal.”
“Is that what they’re saying?” He dismissed an Urekai to pay a visit to Aekeira?
Amie nodded. “He has quite the reputation with the Urekai females in this fortress. They would give anything to capture his attention, no matter how little he was willing to grant them.”
So, why would he fixate on my sister? A storm of emotions brewed within Emeriel.
Aekeira had cried herself to sleep. Emeriel had no idea what had happened, but he knew it went beyond Lord Vladya roughly mounting her. Aekeira hadn’t spoken of it, and he hadn’t pressed.
“So, was it you?” Amie queried once more.
“No, it was Aekeira.” Emeriel saw the relief that washed over Amie’s face, and added. “Is something troubling you?”
“No, nothing,” Amie’s conscience was already ki||ing her, knowing she would soon deliver Prince Emeriel to Master Boris. But the added guilt of doing so shortly after Lord Vladya had mounted her was simply too much for Amie to bear. It was a small comfort that it was not she who had been involved.
“We have arrived,” Amie announced softly, gesturing towards a weathered building ahead.
The barn house, its roof thatched with golden straw, stood a short distance away. The air hung heavy with the scent of hay and livestock, mingling with the rhythmic stirrings of the animals. Shafts of golden sunlight seeped through the gaps in the aged wood, creating patterns upon the earthen floor below.
Amie led Emeriel towards the doors, their hinges groaning in protest as they creaked open. Just as they stepped inside, a large hand, shot out from the shadows and clamped around Emeriel’s arm.
Emeriel yelped in surprise as a large hand, rough as sandpaper, clamped around his upper arm and hoisted him off the ground. Master Boris loomed over him, a cruel sneer twisting his features.
“Finally,” he snarled, his voice dripping with malice. “You’ve done well, Amie. Bringing him to me like a prized boar to the slaughter.”
Amie flinched at the comparison, her eyes widening in terror. Tears welled up, blurring her vision as she stumbled back a step.
Emeriel, his own heart pounding with a frantic rhythm, stared at the girl in disbelief. “Wh-what is the meaning of this, Amie?” he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
“Amie has delivered you into my hands, that is what it means,” Master Boris shoved Emeriel back onto his feet, keeping a tight grip on his arm.
The man’s gaze burned into Emeriel, a mix of raw lust and barely contained anger blazing within. “You stopped working at the inn. Amie is merely fulfilling her end of our agreement.”
Amie whimpered, the weight of her betrayal crushing down on her. Shame burned in her throat, choking back any attempt at explanation.
She stole another glance at Emeriel, his expression a mixture of hurt and confusion.
“I’m s-sorry,” she stammered, her voice barely audible. Shame spurred her back a step further, putting more distance between herself and Emeriel.
“Please, Amie, don’t leave me here. Please, I’m begging you!” Emeriel tried to lunged towards Amie, but Master Boris dug his fingers into his skin.
Master Boris shot Amie a withering glance, “Get out.”
Amie flinched, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “Forgive me,” she mumbled with a choked sob, before whirling around and fleeing the barn house.
*****
Lord Vladya stood like a statue of iron before the imposing metal gates of the forbidden chambers.
His arms were crossed impatiencely, and his gaze pierced through the open oak door at the beast that resided within.
“My Lord,” Livia’s voice broke the silence. “You sent for me?”
Vladya turned his head slightly, “Bring Emeriel here. The beast needs him tonight.” He stated curtly.
Madam Livia hurried away to carry out his command immediately. Lord Vladya was in the darkest mood Livia had ever witnessed, and she had no desire to be the target of his displeasure.
However, she scoured every corner in search of Emeriel; from the southern wings to the western wings, down to the well area and the clotheslines—everywhere. Yet, Livia could not find him.
By the time Livia returned to the fourth wing, her lungs burned from exertion.
Her frantic search had left her breathless, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She stood before Grand Lord Vladya, her composure shaken.
“He is nowhere to be found, Your Highness,” she rasped, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I searched the entire fortress, but there is no sign of Emeriel.”
Vladya straightened, his scowl deepening into a thundercloud. He swept his gaze over Livia, “Then question every slave master, perhaps one sent him on some errand outside the citadel walls.” he ordered.
“And alert the entire garrison. Every soldier in Ravenshadow Citadel will be involved in the search. Find Emeriel. I want him brought before me. Now.”
.
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