3. SUMMONED
Chapter three
SUMMONED
That night, Mistress Sinai, dressed in one of her finest nightgowns, stood before her mirror. The garment, a masterpiece of seduction, hugged her curves, its low neckline and short sleeves revealing tantalizing glimpses of skin.
Meant to entice. Meant to enthrall.
Sinai had a mission. Tonight, she would have Daemonikai in her arms again. Rekindle the flames of their past passion. For the first time in an eternity, he would be hers once more.
A self-satisfied smile graced her lips as she consumed a potion laced with meccai leaves, a concoction that would enhance the allure of her natural scent. With newfound confidence, she turned and exited her chambers.
"His Grace is in his bedchambers." the Urekai maid bowed before discreetly withdrawing.
Sinai made her way purposefully towards the king's chambers, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and nerves. She raised a hand and knocked. "It is I, Sinai, Your Grace," she announced softly.
A moment of silence stretched out, and she began to wonder if he had heard her.
"Come in."
Oh, how she had missed that deep, guttural voice. A surge of emotion welled up within her, the realization that she had never expected to hear it again washing over her like a tidal wave.
She entered the chamber, closing the door behind her. Daemonikai stood before her, clad only in his inner robe, his muscled torso partially exposed. He had clearly been in the process of undressing.
"Leave us," he commanded the manservants who had been attending to him. They bowed respectfully and filed out, leaving Sinai alone with her king.
"What are you doing here, Sinai?" he asked, his voice cool and distant. "I did not request your presence."
"I know, your Grace. I suppose I have grown accustomed to feeding you every now and then, more frequently than you used to, before... everything." She kept her voice a carefully crafted blend of innocence and humility, a skill she had honed over millennia. When dealing with a male like Daemonikai, one had to tread carefully, he could smell dishonesty from a mile away.
His scowl softened. "I haven't thanked you for that, have I?" he said, a hint of warmth entering his voice. "Thank you, Sinai, for the part you played in all of this."
Sinai hoped he never found out there was a time she intentionally journeyed on a trip for months so she would not feed him, hoping to manipulate Lord Vladya into granting her access to the lands beyond the Crystal Waters. The beast had ended up going on a rampage, killing several in the woods and drinking them dry. And, instead of succumbing to her demands, Vladya had threatened to strip her of a few of her other privileges. She had to give in.
In reality, Sinai had fed his beast diligently over the centuries more out of self-preservation than genuine care, but that had changed with Emeriel's arrival. In her defense, she never thought her male would recover from feral madness.
"Sinai?" Daemonikai's voice brought her back to the present.
"Yes, forgive me," she replied, a practiced smile gracing her lips. "I was lost in thought, reflecting on the horrors of the past centuries. You need not thank me for anything. You are my master, and I would do anything for you."
She closed the distance between them, her movements graceful and deliberate. "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards the pile of discarded clothing.
"You may," the grand king’s voice a mere formality.
But, when Sinai's hand grazed his skin, he flinched and recoiled.
She paused. "Is everything alright, Your Grace?"
"Yes," he stated curtly. His jaw clenched tight, and he seemed to steel himself against her touch as she reached for him again.
Sinai skillfully removed his doublet, her fingertips reveling in the warmth of his skin, the firmness of his muscles. Heart pounding in her chest, a thrill coursed through her veins.
Oh, heavens, she got to touch him again. All those muscles... She suppressed a moan, her desire intensifying with every touch.
"I do not wish to bloodfeed today, Sinai."
"You know I would do anything for you.” Sinai leaned closer, her voice a seductive purr. “Anything at all. All you have to do is ask. I will fulfill every desire, every need. Your grand queen, may Ukrae rest her soul, is no longer with us. I will do for you all that Evie used to—"
A vice-like grip closed around her throat, lifting her off the ground, Daemonikai's fingers digging into her delicate skin.
"Da-Daemon," she choked out, her hands clawing at his wrist, her eyes pleading for release. "Please."
"Do not ever mention her name again," he hissed, his voice calm.
Beneath that veneer of composure lay a storm of rage. Unlike others who expressed their anger with shouts and roars, Daemonikai's voice became low, cold, and collected when he was truly enraged. Countless individuals had met their death by underestimating the chilling calm.
"I... can't... breathe...! Please!!" Sinai nodded frantically, her eyes wide with terror.
Abruptly, he released her, and she crumpled to the floor like a discarded doll.
"Get out."
Abandoning all pretense of decorum, all the lessons of grace and elegance she had been taught, Sinai all but ran.
Ran like a creature possessed, like the very devil was behind her.
Emeriel had finished bathing in the river and returned to his chamber to dress, Aekeira's warning in his mind. His sister was right, of course. This reckless path fate had thrust upon him was filled with disaster.
He was still a human slave, while King Daemonikai remained the powerful ruler of a species that hated his kind. Still disguised as a boy and a Syren in hiding, carrying the secret of his true identity. And there was still the looming threat of his full heat, and even the challenge of navigating the mini-heats now that the beast was gone.
A sharp rap on the door jolted him from his thoughts. "Are you in there, Slave?"
"Yes, soldier," he replied.
"You have been summoned to Grand Lord Vladya's personal residence," the soldier announced through the closed door. "Do not keep him waiting."
Emeriel's heart skipped a beat, then began to race.
He quickly finished dressing, his fingers fumbling with the fastenings of his tunic in his haste. With a final deep breath, he stepped out of his quarters and followed the soldier towards the imposing structure that housed Lord Vladya.
Upon arrival, he was ushered to the door of the grand lord's private study. The Urekai maid who had escorted him withdrew, leaving Emeriel alone in front of the ornately carved wooden door. Raising his hand to knock, a knot of anxiety formed in his stomach. After a moment's hesitation, he rapped his knuckles against it.
"Enter," Lord Vladya's deep voice rumbled from within.
Emeriel stepped into the familiar study, the heavy door clicking shut behind him with a soft thud. The air hung heavy with the scent of old parchment and beeswax candles.
Lord Vladya leaned casually against his desk, arms folded across his chest. His piercing gray eyes bore into Emeriel, their intensity sending a shiver down his spine.
"My Lord, I came by the other morning as you summoned, but I was informed you had already left for court." Emeriel began, wetting his lips nervously.
"You are Daemonikai's Soulbond ," Lord Vladya stated without preamble.
Emeriel's body jolted in surprise, Lord Vladya's words hit him with the force of a physical blow..
His eyes widened, the pupils dilating into dark pools of shock, mirroring the raw panic seizing his heart.
How did he know?
"My Lord, I d-do not think I understand what—"
"You are his Soulbond ," Lord Vladya repeated, his voice unwavering. He paused, as if to allow the weight of his words to sink in before adding calmly. "Choose your next words carefully, Emeriel. I behead those that lie to my face.”
Unable to meet the intensity of the grand lord's gaze, Emeriel averted his eyes. his breath caught in his throat as if he'd been plunged into icy water.
"You know," Vladya continued, his voice low and measured, "I have asked myself repeatedly why I did not see it sooner. It was right there, staring me in the face. The way a feral beast—a creature devoid of reason and thought—fixated on you. The inexplicable events that unfolded around you. The beast storming into court to save you. The primal rage that erupted from him at the scent of another male on you, which led to a violent escape and a brutal killing. Its desires to specifically mount you. And then, there's your blood."
Lord Vladya straightened, his voice gaining strength with each word. "I should have pieced it all together long ago. But do you know why the idea simply did not take root, no matter how many times it crossed my mind?"
Emeriel's heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst.
He fought to control his breathing, his lungs desperately gulping in air as panic surged through him.
"I will answer that. It is because I never imagined a female could live within Ravenshadow Citadel, right under our noses, under my own roof here in Blackstone, disguised as a male. Living as a male. Deceiving us all into believing she were a male when she was simply... not."
"Your h-highness," Emeriel gulped, instinctively retreating as Lord Vladya closed the distance between them.
"Once you grasp the missing piece, everything else falls into place," Vladya added. "You always resisted being undressed. There was always a reason, an excuse. And your physical appearance? Small and delicate, pale with flawless skin. Unnaturally pretty for a boy. I dismissed it as a trait of your royal lineage. But it was all there, wasn't it? Right under our noses, yet we remained blind. I never thought such a level of deception was possible. Not here, not within this fortress."
Emeriel gasped, her back hitting the wall, Lord Vladya's commanding form towering over her. The gray of his eyes vanished, replaced by the fierce, predatory yellow of his beast.
Not his beast, Emeriel thought in terror. Not his nearly feral, unpredictable beast.
Lord Vladya's hand shot out, claws extending with a menacing hiss, poised to strike. With a whimper, Emeriel squeezed her eyes shut awaiting the blow.
But she felt a sharp tug at her shoulder as a claw dug into her tunic, tearing through the fabric. The garment ripped open, hanging in tatters above her chest.
Lord Vladya gripped the remnants, ripping them away with a savage yank.
Emeriel's chest-binds lay blatantly exposed, a secret laid bare.
"Female," Lord Vladya growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through Emeriel's bones.
Before Emeriel could react, the grand lord leaned in, his face inches from hers. He pressed his nose to the crook of Emeriel's neck, taking deep lungfuls of breath.
A guttural growl erupted from his chest, followed by a single word that sent a wave of terror through Emeriel's veins, surpassing the fear she already felt.
"Syren."