Page 112 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

The voice jack-knifed him. It soundedall wrong.

Shut your mouth,he snarled inwardly, forcing himself to ignore it. He walked her backward to the bed, followed her down and covered her body with his own.

“Yes, touch my breasts,” she whispered again.

And just like that, the illusion was shattered.

He was back in the present, with the female who was not hisSoulbond.

The desire he had scraped together fled in an instant. Gone, like footprints before a desert wind.

“You don’t need to do it out of desire; do it out of duty. Do it for us.”

So, Daemonikai gritted his teeth and tried harder. He thrust forward.

But couldn't breach her.

He just...could not.

His body refused, his instincts roared against it, and his beast whimpered low and sick, cowering in a corner of his mind. His belly was churning,he wanted to vomit.

“Here.” Sinai reached between them, taking him in hand. “Let me guide you in.”

Daemonikai pulled back. “No.”

Sinai blinked in surprise, her hand falling away as he rose to his feet.

“This cannot happen. I apologize for this, Sinai, it was a mistake,” he said flatly, reaching for his clothes. “I will have thirty gold coins sent to your chambers in the morning as recompense for this insult.” He tugged his tunic over his head and began tying the cords of his trousers. “But hear me now. You willneverspeak of this to anyone. Am I clear?”

He paused as he finished tying his waist cords. “Am. I. Clear?”

She dipped her chin once more, the motion jerky, looking so disappointed. “Crystal, Your Grace.”

Daemonikai turned from her and walked away without a backward glance.

With Evie, he had at least been able to take other females. But with Emeriel… he not only hated the thought of it with every last drop of his blood—every part of himrebelledagainst it.

Fuck.

He needed to find another solution. One that worked. And even if it was unpleasant, so be it. Daemonikai would bear it—anything but a repeat of what had happened tonight.

Chapter twenty-five

DECEPTION AND THE VOICE

Fourmonthslater.

Screams echoed all around him. The dungeon reeked of old blood and scorched flesh.

“I shall ask again,” Vladya snarled, dipping a branding iron into the bed of hot coals until it gleamed red with heat. “What can you tell me about the dark mage who dared to tamper with the mind of Urekai’s ultimate ruler?”

The iron hissed as he raised it, reflecting a glow in the wide, terror-stricken eyes of the male shackled before him.

The prisoner shook his head hard. “I don’t know! I swear it! I don’t know anything!”

“Wrong answer.” Vladya pressed the iron to the mage’s bare chest.

The sizzle of burning flesh came as the prisoner’s screams pierced the air.

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