35. EMERIEL’S RECKONING
Chapter thirty-five
EMERIEL’S RECKONING
Emeriel let the truth go. "My name is Emeriel."
King Daemonikai let go of the lifeless body and it fell to the ground. Dark fury gathered in his eyes, so terrifying Emeriel’s heart began the drumming of doom.
"You deceived me?" He sounded calm and enraged all at once.
Emeriel shuddered. "I'm s-sorry.”
Sorry. So pathetic, so inadequate. One does not weave webs of lies, and spin the kind of deception she did, and all they could say was “sorry.” But Emeriel’s mind has gone blank.
She struggled to think, to find a way to explain herself, but the drums of doom drowned out all coherent thoughts.
The grand king said something, but Emeriel couldn’t hear it. Her vision tunneled, and all she could see was his murderous face closing the distance between them.
Get up! Run away! Her mind screamed, but her body refused to obey. Rooted to the spot. Paralyzed.
He was going to kill her, Emeriel just knew it.
The world narrowed to a pinprick of light as darkness crept in. I think I'm going to faint.
Relief blanketed her. This, this one she could face.
I wish I never wake .
Emeriel woke slowly, her senses gradually returning to her. She was draped across the powerful, muscular back of the beast. Dressed once again in her slave garment, but her hair was unbound, cascading loosely over her shoulders.
The feeling of her breasts without the usual tight bindings was hard to ignore, too.
The paralyzing fear was back, but she forced it down. This is her beast. She had spent countless nights in its arms, had handfed and bloodfed it, even been mounted repeatedly by it. This beast had always been her protector. It wouldn’t hurt her.
But that beast is still King Daemonikai. A King Daemonikai who just discovered your deceit.
She anxiously scanned their surroundings. They had just passed through the fortress gates where a small crowd had gathered, murmuring, and pointing at the beast. But it was the grand lords standing at the very front, watching and waiting, that terrified her most. All of them were present.
Lord Ottai looked completely perplexed, worry evident in the deep lines on his face. Lord Vladya’s expression was a carefully constructed mask, but his eyes were locked on her, penetrating and uncomfortable as usual. Emeriel looked away fast. Lord Zaiper's face was a study of confusion, calculating.
The beast's massive paw shifted behind her, steadying her as he rose to his hind legs and shifted back into his human form. King Daemonikai stood tall, sliding her down his back until she stood, trembling, behind him.
"What is going on, Your Grace?” a high lord's voice cut through the tense silence. “The way you left court...”
"We were worried," another added quickly.
"I’ve never been so scared!"
"Wait. Is that not Emeriel?" High Lord Gaff's sharp eyes had spotted her. Every head turned in her direction.
"Emeriel is a girl ?" another high lord added in confusion.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Murmurs rose from the gathered people, those at the back strained to see, their voices growing louder but the soldiers quickly formed a protective barrier, keeping them at bay.
Grand Lord Zaiper stepped forward, his expression grave. "What is going on here, Your Grace? Emeriel is female?"
Not that grand lord. Emeriel could practically see her life flashing before her eyes. Her breath hitched, and tears welled up as she pressed herself tightly into King Daemonikai's wide back.
"Step away from the grand king and face the council, you foolish human," Lord Zaiper barked, his voice sharp like a whip crack. "You have to answer to us . Hope to your gods that we have misunderstood a chest, perhaps swollen from bruises, for feminine breasts. For if they are truly what they seem, this gathering will be your last!"
Emeriel whimpered, clinging to the grand king's back as if her life depended on it. He still hadn't uttered a word.
The murmurs swelled into angry roars. The high lords, their faces contorted in shock, anger and disgust, muttered amongst themselves, shaking their heads.
"But how could you deceive an entire elite council of Urekai?" a voice demanded, probably another high lord, though Emeriel couldn’t see who it was from where she hid.
"Say something, Your Grace," another high lord's voice, this one demanding, echoed through the courtyard.
Why can't I ever catch a break? All Emeriel had wanted was a few moments of respite after a brutal heat and an even more brutal recovery. She had planned to sneak back into the fortress unnoticed, blend in as she always did, and collapse into sleep before the next round of duties began. Was that so wrong? Was that too much to ask?
Why, of all days, did it have to happen today? When she could barely muster the strength to speak, let alone plead, apologize, or explain.
All her energy had been drained from her, and now she felt like a hollow shell, with nothing left to give.
Overwhelmed, she buried her face against the grand king’s back, soaking his robes with her tears. She waited for the inevitable. Waited for him to pull away. To hand her over to the vultures that encircled them, eager for her blood.
An unexpected emotion crawled up inside Grand Lord Vladya as he watched the girl's fingers tighten around Daemonikai's robes. Pity.
Was she even aware of how desperately she clutched him, as if he were her only lifeline? Did she realize that she was hiding behind a tornado to shield herself from the storm?
The very person she should fear the most was the one she held onto for protection.
Daemonikai had not said a word. To everyone else, his face was expressionless, impassive. But Vladya had known the male for centuries, he saw the fury simmering just beneath the surface.
Daemonikai was pissed as hell at Emeriel.
"Do you not have a mouth, you deceitful human? Start talking!" Zaiper's voice boomed, his anger barely contained.
"He should come out and face us first. We need to see his face," Jakal added coldly. "Human, leave our king's back and go stand at the center."
Emeriel made a soft, helpless sound, but finally, relinquished her grip on Daemonikai and stepped into the open, her body quivering like a leaf in the wind.
Daemonikai remained motionless, merely watching.
"Those truly are breasts," Zaiper said, awed and incredulous. "I should have seen this before... it was all right there. The missing piece of the puzzle."
Once that one piece falls into place, the other connections become glaringly obvious. Vladya saw Zaiper’s mind turn, like the inner workings of a clock. Saw the exact moment the cogs clicked into place.
Zaiper went pale. His jaw slackened, eyes as round as a full moon.
He knows Emeriel is Daemonikai’s Soulbond.
"You... you..." Zaiper took a step back, his breath out of control, composure crumbled to dust.
"Is everything alright, your Majesty, Zaiper?" Concern was etched on Gaff's face.
"All is as you can see, Gaff. We have a female who dared to live amongst us here in Ravenshadow under the guise and deceit, for months and months on end," Zaiper rallied, trying to mask how shaken he was.
How much he despised knowing Daemonikai’s Soulbond stood within reach, yet he couldn't pick her up and snap her spine in two.
But he had plenty of reasons to execute Emeriel, and the thought clearly excited him. He was trying hard to curb it, but Vladya could see through it all. That glint in his eyes was one of anticipation . The crime of identity deception is so severe even the grand king might not be able to save Emeriel, and Zaiper knew that.
Vladya glanced at his old friend's inscrutable face. In moments like these, he wished he could peer into Daemonikai's mind and know what was going on in there. Was he contemplating intervention, or would he simply walk away, leaving Emeriel to her fate?
And he could leave.
Their kingdom held together because of the grand rulers' inflexibility of law enforcement. Daemonikai himself did not tolerate lawlessness. In a land where every male harbored a beast inside, one that could turn feral at the slightest misstep, strict laws were not just necessary they were essential.
Vladya sighed, his gaze drifting back to the girl who now stood in the spotlight, surrounded by angry Urekai like tiny prey among ravenous predators. He wished there was something he could do for her. The girl might truly meet her end on this day if her furious male did not interfere.
Vladya liked to believe he didn’t care about what the outcome of today might be, but that would be a lie. The truth was, he... admired Emeriel.
The girl's survival instincts were top-notch, remarkable even. Everything she had done, every lie she'd told, was in the name of survival. Vladya could relate to that.
And she looked like she had been dragged through hell and back. How desperate must she have been to forsake everything and call out to her beloved for help?
"There will be no trial for this case, for a judgment has been passed," Zaiper's voice rang out, silencing the crowd. "By the power vested in me, I pronounce you guilty of Identity Deception, High Fraud, Monarchial Betrayal, and a multitude of other serious crimes we might have uncovered in a trial."
Vladya almost snorted. For someone so nonchalant about kingdom affairs, Zaiper's knowledge of the law was surprisingly extensive.
"You will be executed for your crimes," Zaiper continued, his tone merciless and final. "You will be locked up in the dungeons while the rulers deliberate on your method of execution. No food. No water."
"Choose the most brutal execution method!" someone shouted from the crowd, others echoing the sentiment.
"Humans are the scum of the earth!"
"Kill her now! Kill her now!"
"Silence, everyone!" Zaiper's gaze swept over the crowd. "Make no mistake, we shall punish the human accordingly. Soldiers, take her away!"
Emeriel's shoulders slumped in resignation as they marched forward, their heavy boots echoing on the cobblestones.
Vladya had seen enough. He opened his mouth to speak, but another voice beat him to it.
"Soldiers, you will do no such thing."
Daemonikai's words, low and authoritative, cut through the chaos.
Gasps rose from the crowd as he finally moved, stepping forward to stand in front of Emeriel.
"Get out, all of you," he ordered the soldiers. They bowed and retreated without hesitation.
"What is going on, King Daemonikai?" Zapier spoke with mocking disdain.
Daemonikai crossed his arms. "What does it look like, Lord Zaiper?"
"It looks like you are attempting to interfere with the punishment of a criminal. Surely, that cannot be, can it, Your Grace?"
Shock rippled through the crowd and murmurs of betrayal rose.
"I wonder if there is still a punishment, when there were no crimes to begin with, Zaiper," Daemonikai said smoothly, yet his voice carried an undercurrent of steel.
Zaiper's brows furrowed. "I do not understand."
"The grand rulers were aware of her identity," Daemonikai announced, finally meeting Vladya's gaze. "The third ruler, were you not?"
"I was aware," Vladya spoke aloud, stepping forward.
The crowd made noises, but he paid them no heed, standing beside Daemonikai. "I was aware. Even the fourth ruler was aware. Grand Lord Ottai, am I wrong?"
"Huh?" Ottai was completely befuddled, staring at both of them. “I was?”
"Of course you were. We authorized this together, did we not?" Vladya pressed.
Ottai regained his composure. "Y-yes. Yes, we did." Nose in the air, he came forward stopping beside Vladya."I was aware too. I have always known Emeriel was a girl."
"That is preposterous!" Zaiper roared, his face flushed with anger. "None of you could have been aware, could have authorized this! None of you!"
"I do not know, Zaiper. Are you calling us liars?" Daemonikai's voice was dangerously calm, his gaze pinning Zaiper in place. "Are you implying something, Grand Lord Zaiper?"
The second ruler's confidence cracked. He took a shuddering breath. "No, Grand King, I am not. I merely cannot understand what is going on here."
"Allow me to enlighten you," Vladya stated. "Lord Ottai and I picked her from the human kingdom ourselves, and upon transportation, she revealed the truth to us. We have been aware of this human's identity right from the start."
"I find that hard to believe." Zaiper sputtered, his voice thick with indignation.
"She went into heat her first night in Ravenshadow, Zaiper." An arrogant smirk played at the corners of Vladya’s lips, because he simply couldn't help himself. He was enjoying messing with Zaiper too much. "It's really impossible to hide one's identity when heat is involved, don't you think?"
A noisy inhale swept through the crowd. Then, stunned silence.
"That's right," Daemonikai added. "She is also Syren."
The high lords looked utterly dumbfounded. For some, their anger melted away, replaced by a glimmer of hope. A could-she-be-mine kind of hope.
Even Ottai had his jaw on the ground before Vladya nudged him subtly.
The fourth ruler quickly recovered, adopting the expression of someone who had always been in the know.
Poor, cute Ottai. Vladya hid his amusement.
"That was why we had to conceal her identity," Vladya continued smoothly. "If she remained female and Syren, all of you would have been on her like bees to a carcass. One aspect had to be hidden to protect the other, and since she had lived as a boy her whole life, it was the easier choice."
"But why the secrecy?" High Lord Daryl's voice broke the silence. "Would it not have been better if we knew she was Syren? She might make a good bondmate to one of us. She might belong to one of us."
"She does. She belongs to me." Daemonikai's cold eyes stayed on Zaiper, his voice a possessive growl. "She was made for me . She is mine ."
The air stilled around them.
"That's right," Vladya confirmed. "The girl is our grand king's Soulbond ."
A catastrophic noise exploded through the courtyard, yet again, myriad expressions of shock displayed on everyone’s faces.
But what truly caught his attention was the reaction of Daemonikai’s bloodhost.
Mistress Sinai had gone deathly pale. Her grip on her maid's arm tightened until her knuckles turned white. She swayed on her feet, nearly collapsing, but her maid caught her, holding her upright.
Vladya almost felt sympathy for her. He knew Sinai had harbored feelings for Daemonikai for a very long time.
Turning back to the crowd, Vladya’s voice cut through the din. "That is why we ordered her to remain a secret. If people discovered there was a Syren slave, she would be abducted and forced to endure countless bonding rituals born from desperation. Am I wrong?"
Several high lords cleared their throats, gazes of guilt averted. No, he was not wrong, and they all knew it.
Daemonikai moved forward, in his commanding presence. "Lord Vladya and Lord Ottai felt obligated to protect what is mine. They authorized her to keep her identity a secret, even when she did not wish to. It is not a crime to protect what belongs to us."
"I was not informed of this," Zaiper protested, bitterly. "It is still identity deception and fraud because I was not aware."
"Oh, come on now, second ruler. Everyone here knows how you cannot keep it in your pants. Almost lawless in that regard, really," Daemonikai insulted him bluntly.
Zaiper flushed a deep red with anger.
"As unmated as you are, you would have tried to claim her for yourself even before I arose." Daemonikai went on, unfazed. Then, he raised his voice. "That girl saved me . I was able to return from feral madness because of my Soulbond ."
More shocked noises rippled through the crowd.
Emeriel whimpered, pressing closer to the grand king’s back, as if seeking protection from the storm of attention.
"She nourished me through bloodfeeding, satisfied my sexlust, and she did it all willingly. She wished for me to live, worked hard for it, and for that, I am here today."
Vladya searched Daemonikai's face. His friend spoke with such conviction, yet had no memory of being feral. Did he even realize just how true his words were?
"This is too hard to believe," Zaiper spat, livid, and doing a poor job of hiding it.
"Why?" Daemonikai cocked his head to the side. "If I did not know better, I would say you hate that my Soulbond is alive, have always hated it even before today. It almost seems like you are dying to kill her even after all we've said. Why, Zaiper? Why are you so invested? Do you hate me that much to kill my Soulbond for no reason?"
It was a high accusation, one that could get Zaiper in serious troubles. Everyone went dead silent again.
The high lords exchanged shocked glances. All eyes rested on Zaiper, putting him on the spot like a sacrificial lamb.
"What is it that you have against me, Zaiper? It seemed like you weren't too thrilled about my return. With everything that's happening, I can't help but wonder why." Daemonikai paused, eyes blazing. "Do you wish I had never come back? Would you have preferred it if I had died?"
"No! I have no ill will against you! How c-could you say that!?" Zaiper eyes darted around nervously, seeking any sign of support. "Without a crime, I would never try to attack your Soulbond ."
"Yet we tell you now why she is without crime, so why do you still persist?" Daemonikai doubled down, taking a menacing step towards the second ruler. "Do not think I haven't heard how you were most inclined to get rid of my feral beast. From all I heard, you were pretty obsessed about it. Tell me, Lord Zaiper, do you truly have no ill will against me?"
Brutal . When he wanted to be, the grand king could be absolutely merciless.
"No!!" Zaiper's voice was a strangled cry, his eyes wide with panic.
The high lords watched him with growing suspicion, people staring at him with distrust. Disgust, even.
"Fine! The girl has no crime,” Zaiper surrendered, words forced out through clenched teeth. “I retract my statements. There will be no executions, no dungeons."
Daemonikai whirled around, addressing the crowd. "My Soulbond just went through her first full heat. She is completely exhausted and should not have to go through this. I will take her inside now. This gathering is dismissed." He turned to a red-faced, frozen Emeriel. "Follow me."