Chapter 334
โIt is difficult for me as well,โ he confessed. โI cannot scent it on you yet, and it makes meโmakes usโrestless.โ He turned her hand over and pressed a tender kiss to her palm. โBut I can feel it, Emeriel. Deep in my heart, I know that just beneath yours lies the greatest gift of all.โ
Her lower lip wobbled. โI am elated. My heart is filled to the brim.โ
โYou need to see my own,โ he murmured. โIf only our bond were active now, I would bare it to you, so you could feel all I feel.โ
โDaemon, your words make me feel soโฆโ
โThank you for being born,โ he swiped the tear away with a finger. โThank you for surviving despite everything. Thank you for living as a male all your lifeโfor enduring, for standing strong every day.โ
He held her by the waist and pulled her close until she was seated before him, legs spread on either side of his kneeling form. Then, he dropped his forehead to her stomach. โThank you for being stubborn enough to get yourself sold with your sister.โ
He could not recognize his own voice. It was shaky, unlike the confident tone he was attempting. But it was okay. Let her see it all.
โThank you for serving my beast. For satisfying our sexlust, for offering us your blood. Thank you for not giving up on me.โ
โDaemon, please stop,โ she cried, patting his hair.
โThank you for coming close to me as Galilea. For loving me even when it seemed impossible,โ he raised his head, his green eyes holding her blue ones, โFor drawing close to me, knowing I may very well break your heart to pieces.โ
Those cute bow lips wobbled again.
โAnd thank you for granting me another chance even after I shattered that heart. You still returned to Urai and helped my soul healโโ
Her arms were around his neck as she hugged him fiercely. โItโs okay. Say no more.โ
โNo, I need to express thisโโ
She kissed him. It was a bold claim, made without an ounce of shyness or finesse. She gripped his neck firmly and claimed his lips, sucking on them as though they were nectar. He growled, the words left to say dissolving into mist as he returned the kiss ravenously. With all the joy in his heart.
At last, she tore her lips away, pressing their foreheads together as she tried to catch her breath. โNo more, none of that. Thank you for giving my life purpose and meaning.โ She took his hand and placed it on her belly. โWe did this, my king. I have your seed growing inside me, and knowing that fills me with unending excitement. Thank you for breathing this new life into me.โ
This femaleโฆ She was so special.
Chapter 334
โI have something final to say,โ he told her quietly. โI am your servant, Emeriel. Anything you want, name it, and itโs yours. If you wish for me to kill anyone, speak their name, and I will do so without hesitationโno questions asked. Lands. Coins. If you want me to conquer kingdoms, I will bring them to your feet. Anything. Wish it, and it is yours.โ
โThe worst part isโฆ I know youโre not joking.โ
โI do not jest about serving or killing, my love.โ
โWhat am I going to do with you?โ she said, the words coming out on a rush of love. Then, softer, she whispered, โAll I want is you.โ
โNo,โ he said firmly, brushing a kiss to her nose. โGive it some more thought.โ She is such a sunshine. His radiant star. โYour twinkling light heals me, Emeriel Galilea Evenstone.โ
Grand Lord Zaiper
Grand Lord Zaiper stood in the highest tower of Greyrock, staring down at the celebrations below with a heart so heavy it might split apart in his chest. Tears stung his eyes. After those deafening roars from Daemonikai, the Urekai had stayed in anticipation to hear the joyous news that had elicited such unhinged, childlike emotion from their Grand King. Now, that news had spread like fire through dry fields. The human princess was with child.
As if that were not enough heartbreak and devastation, Vladya followed soon afterโannouncing his own femaleโs pregnancy as well. Urai was in an uproar. The Lantern Festival turned even more celebratory. Countless lanterns filled the sky, like stars descending to dance over the city. Gallons of ale flowed endlessly, filling goblets and spilling over tables. The people danced without stopping. Cattle were slaughtered. The woods rang with the sounds of hunting and feasting.
It was almost dawn, and yet Urai did not sleep. Zaiper stood watching it all, the wound in his chest deepening. This was pain. No. Pain was an understatement. Even devastation was too insignificant a word. Never in all his years had he believed an alphaโs heart could shatter like this. His legs were stiff from standing too long in isolation, throbbing from holding himself together while he processed the news.
And at last, he turned away, walking slowly toward the royal residence. โI refuse to weep over this, damn it!โ He blinked with anger, forcing back the persistent wetness. Too many impossibilities had happened these days. Too many legends were being rewritten. They were too old for the world to be changing this much. Because in what realm, what time, what magic, does a female get pregnant from a mini heat?
Chapter 334
By what world does a Urelai sire a child outside of a mating bond? Is this dark magic? Was it a Urekai spell, or was a mage involved? What manner of enchantment was this? And Vladya, the king of failures, master of disappointmentsโฆ the male who had spent millennia swimming in the endless sea of defeat not only secured a soulbond but also impregnated her? What in the name of the gods is this? And if they could do it, why couldnโt he?
His hands shook as he entered his chamber. What kind of witches are these human princesses? What manner of sorceresses were they, to bend fate and twist impossibility into reality? To pick up two dead males whose stories had nearly reached their end and breathe life into them?
He lost the battle with tears. They fell. Zaiper cursed under his breath, sniffling. Some days, it felt as if the gods stood beside him; other days, he felt their hatred more deeply than anything else. Because what is this? How had the world shifted beneath his feet without warning, without mercy? He gnashed his teeth, but it was useless. The tears kept falling. And falling. This pain is worse than even the day Daemonikai returned from soul-death.
He did not know how long he sat there, nor when the exhaustion finally took him. At some point, sleep claimed him. However, it did not bring peace.