That Prince Is A Girl: The Vicious King’s Slave Mate Novel

Chapter 166: "But still-"

"But still, nothing. If our roles were reversed, I would likely feel the same way." Emeriel pulled away and gazed into Aekeira's eyes. "But you know what, Keira? King Daemonikai may be feral, but somewhere deep within his void of a mind, he recognizes me. Perhaps not as his Soulbond, but as someone remotely important to him. That beast would never harm me."

"I really wish to agree with you, Em, but… I do not know. I still remember that night," Aekeira shuddered. "Everything about him screamed…wild and untamed. Animalistic."

"I slept in the forbidden chambers last night," Emeriel blurted out. Aekeira blinked twice. "You did what?"

"I couldn't sleep. I went there, got inside, and laid with him. He… he allowed me, Aekeira," Emeriel revealed, his voice trembling. "He didn't just let me into his territory; I slept in his arms, cushioned by his soft, furry chest and strong thighs. I buried my fingers in his mane-like hair, and he let me."

"By the gods…" Aekeira swallowed hard. "Oh, Em, you are in deep."

Emeriel hugged his knees. Yeah, tell me about it.

GRAND LORD VLADYA

Grand Lord Vladya stood in his study, a lone figure outlined against the moonlit window. His gaze swept across the training grounds, where the obsidian sky met the jagged peaks of the distant mountains.

He had nearly lost himself that evening. Long after the court session ended, he remained in the back room, locked in a battle against his savage instincts. The only reason he made it was Ottai, that stubborn male, refused to let him do otherwise.

As Vladya's form began to warp and shift, Ottai had partially shifted, restraining him with surprising strength. Vladya had raked him with his claws, leaving deep furrows in Ottai's flesh, but the male wouldn't give up, filling the air with stories of Tiara and Daemonikai, and how they would not have wanted this.

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Vladya had been consumed by rage, but it was not Tiara's memory that pulled him back from the brink. It was another face that flashed before his eyes. Aekeira.

As Ottai spoke of Tiara, Vladya saw the human princess instead. Her wide eyes, filled with a mixture of fear and defiance, had somehow pierced the haze of his anger.

The confusion, the sheer strangeness of the experience, was enough to pull his mind away from the shift. Why, in the name of all that is cursed, would he think about that girl in a moment like that?

Putting the shift on hold allowed him to refocus on his immediate surroundings. It took a while, longer than ever before, to curb those instincts. By the time he regained control, they were both slumped against the wall, exhausted and spent.

"You've fought so hard, Vladya," Ottai had said, his voice thick with emotion, blood gushing from his wounds. "Not just tonight, but with Daemonikai as well. Part of the reason I did not oppose Zaiper in court, as I usually do, is because I think it's time to let him go. This is not healthy. Look at what it's doing to you."

Vladya had offered no response. His head rested against the cool stone wall, eyes closed.

"Part of me wishes Daemon had died that night instead of what happened." Ottai's voice had cracked, the weight of five centuries of grief pressing down on him. "We would have mourned him properly, given him the farewell he deserved. Just as we mourned all the others. Your bondmate, Tiara. Daemon's sons, Alvin and Myka, and his bondmate, Evielyn. My son, Uriel. Even Zaiper's brother, Kristoff." His sigh was a ragged exhalation of pain. "Maybe, if we had mourned him then, things would be different now."

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