Page 64 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

It remained motionless, but its gaze was still on him. Its once-lazy yellow eyes were now wide open.

Emeriel waited andwaited. But when it became evident that the beast would not attack him, he started to relax and commenced his cleaning.

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 Emeriel nearly forgot about the ferocious creature behind the gates, becoming so engrossed inhis 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 to a Urekai soldier standing before him, glaring. "I was assigned to clean this hall."

“Foolish humans wanting to die,” the soldier muttered under his breath. "Fine. But be quick and leave immediately."

Not a problem, you fool."Understood. 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 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 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 as the soldier muttered, walking away.

As the hours passed, the beast made no move to attack Emeriel while he cleaned, 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.... Perhaps today was not the day it became horny.

It made sense, in a way. It 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.

Exhausted, Emeriel decided to take a brief respite.

And what better place to find safety and tranquility than a spot both slaves and masters avoided like the plague?

Emeriel settled 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 you were once the great grand king," he spoke aloud. "You probably have even more reason to hate humans than Grand Lord Vladya does."

The feral creature laid down, its jaw resting on the floor, still watching 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. But 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.”

Whispering those words made them all too real, causing goosebumps to break out on his arms. “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?"

Emeriel's attention shifted to the food nearby.

It was meat, but not as raw as the one next to it. Rising to his feet, he carefully took 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 stood close, having left its previous spot. It could easily reach out and grab Emeriel.

I shouldn't have come here. I should have listened to the soldier and left.

Fear rooted him in place, no longer was there a point to running. The creature could easily break free and catch him.

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