Page 192 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

Zaiper ignored it. “What happened to my men?”

“You mean the vamps?” Daemonikai’s tone remained even. “Gone. The few we captured were beheaded at dawn. Their heads sent back to their king as a trophy.”

Zaiper closed his eye. His throat burned as he swallowed his own blood.

“Your new head soldier was executed, too,” Daemonikai added. “But that’s not nearly as important as why we are here. Who is your dark mage, and where can we find him?”

“You really think I’d give you that information?” Zaiper smirked, even as it caused him a great deal of pain. He still had leverage. “Come now, Daemonikai. It must not be fun navigating life with all those lovely voices in your head. How about this—you let me go, and I’ll give you what you want.”

The grand king chuckled. “Oh, Zaiper,” he said, indulgent. “Make no mistake—you will give me everything I want. I hope you resist, truly. I want you to. It will make extracting each secret from you infinitely more satisfying. I will take great pleasure in tearing them from you one by one until yousingthem to everyone willing to listen.”

“I’ve already prepared myself for torture,” Zaiper said. “I know there’s no escaping it. You may as well begin. But know this—I’ve already prepared my parting gift for you. You see your madness… that curse? That spell?I’ll take the source to my grave,” he vowed, smug. “You will live out the rest of your lifewith a fractured mind filled with voices. One day, who knows, they may even drive you to murder your new precious family.”

“Mmm. I admire your spirit. So tell me.” Daemonikai leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Does it feel good to see the chaos you caused with your spells—watching me go mad while you strutted around with your sanctimonious speeches, branding me the crazy king unfit for the First Throne?”

Zaiper laughed. He couldn’t help himself.

“You’ve no idea how fun it was. Playing you like a puppet, note by note, from the sidelines, with you none the wiser. It was... exquisite.” His grin was unrepentant. “But don’t blame me too much, Daemonikai. The real culprit was your pride. You believed yourself invincible. Too strong to be touched, too feared to be challenged. And because of that arrogance, you gave someone like me the perfect opening.”

He let out a wheezing cough of amusement. “The Dragaxlovs have always sought the throne, but the Naelzharoth was too powerful. My grandfather shared with me that it was his lifelong dream to sit on the First Throne, yet every minor scheme he attempted to wrest it from your grandfather failed. He was a coward, you see, just like the rest of them.” Zaiper sighed. “Even at a hundred, I knew I was different from those spineless relics. I knew I would achieve great things, and I knew you would assist me. Your casual dismissal, that prideful superiority… always a Naelzharoth, viewing the rest of us as beneath you. You never even regarded me as a threat. And that's why I won.”

Daemonikai's silence lingered.

“I took your family and savored every second of your roars that night,” Zaiper continued, enjoying himself. “When Evielyn begged me to spare her son, I watched the light fade from her eyes as I buried a blade into your firstborn. You can’t imagine the thrill of watching him struggle for breath. And watching your precious queen bleed out before me...” He closed his eyes,reliving it. “That memory alone overshadows the pain in my body now. It was art. One of my greatest creations.”

“You went mad, and I rejoiced,” Zapier purred. ”Five hundred years without you was paradise. Would have remained so if I'd managed to get that bastard Vladya and that son of a bitch Ottai to help kill you off. I think that was my greatest regret... I should have tried fucking harder. But can you blame a male? I never saw your return coming.”

“But you did come back,” he spat. “Same self-righteous, superior swine, dripping with power like the gods hand-fed it to you. You stormed into my home, humiliated me with your Alpha Will, and strutted around like a fucking sun god. I bet you enjoy throwing around how fucking powerful you are. I didn’t enjoy that, but you know what I did enjoy?” The smirk was back. “Her screams that night.”

He heard it—a nearly silent intake of breath.At last, a response.

Zaiper's heart soared. Oh, thefunhe was having.

“I bet you don’t remember it. Mother Nature tends to be thorough like that—especially when it comes to protecting the mind. But don’t worry. I’ll give you a little recap.” He smiled. “You were merciless. Brutal. Her screams shook the strongest of towers as you tore her apart for your own pleasure—sawing through raw wounds and bruises just to satisfy yourself. All. Fucking. Night.”

Daemonikai didn’t flinch.

Zaiper went on.

“She passed out from the pain, from the sheer misery… and still, you didn’t stop. You, who claimed to care for her, who called her your heart, your mate, your radiant star—you made her suffer until her body broke beneath you. Again. And again. And again.” Damn, his good eye was stinging. He blinked hard toclear the sweat. “Honestly, I’d be amazed if the two of you ever manage to get intimate again without her reliving that night.”

Silence.

“I never did enjoy how even as misfortune backed you into a corner, youstillnever looked my way.” Zaiper’s voice tightened. “Hurt my pride, I won’t lie. But every time one of my plans worked, every time you remained blissfully ignorant—made it worth it.”

“You want to know why?” the grand king said, tone mild.

Zaiper blinked. “Why what?”

“Why I never looked your way. Why it never occurred to me thatyouwere the one pulling strings.”

Zaiper narrowed his eye. Why does he still sound calm? He should be seething, unable to control this violent retaliation!

“Because you were nothing but a rat. A coward not worth my attention. A squeaking, scheming little thing too afraid to face me like an alpha, so you crept in shadows, clawing and fretting from the dark.” Daemonikai’s voice was clear, unshaken. “You couldn’t challenge me for the First Throne. You didn’t dare. Not with your tail tugged between your legs every time I so much as acknowledged your presence.”

Zaiper’s face twisted.

“You went to such great lengths to mask your petty little tricks,” Daemonikai said. “Because deep down, you knew what you were. Not a rival. Not a warrior. But a sewer rat, terrified of the lion’s gaze.”

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