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RUAROK

Her hand tremblesas she guides the key toward the lock.

My heart is in my throat, and I barely dare to breathe. What if she changes her mind at the very last moment? I couldn’t stand to come so close to freedom, only to have it snatched away from me again.

A part of me wonders if any of this is even real. It wouldn’t be the first time my mind has played tricks on me, making me believe something is real when it isn’t. The hallucinations I’ve suffered over the years have been both a place of solace and one of torment. They’ve been so clear and vibrant that on many occasions I’ve believed myself to be somewhere else and free. I’ve even hallucinated people coming to visit me, of residing inside the cage with me, only to come around and realize it was my own imagination’s cruelty.

Am I insane?

I’ve certainly had moments I’ve believed I’ve lost touch with reality while inside those bars. I hadn’t cared, either.I’d been happy to embrace whatever fantasy world my mind created to protect me during my years of incarceration.

Should I tell the princess she’d joined me in my fantasies many times over the years?

Before I was locked away, I’d dreamed a woman—who I’d first believed was her mother—visited me while I was sleeping, climbed on top of me, and fucked me. It was only after I’d met Taelyn at the ball that I’d realized it was her. It might not have been real, but it had felt real to me.

I’ve relived that moment over and over while locked in here. I hadn’t known I’d be able to climax without so much as a single touch—not even my own—but it turned out I was able to. I assume it is similar to nocturnal emissions, the way my cock grew harder, and my hips pumped, all without my control. My mind is powerful enough to make my fantasies real enough to come, even without being touched.

I hate how weak I am right now, and I hate that she’s seeing me like this. Does she pity me? Pity this pathetic creature I’ve become?

Half Incubus, half Fae—I’ve been starving, unable to derive my strength from the sexual energy of another person. I think that was partly the reason my father put me here, especially with my hands cuffed behind my back. He knew exactly the sort of suffering he would put me through.

The key glides into the lock, and, as smoothly as if it had been recently oiled, it turns with a click.

I draw my breath into my lungs. The cage gate swings open, leaving only empty space between the princess and me.

I have to play it carefully. I am weak, and I’ve been locked away for many years. I don’t know the state of the kingdom, or the king, though I assume he’s either dead or dying for someone to have found me. His magic must have worn off. But just because the king is gone doesn’t mean there aren’t people who will do everything in their power to push me back inside my prison and this time destroy the key.

Until I’ve regained my strength and assessed the situation, I have to ensure the princess believes I am no threat to her.

Her beautiful blue eyes are wide, and I can see the shock on her face at what she’s just done. She’s doubting herself, wondering if she’s made a terrible mistake.

Maybe she has.

I take a couple of steps forward, emerging from the terrible cage of magic and darkness that has been my home for the past ten years, and then I drop to my knees in front of her.

“Princess. You have saved me. I am yours for all eternity. My body, heart, and soul.” Though I keep my head lowered, I lift my gaze, trying to assess how my proclamation has affected her.

Her lips are parted, and she stares down at me, unsure what to do next.

I prompt her. “If you could use the key to release my cuffs, I would be forever grateful.”

She blinks, seeming to bring herself back around. “Yes, yes, of course.”

She hurries around behind me and crouches to undo the cuffs. They clink around my wrists and then fall to the ground.

With a groan of pleasure, I bring my hands to the front of my body. I roll my shoulders and flex my wrists and forearms. It’s the first time I’ve been able to do so properly for ten years, and I can’t believe how good it feels.

I realize I’m still naked, and the pleasure of being able to move properly has caused blood to rush to my cock. It stands at half-mast now, jutting out from where I kneel. The urge to fist myself for the first time in a decade is almost overwhelming, but somehow, I control myself.

Princess Taelyn steps around from where she’s released my hands to come to the front of me again. Her gaze locks on my semi-erect dick. She stares for a moment, then her jaw drops, and she spins around so she puts her back to me.

“Oh, the gods,” she gasps. “That’s highly inappropriate, Prince Ruarok.”

I like seeing her all flustered like this, and I hide my smile.

“My apologies, Princess. It’s been a very long time, and I’m afraid there are some things I have no control over. That I have no clothes is one of them.”