Before we could talk further about it, I was bulldozed by the view that greeted us as we walked into the grand foyer—one that was packed with vampyres. The castle was beautiful, filled with low lighting, the vibration of violins emanating an upbeat tune that wafted through the air from deeper within the halls.
That wasn’t what caught me off guard, though.
No, it was the open display of…well…fucking. Like some odd exhibit, there were humans—most likely castle servants and guards—fucking on the platforms that lined the hall. Nearly ten pairs of them. The sound of their moans filled the air, and vampyres and their Thralls stood around them, watching and talking as if this was normal. Maybe it was. I turned my head as one of the Lords started undressing his Thrall.
Motioning to Kolvar and Dakath, both seemingly as caught off guard as myself, I walked towards the entrance of the throne room, following murmurs of the Emperor’s name alongside moans. I tried to stand in the doorway to observe before walking in, but the crowd surged behind me, enraptured by the bloody orgy in the center of the room. The number of limbs present and fangs biting into flesh had me wondering how they didn’t get tired of this shit if it happened at every party. Hell, maybe theyweretired of this shit—but Malakai wasn’t.
As we moved to the side of the room, my gaze darted to the front where Emperor Malakai sat. One hand was motioning as he talked in animation with someone, his gaze constantly moving back to the floor. The man was exactly as I’d imagined him, and that was far from a good thing. The bastard was sleazy-looking, with greasy hair and an unkempt beard.
His other hand was wrapped around a thick chain that led down to…
Everything stopped for just a heartbeat. A single breath escaped me before I forgot how to breathe. My gaze fell on a bent head of dark waves, an intricate design on top of it almost like a false crown.
Who the hell was that?
My heart started to pump again, and I clenched my fists, suddenlyneedingthe woman to look up. It was almost compulsive, and as if hearing me, her head snapped up.
Golden orbs stared across the room for a solitary moment before she curled further into herself, trying to make herself invisible—something that was impossible considering how she radiated light.Holy fuck. So many sensations slammed into me at once, one of them being the way my cock hardened as I looked over her elegant frame, the way she was kneeling next to the throne causing images to flash through my mind of her kneeling in front of me. I tore myself from that thought because there was a stronger emotion that quickly clouded my mind—rage.
I wasn’t an emotional person by nature, so the unkempt fury swirling through me at seeing her wrist chained to the Emperor shocked me. I had to use every ounce of control I had to keep myself from moving towards her, needing first to analyze the best way to get her out of here.
My thoughts came to a full stop.
Get her out of here? Was I fucking crazy?Not only would that completely ruin our mission, but what the hell would I do with her? I hadn’t looked at a woman in forever, let alone been with one, and I hadn’t wanted to. My life revolved around my duty to my empire.
So why would I save her? Why would I risk everything—even hurt my empire, if Malakai found out where we were from—just for this stunning woman? She was ethereal, her ivory skin and lithe build almost making it look like she wasn’t truly there, like she was a figment of my imagination come to life.
I had never been so painfully attracted to someone before. If it had been that alone, it wouldn’t be a problem—I could’ve ignored it… I think. It was the emotional urge to protect her that had my mind scrambled.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one.
My hand came out to stop Kolvar from moving forward, a snarl building in his throat as I looked at both him and Dakath, their gazes trained on her as well. So they felt the same draw? Fuck. This wasn’t good.
Trying to snap all our minds back to the task at hand, I commanded, “Let’s go to the far wall. We wait and watch. Nothing else. Remember the mission.”
Not the woman with golden eyes who was back to looking at the floor, wincing as the Emperor tugged on her chain. I turned my head, repressing a growl, wanting to tear his limbs off for chaining her up in the first place. For making her seem like his pet.
Who was this woman? Was this hisThrall? Dread hit my stomach as we reached the far wall, and despite my instruction to the others, I couldn’t help but look. Malakai was trying to talk to her, but she very obviously ignored him. Something he probably wouldn’t take kindly to.
I was proven correct only moments later when he stood and the room began to fall into a hushed silence, the members of the orgy slowing their show and coming to a halt. Something that would’ve been comical if it wasn’t such a ridiculous display. My cock, which was still hard as diamonds, wasn’t focused on the naked women spread throughout the room—instead my focus once again was on the woman at the Emperor’s feet.
“It isn’t very often that we get to gather all of the Lords together!” Malakai boomed, grinning happily. “But it makes me feel proud of our empire to see the strength of not only our numbers, but of the individual ruthlessness of each and every one of you.”
So they prided themselves in cruelty.
Malakai fed off the responding applause, swelling with pride at the cult-like worship his subjects showered him in. He continued, “We are here tonight to celebrate the wonderful connection between a Lord and their Thrall”—his hold on his chain tightened—“and to remind our Thralls of what an honor it is to serve us. To be chosen by us.”
The woman at his feet shifted, her fists tightening. I wondered what she wanted to say. The Emperor made it seem that being a Thrall was a willing choice—was that the case with this woman? Did she want to serve someone like Malakai? Jealousy hit me like a potent and dangerous drug, my jaw tightening so hard it felt like it would shatter, or at the very least, crack a tooth.
I didn’t want her serving him. If she wanted to serve someone, it would be… Who, me? Fuck. What the hell was even going on with me right now? Humans didn’t serve vampyres in our empire; they were compensated for willing donations. What was wrong with me? Yet the image of the woman on her knees in front of me stayed crystal clear.
Not only that image, though.
The idea of her tied up and blindfolded, completely under my control as I explored every inch of her body, called to me in a primal way. I looked away from her, unable to stand the thought of her being like that with Malakai. I hadn’t seen any sign that their relationship was as such, but that didn’t stop the anger and possessiveness that reared up at the concept.
When was the last time I had even felt this much emotion?
When the applause for his words died down, he looked at the woman at his feet. “And to celebrate such an important moment, I have a special treat for all of my Lords.”
