Page 150 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

"By the heavens, this is very bad. What have you done, Emeriel? Who touched you?"

"No one! I was merely by the river—"

"Do NOT lie to me. Who touched you!?" Lord Vladya's voice thundered.

The blood rushed from Emeriel's face, leaving him ghastly white. He had never seen Lord Vladya raise his voice, and the fury directed at him now chilled him to the bone.

But if he talked, Master Boris would hurt Aekeira. Emeriel bit his lip until the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth. He had to hold out.

"Emeriel. Who. Touched. You?" Lord Vladya barked once more, his voice like whiplash.

"I cannot tell!" Emeriel's voice broke into a scream. His body trembled like a leaf in a storm. Eyes downcast, he choked out, "I can't!"

The beast unleashed a guttural bellow that shook the room.

Lord Vladya shifted. In a blur of muscle and fur, the angry man was gone, replaced by his beast form. As magnificent and terrifying as the feral.

Emeriel's bladder threatened to betray him as he forced himself as still as a corpse, not daring to even breathe.

Lord Vladya's beast stepped closer, and took a deep inhale, nostrils flaring. Then, he reverted to his human form. "A Urekai male. The scent is distinct, yet familiar. What is his name?"

"Boris," Emeriel confessed at last. “He is a slavemaster.”

The beast retreated, releasing Emeriel. Then, it lunged at the oak door, shattering it with terrifying force. Metal locks snapped like twigs. In seconds, the forbidden chambers lay open. The beast was gone.

Grand Lord Vladya looked at Emeriel. "He is going after that scent."

Chapter forty-eight

THE FERAL HUNTER

"Follow me," Grand Lord Vladya called over his shoulder, before he rushed after the beast.

Emeriel hurried after him, his heart in his throat. Part of him felt a sense of relief. The beast had noticed that scent. He was going to hunt it down.

But Emeriel was terrified as he ran to keep up with Lord Vladya's long strides. Fear of the unknown gripped him. Oh gods, the slavemaster would reveal Emeriel's secrets tonight during the confrontation, wouldn't he? Shout it across the land so everyone, including Lord Vladya, would hear that Emeriel was, in fact, a girl?

He stopped to scratch his arm, as he'd done three times already. Emeriel recognized the signs of his approaching heat cycle early this time. He was about to go into heat again.

Head raised to the sky, he whispered, "Please, let it be a mini-heat, not a full heat."

Despite his racing heart and his hands slick with sweat, Emeriel ran as fast as he could, catching glimpses of Lord Vladyaas he turned corners, still tracking the beast's scent. His training in Navia kicked in. If there was one thing Emeriel excelled at, it was running. He was swift on his feet.

He heard Lord Vladya send a soldier to the eastern wings to fetch Grand Lord Ottai. Screams rose in the distance, rising above the pounding of Emeriel’s pulse. Chaos spread like wildfire through the village. Soon, a small crowd trailed behind, their voices a loudness of terror and curiosity as they wondered where the beast was headed.

By the time Emeriel caught up with Lord Vladya, he was breathless, and they had ventured quite far from the fortress. They stood before a small hut not far from the tavern, where another gathering had formed. Grand Lord Zaiper had also arrived, completing the assembly of grand lords. And there, in front of the hut, stood the beast.

A strangled cry, laced with raw terror, ripped through the air. "What is going on—Holy Ukrae!" Master Boris's voice reached Emeriel before the male stumbled out of the house. The slavemaster’s face was drained of color, eyes wide with a primal fear as he took in the sight of the raging, panting beast in front of his home. Never had Emeriel imagined he'd witness such stark terror contort Master Boris's features.

Master Boris's gaze whipped through the small crowd with frantic desperation, finally landing on Emeriel like a hawk seizing its prey. "You wretched creature! You betrayed me? After I explicitly warned you not to?"

Oh, to hell with this. He was done fearing him.

Emeriel glared daggers in his direction.Do your worst, stupid fool.

"Fine then!" Boris raged. "I am delighted that everyone is here, for I shall reveal—"

The beast loomed over him, lifting him off the ground with a single, powerful hand. The feral ripped Boris's shoulder off, then the other, leaving the slavemaster's arms dangling uselessly.

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