Page 97 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

"Exactly." Mich sat beside them. "But I had to be certain. So I had one of the soldiers taken by my men. He wouldn't divulge a thing, no matter how much we... persuaded him." Mich snorted. "Damn thing was loyal to a fault. But when I heard in the fortress the grand king was off helping a young female through her heat, my suspicions grew. Still, I needed confirmation. So, I had my men kidnap the soldier's bondmate, threaten to slit her throat if he didn't talk."

Galeb hummed in approval. "Then, he talked, I assume."

"Spilled everything. The boy is actually a girl. A Syren."

"No shit.” Galeb chuckled. “The little cunt deceived us all. Finally, a real reason to eliminate the boy. This crime will gethim publicly executed. The Master is going to love this. A lot," Galeb added with relish.

"My thoughts exactly. We inform him upon his return," Mich agreed.

"We need to eliminate the girl. Fast," Razarr spoke up.

"Should we?” Galeb hesitated. “But. Lord Zaiper—"

"Lord Zaiper is in the mountains and won't return until tomorrow or the next, depending on how fast he concludes his dealings. That girl needs to be gone sooner than that. He always wanted that boy dead." Razarr rose and began to pace, his mind racing. "Her recovery should be over soon. This time, we kill her for good."

"That boy—girl, Emeriel—is as fast as a cheetah, maybe even faster. Have you forgotten?" Galeb's lip thinned. "Knowing he's a girl makes it even more embarrassing how she outran our men last time."

"Not this time," Razarr countered with the barest hint of a smile. "It's impossible to have that much energy immediately after heat recovery."

"Why the hurry?” Mich questioned, frowning. “Why eliminate her in secret when she can be publicly executed for her crimes?"

Because if Razarr’s hunch was correct, that girl might be the grand king'sSoulbond.She has to die.The sooner, the better.

"Deceiving the four rulers? Keeping such a secret? Making fools of them? Her crime is far too great,” Mich argued. “Instead of assassination, we should make public execution the first option. We wait for the Master to return before making any move."

Razarr shook his head, determination hardened his features. "Get the men ready. Once she steps out of that estate, we kill her.

Chapter twenty-seven

THOUGHTS AND WISHES

Bymidnight,GrandKingDaemonikai stepped out of the carriage, moonlight glinting off the polished surface as Wegai bowed before him. Daemonikai strode forward, his legion of soldiers falling in behind him.

It had been a long journey, and all he wanted was to retreat to his residence for some much-needed rest.

Three whole days spent on werewolf soil was no easy feat. But this particular trip had been of paramount importance. After the official matters were concluded, King Azrael had confided in him about the escalating troubles with the vampire clans.

The cursed bloodsuckers were once again testing the boundaries of the werewolf lands, searching for vulnerabilities, eager to not only infiltrate but perhaps even claim territory.

Four of the creatures had been captured and eliminated, but Daemonikai knew this was a temporary solution. Urekai and Werewolves’ enmity with vampires stretched back millennia, long before his own birth.

Daemonikai had always believed if any species were to uncover the secret of the Urekai’s night of weakness and breach their defenses, it would be those cunning bloodsuckers. Certainly not humans.

Traitorous animals.

Yet, one human occupied his thoughts more than he cared to admit.Galilea.

She had been on his mind incessantly these past few days, even when he was supposed to be focused on critical matters in the werewolf court.

Everything about her was different.

In every way.

He might be centuries out of practice, but when it came to her, something didn't feel right. Or perhaps it felt too right.

He'd slept more soundly with her than he had in the past three months. There were nights he ran the woods, hunted for sport, had been so exhausted afterward, yet hadn't found rest.

But with Galilea, despite her demanding heat, he'd managed to find peaceful slumber in the brief moments between. Beside her,a human.

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