Chapter 312

“We did it,” Amie panted, releasing her grip and wiping sweat from her brow. Livia exhaled, steadying herself. Rising, she patted Amie’s shoulder. “You did well.” The girl beamed at the praise.

Crossing the room to where Aekeira lay crumpled on the floor, they looked at her. Her cries were small and pitiful, her body shaking uncontrollably. Near her, a dark stain marred the floor where she had retched. The girl had suffered a heatstroke.

“Oh… poor Princess Aekeira,” Amie said sorrowfully. “I wish we could help her too.”

“We cannot,” Livia said, her voice heavy with regret. “She is in full heat; her body is rejecting touch.”

She crouched beside the trembling princess, her voice gentle. “Little one, can you hear me?” Aekeira barely stirred. Livia reached out, brushing the lightest touch against her leg. The reaction was immediate—Aekeira flinched violently, letting out a sharp whine of pain as she recoiled.

Livia shook her head. “We can do nothing for her.”

The door swung open, and Lord Ottai entered, looking tense. “How are things in here?” His gaze fell to Aekeira’s motionless form on the floor. “I stopped hearing her voice. Is she alright?”

Livia nodded. “For now, she is stable. She lost consciousness after a strong release. And out there?”

“Not pretty,” Lord Ottai said, rubbing a hand over his face. “Everyone except the bonded males has been affected by their scent—including my own head guard, who was supposed to help me hold the others back. Now, I rely on my bonded soldiers, who are immune, but they are few.”

“Do you think Lord Vladya and the King are near? Aekeira has suffered heatstroke. Emeriel’s mini-heat is far worse than her previous ones. I am concerned.”

Ottai’s jaw tightened, saying nothing. At last, he released a quiet, weary sigh. “What I do know is, wherever they are… they must be doing everything in their power to get here. That’s what I count on.”

Voices drifted through the haze of Emeriel’s mind as she stirred. Daemon? Her heart leapt, but as she listened more closely, she realized it was Lord Ottai and Madam Livia speaking in hushed tones nearby.

Bracing herself for pain, she slowly pushed upright. Thankfully, the agony had receded to a dull, throbbing ache.

“The princess is awake, Madame!” Amie’s voice rang out as Emeriel blinked hard, clearing her vision.

Madam Livia was suddenly before her, cupping her face to check her temperature. “How do you feel?”

“Aekeira…” Croaking through a parched throat, Emeriel struggled to her feet, swaying as the room spun. Madam Livia was there to steady her.

“How is Aekeira…?” Emeriel asked. “I need to know she’s alright.”

The headmaid looked at her with regret. “She is not doing well. She just experienced another heatstroke.”

A sharp stab of pain shot through Emeriel’s lower belly as she tried to straighten. Giving up, she stooped over, gritting her teeth, and moved with determination to reach her sister.

Aekeira lay trembling on the floor, wracked with silent sobs. Slick with sweat, her taut nipples were red and raw from her desperate attempts to find relief. Hell, even this position hurts.

Sinking to her knees, Emeriel crawled the rest of the way. “Keira…”

“Her body is rejecting all contact, Emeriel, be careful,” Madam Livia said.

Paying her no heed, Emeriel brushed her fingers over her sister’s arm. “Keira, honey… I’m here. I’m right here.”

With a strangled moan, Aekeira turned her head, leaning into Emeriel like a touch-starved kitten. “Em?” Her voice was the faintest whisper.

Tears spilled freely down Emeriel’s cheeks as she pulled Aekeira into the crook of her arm. “Yes, it is me.”

Spreading her legs, Emeriel made space for Aekeira’s trembling body to rest comfortably as she cradled her. Weeping, clutching tightly to Emeriel’s arm, her sister cried, “I don’t know how you survived this, Em.” Wincing between heavy breaths, she continued, “I hurt everywhere. There’s this fire… in my privates… that won’t go out. And the more I touch it… the worse it burns.”

Emeriel swallowed against the lump in her throat. “That’s the way it is, my dearest sister, but you will get through this, I promise.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Emeriel saw Lord Ottai, Madam Livia, and Amie watching them with worry. She should probably be concerned about modesty, being naked in a room with a male, yet Emeriel could not care less. Bending, she pressed a gentle kiss to Aekeira’s damp forehead. “You will get through this.”

Aekeira shook her head. “I don’t know how much longer… I can bear this. I don’t think I can…”

“Think about the positives, Keira,” Emeriel soothed, her own tears falling onto her sister’s hair. “Now, you can bond with the love of your life. You always told me nothing good comes easily, right? See this agony as the new, shining light it is. We will get through this together.”

Aekeira’s body went stiff, panic creeping into her voice. “Em… oh my gods, Em…” Another wave was coming.

More tears fell from Emeriel’s eyes. “They will be here soon,” she whispered firmly, not just to convince her sister but herself too. “We have to stay strong.”

A wretched cry of sheer anguish tore from Aekeira as another contraction hit.

“Oh, gods–Em!” she screamed loudly, tangling her fingers in her hair and pulling fiercely. Emeriel seized her hands to stop her from hurting herself, holding her tight while crying helplessly. Watching her sister break apart in her arms, there was nothing she could do to ease her suffering, to end this pain devouring her.

And then, like a raging tempest, the flames rose in Emeriel’s own body. Oh, the lights…! Her vision blurred as the heat flowed through her in a consuming fire, dragging her under. Emeriel’s own screams joined Aekeira’s in a chorus of pure, unfiltered misery.

Somewhere, in the distant haze of her suffering, she heard shouting. “Lord Ottai! Hurry! We are losing control of the situation!” Then the sound of hurried footsteps as Lord Ottai rushed out. And the world disappeared into fire.

Livia was not the kind to long for things. Born into slavery, shaped by battle and survival, she had fought her way from the lowest to her current position, never allowing herself to yearn. Not for love. Not for warmth. Certainly not for something as unreal as a family.

Yet as she stood there, watching Emeriel clutch Aekeira tightly, whispering soft reassurances even as heat waves ripped them both apart from the inside, something unfamiliar stirred within Livia. What would it be like to experience such deeply passionate, devoted love as the two shared? To have someone to hold onto in the worst moments of suffering—someone who would never let go?

They were in excruciating pain, almost impossible for a human body to bear, yet they still clung to each other, finding strength in each other. Their bond was unbreakable, utterly beautiful… yet painful to watch. Aekeira gripped her sister’s arm, while Emeriel curled around her protectively, as though her own agony did not matter as long as her sister was in her arms. Both wailed in pain.

A new sound shattered Livia’s thoughts: a commotion outside, loud and growing wilder.

“Get out of the way!” Grand King Daemonikai’s voice roared like thunder. “Out! All of you!” The scuffling of males scrambling to obey. Another roar. “In the next ten seconds I will be tearing heads from shoulders! DISAPPEAR, RIGHT NOW!” The pounding of running footsteps shook the ground.

“Where is she!?” Grand Lord Vladya’s commanding tone came. “Where is Aekeira!?”

A heartbeat later, the door burst open, and they stormed in. Two towering figures filled the doorway, their very presence sucking the air from the room. Clothes torn, bodies smeared with blood, eyes wild and savage, they looked like they had walked through the depths of hell to get here. Finally, they were here.