Page 75 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

His rut was getting in the way of his tracking. The girl’s scent was all he could think about.

Stopping, he squeezed his eyes closed, filling his lungs with deep fresh air, attempting to think of what could be wrong with Vladya. Daemonikai tried not to worry, but it was becoming hard not to.

Even when breaking the laws he helped create, Vladya would typically confess his wrongs bluntly, leaving Daemonikai to clean up the mess.

Was Herodis around?

His eyes snapped open. He had left in such a hurry, fighting his instincts tooth and nail, that he hadn't even stopped to confirm the Lord of Agriculture’s whereabouts.

Of course, he's at home.His female is in heat; where would he go?

But you took her away. What if he is off to his duties? He expects her to be in good hands, after all.

Now, he was also arguing with himself. Great. Very mature.

Daemonikai exhaled, walking and sniffing. The girl had him wound so tight, even the smallest task was difficult. Never before had he experienced such uncertainty leaving a female after her heat.

But this is not after heat, was it? What if the heat waves were back? What if she was suffering right now?

"I can smell you, Wegai," Daemonikai’s voice cut through the silence of the woods. "You can stop hiding in the trees now."

The rustle of leaves and the snap of a twig preceded Wegai’s appearance from behind an oak tree. His expression stoic and impassive, all professional, as usual. "Your Grace.”

Daemonikai resumed his stride, hands clasped behind his back. "You have become rusty. You used to be able to tail me for a few hours before I caught you. I thought I instructed you not to follow?"

"I apologize, Your Grace." Wegai's voice was steady, betraying none of the defiance Daemonikai knew simmered beneath the surface.

"Are you sorry?"

"No, I'm not," Wegai replied, coolly.

His general was a stickler for laws and order, but he tended to disobey direct orders when they involved him staying put while Daemonikai moved around unprotected. It was a familiar dance between them. Daemonikai was used to it.

"You were keeping guard all night at the high lord's estate?" Daemonikai asked.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Is Herodis home at the moment?"

"No, he left early this morning. There was a fire in one of the barns at Brookwood. He has gone to investigate."

Daemonikai's muscles tensed, as he came to a stop. "What? Who is with the girl?"

Wegai hesitated. "I wondered if I should bring it up," he began cautiously. "The girl was in a lot of pain after you left. I think it's the heat waves."

A vice-like grip tightened around Daemonikai's heart. The usually familiar landscape blurred around the edges, and his beast roared. Jumping and banging its head against the walls of his chest, snarling like a rabid dog.

The image of Galilea, alone and suffering a heat contraction, filled his mind, igniting a rage he could barely contain. Hehurt.

Daemonikai whirled around, starting back towards the estate before he could think.

His pace quickened with each step.

Then, he was running.

Emeriel could hear the moans of anguish in the air as she rode another wave of excruciating pain.

It felt as though an iron fist clenched around her organs, squeezing tighter, twisting, andcrushingwithout mercy.

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