10. THE BOY WITHOUT A SCENT
Chapter ten
THE BOY WITHOUT A SCENT
The grand king's summon to feed had filled Mistress Sinai with unparalleled joy. For a fleeting moment, she had been the happiest female in Urai.
Now, the echo of that elation faded as she exited the royal residence, replaced by a bitter frustration. Her Daemon remained as distant and impersonal during bloodfeeding as he had been when his bondmate lived.
Yes, there was the natural arousal, the permission to grind against his leg for her own release, but it was cold. A mechanical act devoid of any true intimacy. He remained aloof, his pheromones held tightly in check, his arousal a flame that he refused to quench with her.
He did not allow her touch. He simply fed, then dismissed her.
Fuming and stomping down the corridor, Sinai muttered curses under her breath. A procession of royal Urekai maids emerged, each bearing platters loaded with delicacies.
Her eyes were instantly drawn to the odd figure at their center, sticking out like a drop of blood on pristine snow. Emeriel.
Sinai stopped dead in her tracks.
The slutty human prince! What in the abyss is he doing sneaking around her Daemon again?
Her blood boiled. This night, it seemed, was determined to test the limits of her patience.
"Emeriel!" Sinai hissed, her voice sharp as a dagger. "Come here this instant."
The boy hesitated, a flicker of defiance in his eyes.
Sinai was not in the mood for games. "Emeriel!" she repeated, her voice echoing through the corridor.
With a resigned sigh, the boy stopped, turning to meet her gaze. He approached with the reluctance of a prisoner dragged to their execution. "Mistress."
Sinai waved the others onward, leaving Emeriel standing before her, his plate clutched awkwardly in his hands.
"Why are you here?" Her voice dripped venom. "Only Urekai serve the grand king! Are you attempting to poison him now? Was the destruction of his family not enough for your kind!?"
The boy swallowed tightly. "I am a slave, Mistress. I do not act on my own accord. I merely follow orders. I was commanded to serve here."
Sinai scoffed, incredulous at his audacious tone. Her hand shot out, seizing his ponytail, yanking it back with brutal force.
The boy cried out in pain.
Sinai held fast, her grip tightening.
"You think that lucky escape from my punishment last time gives you the right to speak to me with such insolence?" she hissed, her fingers digging deeper into his scalp. Satisfaction surged through her as tears welled in his eyes. "Do not think I have forgotten that slap, Emeriel. You will pay for it."
"Lord Vladya will not allow—" the boy choked out, his voice strangled by pain.
"Lord Vladya, you little fool, cares nothing for you anymore. The grand king has returned." Sinai cut him off with a cruel smirk. "For some misguided reason, he thought you might be instrumental in his dear friend’s return. But you cannot blame him, can you? I am starting to think he's teetering on the edge of madness, so such ridiculous notions are to be expected."
The boy met her gaze, his eyes glistening with tears, but the defiant glint remained. Even after nearly a year of slavery and servitude, he hadn't lost the air of superiority. The regal poise that clung to him like a second skin.
Sinai hated it immensely. Oh, how she loathed this boy.
"But my Daemon is back now," she purred, her voice laced with menace. "Lord Vladya does not give a damn whether you live or die. Want to bet?"
Her grip grew tighter, but the last thing Sinai wanted was to draw blood and attract Daemonikai’s attention to the boy. With a final tug, she released his hair.
The boy averted his gaze, his jaw clenched.
"Now, give me that," Sinai demanded, gesturing at the covered tray. "I will deliver it myself."
Silence stretched between them, heavy with tensed hostility.
Then, in a low but resolute voice, Emeriel replied, "I'm afraid I cannot do that."
What!? The audacity of this boy! “What did you just say to me?”
“I cannot do that,” the boy repeated calmly, “I was given an order—"
"Do not test me, disgusting human. Give. Me. That," she snarled, her voice barely controlled.
The echoing footsteps behind them caused Sinai to step back, straightening her posture.
"Why are you still standing there? The roasted chickens are missing from the table. Do NOT keep His Grace waiting for them," A soldier's gruff voice barked at Emeriel.
"Yes, sir," Emeriel spared Sinai a fleeting, insolent glance before stepping around her to follow the soldier.
The boldness of the boy left Sinai trembling with disbelief and rage. Her blood ran cold with fury.
Argh! I am definitely going to kill that boy. Definitely. He has been a thorn in my side for far too long!
Emeriel's heart pounded like a war drum as the grand dining hall's double doors swung open, revealing a sight of wealth and power. Walls draped in rich tapestries and a long table set with gleaming silver and crystal that sparkled under the chandeliers.
The memory of the mistress’s resentment and seething rage sent a shiver down her spine. Emeriel could still feel the icy daggers of that glare burrowing into her back.
Why hadn't she just handed over the feast? That would have been the easiest way to avoid trouble.
Standing up to the mistress had been foolish. It would just give the vile woman ten more reasons to drag her into the woods, end her life, and leave her body buried beneath a bed of fallen leaves, with no one the wiser.
Emeriel sighed. When it came to the mistress, she often found herself unable to restrain her emotions, her self-control frequently faltering. The woman evoked a firestorm of anger, defiance, and all the feelings she had worked hard to suppress for the sake of survival in this place.
"Human?"
The deep, familiar voice froze Emeriel mid-step, sending a different kind of shiver down her spine.
"Your Grace," she managed, barely remembering to bow.
He stilled, his silverware suspended mid-bite. His eyes found hers. "That voice…"
Hell, hell, hell. Emeriel's mind raced.
Does he recognize me?
"Y-Yes, Your Grace?" Her heart was lodged firmly in her throat.
Their eyes met, his green ones unreadable.
Panic surged through Emeriel. Why is he staring? Does he know who I am? Why—
A horrified gasp from one of the Urekai maids snapped Emeriel out of her trance. With a jolt, she realized she had stopped dead in the doorway, standing awkwardly in plain sight—a few paces away from the grand king.
He did not recognize her... he was waiting for her to drop the tray she carried.
"I-I apologize, Your Grace!" Emeriel blurted out, rushing forward, her face flushing with embarrassment. Her hands shook as she hastily arranged the dishes.
King Daemonikai’s gaze burned into the back of her head. That look inspired a mix of fear, mortification, and— to her utter dismay—arousal.
Finally, Emeriel was done. She bowed deeply, then rose to join the other servers lined up against the wall.
The grand king's eyes lingered on her for a fraction longer before dismissing her with a cold indifference. There was no recognition in those emerald depths. No trace of the warmth he had shown Princess Galilea earlier.
Instead, his gaze was as frigid as ice. His broad shoulders were rigid with tension and power. He radiated an aura of silent warning: Come close to me and die.
After he ate in silence, they cleared the table. Emeriel had one foot out the door when the sound of that deep, authoritative voice stopped her.
"The human stays. The rest leave."
The other servers filed out, passing her in a blur of movement, until she was alone with the grand king.
His eyes fixed on her once more. That same unnerving gaze he had directed at Princess Galilea earlier.
Emeriel shifted uncomfortably.
He remained seated, his posture stiff. "You do not have a scent. Why?"
Emeriel's tongue felt thick and heavy. "I... uh... I don't know, Your Grace. I just—"
"Never mind." He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "It is not my concern, and I do not care. But why, in the name of all that is holy, does it bother me, human?"
"Huh?" Emeriel blinked, confused.
"I repeat, why does it affect me?” he said through gritted teeth, his eyes hardening. “I feel restless."
Emeriel had no idea how to respond.
Was it a rhetorical question? It sounded like one, but those intimidating green eyes seemed to demand an answer.
She cleared her throat nervously. "Uhmm..."
A commotion erupted outside the dining hall and the grand king gave a low growl, followed by similar sounds from beyond the doors.
Emeriel's eyes widened in alarm. What was happening?
The grand king's eyes flickered, the green momentarily overtaken by a hint of yellow. Then he rose from his chair with lethal grace, and strode past Emeriel, exiting the hall.
The commotion outside grew louder. A noise of hushed whispers and hurried footsteps. Emeriel's nerves were distressed with each passing moment. Unable to contain her curiosity, she stepped out of the dining hall, too.
Urekai maids huddled in small groups at every corner, their voices low and urgent. The soldiers were nowhere to be seen.
Emeriel approached one of the groups, feigning nonchalance as she listened in on their conversation.
"She should be in her home," one maid whispered, eyes wide with alarm. "Why would she let herself go into full heat here in the fortress?"
"That was a foolish thing to do," another agreed. "Does she not know her cycle?"
"Very foolish indeed. Her scent has traveled far. I'm sure every unbonded male in Frostfall and even Blackstone can smell it."
A smaller voice chimed in, "Maybe she has erratic heat?"
"True.” A chorus of agreement followed. “Very unpredictable. Might be why she was unaware it would happen today."
"I pity her," one maid said with a wince. "She will be dragged into the woods and mounted by at least ten of them before her heat is sated. The recovery will be excruciating."
"Not if the grand lords can stop it," another replied. "His Grace has already left."
Emeriel backed away, heart pounding. A maid in full heat? The scent so potent it lured every unbonded male toward her?
Lord Herod said it was unusual to have four minis . Does it mean I also has erratic heat, and it, too, will come at any moment without warning?
Emeriel swallowed hard, a knot forming in her lower belly.
"They are here," Ottai signaled, his voice cutting through the dense forest air with urgency.
Grand King Daemonikai followed, Zaiper on his heels.
The arousal coursing through Daemonikai felt alien, unfamiliar. He was hard as stone. Consumed by desire to hunt down the source of the scent and mount her. To ride her so thoroughly, she would not be able to walk for days.
Control, he reminded himself fiercely. You are going to save the girl, not attack her.
He drew in a deep, steadying breath. It had been so long since a heat had affected him this way. When the scent had first hit him, a flood of dizzying arousal crashed over his senses, it had taken him a moment to understand what was happening.
"Get away from her, all of you!" Ottai barked as they approached the girl.
The soldiers – Daemonikai counted at least fifteen – snarled at the fourth ruler, their eyes glazed with lust and defiance. The primal urge to mount the female in heat had overridden their reason.
The girl lay sprawled on the dusty ground, her clothes disheveled and bunched around her chest, her legs spread eagle-wide. Her eyes were glazed over with arousal, her face contorted in a mixture of sexlust and pain, pleading silently for relief.
"Step away from the girl, all of you!" Zaiper ordered.
Several of the soldiers hissed in response. Their claws extended, their bodies tensed, ready to fight for their claim.
Daemonikai allowed his beast to rise to the surface, his body undergoing a partial shift. He grew taller, his muscles bulging, his features hardening into his fierce, hybrid form.
"Clear away from her. Now," his voice became a menacing growl.
Whines and whimpers filled the air, but the males slowly backed away, creating a path to the girl. Daemonikai was not yet satisfied, his beast still agitated.
With a sharp breath, he released a burst of pheromones into the air.
"Your Grace," several soldiers rasped in unison, their defiance replaced with fear and pain. They fell to their knees, heads bowed in deference. Even his grand lords felt the power of his dominance, their necks bared in submission.
The display calmed him slightly, but the agitation remained. With the absence of his bondmate to soothe him, the girl’s scent and the multiple scents of male arousal assaulted his senses.
And for some inexplicable reason, his mind drifted to Princess Galilea. Her scent had been calming. Like a balm to his troubled soul.
"Oh, Ukrae, oh Ukrae, please mount me. Somebody, please…!" the girl cried, her voice broken and desperate. She lurched to her knees, and—
"Do not do—" Daemonikai's warning died in his throat as the girl grabbed her cheeks and presented to all of them.
By the scents of Hades. Growls rumbled through the air. Followed by a new wave of arousal so thick it was nearly suffocating.
The males surged forward, their eyes burning with raw hunger.
"Don't you dare," Daemonikai barked, his voice a thunderclap of authority. "Control it! All of you!"
Their grand king’s forced restraint warred against his urge to mate, a force stronger than nature itself. Cries of pain and frustration rose, muscles strained, and bodies trembled.
Then came the moment Daemonikai dreaded most. He opened his senses further, inhaling deeply.
Two of the males were in a rut. Urekai alphas only entered a rut for females they cared deeply for. Out of all these males, two had formed a bond with this girl.
"You and you, stay." Daemonikai pointed at the two. "The rest of you are dismissed. Go and sate yourselves with willing, clear-headed females."
Slowly, reluctantly, the soldiers dispersed, leaving only the two alphas behind.
Daemonikai knelt beside the trembling girl, his touch gentle as he cupped her cheek. He lifted her chin until her red, hazy eyes met his. "Who do you want amongst these males?"
The girl looked barely a hundred years old. A mere child by Urekai standards. She whimpered and nuzzled against his palm.
It was no use. She was too far gone, her body wracked with pain and need.
"You two can share her heat with her," he said, rising, his voice stern. "Be gentle. Do not hurt her. Take care of her."
"We will, Your Grace," one replied, his voice thick with lust.
"Thank you so much, Greatest Majesty," the other added, his gratitude evident.
Together, they lifted the girl and disappeared into the night.
Daemonikai watched them go, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
"If they went into rut because of her, they will take good care of her,” Ottai’s voice was low and reassuring as he drew closer. “You know trying to keep either male away would have resulted in a fight to the death. You did the right thing."
"I know," Daemonikai replied, turning away and starting back towards the fortress.
Without his bondmate to diffuse the effect of the heat, he was vulnerable. Arousal throbbed in his veins, every muscle coiled tight. He could barely think straight.
He needed to sate this lust. Fast.