Page 38 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

A soft whimper escaped the boy. The faint smell of fear filling Daemonikai's nostrils snapped him back to his senses.

He released the boy, stepping back. "I apologize. I'm not always so... uncontrolled," he muttered, pressing a hand to his temple.

The boy's chest heaved with ragged breaths, his eyes wide and glassy. He caught the faintest smell of musk. A familiar one too, tugging at the edges of his memory.Where had he caught this scent before?

"Why do you seem familiar to me?" he demanded, his voice a low growl. "And I do not mean your features alone. I despise closeness and invasion of my personal space, especially fromstrangers, and more so from humans. Yet, you do not trigger my defenses. Why?"

The boy swallowed hard and shook his head, unable to speak.

Daemonikai did not expect any responses. Even his own words sounded absurd to him. He retreated another step, putting more space between them.

"What is your name?" Dameonikai asked, his voice softer now.

"Emeriel, Your Grace," the boy answered, his voice barely audible. "My name is Emeriel."

Emeriel. Even the boy's name was a soothing. What was happening to him?

First, an undeniable attraction to a betrothed princess, and now, a male?

In five millennia of existence, Daemonikai had never once been tempted by a male, regardless of species. Urekai were known to swing both ways, but he had always been strictly drawn to females. Until now.

The boy's mere presence made him more aroused. His erection strained painfully against his pants, demanding relief. His hands itched to touch the boy, to bend him over and—

A growl rumbled in his chest, snapping him back to reality.

Daemonikai was not about to explore new urges at this stage of his life. He was too old for such youthful experiments. Far too set in his ways. He should dismiss the boy and be done with it.

"Follow me," he turned towards the door. Even though the boy was scentless and human, Daemonikai could not bring himself to let him go. Not yet.

The boy should be kept far away, especially on a night like this. But something about those sparkling blue eyes and his delicate, almost ethereal features made him want to stick the boy to his side. It was messed up.

In his bedchamber, Daemonikai entered, but the boy hesitated at the threshold, his eyes wide with apprehension.

"Come in."

Emeriel obeyed, stepping into the dimly lit room. A wave of satisfaction washed over Daemonikai at the sight of the boy within his territory.

His presence here, in Daemonikai’s private space, calmed some of the raging restlessness within him.

With a fluid grace that belied his inner unrest, Daemonikai shed his outer robes, reducing his attire to a single, sheer robe clinging to his powerful frame. He then reclined on the expansive bed, his gaze pinned intently on Emeriel.

The boy's cheeks flushed pink, his eyes darting nervously around the room, deliberately avoiding Daemonikai's steady stare.

Even the boy's air of innocence and elegance appealed to him.

"Take a seat there," Daemonikai nodded toward a set of plush, upholstered chairs near a large window. "I am expecting company. Until she arrives, you will stay."

"As you wish, Your Grace," the boy murmured, obediently moving to the indicated chair and sitting down, his posture rigid and formal.

Daemonikai lay on his side, propped up by one elbow, watching Emeriel with a scrutinizing expression.

The boy squirmed, shifting uncomfortably in the chair.

What am I doing?Daemonikai questioned as he lay back against the pillows. He should be alone, jerking himself off for a quick release while he waited for Alviara. That would dull the ache and make the hunger bearable.

Instead, he lay here with a throbbing headache, consumed by the presence of a human boy who did nothing more than merely exist within his sight.

Mistress Alviara entered the bedchamber gracefully upon receiving permission. She dipped into a deep curtsy, her voice smooth as silk. "Long live Your Grace."

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