The Princess In A ‘Prince’ Disguise (Beasts of Wrath and Madness #1)

28. FATE CANNOT BE THAT CRUEL

Chapter twenty-eight

FATE CANNOT BE THAT CRUEL

Mistress Sinai rose from the bed, completely naked, and began untangling her hair. She sat in a chair, gazing at her reflection in the metal mirror.

"You are so sweet, Sinai. I wish we could do this more often," the male figure reclining upon her bed uttered, his eyes tracing her every movement.

"You are over a thousand years old, Daryl. You should not have such a large appetite anymore," Sinai said in a bored tone.

The Lord of Trade chuckled. "I'm still as young as ever. How is it going with acquiring the land beyond Crystal Waters?"

"He still refuses to release it." Sinai’s veins pulsated with anger. The thought always upset her.

Grand Lord Vladya did not want to give up that land to her. Her Daemon might be the love of her life, but even she had accepted he was no more.

It was only Lord Vladya who clung on. And Sinai had to suffer the consequences. "I want that land to be mine already."

"Perhaps you should consider presenting your case to Grand Lord Ottai and Grand Lord Zaiper, as he suggested? Maybe one of them will support you and help convince him."

Mistress Sinai snorted. "Let's face it. Lord Zaiper may be the second in line for the throne after my Daemon, but everyone knows who the people respect and fear more. Who they would choose as their king if given a choice. Whose words are treated as gold and must be obeyed."

She turned and looked at her lover. "Even if Lord Zaiper and Ottai side with me, they cannot force Lord Vladya to relinquish the land if he doesn't wish to."

"True," Lord Daryl conceded. "And there are rumors that even Lord Zaiper himself fears Lord Vladya because Vladya is much stronger. If a duel were to determine the next grand king, Lord Zaiper might lose."

All of this was of no help to Sinai. Why did it have to be Grand Lord Vladya, who was Grand King Daemonikai's best friend? Why not Zaiper?

Then, acquiring that land would have been easier for her. All she needed to do was sleep with Zaiper, and it would be hers.

With Vladya, it was even more difficult. That lord had no hobbies, no interests. Nothing.

And he was selective about his bed partners.

Males in Urai would do anything to be with Sinai. They love her. But not Vladya.

Sinai had tried for over two hundred years to seduce him, but all her efforts had been in vain. Why must he be the best friend?

Moments later, she emerged from her chambers fully dressed, with her two handmaidens trailing behind her. Frustration still hummed through her as she made her way out of the fortress and onto the market.

People bowed and made way for her as she passed.

"I need to purchase that trending silk today. I don't care if I must buy it with gold coins," she snapped at her handmaidens.

"Yes, my lady."

"Oh, if it isn't Mistress Sinai," a voice emanated from behind her. Familiar. Irritating.

Sinai pivoted to face her intruder. "Mistress Gaille." Both women inclined their heads in acknowledgment. "What brings you to this part of town this morning?"

The exasperatingly beautiful mistress offered a smile. "I was on my way to the market. My lord has bestowed upon me a generous number of coins this morning. Ukrae bless his heart, I don't know what to do with such extravagant gifts."

Mistress Gaille was one among many mistresses of Grand Lord Zaiper, but regrettably, she was his favorite.

Sinai abhorred the manner in which she always ‘smiled’ while boasting about it. "I am certain he bestowed similar gifts upon your fellow mistresses, Gaille."

The lady's grin broadened. "Never to the same extent as he does upon me, Sinai. Is that not true, ladies?" She turned her gaze towards her two personal handmaidens, who nodded with great enthusiasm, their expressions utterly blissful.

Sinai barely refrained from rolling her eyes. I have no time for this. "Well, I bid you a pleasant morning, Mistress Gaille. May fortune favor you in the market." She raised her elaborate gown slightly and took a step away.

"Have you heard the latest rumors circulating within the confines of Ravenshadow?" Mistress Gaille interjected with her usual chirpy tone.

Sinai should have known there was something amiss in that smile this morning. She resisted the urge to turn around and face Mistress Gaille directly. "What rumor has caught your attention?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Ah, you are unaware. It seems the charming human prince has been tending to your beast. And here is the intriguing part... the beast has been eating."

Sinai blinked once. Confused, her mind struggled to understand.

"Yes, you heard me correctly.” Mistress Gaille laughed. “It is common knowledge that Grand Lord Vladya ensures King Daemonikai is fed, but everyone knows his beast doesn't have an appetite for food. As you know, ferals only crave blood. However, it appears this human prince, who was assigned to clean the fourth wing, has somehow managed to feed the beast."

Sinai went very still. Then, whirled around to face her.

“Not only has he remained unharmed, but the feral has been consuming the nourishment willingly. It raises questions, does it not?" Mistress Gaille paused, pretending to ponder. "Could the feral has developed a fondness for the boy? Is such a thing even possible?"

No, that could not be true.

Anger surged through Sinai's veins. That boy! How dare he get close to her Daemon?

Suddenly, she regretted not whipping him severely that day. Not whipping him to the point of death .

"Furthermore," Mistress Gaille continued, "the beast does not even recognize you when you approach for a bloodfeeding. It is only because you are its bloodhost, and it instinctively detects your presence that you survive each encounter. If you were not its host, you would surely die when you go close. Yet, this human prince has repeatedly approached and fed the beast."

Mistress Gaille exhaled, shaking her head, with intrigue and disbelief. "I wonder what that means?" With that, she turned and walked away.

Left alone, Sinai seethed with blistering rage. That boy? To her own Daemon?

Sinai spun around and strode away, abandoning her plans for the market as she made her way back to the fortress. A different purpose in mind.

Emeriel awoke in Aekeira's chambers, his sister hovering over him.

"She's awake, Amie!" Aekeira's voice echoed throughout the room. "Please go and fetch Madam Livia."

The ruffle of movements followed.

Emeriel's head throbbed with a headache, and his mouth tasted bitter from the herbs likely forced down his throat.

He attempted to sit up but winced as his body protested. "What happened?" he groaned.

"You had another mini-heat yesterday and somehow ventured to the forbidden chambers on your own," Aekeira's voice trembled. "When Amie told me, I could hardly believe it. By the gods, Em! Going into the forbidden chambers willingly and alone!?"

Memories flooded back to Emeriel. Aekeira was right— what had possessed him?

"I don't know, Keira," he admitted.

"But... but... I simply don’t understand." Aekeira started to pace, visibly agitated. "There are plenty of Urekai males around. The guards would have gladly locked you up in a room and tended to your needs until the heat subsided. You could have easily gone to any of them. So why did you choose that beast? Why?"

"I really don’t know. My body made the decision for me," Emeriel confessed, resigned.

Aekeira stopped abruptly. "What?"

Emeriel exhaled loudly. It was one thing to acknowledge the truth within himself, and another to voice it aloud.

He hesitated.

Aekeira noticed the strain, and guilt flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be questioning you after the night you've had." She moved closer and settled beside Emeriel on the bed. "How are you feeling now, Em?"

"Like I've been trampled by a carriage. Every part of my body hurts."

A deep sorrow shadowed Aekeira's features. "I know that feeling all too well. Madam Livia said you needed to be awake to take a particular herb—what was it called again? Oh, snakevines. She mentioned it would be more effective in alleviating the pain."

"Okay," Emeriel surrendered to his body's exhaustion and lay back on the bed, abandoning his attempt to sit upright. "How did I end up here?"

"Madam Livia returned to the fourth wing in the early hours of the morning to check on you. And there you were, lying in the hallway." A note of awe and wonder entered Aekeira's voice. "The beast brought you out, Em. It laid you out in the hallway."

Emeriel did not expect that. His face must have shown his surprise, because Aekeira nodded.

"It sounds absurd to me too. I simply don't understand. The beast didn't harm you. It didn't make any deliberate attempt to inflict pain upon you. I simply don't understand what is going on."

Emeriel gazed off into the distance, falling silent for a moment.

"I couldn't control myself, Keira," he finally whispered aloud. "As soon as the heat started, all I could think about was him. In my mind, I claim him as mine. And when the heat intensifies, it becomes overwhelming, making it hard to think clearly, to maintain control."

He shifted his gaze to his sister. "I walked to the fourth wing on my own, Keira. I couldn't wait to be with him. To feel him inside me. All I could think about was presenting to him. Giving all of me to him."

Aekeira paled. Her lips opened wordlessly, before closing again.

Tears welled up in Emeriel's eyes. "I think I belong to that beast, Keira. I am his Soulbond ."

"Never!" Aekeira snapped, her voice filled with vehement denial. "No way. Do not let such a dreadful thought enter your mind again, Em. Fate would never be so cruel. Don't ever entertain such thoughts again!"

Emeriel's tears continued to flow. "I don't want to think like that either. Ever. I don't want to be bonded to one of those heartless Urekai. The idea of being destined for one fills me with dread. I want no part of this."

He swallowed hard and looked away. "But it would be foolish to ignore it just because I want it to go away. I can't dismiss it simply because I wish it wasn't true. It feels true, Aekeira. Here, in my heart, it feels true."

"No, I refuse to believe it." Aekeira grasped Emeriel's hands firmly in hers, shaking her head with determination. "There must be another explanation. Perhaps your body craves more of him because he is the only one you've been intimate with. That feral took your virginity, so—"

"Not yet," Emeriel interrupted.

Aekeira's mouth snapped shut, confusion evident on her face as she stared at him.

"I mean, my hymen is still intact." Emeriel knew how ridiculous that sounded. How crazy. He had thought so too, when he found out during his research. "It has something to do with me being a syren."

"But the beast has mounted you twice," Aekeira added, trying to make sense of it.

"During my heat. According to what I read, no matter what a Urekai male does to sate a syren or Urekai female during their heat, the body repairs afterward," Emeriel explained.

"For the full heat, the healing could take more time, and be much more painful. However, in the end, the body repairs itself back to the way it was before heat. The beast has mounted me twice now, and both times, I was in heat. And I've never had anyone else." He shrugged. "My body healed completely—hymen and all."

"Really?” Aekeira's eyes were wide with surprise. "Does that mean that if any of these lustful soldiers touch you now, they will disvirgin you again?"

“I guess. If I'm not in heat."

Aekeira was floored. "Now I worry for you even more than I did five minutes ago. I dread the thought of any of those lustful animals putting their hands on you."

Emeriel snorted. "You already worry too much as it is, Keira. Tone it down so you do not fall sick."

"I healed fast too," she recalled, biting her lower lip. "No hymen, of course, but I recall Lord Zaiper mentioning how fast I healed, for a human, that night he came here to visit."

“Thank the Light for that. I guess you’re fortunate. I don't have all the details yet, but I've been spending time in the library, reading and trying to gain a better understanding. But there are countless books, and it will take more time.” Emeriel said.

Hope flickered in Aekeira's eyes, too. "Yes, there must be another explanation. We will find it, I am certain."

Emeriel was not, and he took a shuddering breath. He chose not to reveal to Keira that his thoughts were consumed by the beast at all times.

That he had erotic dreams about King Daemonikai's beast, awakened and pleasured himself, while envisioning the various ways the beast could take him.

That last night, in that chamber, he had thought of the beast as his throughout their encounter. His beast. His beloved.

Emeriel kept all of that to himself, aware of how much it would freak his poor sister out. At the same time, he desperately hoped Aekeira was right.

He hoped to hell that there was another explanation for all of this. And not what his entire being was singing to him. That he was Grand King Daemonikai's Soulbond .