29. VLADYA IS PRIORITY
Chapter twenty-nine
VLADYA IS PRIORITY
"Over. My. Dead. Body." Daemonikai's voice was steel. He gripped Vladya’s shoulder. "Look at me, Vladya. You will have to go through me before you get to that feral madness. I will not let you."
“Daemonikai, please.”
“I. Will. Not. Let. You,” Daemonikai reiterated, his eyes boring into Vladya. “You forget sometimes, you’re not the only selfish one around. I need you here with me. Alive.”
Vladya's gaze fell to the floor.
Daemonikai cupped his jaw, forcing him to meet his eyes. "What did you tell me the night I returned?"
"Daemon..."
"You said not to escape. Not to hide. You told me living was the only choice we had, that we should live even if it felt like hell. So if you think I'm going to let you die, then think again."
A muscle ticked in Vladya's jaw. "I know that,” he admitted, his voice tight. “It's why I've kept it a secret."
"Too bad. You are not running away from this. Promise me."
"Daemon..."
"Promise me you will fight it." Daemonikai hated this feeling in his chest. So raw from pain. Exposed.
But more than that, he hated the thought of losing Vladya to madness. He would get a promise out of this hardheaded mule if it was the last thing he did. Because just like him, Vladya's word was his bond. A vow was all he needed.
After all they'd been through, centuries and millennia, through every challenge and disaster, the very thought of losing Vladya was simply... unacceptable. Not while Daemonikai still drew breath.
If this was how Vladya had felt when he'd gone mad, it was no wonder Vladya couldn't let go. No wonder Vladya had gone to such extremes to bring him back.
"I don't care if you have no soul, you will fight it. I cannot lose you. Promise me. Now , Daemonikai said fiercely. "Because let me tell you, if I have to lose you too, I will go on a killing spree. I will slay every last human in this world, including the ones born today. I will erase the human species and turn their lands to dust. I truly will set this world on fire, V.D.”
A flicker of amusement sparked in Vladya’s eyes, breaking through the tension.
"Oh, stop. That sounds like the most twisted love confession," Vladya said in a lighter tone. "You sound like a lovesick idiot."
Daemonikai didn’t share his amusement. His face remaining grim, deadly serious.
Vladya must have seen something in his eyes, for the lightness in his vanished. "You're serious, aren't you?"
“Gee, I wonder what gave me away?” Daemonikai crossed his arms.
Vladya's mouth opened. They closed, words failing him.
"Ukrae's balls. Not that the idea of erasing the entire human population isn't tempting as hell, but you can't do that," Vladya said at last. "You'll become that person again. Evie went through hell to purge the world of Daemonikai the Cruel. The Berserker. Vicious Destroyer. Harbinger of Ruin. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Daemonikai stared him down. "You will fight it. You will not give in, easily. Promise me."
"Daemon..." The fight drained out of Vladya, his shoulders drooping like willows. "Fine, you stubborn ancient wagon. Agreed."
"I need your word."
"You have my word." Vladya massaged his brow, adding in a low tone, "I promise."
"Seal it with an oath."
Vladya's frustration flared. "You... Bloody hell .” A deep breath. “Fine, I vow that I will fight the feral madness. I will fight with my last breath. Happy?"
Only then did the rigidness in Daemonikai's posture ease. That would be enough for now.
"No wonder people have misunderstood our friendship over the centuries." Vladya snorted, gesturing between them. "Just so you know, this is unhealthy. You are as toxic as the devil's tits."
"Shut up." Daemonikai glowered at him. "Don't think I did not hear how you chose this ." He mirrored Vladya's gesture. "How you chose me , over our people for five centuries. You were all that stood between my feral self, our laws, and Zaiper.”
Vladya's cheeks flushed, looking uncomfortable. "Forget that." He cleared his throat. "It seems history is about to repeat itself, only now, I'm on the feral side."
"No, you are not , you brat.” Throat tight, Daemonikai pulled Vladya into another bone-crushing hug. “I will stand between you and that dark void, you hear me?" he vowed. "Now you tell me everything. How the symptoms are, what you're feeling right now, what you want. Leave no detail untold. Let's fight this. Together. And if you go down, we go down together. You hear me?"
He felt more than saw Vladya nod against his shoulder.
By dusk, Daemonikai slumped against the doorframe, frustration simmering beneath his skin, his energy drained.
Spending the entire day in Vladya's residence, he had observed a lot. Feral was like a slow-acting disease, typically taking ten to fifteen years to fully manifest after the first symptoms appeared. But Vladya's case was different, because he wasn't fighting his.
It had been less than two years since the signs began, and already the affliction had progressed at a pace faster than a person in his eighth year of battling the madness.
The vacant stares, the uncontrollable shift from male to beast, the insatiable hunger, and so on. Vladya’s madness was closing in... with terrifying speed.
Though they remained indoors all day, they'd tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Working together in Vladya's study, playing cards, they even shared meals.
Wegai kept the grand king informed, bringing him constant updates, but to Daemonikai, the world outside this residence was irrelevant.
His priority was Vladya’s sanity.
All that mattered was Vladya.
Worst of all was seeing Vladya battle his instincts. Twice today, Daemonikai had watched as a wildness took over his friend's features. Growling and pacing the floor like a caged beast. Body coiled with tension. Battling. Resisting.
Like now, he was doing it again. Fist clenched as he stomped from one end to another.
Each time Daemonikai demanded to know what exactly Vladya was resisting so hard, he was met with a defiant glare and a stubborn set to Vladya's jaw.
Daemonikai understood stubbornness. That, iron control, and sheer force of will were traits he and Vladya shared. He should let it go, but curiosity wouldn’t let him.
What was it that Vladya resisted so fiercely, and why did he look so utterly ravenous each time he fought back?
When they ate meals, Daemonikai had ordered extra food, assuming hunger might be the issue. It wasn't.
The wild hunger in Vladya’s eyes remained.
Shifting away from the door, Daemonikai strode across the room and eased into the chair, propping his boots on the table’s edge, casually crossing them at the ankles.
"If you drank from Merilyn just days ago, I assume bloodlust is not the problem," Daemonikai mused, his gaze following Vladya as he stalked across the study. “So… sexlust, then."
Vladya shot him a glare, huffing in irritation. His nose and cheek were bruised and slightly swollen from Daemonikai's blows, but it didn't seem like the male felt the pain, pacing restlessly.
Somehow, the wild look in Vladya's eyes grew stronger. As if he truly was having a hard time resisting.
Daemonikai was done with this.
Sighing he uncrossed his ankle, and straightened. "How many females do you want? Two? Ten?"
"I'm not battling sexlust," Vladya grunted.
"And I was born today. Just a fresh youngling suckling on my mama’s bosom," Daemonikai shot back with a straight face.
Vladya inhaled deeply, ignoring him.
"Should I call the maids?" Daemonikai persisted. "Contact the whorehouse? A mistress?"
Vladya stopped in his tracks, his fists clenched. A muscle in his jaw ticked, his control visibly fraying at the edges. "It's not that simple."
"It is from where I'm standing."
Vladya’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I want to hurt her,” he finally admitted, his voice so low. Ashamed. “I want to unleash on her.”
Daemonikai’s brows shot up in surprise. He crossed his arms, intrigued. "So, I’m right. There is a female. Who is she? A lady, perhaps? Is she bonded? Is that why you're ashamed? Because I’ll drag her here, bondmate or not."
"She's not bonded—wait. You would get me someone's bondmate ?” Vladya’s head snapped up, voice incredulous. “Have you lost your mind?"
"If that’s who you want, yes," Daemonikai said without hesitation. His gaze was steady, resolute. "I’ll bring the Oracle herself if I have to. I care nothing for consequences or propriety right now. So, stop stalling and tell me the truth."
Vladya shook his head, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. "You hide it so well behind your appearance as a just king, but sometimes I forget how morally twisted you truly are, Daemonikai Vipertheriov Naelzharoth."
Daemonikai waited him out, his brows lifting meaningfully.
“Fine,” Vladya exhaled sharply. "You remember that night in the woods, I told you about a girl I fed from?"
Daemonikai’s brows furrowed as he searched his memory. "I'm not sure I— Oh, the girl who almost quenched your thirst? The one who got ‘really high?’"
"That’s the one." Vladya looked… almost embarrassed.
“Mmm.” Daemonikai’s interest piqued, he reversed the cross of his legs and settled back into the chair. "So, who is this female?"
"No one."
"Do I know her?"
"No."
"Will you tell me anything useful, so I can find this girl and drag her here?"
"No."
Daemonikai sighed dramatically, rising from his seat. "Alright. If the desirable is not available, the available will have to substitute, do you not think?" He strode towards the door. "I’m coming back."
In the maid quarters, chaos reigned. Gales of laughter mingled with the sharp snaps of cards, interspersed by the occasional clatter of objects tumbling to the floor and boisterous cheers.
Daemonikai walked in and stood framed in the doorway. His voice, clear and authoritative, sliced through the uproar. "Who among you desires the honor of lying with Grand Lord Vladya? Step forward now."
The quarters fell silent, as solemn as a tombstone. One by one, the females emerged, eyes wide, lips parted in excitement. Seventeen of them in total.
Vladya, with all his cold-heartedness and meanness to the females, was a sensation for them. They loved him a lot.
Daemonikai pointed to five after dismissing the rest. "Come with me."
When he reentered the royal residence, Daemonikai’s instincts flared. Something was wrong.
"Wait here," he ordered the females, following Vladya’s scent, his footsteps silent on the plush carpet. The air in the bedchamber crackled with danger. A second later, a hulking, half-shifted Vladya lunged at him.
This time, Daemonikai was ready.
Taking a half-shift as well, he met Vladya's feral rage with his own controlled savagery. Vladya’s beast was in control, fighting to kill him and Daemonikai did not hold back.
He fought not just to subdue but to reach the man within. And when he finally did, forcing Vladya back to his human form, his own beast was almost harder to control—enjoying the violence, demanding a complete shift.
Vladya might have stopped attempting to rip his head off, but he still had a wild look on.
"Let us tackle your sexlust, shall we?" Daemonikai's voice was rough, barely controlled. "Come in."
The Urekai maids entered cautiously, eyeing the grand lord, now seated on the edge of the bed, muscles coiled tight like a cobra waiting to strike. Their eyes widened in unison, and they quickly bared their throats.
Vladya was upon them in an instant, scenting their necks.
Pupils dilated, claws flexing as he inhaled each one, moving from female to female with increasing agitation and frustration. By the time he'd reached the last one, he was snarling. Claws elongated, poised to strike.
His pheromones were so suffocatingly aggressive they had the females on their knees, a trembling, whimpering mess.
Hades, these ladies were not what he wanted. They weren’t her .
Even in this near-feral state, Vladya's beast craved a specific female.
Daemonikai had no idea what to make of that. He quickly herded the terrified females before Vladya lost what little control he had left and spilled their blood.
Back inside the bedchamber, his puzzled eyes trailed Vladya. Whoever this girl was, she had her claws in him deeper than Daemonikai had thought. Who is she?
"Your Grace?" A cautious voice interrupted his thoughts.
Daemonikai turned to find Yaz standing in the doorway, his expression tight with worry. The male had lingered all day, hovering like a shadow, clearly concerned for his master’s wellbeing.
Walking out, Daemonikai closed the door behind him.
"What is it, Yaz?" he asked, tiredly.
"I know the girl my master wants."
Daemonikai’s head snapped up. "What do you know?"
"She works here in Blackstone. I know where to find her," the stoic soldier said quietly.
"A maid?"
Yaz shook his head, hesitating. "A slave. Human."
The air between them stilled. They were standing out in the open, but the silence was so thick that a pin drop would have echoed through the halls. "Say what now?"
“Yes, Your Grace. She’s a newly acquired slave," Yaz explained. "Barely a year ago. Lord Vladya and Lord Ottai traveled to the human kingdom to acquire her and her brother to serve your beast."
That wasn’t news to him, Ottai had told him of this journey. What was completely unexpected was the surrounding implications.
The idea that Vladya, emotionally detached, always-in-control Vladya, was drawn to a human girl, enough for his severed beast to fixate on her, was... staggering.
He glanced at Yaz. "Bring this girl to me."
Yaz bowed and turned on his heel. Just as he vanished down the corridor, Ottai rounded the corner.
"Your Grace. I was at Frostfall, only to be informed you were here. There are matters I wish to discu—" Ottai cut off abruptly, his attention snapping to the low, rumbling growl coming from inside the chamber. A trace of worry crossed his face as he moved closer, his eyes finding Daemonikai’s. "How is he?"
"You knew." Daemonikai's voice was flat, accusatory.
Guilt flashed across Ottai's face and he stopped just in front of Daemonikai, his broad shoulders drooping slightly. "It’s been happening for a while now, I try my best to help, but..." He shook his head. "You know how stubborn Vlad can be."
"Still, you should have said something, Ottai," he said, the weight of his disappointment lacing his words.
"I know." Ottai hung his head. "I apologize, Your Grace."
They stood at the door, watching Vladya through the crack. He’d taken a half-shift again, prowling the room restlessly, snarling and snapping at nothing.
Ottai turned pale. "Do you think he is st-stuck in a half shift?"
Daemonikai observed Vladya’s figure, his keen eyes studying every tremor, every twitch of muscle. "I think he is too agitated to revert."
Daemonikai wasn’t entirely certain, but it had to be. The alternative was unthinkable.