Page 20 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

And heavens help her, she was already baring her neck for him, offering it to him, her breath quickening.

"I wish to scent you," King Daemonikai admitted, his eyes burning into hers. "You are betrothed, and I should not do this. But I want to, young princess. Your scent calls to me, and it is both distracting and intoxicating. I need to scent you. May I?"

This is a bad idea, Emeriel.A very bad idea.

But her body had already made the decision. "Y-yes," she whispered, "Okay."

In an instant, he buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

An embarrassingly loud moan escaped Emeriel's lips. Her eyes fluttered closed, head tilting to offer him better access.

He inhaled again and again, each breath a deep, hungry pull. As if he wanted to absorb every molecule of her scent. A low rumble vibrated in his chest, a sound so familiar that her eyes watered.

He's mine. My Beloved.

She whimpered, pressing herself closer to him, her body molding against his hard, muscled frame as she simply held on, losing herself to the sensation of his nose and lips against her neck.

Finally, he pulled away, and Emeriel forced her heavy eyelids open. There was a subtle easing of tension in his demeanor that wasn’t there before.

"B-Better?" she asked, her voice husky with desire. Her body tingled everywhere, filled with warmth. Her breasts felt heavy, and her nipples taut.

He gave a nod. "I appreciate that," he replied, his voice regaining its polite tone. "I feel much better now."

That makes one of us.

She had never imagined a simple scenting could ignite such a potent response inside her.I hope to heaven I don't become aroused, because he would smell it.

Moments later, they entered the garden's shed. A small, cozy enclosure filled with gardening tools and various supplies.

Grand King Daemonikai had spoken the truth when he said he felt better. In fact, he felt more at ease than he had in weeks.

Yet, the craving for her scent lingered, a persistent ache in his senses. He wanted to bury his nose there once more. For hours on end.

His own thoughts surprised him. He had never been particularly obsessed with scenting. It was a natural act for his people, an everyday occurrence.

As the grand king, he offered comfort by scenting the hands of his subjects or allowing them to scent his. It was a simple gesture, nothing more. Until now.

Of course, he had loved Evie's scent, and his sons' as well. But as he searched his memories, he couldn't recall ever feeling such a burning desire to scent someone for hours. Except perhaps during Evie’s heats, which didn't count. Heat and rut amplified their animal instincts, driving them to irrational actions.

However, with this young princess, he wanted.Neededto stuff his nose right there for days and fill his lungs with her scent.

"This place was recently rebuilt," her voice echoed softly as she explained, her back to him. "Although the roof isn't finished yet—oh!" she gasped as he spun her around and buried his face in her neck.

This time, he did not ask, he took.

He expected her to protest, to push him away, but she melted into his embrace, a soft moan escaping her lips.

This won't do.

Daemonikai grabbed her, pressing her back against the wall. His body close, enveloping hers, his breath ragged gasps as he stuffed his lungs with a unique floral aroma and earthy ambrosia.

Ukrae, she smelled so good he could eat her up.

"Your Grace," she breathed shakily.

"Need more," he growled, his hot breath fanning across her neck. "I need more. I—”

"Please, please, please," she cried, her hand going around his neck, holding and guiding his head closer. "Take more."

---