BEAST'S SLAVE - CHAPTER 7&8
“Drink up,” Livia said, offering Emeriel a wooden cup.
Emeriel resisted the urge to ask what was in it and instead took the cup from her and downed its contents in one swift motion. It tasted so bitter that it took all of his willpower not to spit it out.
The older woman walked away and began cutting another set of dry leaves. Emeriel watched her. He had returned after being thrown out of the south wing, only to find Amie waiting for him. The girl had told him that Livia wanted to see him.
That was when he finally freaked out about his secrets being out in the open. Emeriel’s heart was basically in his throat when he knocked on Livia’s quarters and was let in. The woman hadn’t uttered a word to him; she simply offered him herbs.
“Chew on this,” Livia instructed, giving him some seeds. Emeriel did as she asked.
“I know you must be aching everywhere after the night you had. It should not take long for them to kick in. They should help with the pain, bruises, and soreness,” Madam Livia explained.
“Thank you, madam.” Emeriel’s gratitude reflected in his blue eyes. His body ached intensely, and the soreness in his private areas made it a challenge to walk without discomfort.
All morning he had resisted the urge to walk with his legs open. A hush settled in the air.
But the suspense was ki||ing him.
“Why are you not asking me questions?” he asked at last, looking at her. She stood there by the fireplace, her gaze searching but unreadable.
“I thought about it all night—haven’t thought of much else. You live dangerously, Emeriel.”
“I do not have a choice.”
“Mm.” A pause, “You know, I’ve been thinking of the next step to take. What do I do? Should I report this to Grand Lord Vladya? Should I—”
“No!” Emeriel fell to his knees instantly, “Please, you cannot tell anyone!”
Madam Livia’s lips pursed. She looked away, “I wish I never knew. I would be punished with you if this comes to light.”
“Please, do not! I will do anything!” He pleaded desperately.
Livia sighed and rubbed her forehead like she had developed a headache. “It does not matter what you do. Nothing matters if you are caught. Everyone who knew about this will pay severely with you.”
“I will swear that no one knew. Not you, not Amie, not my sister. I will keep denying it until I take my last breath, I swear on my parents’ grave.” Emeriel crawled on his knees, closing the distance between them and took the woman’s hand into his, “I would never do anything to implicate you for helping me, Madam Livia.”
The older woman said nothing, her eyes scrutinizing him. Finally, her eyes softened, “How have you managed to stay hidden? How have you managed to hide your secret for this long?”
Emeriel averted his eyes. He wondered how to answer that. “It was not easy.” He answered truthfully.
He might have been male all his life, but he wanted nothing more in this life than to be who he truly was—a female. Emeriel wanted to put on gowns and petticoats, instead of surcoats and tunics.
He yearned to let his hair grow and put on jewelries. It was his greatest wish, all deeply buried inside him. But, it was simply impossible.
His parents had risked everything to make him male. To protect him. They had suffered greatly to make sure he lived like that. Emeriel would not let all they worked for be in vain.
If the sky answers wishes and prayers, his sister would find a good match one day. A male who would protect her with his life and keep her safe from all the horrors of being female. And Emeriel would live the rest of his life as a male.
No hopes of a match, no hopes of love, no hopes of children.
Just alone.
He had known that since he was old enough to understand, his entire life had been a lie. The life he lived was not his own. But he had accepted it a long time ago.
Livia’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “If it was bad before, it’s going to get worse in the future. You’re a Siren.”
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Grand Lord Vladya strode with regal poise as he made his way to the forbidden chambers. With hands clasped behind his back, he moved with sophistication and grace, dressed in an exaggerated, sweeping white robe designed with intricate golden needlework.
The fabric cascaded behind him like a flowing river of silk with every movement of his body.
As he passed, people instinctively cleared a path. They bowed deeply with their heads nearly touching the ground. Veering toward the south wing, he followed the hallway that led to the forbidden chambers. The soldiers saw him and bowed in deference.
Then, he dismissed them. Lord Vladya waited until the hall was empty before he approached the imposing metal gates of the forbidden chambers, constructed with iron rods that could withstand their species’ formidable strength.
These sturdy gates were used to fortify all the dungeons within Ravenshadow fortress, and it had proven unbreakable, having caged Urekais for over a millennia. They were the very best.
But, Daemonikai had breached these metal gates four times. Four good times. Effortlessly.
For their people to feel safe, they would like to believe to they held the beast captive. But, in truth, the beast was behind those gates only because it wanted to.
Inside the room, darkness enveloped the space, rendering it pitch-black for humans or a young Urekai. However, for one as ancient as Vladya, with his heightened vision, it appeared as bright as a clear morning.
The room itself was vast and sparsely furnished, devoid of decorations. His gaze fell upon the girl—she lay curled protectively into herself, unmoving.
As he took his first step toward her, the scent of the beast reached his nostrils. His own beast growled within, stirred by the presence. Vladya turned toward the hulking, magnificent form of the beast, its yellow eyes glaring at him. The beast emitted a thr_@tening growl and began to prowl closer.
Vladya remained motionless, striving to remain calm and unthr_@tening, to appear as harmless as he could. If the beast sensed any hint of danger from him, its instinct would be to attack. And as a mindless beast, Daemonikai would indeed attack.
It had happened before, leaving Vladya with scars that served as a reminder that he had lost his best friend forever.
The beast circled him, its predator-like movements portraying its annoyance at the invasion of its territory. It halted in front of Vladya, looming close, and towered over him.
Then, it leaned in, its snout extended, waiting. The beast sought to assert dominance.
His own beast growled thr_@teningly inside him, furious at the audacity of this strange beast attempting to assert dominance over them. But Vladya suppressed his own beast and every alpha instinct within him. He lowered his head and tilted it to the side in submission.
The feral beast pressed its snout against Vladya’s neck, and inhaled deeply. When it seemed unsatisfied, it released a burst of aggressive pheromones–an attempt to provoke Vladya’s own beast.
Yet, Vladya tightly closed his eyes and endured the surge of needles coursing through his body, causing pinpointed pain in every fiber of his being. He did not react.
Finally, the beast pulled back, took a few steps away. Then it turned and retreated to its favored corner behind yet another set of floor-to-ceiling metal bars. Danger successfully abated.
Vladya exhaled deeply, his tension dissipating. He turned and approached the girl, intending to lift her lifeless body. However, as he drew closer, he stilled.
She was still breathing.
He could see bloodstains and bruises around her intimate area, but she was still alive and in one piece. As he took a closer look, he observed the grab-marks, snout-burns, and some other bruises all over her body. Yet, apart from all that, the girl was basically intact.
Vladya had not expected this. The surprise held him frozen in place for a moment.
When an Urekai beast turned feral, the instinct to ki|| was so overpowering that some argued it surpassed both bloodlust and segzual desire. A mindless beast’s touch meant death. Regardless of its actions, the ultimate outcome was always death.
Even if she had managed to survive, Vladya had expected to find the girl in several pieces. Yet, here she was, whole. And she had been in this chambers all night.
What exactly was happening here? How could this be?
Vladya glanced at the beast. Its yellow eyes still devoid of recognition was still glaring at him. And, then back at the girl lying on the floor. How was this possible?
A flicker of hope surged within him, but he forcefully suppressed it. It had taken him a hundred years to accept that his best friend’s mind was gone forever. And it had taken an additional two months of bedridden recovery to heal from the fatal wounds inflicted by the very same beast to put a stamp to that realization.
Do not do that to yourself again, Vladya. Daemonikai is gone. He had scars to show for it.
Bending down, he carefully lifted the unconscious girl into his arms. And as he dis so, his attention was drawn to her left arm.
It bore more bruises than most part of her body. It had been subjected to multiple grab-marks and even snout-burns, indicating that the beast had repeatedly pressed its hairy nose against her arm to inhale her scent particularly from there.
But why? None of this made any sense to him.
Outside the forbidden chambers, Vladya became aware of two guards approaching. They dutifully locked the imposing metal gates behind them, effectively sealing the chamber.
“Inform the head maid, Livia, that I summon her to Blackstone,” he commanded them.
•••••••••••••••••••••
Livia’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “If it was bad before, it’s going to get worse in the future. You’re a Siren.” Brows furrowed, she added, “At least, I think that’s what the Urekais call people like you.”
A Siren? Emeriel shifted uncomfortably, feeling confused. “What does that mean?”
“It’s what the Urekais call non-Urekais that can go into heat. It means you have the compatibility to bond with an Urekai—your insides are altered enough to mate with them. With the new glands and all. Hades, you might even be a soulbond.”
Now, he was even more confused. His eyes must have reflected it because Livia took a deep breath and nodded. “Very well, let us start afresh. What do you know about Urekais in terms of bond and bondmates?”
Emeriel tried to recall everything he’d learned, “I know that what humans call marriage, Urekais refer to as bonding. It is rare for an Urekai to find their soulbond: a person fated to be the other’s soulmate.”
“Only Soulbonds find it remotely easy to bear children. Most Urekais pair through contracted bonding, which means they choose their partners themselves. It’s not because they don’t want the bondmate that Mother Nature specifically created for them, but because finding one’s soulbond is extremely rare.”
“Good, good.” Madam Livia encouraged, “So far, you’re correct. This will definitely make it easier. Go on.”
“Um,” Emeriel racked his brain, thinking of more information. “I know that contracted bonds are very difficult and complicated to create. There are rites and rituals to follow, and sometimes, even after all that, the bond may still not form…because the two souls simply didn’t connect. However, for soulbond, the souls naturally connect, and according to rumors, the bond is ten times stronger.”
“Marvelous,” Livia nodded in approval. “I shall take it from here . Do you recall what transpired last night? Have you ever experienced anything of the sort before?”
When Emeriel shook his head, Livia continued, “You went into heat. It is like menstruation for human females, only more complex and complicated.”
“Furthermore, whereas menstruation follows a monthly cycle, heat lacks a specific timetable. It may occur once every three months or twice in a single month—its varies for each Urekai female and Siren. Essentially, What all this means is that you have the ability to become a bondmate.”
Emeriel found himself at a loss for words. His eyes widened, and he gazed at Livia with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief, as if the elder woman had suddenly sprouted two heads.
“I do not desire this,” he blurted out. “I do not want any part of it.”
“We cannot choose to be a Siren, Emeriel,” Livia replied, her tone firm. “Many human females have attempted to become one over the centuries, some resorting to extreme measures, but it simply does not work that way.”
She paused for a moment, her voice softening. “There are countless females who would do anything to be in your position right now.”
“But I don’t want it!” Emeriel exclaimed. He rose from his seat and began to pace anxiously. “Let them have it, I do not care. I do not want to be a Siren, a bondmate, or anything of the sort.”
Livia stared at him, her silence speaking volumes.
Emeriel ran a trembling hand through his ponytail and came to a stop in front of Livia. He wetted his parched lips, “So, that excruciatingly painful experience I had last night is referred to as a heat?”
“A mini-heat,” Livia corrected.
“A mini-what?” Emeriel’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “It gets worse than that!?” he cried out in horror.
Livia released a deep breath. “I cannot say for certain, Emeriel. I am not a Siren, nor do I know any Sirens. I do not know if the symptoms intensify during full-heat. However, I can tell you that you were fortunate to have only experienced a mini-heat last night.”
Emeriel regarded her with a look that suggested the older woman had lost her mind.
“If it had been a full-heat, it would not have subsided on its own. You would have needed to be mounted by an Urekai male, knotted by him. He would repeatedly have intercourse with you, and when your womb descend, he would need to ejaculate into it while your body locked him in.”
Livia continued. “That, my dear, is the concept of heat segz. You may need to consult the library for further information. However, one thing I do know for certain is that self-pleasure does not stop a full-heat, and a full-heat does not cease without a marathon of heat segz.”
A marathon of heat segz? Mounted? Knotted? Ejaculate into his womb?
Emeriel’s legs suddenly felt weak, unable to support him any longer. He sank into the nearest chair, his face drained of color.
It all sounded like something straight out of the legendary horror stories they were told under the moonlight when they were young.
For a moment, he thought he detected a hint of pity on Livia’s face, but he couldn’t be certain. He was not certain of anything anymore.
“So, you see why I said it will be nearly impossible to maintain the façade of being male?” Livia stood up and began gathering her bag of herbs. “While I sympathize with your plight, I do not show favoritism. You will be treated equally to the other slaves and expected to work just as diligently.”
“You may have succeeded in disguising your gender, but your beauty cannot be hidden. These lustful slave masters will eventually desire you, sooner or later. What if one of them uncovers your secret? What happens then? Not to mention that you will be required to bathe in the river like everyone else. What would you do then?”
Emeriel’s skin crawled with discomfort. Of course, he had known all of this before; it was no different from his knowledge of the lives of slaves and commoners. However, hearing it laid out so plainly now made his situation all the more real.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He longed for Aekeira. He wanted his sister.
Just then, a knock came at the door. “Mistress Livia? Your presence is requested in Blackstone,” came the loud announcement.
“I will attend to it. Thank you, soldier,” Livia replied promptly. The sound of retreating footsteps filled the air.
“What is Blackstone?” Emeriel asked.
“It is the domain of Grand Lord Vladya. He governs the western wing of this estate, and his residence is located there,” Livia explained. In a quieter tone, she added, “I wonder why he wishes to see me.”
Emeriel wiped his eyes and swallowed hard. “Do you think it’s about my sister?”
Madam Livia ignored that, “You may leave now. I have already informed Slave Master Gaine that you will be working in the cellar for the time being. Expect the soldiers to arrive soon.”
A cellar slave? It wasn’t ideal, but it could have been worse. “Very well. Thank you, Madam Livia, for everything,” he responded softly as he rose to take his leave.
“Emeriel?”
He turned back, his gaze fixed on her. “Yes, Madam?”
Livia hesitated. “I would not hold out hope regarding Aekeira.”
When she offered no further words, tears once again sprang to Emeriel’s eyes,and he couldn’t hold back a sob. He had dreaded the thought, refusing to entertain it. But deep down, he knew he had been fooling himself.
He had a bad feeling about this. Emeriel walked blindly to his chambers and locked the door behind him. Collapsing onto the floor, he began to weep uncontrollably, his sorrow overwhelming him.
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Questions that need answers. ✍️
What theory did you have as to how Aekeira survived the feral beast? 🤔
How good did you understand what being a Siren means? 🤔
What do you think about the news Emeriel got? Do you think him/her being a Siren is a good thing? Do you think it would be favorable to him/her? 🤔
And lastly, Aekeira might have survived till morning, but would she live tho? She’d been through hell afterall. And her sister already has a bad feeling 💔
Drop it all down here👇🏾I’m curious to know 🤔
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