Page 145 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

The sentinel gave a sharp nod, and without delay, the mounts were collected and led away.

Daemonikai looked at the gathered sentinels who had formed up in disciplined silence. “We ride again at nightfall. Make ready. Sharpen your blades and string your bows.” His voice cold as ice, his tone leaving no room for question. “We do not rest until his troops are razed to the ground. We hunt until he is found.”

A chorus of firm salutes answered him before the sentinels dispersed, falling into formation as they cleared a path for their grand king. Daemonikai strode through their ranks as he made for the Citadel entrance.

“I’ll send for Faiwick. Those bruises need tending, Daemon,” Vladya said, falling into step beside him.

“There’s no need. Let him tend to you. I’ll manage.”

His arm throbbed beneath his armor, blood seeped from wounds not yet treated, but such things were expected. Especially after riding through a forest overrun with ferals to cut hours off their pursuit.

“I won’t be needing a healer because my bloodhost is ready and available. One feeding from her and these wounds are on the route to healing.” Vladya said. “You, on the other hand, your bloodhost is a fugitive on the run and you’ve got a restless beast clawing at your insides because you haven’t fed or fucked in months.”

Daemonikai scowled. “Enough.”

“No, not enough. Oh, fuck this,” Vladya snarled, catching Daemonikai by the arm and dragging him into a shadowed alcove beyond the watchful eyes of the soldiers. “It’s been two months, Daemon. Two months since your last proper bloodfeeding. Feeders don’t count. Sipping from Emeriel to give her pleasure doesn’t fucking count—not when you won’ttrulydrink from her because you’re worried about her condition.”

Daemonikai’s silence only made Vladya angrier.

“I’m worried about you, Daemonikai. You need to fuck. You need to feed.Properly.” Vladya punctuated the words. “It’s been ages, your body is demanding it.”

Irritation flashed across Daemonikai’s face. “Watch your tongue.”

“I won’t,” Vladya shot back, stepping in close. “Because I’m not speaking to you as your Second. I’m speaking to you as a male who’s watching his best friend lose control. A male whorefusesto watch you destroy yourself. You can glare at me all you want, but I see it already—you’re slipping. I saw the way you fought the ferals tonight. It wasn’t skill or strategy, it was savage. Youenjoyedit.” His eyes searched Daemonikai’s, unflinching. “I saw the smirk on your face as you bathed in their blood. You torethem apart even when they were already dead—limb from limb.Like a mindless, bloodthirsty feral.”

Daemonikai’s nostrils flared.

“You’re on the verge, and I will not stand by and watch you go feral again!” Vladya shouted, red-faced. “You want revenge; I do too. That’s why I’ve ridden with you, every night, in pursuit. I want them dead just as much as you do. Especially that lying, two-faced bitch who was your bloodhost. It’s past time another blood bond formed for you. But this… this endless hunt? It’s wearing you down. We’re always one step behind. By the time we reach each hideout, they’re gone, and I understand your frustration. Truly, I do. But wewillcatch them.” Vladya gripped Daemon’s shoulders hard, giving him a sharp shake. “We. Will. Make. Them. Pay.But until we do, we survive. Wethrive.”

“Listen, Vladya—”

“You will take care of that raging beast inside you,” Vladya stated. “I no longer care what your problems with Emeriel are, nor do I care about your reservations over fucking another female. You’re standing on the edge of full-blown madness, and Iwill NOTstand by and watch it happen. If I must drug you, tie you down, and throw every willing female in the kingdom over you to satisfy sexlust,I fucking will.” He leaned in closer, snarling to Daemon’s face. “And I will have a line of fifty feeders waiting after them.”

Daemonikai’s jaw dropped open, stunned into silence.

“So you had better get your act together.” Vladya’s chest heaved as he glared at him, breathing hard. “Get a healer for your wounds, get more feeders to satisfy the taste, andhave sex, Daemonikai. These are yourprioritiesnow, not another bloody ride at dawn.” Finally, he stepped back. “Calm your damn beast, or I will take matters into my own hands.”

With that, Vladya turned on his heel and stalked off.

Daemonikai stood there, alone in the silence.

Tongue-tied. Motionless.

For once in a very long time, he had no idea what to say.

***

Hours later, Daemonikai sat in the reclining chair of his bedchamber, freshly washed, freshly bandaged, and clothed in clean linens. Faiwick had done a thorough job—curbed the bleeding, cleaned the wounds meticulously, and stitched them with care. The pain remained, but the worst had passed.

Daemonikai’s eyes were closed, though sleep remained out of reach. The voices had quieted for now, but his head throbbed like the devils. Still, the silence and solitude served him well. He would take whatever peace he could find.

He was still furious with Vladya. That had not changed, and he’d already made a mental note to plant a well-deserved punch in the male’s gut the next time they crossed paths.

But truth was truth.

Vladya was right.

The thirst to kill was becoming impossible to ignore. And the more he fed that hunger, the closer he got to Madness Land. He knew the path, had walked it before. After Alvin died in his arms, after he found Myka and Evie’s lifeless bodies, he’d begun to spiral—going from zero to ninety. But what had pushed him over the edge then were the killings that followed.

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