Page 16 of Feral

KATRINA

Months had passed since that wondrous night in the garden—the night Blaylock touched me like I was both something fragile and something that belonged solely to him, but also something feral and primal that’s left me yearning for so much more. Everything.

And since then, everything had changed with me and for me.

I walked through the dark halls of Shadow Vale’s castle like I belonged—because I did. The shadows no longer scared me, and the staff welcomed me with low bows of respect. I was now a part of this place. Irrevocably.

This place that once terrified me had become the only home I’d ever truly had. And I loved it immeasurably.

And Blaylock… God, I loved my monster more than I ever thought I could love another being.

The way I’d once been so unsure of him felt like a distant, forgotten dream. Now, I craved him—his presence, his voice, his hands...his cock. I knew the weight of his stare; the softness hidden beneath his monstrous exterior.

And just a few weeks ago, Blaylock had crowned me his queen. He’d made it official.

It hadn’t been like the crowning I remembered from when he took me to Draxus’s ceremony. No, Blaylock said he wanted ours to be different. Quieter. More intimate.

He had taken me into the throne room at dawn when only the blue flames were lit. There’d been no monsters in attendance, nothing but the two of us to share the special moment. But I knew there would be a time when I’d need to be introduced and presented to all the subjects that he ruled over.

He said he would give me the crown and the ceremony I deserved later when I was ready… when I wanted it.

And I was grateful. God, I was so thankful.

I closed the book I’d been reading and tilted my face up to the sky. The moon was full, casting silver-blue light over the garden. This had become one of my most favorite spots in the castle. I took a deep breath, the cool air filling my lungs, and smiled.

I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I was just missing the man—the monster—I loved.

And as if I conjured him, the heavy sound of boots scraping across gravel told me I wasn’t alone anymore. I looked over my shoulder and saw Blaylock standing at the edge of the garden, his massive frame illuminated by moonlight.

Blaylock.

I stood without thinking; the book falling from my hands. “Hi,” I whispered, happiness instantly blooming through me.

“My love,” he rumbled, his voice wrapping around me like a snug hug.

I stepped toward him, but he didn’t reach for me. Not yet. He only watched me, his black eyes unreadable, his mouth set in something serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need you to come with me, my little bird,” he said.

My heart kicked in my chest, and I twisted my fingers together, this nervousness filling me instantly because he looked so serious. “Where?”

His hand lifted, large and clawed but gentle, as he cupped my jaw.

“Home,” he breathed, as if hating he had to say the word. “Your old one.”

A dread settled over me, but I trusted Blaylock.

I nodded. Because with him beside me, I feared nothing—not even the ghosts of my past.

11

KATRINA

The woods were quiet, unnaturally so.

But I was used to it. It was like being brought back into a nightmare you’d been trying to escape your entire life.

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