MADAM LIVIAMadam Livia gazed at the girl lying on the bed, carefully assessing her condition. At sixty-four years old, having served as a guardian to countless Urekai maids and overseen the training of numerous human slaves, there weren’t a lot of things that could truly surprise her anymore. However, this one left her astonished. Speechless.Yes, she had heard stories of females disguising themselves as males before—it was not a common occurrence, but it was not unheard of either. Those who were discovered faced severe punishments in all the human kingdoms, often leading to public executions. Thus, while not unheard of, it remained a rare occurrence.But she had never expected to encounter someone who had successfully lived under such a disguise for over two decades without being caught. What was even more astonishing was that Emeriel had lived right under the nose of King Orestus. Livia found herself genuinely astounded. Though it was only a small fraction of her overall surpr
THE GRAND HIGH COURT OF RAVENSHADOW FORTRESS, URAI.GRAND LORD VLADYAThe court had large walls, decorated with fancy paintings, fine carpets, needlework, and detailed fabric designs.Two raised platforms stood out.The first held three big chairs with fancy gold designs. Behind it, a second platform rose even higher, holding a bigger and more decorated throne.Sitting on the three big chairs were Grand Lord Ottai, Grand Lord Vladya, and Grand Lord Zaiper. The single throne behind them, which belonged to Grand King Daemonikai, was empty."From the screams that echoed last night, I take it you went ahead with the plan, Lord Vladya," Zaiper said calmly, his manhood forced into the mouth of the slave girl kneeling before him."You are correct, Lord Zaiper," Vladya answered simply."We agreed the plan was not wise, did we not?” Zaiper expressed, his grip tightening on the slave's hair as he pushed her head down. “It’s time to accept that King Daemonikai is long gone. There’s no need to ke
GRAND LORD VLADYAVladya stayed silent. He felt nothing about the girl's death either.Maybe he would have felt guilt or something like it if he still had a soul. Sadly, his heart was now an empty space where his soul used to be, and his conscience had died five centuries ago.Along with his former bondmate. And best friend.Lord Vladya rose from his chair. "I must remove her dead body from the forbidden chambers. The young prince will go next." His lips tightened in disapproval. "This means Lord Ottai and I must make another trip to the human lands. This time, we will travel across the twelve kingdoms and take all the princesses, even the daughters of the wealthy. We made a mistake bringing back only two. We should have taken at least fifty.""That course of action could potentially trigger another war," Ottai protested."I would not mind one," Vladya deadpanned without emotion. "In fact, I welcome any fight that comes my way."As always, Ottai tried to keep the peace and gave him a
Emeriel frowned as Madam Livia added, "At least, I think that's what the Urekai call people like you."A Syren?Emeriel shifted uneasily, feeling confused. "What does that mean?""It is what the Urekai call non-Urekai who can go into heat. It means you are able to bond with a Urekai. Your body is changed enough to mate with them, with new glands and all. Hades, you might even be a Soulbond."Now, he felt even more confused. His face must have shown it because Madam Livia took a deep breath and nodded. "Very well, let us start again. What do you know about Urekai bonds and bondmates?""I know that what humans call marriage, Urekai call bonding," Emeriel began. "It is rare for a Urekai to find their Soulbond: the one person meant to be their true partner. Their soulmate. Only Soulbonds can have children easily. Most Urekai pair up through contracted bonding—they choose their own partners. It is not because they do not want the bondmate nature made for them, but because finding a Soulbon
PRINCE EMERIELEmeriel was at a loss for words. His wide eyes stared at Livia in shock and disbelief, as if the older woman had suddenly grown a second head."I do not want this," he blurted out, voice rising with panic. "I do not want any part of it.""We cannot choose to be a syren, Emeriel," Madam Livia said firmly. "Many human females have tried to become one over the centuries, even doing extreme things, but it simply does not work that way." She paused, her voice softening. "There are countless females who would give anything to be in your position right now.""But I do not want it!" Emeriel exclaimed, springing up from his seat, unable to sit still. He paced the length of the room anxiously. "Let them have it. I do not care. I do not want to be a syren, a bondmate, or anything else!"Livia looked at him silently, her expression saying more than words ever could.Running a shaky hand through his ponytail, Emeriel stopped and turned to face her, his chest rising and falling with
Emeriel had seen Grand Lord Vladya and Grand Lord Ottai, but not the one called Grand Lord Zaiper. Whenever his name was mentioned, the Urekai maids and human slaves would all look terrified. Every single one of them."He is the worst of all the grand lords," The slave girl, Amie, had whispered to him the day before, her eyes wide as she looked around to make sure no one was listening and the hallway was empty. "Lord Ottai can be sweet when he wants to be, and Lord Vladya is very scary. But like Lord Ottai, he is fair and just in his leadership. But Lord Zaiper?”Amie had glanced around again. “He is a monster. His slaves die every day. Some starve, others are tortured for fun, and some are even raped to death. His slave masters are the worst, and Lord Zaiper does not care. He does not even see us as human."Emeriel's eyes had widened to the root of his hair. “This lord is worse than Lord Vladya?""Actually, Grand Lord Vladya is not that bad," Amie had stated firmly. "When it comes to
PRINCE EMERIELEmeriel carefully wiped the stained glass with a washcloth. He had been assigned to clean the fourth layer of the southern wing this morning and had been at it for the past hour.Last night, Emeriel had dreamed of the king’s beast. It was strange.He had never seen the beast before, yet somehow, for reasons he could not explain, it occupied his thoughts. To the point of entering his dreams.But why?It was a question he had asked himself over and over, without finding an answer.As he scrubbed the glass diligently, he hummed softly, running the cloth over the surface until the dirt was gone. Just as he reached for his rinsing water, he heard voices growing louder."What about the land beyond Crystal Waters?" a woman asked."It is not within my power to grant you that land, and you know it," Grand Lord Vladya replied.His tone was surprisingly gentle, lacking the sharpness Emeriel had come to associate with him."But you are also a grand lord. Surely you can make this ha
Without warning, two sharp fangs sank into Sinai's skin, and the beast began drinking from her. Pain shot through her body, and she hissed in response.The beast did not flood her with elixir to numb the pain or ease the discomfort, as Daemonikai would have done if he were in his right mind. Instead, the beast simply took, over and over.Her heart raced, pumping more blood to meet the beast's unending hunger. This was the key difference between a bloodhost and any other host: a bloodhost’s body constantly produced an endless supply of blood to feed their master—no matter how hungry their master were.As the beast fed, it released pheromones that wrapped around Sinai, and a pleasurable sensation began to spread through her body. Her whole being burned with searing lust, the pleasure growing inside her.Even after two millennia, she had never grown used to this feeling. At this point, Sinai knew she never would.The sensation was simply too powerful, too addictive, and at times, the org
EMERIELEmeriel awoke in Aekeira's chambers, his sister hovering over him."She's awake, Amie!" Aekeira's voice echoed throughout the room. "Please go and fetch Madam Livia."The ruffle of movements followed. Emeriel's head throbbed with a headache, and his mouth tasted bitter from the herbs likely forced down his throat.He attempted to sit up but winced as his body protested. "What happened?" he groaned."You had another mini-heat yesterday and somehow ventured to the forbidden chambers on your own," Aekeira's voice trembled with a mix of dread and disbelief. "When Amie told me, I could hardly believe it. By the gods, Em! Going into the forbidden chambers willingly and alone!?"Memories flooded back to Emeriel. Aekeira was right—what had possessed him? "I don't know, Keira," he admitted."But... but... I simply don’t understand." Aekeira started to pace, visibly agitated. "There are plenty of Urekai males around. The guards would have gladly locked you up in a room and tended to y
MISTRESS SINAIMistress Sinai rose from the bed, completely naked, and began untangling her hair. She sat in a chair, gazing at her reflection in the metal mirror."You are so sweet, Sinai. I wish we could do this more often," the male figure reclining upon her bed uttered, his eyes tracing her every movement."You are over a thousand years old, Daryl. You should not have such a large appetite anymore," Sinai said in a bored tone.The Lord of Trade, chuckled. "I'm still as young as ever. How is it going with acquiring the land beyond Crystal Waters?""He still refuses to release it." Sinai’s veins pulsated with anger. The thought always upset her.Grand Lord Vladya did not want to give up that land to her. Her Daemon might be the love of her life, but even she had accepted the fact that he was no more. It was only Lord Vladya who clung on. And Sinai had to suffer the consequences. "I want that land to be mine already.""Perhaps you should consider presenting your case to Grand Lord O
"Attempting to leave with us is impossible,” Madam Livia continued. “It would mean the beast breaking free and our blood staining these walls. Besides, your relief is only temporary. You still need to endure this heat. If your legs brought you here, then your body has chosen the beast for its satisfaction. And I can only advise you to follow your body's lead."Another terrifying growl echoed behind them. Emeriel glanced at it, her fear evident. "I have no idea what I was thinking," she whispered, helplessly."I have my speculations, but the truth is, I also have no idea what is happening. What I can tell you is that your mini-heats are becoming more frequent and intense. It won't be long before your first full heat comes. You must find a way to come clean with one of the grand lords before that happens," Madam Livia said."Because on that night, every Urekai male in this fortress will be able to smell you. And they will all come running, consumed by the desire to mount you. They will
AMIETheir heads snapped towards the sound and they slowly released their grip on Emeriel, though they remained close. "Stay away from this, head maid. This doesn't concern you. This human was trespassing," one of the soldiers stated."That is my sister's child, and she works for Grand Lord Vladya. I sent her on an errand, but she must have lost her way. She's new to the fortress, after all," Madam Livia explained."A message? In her night garment?" one of the soldiers questioned skeptically."Would you like to confirm it with the third ruler? Because I would welcome that." Madam Livia stared them down. "Let us go to Grand Lord Vladya and inform him about how I caught you away from your duty post, on the verge of raping a female he sent on an errand."The soldiers exchanged glances. Reluctantly, they released Emeriel, grumbling under their breath. "Fine," one of them muttered."But why does she smell so..." the other guard began, scrutinizing Emeriel who was sweating profusely, and A
"Who is that slave? What business do you have wandering in the night?” a soldier demanded, his footsteps drawing nearer.Amie stepped in front of Emeriel, shielding her. "Everything is fine here, soldier. This slave was merely returning from an errand for Madam Livia. There is no cause for concern.""Worthless humans! Return to your quarters if you wish to avoid flogging this instant,” barked the soldier in a low voice as he adjusted his clothing."Thank you, sir. We will leave now," Amie took Emeriel's hand, ignoring the wince of pain that crossed Emeriel's face. Together, they began to walk away."Same time tomorrow, Amie. Do not make me seek you out," the soldier called out, his words laced with a threat.A deep sadness etched over Amie's face. "Of course, sir," she responded with feigned cheerfulness.As they reached the servant's quarters, Amie finally slowed her pace. Another spasm gripped Emeriel, causing her to wrench herself free from Amie's grasp. She pressed her body again
GRAND LORD VLADYAGrand Lord Vladya gazed out into the night, his arms crossed as he stood at the center of the tower of Blackwood. His mind wandered far from his present location. His mood remained as dark as ever, though he refused to analyze the reasons behind it. Frankly, his moods had rarely been sunshine in the past few hundred years, so he believed there was no specific cause. It absolutely had nothing to do with what transpired two nights ago.He had lost control of himself. When he recalled half of the things he had said, it made him grimace.Vladya refused to believe that the person who had raged because the human princess undressed for Zaiper was him. So what if the girl was attracted to the second ruler? It should mean nothing to him. He didn't even like the girl, so what the hell was that?The fact that she had captured the attention of every male in court, their eyes greedily taking in her naked form, shouldn't have upset him so much. As he battled the need not to u
"You're absolutely right," Lord Herod responded, and his head snapped up in astonishment.The lord shrugged. "It's the truth. No one should have to pay for the sins of their forefathers. However, Urekai have long lifespans, and unfortunately, our people hold grudges for a long time. A human's life is short. Fleeting. And since we still suffer from the consequences of what humans did that night, forgiveness becomes incredibly difficult. We lost the most important person in every Urekai's life that night—Grand King Daemonikai. He had been our grand king for over four thousand years. Our people are lost without him.”A shiver ran down Emeriel's spine at the mention of that name. He brushed it aside. "But what about the other grand lords? Surely, one of them could take his place. Delaying the decision only prolongs the people's pain.""The struggle for power lies between Grand Lord Vladya and Grand Lord Zaiper,” Lord Herod explained. “The latter is truly cruel and would not be of any help
EMERIELTwo days later, Emeriel followed the directions provided by the lord from the High Court. When he arrived at the gate, he introduced himself and the gates opened for him.The household worker who led him towards the front porch was surprisingly friendly and talkative.By the time the human male left Emeriel at the door, Emeriel knew the name of the high lord who had summoned him—Lord Herod. The noble lord of agriculture was widowed and over two thousand years.Emeriel stood hesitantly against the door, his hand raised and suspended in the air. You can turn and head back to the fortress, Emeriel. Pretend you had not made this trip.However, he could not ignore the summons forever. The lord had only given him four days, and two of them had already passed. What would happen if those four days expired? Emeriel shuddered at the thought.Before his wandering mind could dissuade him, Emeriel knocked.The door was opened by a butler and Emeriel stated his reason for being there before
Aekeira swallowed hard, her throat dry as if she had swallowed shards of glass. Why would he even ask when the answer was as meaningless to him as a whisper in the wind? He doesn't care for her answers at all. "I don't want Lord Zaiper," she whispered, her voice defeated."Liar. You called out for him. You stripped for him." Lord Vladya’s hand parted her legs and caressed her wet area. His eyes darkened, and he looked positively furious. "Now, you're aroused for him? In. My. Chamber?"Aekeira's mouth opened. But this time, she slammed it shut before a word could escape. She would rather die than admit she was actually aroused for him. For this cruel devil before her."Humans are disgusting. And with every less human in the world, Urekai is happier." He did not shout. In fact, there was no indication of the storm brewing inside him in his voice.It was all calm and quiet. Deceiving."All I think about when I see a human is how to make them suffer. How to kill and maim them. I never ac