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t tower. Astoundingly beautiful and poised, she had handled herself like a queen in the presence of his king as they drew up the honor bargain.
Drac had felt her distrust, her uncertainty, yet her expression had not betrayed her. If his kind did not feed their beasts with negative emotions, he would have thought her serene and at peace with the bargain. Most would have been paralyzed with fear. Her poise was certainly something to be admired. Or she could be simple-minded and not aware of the precarious position her flight placed her in. He recalled the surge of fear and uncertainty that occasionally flared within her. No, she was aware…just a princess trained.
He felt uneasy since meeting her, and that feeling was anathema to him. Drac scowled. He had never encountered a woman whose scent made his beast uncoil and inhale, which it did several times. Her scent had hit his gut like a rush of negative energy. Something elusive had also lingered beneath her fragrance, something delectable that confounded and aroused him. He snarled, snapping his teeth together, shifting as his trousers tightened against his erection.
Dangerous. What intrigued Drac even more was that he wanted to know about her. Why did she flee her kingdom? Was it to break her kingdom’s pledge to the Nurian king? The princess courted death if she was indeed breaking a blood oath.
Gidon wanted her protected at all times. Warriors had been handpicked by the king himself for her protection. The Princess’s presence would arouse curiosity, fascination, suspicion and rage. Many remembered Queen Sora would still be reigning today if not for Boreas’ bigotry and revulsion. Gidon had selected Lachlan, another enforcer, and their negotiator and peacekeeper, to travel to Boreas. Gidon felt it prudent to not provide any more Darkans on the princess’s return to her kingdom.
Drac understood Gidon’s caution and respected it. A team of even four of their kind would likely incite war.
Drac would remain at the castle for the night, and then he would depart with the dawn to complete his mission of finding King Rajliegh’s assassin, thankfully away from the temptation of the princess.
Take her….
Want and need hummed beneath his skin. His beast rumbled in satisfaction, and Drac frowned. It had never been satisfied before with anything other than negative emotions, the darker the better. He doubted he could remain in her presence and not touch her. He had already imagined her several times, with her hair fisted in his hand, her lips under his and seated on his cock, crying out in agonized bliss as he sank his aching length inside of her. He wanted to taste her, to inhale her scent and trap her fragrance inside of him while he rode her for hours. His reaction to her was unwelcomed, and he’d believed himself to hold more control over his lust. The inherent danger in wanting a woman like her, a fragile woman did not escape him. His brother Vlad had succumbed to such a lure in the past, and the pain of his decision still haunted Drac years later.
Taunting laughter echoed within him from his beast, and Drac growled low in his throat.
If he was not vigilant, his unexpected desire for her could ruin everything he and his king had tirelessly worked for…and maybe even the loss of his honor and soul.
Chapter Five
Southern wing of castle Kerberos.
Saieke woke with a heated pulse of need deep in her body. She had dreamt of the Darkan…of his lips kissing the curves of her body, down to her most intimate valley…and now she was wet and aching. Gritting her teeth, she flashed from the bed, thankful the fireplace and great torches still burned in the chamber. She performed her morning toiletries with grim efficiency, dressing in a caftan of deep gold, designed with folds for sheathed blades. Her hair plaited and coiled around her head, she slipped her feet in soft and elegant shoes designed for comfort and flight. Very practical and nothing like the elegant jewel stubbed shoes she wore at her court. The ladies in waiting assigned to her, presented her with a pair of daggers crafted with beauty and cutting strength. Each blade, twelve inches long, curved wickedly with a single ruby embedded in their hilts—they were stunning.
“A gift from King Gidon.” Her lady in waiting lifted the blades to Saieke on silver cushions with a deep curtsy.
She measured their weight with infinite care. They were exquisite, a gift fit for a princess. The generosity of the king surprised her, and she felt sudden guilt as she had not expected his kindness. It was the custom of every kingdom to present visiting royalty with gifts, yet she kept expecting the Darkage to behave without decorum. “I will thank the king most appropriately. They are well crafted and beautiful.”
Warmth glowed from the servant. “Our king commands your presence in the fifth courtyard. You will break your fast there.”
He commanded her presence? “It would be by pleasure to break my fast with the king.” Would Drac be present?
Armed with her gifts, she followed three warriors down corridors of immense length broken at intervals by winding stairs that ended at the main hall. Her assigned guards opened the door that led to the courtyard, and Saieke stepped into an abyss. Unrelenting darkness washed over her senses. Her mind struggled to process the void that seemed to press in, suffocating her. She expended her chakra, coating herself in its blue glow. It was just enough for her to see a few feet. The warriors prowled ahead, and she followed for a few minutes, but jerked to a startled halt as they disappeared.
Her pulse spiked. She flared out her energy seeking chakras and found none. Saieke spun in a circle, probing the dark. Her chakra glow allowed her to see only so far; the terrifying darkness pressed in from all sides, and her disorientation increased. The implication of the warriors’ actions seeped in her veins. Dread tightened her throat. They had deliberately led her outside. Was the king even waiting in the courtyard?
She went still, her neck prickling in sharp awareness. Something stalked her. She could feel it shifting closer, the energy trail was so faint it was almost indiscernible. Saieke balanced herself on her feet and crept forward, then stopped as the feel of the chakra moved and appeared behind her. Her heart rate increased as it dawned that her stalker intended harm, not to simply frighten her.
“Is someone there?” Her voice sounded too hoarse to her ears, roughened by fear.
Please let this be a dream. She waited a few beats, no one answered her, but a pulse of emotion from the person’s chakra slid against her senses—undiluted anger and bitterness. Saieke harnessed a rush of wind to form a barrier as the emotions shifted to deadly intent. The wind churned in violent swirls, so lethal anyone who attacked her would be sliced by the sharpness.
A low vicious growl echoed around her, and the Darkan dropped the shield that kept its chakra contained. Vile, twisted rage tunneled toward her. Enveloped in her chakra light, she saw the Darkan punch through her barrier. Her wind sliced his hands, but he still delivered a devastating blow to her sternum.
The force of the blow flung her more than three hundred feet. She gathered wind and tried to cushion her fall, but the impact of the landing still rattled her teeth.
Before she could recover, a hand grasped her throat and lifted her off the ground.
“You dare present yourself in our kingdom after how Boreas treated our queen?” snarled the voice. “You dare when it was your kingdom’s action that caused our queen’s death?”
Saieke saw his face clearly, the fury reflected more than she could process.
His fingers tightened as razor sharp canines extended from his mouth. She flared out her power, searching for her elements and felt water close by. Relief surged through her. Drawing the water to her in a rush, she enveloped them both, shaping the water with her mind, and held it suspended above and around them. Saieke combined her elements to encase the hand at her throat in ice so cold it shattered.
She dropped, wheezing for air. Sensing another attack, she flashed to her feet and tried to freeze his entire body, but the darkness swallowed him too fast for her to track. There was no respite as another blow slammed into her back. Pain lanced through her shoulders. She tried to draw her weapons and realized her left arm dangled uselessly at her side.
