The Lycan King and His Dark Temptation Novel

---- And I saw itthe slightest nod on his half-shadowed face.

He had chosen to live, no matter the consequences.

---- desperation.

He was dying.

My mind spun in frantic calculations.

He had seen me with the baby.

He knew my secret.

He could expose me.

And yet, I didnt even know this man.

The only thing I was sure of was that he was an elementalone a supernatural being had grown tired of playing with and had abandoned, nearly dead.

What to do, what to do? Thad an illegal baby in my arms, and now I was about to get myself into more trouble because of my damn soft heart.

"If I save you, you'll be my slave.

I'll chain you to me so you wont be able to tell anyone what happened here," I declared, my voice dominant.

For a moment, I saw hesitation in that eye, drowning in agony.

Twas telling him I would save himonly to trade one torment for another.

But it was the only way I could ensure his loyalty.

Icouldnt take such a dangerous risk, and I wouldnt treat him cruelly like Electra.

Before I left this world, if he proved to be a good man, I would set him free.

In fact, having an obedient slave to use in my plans was rather convenient.

His hand, on the verge of slipping away, made one last desperate effort, his filthy nails digging into the fabric of my sleeve.

---- "Baby, Im back as I promised," I whispered softly, lifting him from the dark hollow and cradling him in my arms, undoing the spell to wake him up.

At once, a pair of heterochromatic eyes blinked at me drowsily, and his tiny mouth began to tremble, on the verge of crying.

"No, no, dont cry, little one.

Youre going to be fine." His tiny nose sniffed at my chest.

He was hungry, I thought.

But there was nothing to eat here.

I needed to get him to the elemental village.

Tturned, ready to flee this place of deathwhen something grabbed my arm with a brutal grip, setting off all my alarms.

I clutched the baby tightly in one arm and tured, channeling all my power to defend myself from an attack that never came.

"Hel..p...

me..." I watched in horror as the bark of the tree seemed to be melting, the stench of rancid blood filling the air.

A dark, bloodied hand clung desperately to my arm.

Through the shadows, I saw him, despite his barely recognizable features.

Amanone of the condemnedleft to rot inside these trees, buried alive and waiting to die, becoming nourishment for the cursed plants.

He spat black blood from his mouth.

His fingers, slick with filth and blood, slipped against my skin, losing their grip.

He stared at me with one golden eye, filled with