15. A BEAST’S TENDER LOVER
Chapter fifteen
A BEAST’S TENDER LOVER
The figure did not move. Nothing happened.
"Forget him. He's not bothering us, is he?" the leader snarled, turning his attention back to Aekeira. "Now, my fair one, where were we?"
"Leave me alone!" Aekeira shook with rage and fear. She had been so sure it was the grand lord, yet the figure's inaction filled her with doubt.
Had she been mistaken?
But her body only turned traitor for one male. And right now, it was pulsing with familiar warmth. It must be him.
Hands groped at her, lifting her garment higher, as a calloused hand clamped onto her jaw. "Hope you remain this feisty by the time we are done with you.”
"Friends," a voice laced with unease broke in. "I am not at ease with this. That is definitely a Urekai. The robes are a dead giveaway."
The others faltered, bravado waning as their eyes shifted toward the shadowed figure.
"So what? They do not care what we do in our free time, and tonight, we're off-duty. Let it go, you idiot." The leader smiled, smacking the nervous man on the back of his head.
Their hesitation vanished, their focus returning to their prey. Aekeira fought with renewed desperation, trying to keep her garment down even as they cruelly forced it up, their foul breath hot on her skin.
But she was no match for their strength. She closed her eyes. A hand reached for her undergarments and—
A blood-curdling scream pierced the night.
Aekeira's eyes flew open, just in time to witness one of her assailants being violently torn away from her. His hands was ripped off and discarded like puppet dolls.
The figure stood a few paces away, bathed in the eerie moonlight.
Another attacker was seized and flung into the trees, his agonizing screams reverberating through the forest. One by one, the men were killed, each in a more gruesome way than the last. Their cries of terror mingled with the nauseating sounds of flesh tearing and bones snapping.
Aekeira watched, paralyzed with fear. Finally the figure stepped into the light, revealing the savage features of Lord Vladya.
His eyes, more beastly yellow than human gray, locked onto hers as he seized another man. Without breaking eye contact, his fangs elongated, piercing the victim's neck with a sickening crunch.
Blood flowed freely as he drank, the man's struggles weakening with each passing moment until he hung motionless. The body was discarded with casual indifference.
The remaining attackers scattered like frightened rabbits, their screams mingling with the sounds of their frantic footsteps.
Lord Vladya smirked at her, then turned and gave chase.
The air filled with the sounds of breaking bones, tearing flesh, and bodies hitting the ground.
A whimper escaped Aekeira. It was the first time she had ever seen him fight. Not that this could be called a fight—more a massacre.
He did it effortlessly. Unfeelingly. Did not hold back, nor blink twice.
I could easily drain you dry, he had told her once. Only now did she grasp how easily he could make that happen. The savage look in his eyes…his beast so close to the surface.
You have noticed, have you not? Sometimes his behavior seemed... off. Crazy. Cruel. Lady Merilyn's voice whispered in her memory, reminding her of that day they’d talked on the river shore.
Panic surged through Aekeira. Without a second thought, she turned and fled, her legs pumping as she plunged deeper into the woods. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs ached, the darkness swallowing her whole.
Eventually, she collapsed against a tree, gasping for air. The silence of the woods was deafening, broken only by the frantic beating of her heart.
A twig snapped nearby and Aekeira froze, her eyes darting into the shadows.
Run, Aekeira, her instincts screamed.
She bolted once more. But this time, she did not get far. A strong hand grabbed her from behind, and she shrieked as she was slammed against a tree.
"There you are," Lord Vladya's voice rasped, his breath hot against her skin. His grip tightened on her waist, possessively. "I enjoyed the chase, sweet little Aekeira."
He lifted her hand—the same one Hansel had held—and inhaled sharply. "Why do you stink of the human?" His voice was guttural. More beast than male.
Aekeira frantically wiped her hand on her dress. "My Lord, I-"
"Why in Hades are you in my thoughts all the damn time? All I want is to bury myself deep inside you. To stick my dick into you and fuck you raw till you cannot walk for weeks. I wish for you to feel nothing but me, Aekeira."
She whined, her head swimming with lust. It wasn't just the usual arousal he ignited in her; this was something more. A powerful compulsion urging her to submit.
"What are you... doing?" It was becoming harder to breathe. To resist.
Then, it hit her. Pheromones.
It was why her neck bared itself without a conscious thought. Why her knees shook with the effort to remain upright instead of collapsing in submission.
But why was she affected? She was human, not Syren. This was not supposed to happen.
"All over my damn thoughts," he growled, his body flush against hers, his erection hard and thick. The familiar scent of him wrapped around her, both comforting and terrifying.
"I saw that human all over you. Do you want him?" Lord Vladya’s breath was hot on her neck, and he breathed deeply, as if trying to draw her very essence into him. “Tell me, Aekeira, do you wish to undress for him?"
"No! Never, I swear it!" She rubbed herself against his nose like a feline creature, a moan slipping from her. "You are all I want." By the heavens, why did she confess such words? "You're all I ever want to take my clothes off for."
A deep growl vibrated from his throat as his hands undressed her with urgent haste. Leaving her naked and vulnerable under the stark moonlight. Pulling back slightly, he surveyed her with a gaze that was both feral and eager.
Aekeira gave in. Sinking to her knees, she bowed forward. Her legs parted, hands moving behind her to hold her cheeks, spreading them apart as she bared herself completely in total surrender to him. Utterly exposed.
Lord Vladya's growl deepened, as he crowded her. His smell enveloped her, his strong body pressed against hers. She was so aroused she could feel the wetness between her thighs, dripping down her legs.
"Want you, want you, want you," he repeated, voice rough and disjointed. Was this the wild side of him taking over?
Her throat tightened, a lump of fear and desire choking her. I do not want him to go feral. "I offer myself to you. Right here, right now. I belong to you."
In a single, forceful movement, he thrust deep inside her, filling her completely.
Aekeira bit down on her lip, stifling her cry. She struggled to breathe, the discomfort too much as Lord Vladya moved in her with relentless, savage thrusts, devoid of gentleness.
He took her like an animal, each thrust more forceful than the last. There was finesse, no tenderness—just raw, unbridled possession. Guttural sounds of pleasure escaped him with every stroke.
Aekeira tried to hold back her sounds of distress, but with each brutal thrust, it became increasingly difficult. She yelped with every forceful movement, tears streaming from her eyes as she clawed at the ground, squeezing tightly, attempting to endure the punishing rhythm he set.
"Sexy, little witch," he growled, his voice dark and possessive. "Come on—" he slammed in "—come on, take it."
Then, impossibly, he picked up the pace even more, driving into her with greater force. Pounding so fiercely, uncontrollable screams tore from her throat.
Aekeira was unaware of her own screams...that the piercing wail that rent the night air belonged to her. Lord Vladya ignited a fire inside her womanhood, and each brutal thrust, the flames grew. She burned with an intensity bordering on madness.
"I cannot get... close... enough. Want to fucking live inside you," Lord Vladya growled, grinding into her. Reaching every deep part of her, before he gave another hard thrust.
Aekeira's hands gave out, and she fell against the tree root, dislodging him in the process.
A snarl ripped from his throat. He covered her body with his, his legs kicking hers further apart, and he pushed into her again, resuming his hard thrusts.
Each plunge sent shockwaves through her, a blend of pain and a twisted sense of belonging. His ruthless pace, the raw ferocity of it, allowed no room for anything but the immediate, all-consuming sensation of being claimed.
Aekeira floated, losing track of time. She was uncertain, but she may have even lost consciousness at some point. Though not entirely comfortable, she savored the feel of him this close to her. This raw claiming that hurt more than their past couplings.
A fang grazed her neck, piercing her skin.
Her body jackknifed, a surge of pleasure blindsiding her. Pain mingled with ecstasy, creating an intense, pleasure-pain sensation that was...indescribable.
She wailed, clawing at the ground as an unexpected orgasm was ripped from her.
It was the first time she had climaxed with something inside her, and it was suddenly too much to bear.
"Lord Vladya...!!" she screamed, writhing beneath him. His big body held hers captive, unyielding.
Every nerve in her body felt electrified. Hypersensitive. His bite sent great pleasure through her, mingling with the feeling of him plunging inside her. The forest blurred around her.
He withdrew his fangs and groaned. "Ukrae, you are strangling my dick. Holy hell." His movements faltered, before he shot his release into her.
Broken sobs tore from her as she came down from the intense high.
"Please." Aekeira's mind spiraled, caught in a firestorm of ecstasy. Feeling his warm sperm tormenting her body, the painful flames of his seed, Aekeira felt...consumed. Possessed.
Warmth spread through her. She wanted to be his, fully and completely. Even if it meant surrendering to the feral beast within him.
"That's it, take it all. Take everything," he mumbled, sounding out of it, making short, jerky motions.
Aekeira took it all, trembling from the waves, gasping and quivering. The intensity of it left her weak, and she collapsed beneath him, her body wracked with aftershocks.
Finally, he went still above her and collapsed. His weight grounded her, pressing her into the earth.
She felt his weight, his breath hot against her skin. And peace.
A strange, fragile peace.
Grand Lord Vladya had no clues as to how he came to be here. Alone and disoriented.
Fragments of memory danced in his consciousness. The Lantern Festival. He remembered the lanterns bobbing in the twilight, the festive air, the laughter of the people...Then, a void.
A blank space where memory should have been.
When a male starts to descend into madness, the woods become his greatest friend. The old Urekai saying echoed in his mind, and Vladya was inclined to agree. These days, his episodes of zoning out were increasing, always leading him to the woods.
They said it was the mind's way of familiarizing the beast with its future habitat before the feral transformation. Probably, a blessing in disguise. If these lapses happened within the fortress walls, Daemonikai would surely uncover the truth.
Yet my mind feels clear. Sharper than it has in a long, long time.
The insatiable sexlust that had plagued him, and the constant gnawing blood-lust, had vanished. He felt satisfied . Peaceful. His beast, usually restless and demanding, now drowsed contentedly within him.
He gazed at the moonless sky, at the tiny stars above, searching his memory for clues.
Memory loss. Another sign of an advanced stage of going feral.
He remembered leaving the fortress, walking out of the tower gates, and strolling the square. He remembered walking with Daemonikai and their entourage, dismissing Yaz and his soldiers, needing fresh air. And he remembered...catching a scent. Her scent. Following it.
He recalled being furious at the shy boy talking to her, seeing red when those worthless humans had tried to hurt her, killing them and enjoying it, and then...hunting her. Mounting her.
Vladya grimaced, pushing himself into a sitting position. A garment lay draped over him like a shroud, smelling of pine and jasmine, its warmth radiating against his skin.
She had covered him up. Him , the monster who had taken her body like a savage, more beast than male.
The memory of his uncontrolled desire surged through him. The weeks of suppressed sexual hunger erupted in a torrent of possessiveness and rage when he had seen her with that human boy. All he had craved was to kill the insignificant creature who had dared to trespass on his property. He craved to claim her so hard she would never doubt who she belonged to again. Mark her so deeply no other male would dare even look at her.
Territorial. A feeling he hadn't experienced in centuries. And now, when he teetered on the brink of madness, it reared its head?
Cruel fates and their cruel jokes.
"Why am I not surprised?" he growled, his gaze fixed on the stars scattered in the sky. "Even as my life's journey nears its end, you still find new ways to torment me."
He rose to his feet, the garment clutched in his hand, its smell a lingering reminder of her. A memory flashed through his mind.
Her gentle hands, smoothing the fabric over him, her expression a mixture of tenderness and concern. "I do not want you to go feral," she had whispered to him. "I hope you feel better when you wake."
Then, she limped away, favoring one leg. As if each step was agony.
Guilt twisted in Vladya's gut, a sharp pang digging in his chest. He had hurt her, again. Yet, she showed nothing but kindness to him.
His thoughts snagged on a troubling detail, and he stilled. How had she known about his declining sanity?
But then, considering how she had always borne the brunt of his increasingly animalistic behaviors, it would not have taken much for her to connect the dots.
I don't want you to go feral. I hope you feel better when you wake.
Her words, spoken with such tenderness, disturbed him. What kind of person was Aekeira?
He had never met a female like her before. Could someone truly be that compassionate, especially towards him? To the monster he had become?
Vladya harbored no illusions that she could possibly feel anything but disdain for him. After all, she had only known the broken, twisted version of himself, not the Vladya of millennia past. The one who had believed he could find love, have a bondmate. Have offsprings. The one who laughed and loved freely.
Instead, she knew only the monster he had become. The cold, unfeeling, sadistic creature who reveled in pain and destruction, who hated nearly everything that breathed. The one who took her body without consent, devoid of a soul, teetering on the edge of madness.
Why, then, was she so kind to him? What game was she playing? How could someone who had endured such hardships, still possess such a pure heart?
Even tonight, she had given her body to him, knowing fully well the brutal nature of his desires. She had taken all that he had to offer, knowing she was dealing with more beast than male. Yet, she had encouraged him. Held him. Comforted him.
She had shown no resentment.
Vladya glanced at the garment in his hand. What sort of human was Aekeira?
The question gnawed at him, a persistent itch he could not scratch. And for the first time in an eternity, he felt something stir in his dead heart. A flicker of warmth amidst the cold wasteland of his soulless chest.