Page 106 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

"I need your word."

"You have my word." Vladya massaged his brow, adding in a low tone, "I promise."

"Seal it with an oath."

Vladya's frustration flared. "You...Bloody hell.” A deep breath. “Fine, I vow that I will fight the feral madness. I will fight with my last breath. Happy?"

Only then did the rigidness in Daemonikai's posture ease. That would be enough for now.

"No wonder people have misunderstood our friendship over the centuries." Vladya snorted, gesturing between them. "Just so you know, this is unhealthy. You are as toxic as the devil's tits."

"Shut up." Daemonikai glowered at him. "Don't think I did not hear how you chosethis." He mirrored Vladya's gesture. "How you choseme, over our people for five centuries. You were all that stood between my feral self, our laws, and Zaiper.”

Vladya's cheeks flushed, looking uncomfortable. "Forget that." He cleared his throat. "It seems history is about to repeat itself, only now, I'm on the feral side."

"No, you arenot, you brat.” Throat tight, Daemonikai pulled Vladya into another bone-crushing hug. “I will stand between you and that dark void, you hear me?" he vowed. "Now you tell me everything. How the symptoms are, what you're feeling right now, what you want. Leave no detail untold. Let's fight this.Together. And if you go down, we go down together. You hear me?"

He felt more than saw Vladya nod against his shoulder.

By dusk, Daemonikai slumped against the doorframe, frustration simmering beneath his skin, his energy drained.

Spending the entire day in Vladya's residence, he had observed a lot. Feral was like a slow-acting disease, typically taking ten to fifteen years to fully manifest after the first symptoms appeared. But Vladya's case was different, because he wasn't fighting his.

It had been less than two years since the signs began, and already the affliction had progressed at a pace faster than a person in his eighth year of battling the madness.

The vacant stares, the uncontrollable shift from male to beast, the insatiable hunger, and so on. Vladya’s madness was closing in... with terrifying speed.

Though they remained indoors all day, they'd tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Working together in Vladya's study, playing cards, they even shared meals.

Wegai kept the grand king informed, bringing him constant updates, but to Daemonikai, the world outside this residence was irrelevant.

His priority was Vladya’s sanity.

All that mattered was Vladya.

Worst of all was seeing Vladya battle his instincts. Twice today, Daemonikai had watched as a wildness took over his friend's features. Growling and pacing the floor like a caged beast. Body coiled with tension. Battling.Resisting.

Like now, he was doing it again. Fist clenched as he stomped from one end to another.

Each time Daemonikai demanded to know what exactly Vladya was resisting so hard, he was met with a defiant glare and a stubborn set to Vladya's jaw.

Daemonikai understood stubbornness. That, iron control, and sheer force of will were traits he and Vladya shared. He should let it go, but curiosity wouldn’t let him.

What was it that Vladya resisted so fiercely, and why did he look so utterlyravenouseach time he fought back?

When they ate meals, Daemonikai had ordered extra food, assuming hunger might be the issue. It wasn't.

Thewildhungerin Vladya’s eyes remained.

Shifting away from the door, Daemonikai strode across the room and eased into the chair, propping his boots on the table’s edge, casually crossing them at the ankles.

"If you drank from Merilyn just days ago, I assume bloodlust is not the problem," Daemonikai mused, his gaze following Vladya as he stalked across the study. “So… sexlust, then."

Vladya shot him a glare, huffing in irritation. His nose and cheek were bruised and slightly swollen from Daemonikai's blows, but it didn't seem like the male felt the pain, pacing restlessly.

Somehow, the wild look in Vladya's eyes grew stronger. As if he truly was having a hard time resisting.

Daemonikai was done with this.

---