5. SHATTERED. DEFEATED.
Chapter five
SHATTERED. DEFEATED.
Mistress Sinai limped back to her chambers, her mood blacker than the stormy sky outside. Every step sent a sharp jolt of pain through her.
She paused, casting a furious glare over her shoulder toward Greyrock. Heartless, sadistic, vile Zaiper.
She was Daemonikai's mistress, not his. Zaiper didn’t get to lay with her, to treat her body like it was his to take, whenever or however, he pleased.
Sinai liked to think herself no stranger to the rougher sides of sex, she even preferred it. But there was rough, and then there was Zaiper’s kind of rough.
The male was a monster who reveled in blood. He played with blades as though they were toys, slicing into flesh with a happy grin. And he liked to go dry.
A shudder of revulsion coursed through her, making her limp more pronounced.
Sinai had always known about Zaiper’s depravities. Hell, there had been an entire century where she had indulged in countless affairs with him because of it. But either he had grown sicker over the years, or he was punishing her for her slip-up three days ago.
"Are you alright, Mistress Sinai?"
Sinai straightened her spine, masking her pain as much as possible. "Mistress Gaille. What brings you to this part of the fortress?”
"Oh, you know how it is with us ladies," Gaille simpered, approaching with a saccharine smile that made Sinai’s teeth ache. "We like our fresh air anywhere we can get it."
"Is that so?" Sinai's tone was clipped.
"Indeed." Gaille's eyes raked over Sinai, her lips thinning. "Although someone has been visiting my master's quarters more frequently than expected. How many days now?"
Sinai lifted her chin defiantly. "Your master and I have some business to take care of."
"Business, you say? Business it is then." Gaille's voice dripped with venom. "Do not poach around my master, Mistress Sinai. He is mine ."
Sinai scoffed. "Yours and a few hundred others. Do not be delusional, Gaille. Your master belongs to no one and everyone."
Gaille's face reddened with anger, but she took a deep, measured breath.
Sinai watched, amused, as the other woman struggled to control her rage.
Finally, Gaille spoke through gritted teeth. "How would you like it if I perched around your master?"
Sinai's laughter rang out through the corridor, sharp and mocking. "We both know you have tried before. Numerous times, even. And every time he rejected you like a sack of rotten potatoes."
Gaille's handmaidens gasped in unison, their faces a vision of shock and outrage. Their mistress turned a deep, furious red, her veins pulsing visibly beneath her skin. Sinai half-expected her to shift right then and there.
"My master is wanted by all, but unattainable to any." Sinai smiled. "Unlike your master, who mounts anything with a hole, male and female, anything with a pulse—or without one, for that matter."
Gaille's smile was a cruel slash across her face. "At least my master desires me," she retorted, crossing her arms. "My master may take many, but he still wants me . I get naked, climb into his bed at night, and he welcomes me. Unlike you."
Sinai’s amusement died.
"You are the only mistress of your master, yet unwanted by him.” Gaille smiled, smug. "Two millennia together, and he never chose you. He was Queen Evielyn’s from the start. Even after her death, he does not look at you. And now? Now, he belongs solely to Emeriel."
Emeriel. The name hit Sinai like a punch to the gut.
Her blood boiled beneath her skin. "What did you just say to me?"
Gaille stepped closer, eyes glittering. "You heard me. He would rather belong to a human than to his Urekai mistress. One year with her was all it took to win his heart, while you have had two thousand years and couldn’t even make him glance your way." Gaille's laughter was a harsh, triumphant sound. "You, Mistress Sinai, are the joke of all jokes."
A scream tore from Sinai's throat as she shifted into her beast form, muscles rippling, bones cracking.
Gaille mirrored her transformation, shifting as well.
With a roar, they lunged at each other, claws and fangs bared. Blood sprayed across the stone floor as claws raked through skin and fur, each trying to tear the other apart.
The handmaidens scattered, their screams distant.
In the back of her mind, Sinai knew the soldiers would soon arrive and punishment would follow. But in that moment, she could not give a rat’s behind.
***
"It's beautiful at night, isn't it?"
Princess Emeriel turned, startled by Prince Daviel's voice. Moonlight bathed the cliffside, glowing over the river below. "Your father will have my head if he sees you in this part of the palace, My Prince," she said reluctantly.
The prince merely smiled, stepping closer until he stood beside her at the cliff edge. "My father threatens it, but will never carry it out. For some reason, you and your pretty sister are off-limits."
Emeriel returned her gaze to the stars.
A hand curled around her waist, and she flinched.
"The Urekai have my father’s breeches in a twist all day," Daviel continued, oblivious to her discomfort. "I heard they are spending the night in town. Everyone vacated Home Merabis for them."
The most popular and luxurious guesthouse in town, had always been bustling with visitors. But if the Urekai are there, it’s no wonder no other human was.
"I do not wish to talk about that."
The prince turned his head to study her. "Well, I am a concerned suitor. I do not wish for you to go with them." His grip on her waist tightened possessively. "I want you to stay here, with me."
He drew her closer, both arms now wrapped firmly around her waist. "I have been courting you for over six months, Emy. Give me a chance."
Emeriel’s whole focus was on his arms around her, fighting the urge to pull away.
She had entertained suitors in the past. Had allowed them to court her, in an attempt to move on… to fill the emptiness inside her. Prince Daviel was the grandest of them all.
He genuinely seemed to care for her. For a male who had antagonized her on the battlefield when he thought she was a man, he had long since changed his attitude after her return.
Prince Daviel was exquisitely handsome, a sensation among the noble ladies. He did everything right, and all the maidens were jealous of Emeriel. Yet, she felt nothing for him.
His touch, like that of the others, made her uncomfortable. That was putting it mildly. It made her skin crawl .
"Give me a chance to show you my love, Emeriel," he pleaded. "I will never take yours for granted. I will cherish you forever."
He leaned in, his lips seeking hers.
No suitor had dared before. Emeriel would have deflected with a well-placed shove, a swift punch or a biting retort. But tonight, she felt raw, her defenses frayed.
The kiss was agony.
It was like a thousand tiny needles pricking her skin from every angle, her stomach churning with nausea.
Memories of another's lips, another's touch, flooded her. King Daemonikai's deep kisses, the feel of his tongue against hers. The recall assaulted Emeriel’s whole being.
Longing rose, clawing its way up from the pit of her stomach…
No, no, no.
She tore her lips from Daviel's, stumbling back so fast she lost her footing, and fell hard onto the ground.
"Are you alright?" Daviel reached for her, but she scrambled to her feet, moving backward, putting as much distance between them as she could.
"I’m fine," she gasped, dusting off her garments with trembling hands, trying to keep the despair rising inside her at bay. "Let’s call it a night, Prince Daviel."
"But Emeriel—"
"Good night."
She turned and walked away. With each step, the despair crawled closer until it caught up with her, washing over her entirely.
***
Princess Aekeira pushed open Emeriel's door, the hinges creaking in the silence.
The room was cloaked in shadows, the only light filtering in from the window. Emeriel lay beneath the covers, motionless.
"Are you asleep?" Aekeira's voice was tentative.
There was no response, but Aekeira walked deeper into the room anyway. "I know you are not, Em." She sat on the edge of the bed. "You have avoided me all day."
Still no response.
"The Urekai are in Merabis. Lord Ottai, Yaz, and Wegai."
Still no response.
"I know you do not want to know why they're here, Em. I understand." Aekeira's gaze fixed on the wall ahead. " But I also know you. And I know, deep down, you will regret this in the near future if they leave without an audience from you."
Nothing.
Not even a shift in the bedclothes.
"If I was not sure, I would have let this go," Aekeira's tone lowered, taking on a pleading edge. "But I know you, Emeriel. Beneath all this resolve created by pain is an Em who still cares. An Em whose world still revolves around her grand king. He is not alright, Em."
Was she really asleep?
"Do you know Lord Vladya managed to fight his feral for two long years? A male who would have succumbed three years ago?" A wistful smile touched Aekeira's lips. "It warms my heart, knowing he held on that long. Now, they need me to help him continue the fight. And King Daemonikai—"
"I do not wish to hear it," Emeriel’s voice finally came, barely audible. Pleading.
"—his soul is dying," Aekeira said anyway. "He hasn't been to court in over a year. He spends every waking moment lost in his mind. If this continues, you will lose him forever."
Emeriel's body tensed beneath the covers, and Aekeira saw her fingers dig into her thigh.
Aekeira gently pulled back the covers, revealing Emeriel's white-knuckled grip. Blood prickled where her sister's nails had pierced her skin.
Carefully, Aekeira pried her fingers loose, holding Em's hand in hers. "I know it's not what you want. I know, under all that, is an Em who feels better knowing her male is doing well at the other end of the world, even if they're not together." She squeezed Emeriel's hand. "Can you tell that Em, her male is not okay?"
"I can't go back there," Emeriel whispered. "I can't see him again. I can't… I can't do it." A shaky breath. " I don't want to."
Aekeira wanted to see her face, but Emeriel remained turned away, her back rigid.
"The Emeriel I know is not a coward," Aekeira said. "The Emeriel I know faces her challenges, no matter how impossible they seem, instead of running from them. What happened to that Em?"
"She was defeated." In an even smaller, shuddering voice.
Oh, Em… "No, she wasn't. She's still there, that much I know," Aekeira stated firmly, tears pooling in her eyes. "Come to Urai with us, Em. He saved your life too. He not only forgave your deceit, but he also saved you, both in Urai and here in Navia. Now, he needs you."
Rising to her feet, Aekeira released Emeriel’s hand. "Deep down, you know where you wish to be. You know what your heart bleeds for. If you had truly given up, truly moved on as you think, you would have stopped taking those godforsaken heat suppressants two you said you would."
Emeriel's breath hitched.
"But you didn't.” Aekeira lingered by the door. Her voice dropped. "Because no matter what you tell yourself, a part of you… the part that loves her grand king above all else, still longs for her male. Think about it, Em."
Aekeira closed the door softly behind her, leaving Emeriel alone in the darkness.
***
Mistress Sinai stormed into her quarters, seething. A night spent in the dungeon, all because of that malnourished whore. She needed to kill something.
"Run me a bath this minute!" she barked, and her maidservants flinched.
"Y-your bath is ready, mistress," one of them stammered, barely able to meet Sinai's eyes.
Shoving the maidservants aside, Sinai stripped out of her garments and slipped into the warm bath. But even the soothing heat did nothing to calm her nerves.
That bitch had been lucky. If they’d been placed in the same cell, only one of them would have walked out alive.
"You are the only mistress of your master, yet unwanted by him. Two millennia together, and he never chose you…. And now? Now, he belongs solely to Emeriel."
Sinai clenched her fists. Stupid bitch, what did she know?
Her Daemon wanted her.
Her Daemon was hers .
Even Emeriel had admitted as much when she fled Urai, tail tucked between her legs, never to return.
Sinai had always wanted two things in life. To be rich and to be Grand Queen. The first would come, sooner or later, but the second… the second was always just out of her reach. Some obstacle always in her way.
It infuriated her beyond reason.
Daemonikai was as stubborn as a mule, but as long as he was alive, he belonged to her.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to spread her wings a little. To secure her future elsewhere.
Zaiper. He was ambitious and dangerous.
No one outlived the repercussions of a dead soul, and if Daemonikai died, Sinai would ensure her place at the side of the next grand king.
She let the thought simmer, a slow smile curling her lips as she imagined Gaille’s reaction. Oh, how delicious it would be .
But no. She couldn’t act on it yet.
Daemonikai had beaten feral once before. What if he fought through being soulless, too?
He was unpredictable, and Sinai wasn’t foolish enough to gamble her future before she knew which way the wind would blow.
She would wait. Whether Daemonikai lived or died, Sinai would be ready.
One way or another, she would claim what was rightfully hers.
She would be Grand Queen.
***
"Are you sure the princess will come?" Yaz asked as they stood ready, bags packed and horses saddled for the journey ahead.
Princess Aekeira glanced at the door for what felt like the hundredth time and admitted honestly. "I’m not."
Lord Ottai had been unusually quiet, lost in thought.
Beside him, Wegai looked at her. "And you? How are you holding up?"
Aekeira shook her head. "Not well. I do not want to do this without Em. I can’t bear the thought of leaving her here, separated from her again—"
Her words faltered as she caught sight of Lord Ottai, his gaze pointed on the doorway behind her. Aekeira turned to see Emeriel step through the open door.
The two head soldiers straightened while Lord Ottai moved forward to meet her. They stopped in the middle of the room, a respectful distance between them.
"Your people hate me,” Emeriel spoke in a low, resigned tone. "I won’t last two days back there."
"We will protect you," Wegai vowed, bowing deeply. Yaz nodded in agreement. "From now on, we will protect you both, as we do our masters."
"You do not have to do this,” Lord Ottai said, surprising them all. "I realize that we have no right to ask this of you. When Daemonikai set you both free, he wanted you to have the freedom of choice. We can’t force you, nor would we."
Emeriel squared her shoulders. "I want to do this, Lord Ottai. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Her eyes were steady as they met the grand lord. “But I have conditions."
"What are they?"
"I will not live in the shadows anymore. I will not hide. I dress as a woman, as a princess, as I am."
"As you should," Lord Ottai agreed. "You are not slaves of Urai anymore, Emeriel. You are guests. I already made arrangements to assign maidservants to both you and Aekeira."
"And when all this is over, I want you to bring me back here.” She didn’t miss a beat. "When the grand king has recovered fully, I return to Navia."
The grand lord studied her, searching her eyes.
At last, he gave a solemn nod. "You have my word. Whether you can help him or not, if it becomes too much, you need only say the word, and I will take you away from Urai."
Emeriel held his gaze. “I will go prepare."
And then she was gone.
***
Their carriage rolled through the Ravenshadow gates early, the first to arrive. The second carriage, carrying Lord Ottai, Yaz, and Wegai, was nowhere in sight yet, but Aekeira knew they weren’t far behind.
As the horses came to a stop, she stepped out into the cool evening air, taking in the sight of the fortress before them.
Ravenshadow hadn’t changed much in the past two years.
Memories came flooding back. The endless errands, the constant toil to avoid the slavemasters' whips, the ceaseless fear and pressure, the sleepless nights. For a moment, it was as though no time had passed.
But it had.
Aekeira stood here now, not as a slave in uniform but as a princess. Beside her, Emeriel, dressed in even more extravagant royal attire, stood rigid, her gaze on the fortress. Her eyes…
"Are you alright, Em?" Aekeira asked.
Emeriel blinked, the naked pain in her eyes replaced by aloofness. "I’m good."
Their presence had drawn attention, the Urekai people abandoning their tasks, turning their eyes toward them.
Murmurs rose like a tide. Whispers spread through the crowd as more and more Urekai gathered.
Aekeira straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, meeting their stares head-on. We had done nothing wrong.
"What are you staring at?" Emeriel snapped, fearless, as she glared at the onlookers.
"Em." Aekeira tugged at her sister’s sleeve. "Do not openly antagonize them."
Emeriel shot her an incredulous, are-you-out-of-your-mind look. "Why not? I'm not afraid of them anymore."
She raised her voice, clear and strong. "I’m not afraid of any of you anymore."
An Urekai female stepped forward. Emeriel stiffened, preparing for their hostility.
But the female teared up. "Please give him back to us, I beg of you."
Another followed, taking Emeriel's stiff hand in hers. "Forgive us, human princess. Please… help our grand king."
More and more Urekai came, surrounding them in a growing circle.
Aekeira blinked in shock, her heart racing as they pressed closer.
Many were crying, faces filled with hope and sorrow, and it took her a moment to realize… they were happy to see Emeriel. Not angry, not hateful.
What in the world was happening?
Aekeira felt a hand grasp hers, and she jerked in surprise.
An Urekai girl stood before her. "Please, help our grand lord. I implore you."
More hands reached out, taking hers, holding on as if their lives depended on it.
Around them, the crowd pressed in.
But there was no violence. No shouts of hatred.
Only tears, begging them for help.