Page 74 of The Princess and Her Grand King

Daemonikai leaned into her touch, lowering his head so she could stroke his cheek. He purred, enjoying her touch.

Sadness tugged at him. His male side couldn't get this unguarded affection from her.

But for now, he was content. The beast could reach her in ways the male couldn’t, and Daemonikai was willing to take what he could get.

He could definitely spend the rest of his day this way.

***

That night, Princess Emeriel slipped under the covers, a soft, unguarded smile still on her face. She hadn't felt this happy in ages.

Both the male and beast occupied her thoughts even long after their parting.

While the male stirred up emotions she wasn’t ready to face, the beast was different. Easier. Safer.

She could manage the beast’s affection without risking the walls she had carefully built around her heart.

Lord Herod said Urekai males were basically linked to their beasts, two halves of the same whole.

But Emeriel didn’t allow herself to dwell on that, casting reason aside, and embracing the simplicity of her beast’s company.

That day in the woods had been agonizing.

Leaving him there had been one of the hardest decisions she’d ever made, but she'd had to do it.

It was either that or succumb to the all-powerful urge to collapse into his arms. Beg him to take her back. To see beyond pity and offer her even a fraction of his love.

She had left with the last shred of her dignity intact, determined to avoid him.

But her Beloved had been persistent. And today, she had genuinely enjoyed her beast’s company.

You know who you truly wish to spend your day with is his male form,her inner self argued.

"No, I do not," Emeriel muttered firmly.

She imagined her own mind laughing at her.You long to see him laugh, to see that rare, carefree smile. You crave to be cherished by him, to hear him call you ‘beloved’ once more. You wish for his arms around you, for his embrace and his kisses.

You may deceive everyone else, but here, in the deepest recesses of your mind, you cannot lie to yourself. You are starving for him, for the man you’ve tried so hard to forget. You want to cast aside the past, fall back into his arms.

The heaviest longing Emeriel had ever known sprang within her. So intense tears stung her eyes yet again.

"No, you will not do this to yourself again, Emeriel,” she chided herself. “You must not let your guard down. If you do, just like two years ago, you will be defenseless against the pain. You cannot fall into that hole again."

Her tears dried without falling.

Oh, Emeriel…her inner self mourned.Give yourself a break.

Emeriel rolled onto her side, curling into a fetal position. The grand king is recovering well. Although the bond remains dormant, his soul is beginning to heal.

Perhaps it was time she started preparing to return home.

***

Emeriel hadn’t seen King Daemonikai for two days. It was a good thing, right? She craved solitude. To be left alone. Uninterrupted. Undisturbed.

So, why did she keep glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting him to appear?

Why did a smile touch her lips every time she recalled his last visit?

---