Page 43 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

Anger overpowered panic.I will strangle her with my bare hands!

He rose. Or tried to.

Pain, like moving water, rushed through him until Zaiper felt like he was surrounded by burning pillars, forcing him to sink back to the ground.

"Wait! You cannot do this to me!" He meant to shout, but the words came out as nothing more than a ragged groan of pain.

The Oracle paused at the threshold.

Angling her head slightly, she cast a final glance over her shoulder. “And while I am feeling generous, undo every foul enchantment you have woven into the Grand King’s mind."

Zaiper sat there, panting through unexplainable pain.She knew of that too!?

"Tear them from his mind, thread by cursed thread, until not a single trace of dark magic remains. Do not test my patience further, you spawn of darkness.” Then, she vanished into the night.

Chapter ten

WISHES AND SIGNS

Oneweeklater.

Emeriel woke in the early hours of dawn. Today was The Celestial Offering.

One of the most sacred ceremonies of the Urekai. And she wanted to help Daemonikai prepare for it.

After the feral incident,he had insisted she remain in her chambers instead of moving into his quarters. He did not trust himself not to hurt her again.

And although, Emeriel had fought to stay by his side, even she knew this was a battle she could not win, so she had reluctantly agreed.

But now, she barely saw him.

His duties kept him constantly busy, pulling him away at dawn until long past midnight. Each evening, she waited in her bedchamber, hoping to hear the announcement of his return. But exhaustion always claimed her before the hour grew too late, and she would wake to find another day had begun without him.

This morning, however, Emeriel was prepared.

Rising quietly, she slipped into a simple gown before making her way to the slave quarters. There, she roused Amie and two other human attendants who had volunteered to assist her, taking them to her bedchambers.

While they drew a bath, Emeriel went through the rows of ceremonial attire she had a royal servant bring to her chambers the previous day. Selecting one of the grandest robes, threaded with gold and silver, she laid it out carefully. Hoping she had chosen correctly as she paired it with matching footwear, a belt, and an ornamental hairpin.

With everything prepared, Emeriel made her way to the king’s bedchamber. The guards stationed outside nodded respectfully as she approached, stepping aside to allow her entry. Twisting the handle, she slipped inside, the heavy door closing softly behind her.

Daemonikai lay sprawled in sleep at the center of the massive bed, his broad chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

The fact that he did not stir at her entrance spoke volumes about his exhaustion. Pausing, she took a moment to look her fill.

This male, who carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders, who was depended upon by so many, yet bore his pain in silence—this male was hers.

Her throat closed up.I want so many things.

Emeriel ached with the desire to climb into that bed, slip beneath the covers to pull him close and rest his head against her chest. To stroke his hair, easing the tension clinging to him even in sleep.

To be there when he wakes from one of those nightmares. To hush his racing heart, offering her breasts to him for solace.

But there was an invisible rift between them now. A distance neither of them knew how to bridge.

They had not shared intimacy since that terrible night. Daemonikai had made sure of it. And that was… okay.

Emeriel was not yet ready forthat. But shestarvedfor everything else.

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