Page 83 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

She braced herself for his usual rebuke, as silence reigned. The air was alive with the smell of water lilies, their ivory petals decorating the lake like stars fallen from the heavens.

"That day in court, you unclothed to protect Emeriel. To conceal her true identity.”

Aekeira nodded against him. "My feelings for Lord Zaiper are not...as you believe. I do not lust for him."

"No, you lust for me,” he stated. “The first night I took you, your body grew wet forme, not to the discussion of him."

Aekeira gave another nod against the rough fabric of his robe, heat flooding her cheeks.

He drew a sharp breath, a subtle tremor running through his body. "You dance with fire, little princess. You walk a dangerous path for a soulless male, one who hates your kind. One who barely feels anything anymore."

Aekeira knew this, knew it with painful clarity that her foolish heart refused to acknowledge. Her only answer was to tighten her arms around him.

"I apologize, Aekeira," he said, his tone flat and emotionless. "For that night in the woods. For all the nights before."

His words offered no comfort. Only a deeper unease. This male felt too little to truly regret his actions, yet he apologized…as if fulfilling a duty. Tying up loose ends.

Tears pricked at Aekeira's eyes, but she blinked them back fiercely. "Tell me again," she choked out. "When you truly feel it."

"I may wake a different male tomorrow, Aekeira. For now, it's as if the rage, the anger, the hate...they slumber.” A sigh escaped him, heavy with resignation. “But these days, I cannot predict who I will be at the dawn of a new day. Today, I want you here, your arms around me as we watch the sundown and the moon rise. Tomorrow, I may be consumed by the darkness, the need to hurt you. To lay you down and mount you within an inch of your life until you beg for mercy. And that is not the darkest of my desires, Aekeira. If you knew the depths of them, you would flee in terror."

Aekeira's breath hitched.

He turned to face her. "I want to whip you and make it hurt,” he stated bluntly. "I wish to lay you out naked and design your pretty little skin with the marks of my whip. I want to tie you up and wreck you with my phallus all day long, until you are all raw, bruised, and unable to walk for days. Bedridden from being stuffed full of my big, Urekai cock. Your skin red from the design of my whips."

He paused, his stare piercing into her very soul. "Those arebarelymy instincts on a bad day. Do not take my hands, Aekeira. Run for the hills. Run, and never look back."

A blush spread as he spewed more crude, blatant words until her entire facescorched. He really wanted to do all that to her, the truth lay stark in his eyes.

For the first time, real fear prickled Aekeira’s skin. Dread bloomed in her chest. The things he spoke of, were...downright terrifying to say the least.

Aekeira had never been one to embrace pain, never sought it out. He was right; she should be running as fast and far as she could.Run, Aekeira. Run and never look back!

"Those instincts are dormant for now, are they not?” she heard herself ask. “When they awaken, I will flee, My Lord. But that day is not today."

His brows furrowed in a manner that clearly questioned her sanity.

"King Daemonikai...His feral madness...it wasn't like this, was it?" Aekeira asked tentatively.

Lord Vladya shook his head. "For Daemonikai, there was no warning, no gradual descent. He had a fulfilling martial bond, a loving mate, children…an heir to his throne. The sudden loss of everything, and the manner in which it was taken, shattered his mind.” He sighed.

“He also exhausted himself protecting his people that night, pushing his beast beyond its limits under an eclipse moon. There was no strength left to heal, no energy to resist the encroaching darkness. The cost was his sanity."

There was a flicker of sorrow in his cold eyes. “Mine has been brewing for centuries. A lifetime of anger, unhappiness, bitterness. Rage. Every failed bonding ritual, every new child born to another...Watching the Fates play their cruel game.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “And when they finally granted my wish, they took it all away, three short nights later. This madness has been festering for a damn long time. It’s inevitable."

Fight it!Aekeira wanted to scream, but the words died in her throat. What good would it do?

He resumed walking, and Aekeira followed, with a heavy heart. They crossed the meadows, then the sun-dappled trails winding through ancient woods, and finally, the vineyards heavy with ripening grapes. They walked into the courtyard, where Yaz and the other soldiers awaited them beside a carriage.

Lord Vladya stepped inside, leaving Aekeira in a quandary. Slaves did not ride in carriages, especially not alongside their masters.

Would she be expected to trudge behind the carriage on foot? The thought made her shudder.

"Get in." Lord Vladya closed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of weariness.

"Inside, wi-with you?"

"Get in, Aekeira." There was an uncharacteristic subtle softening in his tone.

---