Page 6

KATRINA

I could still feel the heat of Blaylock’s hand on my waist and the weight of his black-eyed gaze locked on me even though he’d long since pulled away. A part of me assumed he’d press for more.

To claim me right in the throne room. To make me his in every irrevocable way.

But instead, he’d released me slowly, as if he’d been reluctant to let go. And I couldn’t deny that I longed for his touch again, to feel that huge hand on me, and to know that his strength was more powerful than anything I’d ever experienced.

I stood where I had stopped when first entering the room and watched Blaylock ascend the bone and crystal stone dais, his massive form turning to face me at the same time he sat on the throne. The look in his eyes as he stared at me was unreadable.

Not cold.

Not cruel. But something that made me crave and yearn for whatever he had to give me.

For long seconds, we just stayed like that, both silent as we stared at each other.

He didn’t order me to do anything, and I felt an independence and power in that fact.

Before I could do anything, several cloaked beasts entered, speaking that strange language, but the tone told me whatever they said was important.

“Little one,” Blaylock said, addressing me. “I have some matters to tend to, but I encourage you to explore the castle. This is just as much your home as it is mine.”

That made my chest fill with comforting warmth. I backed away slowly, cautiously, keeping a wide berth from the cloaked figures until I reached the massive doors. I slipped through them but not before looking at Blaylock once more.

He leaned forward, his black gaze on me, this slow smirk curving his mouth and making my core instantly heat and wetness pool at the top my thighs. Before I could contemplate my bodily reactions to Blaylock, I quickly passed through the doors.

Once out of the throne room, the cool air in the hallway felt like a slap to my flushed skin. I wasn’t afraid of this strange, ghastly place but was unsure of what I would find. What I did know was I wasn’t returning to my room.

The halls were silent and empty as I wandered. The flickering, blue torches gave this beautiful, eerie glow to the dark walls and flooring. The castle was massive, and the numerous hallways made me feel like I was in a labyrinth.

The deeper I ventured, the more I realized this place—Blaylock’s domain—was not just a fortress. It was alive in an ominous and ethereal way, and that was evident by the glowing, pulsing light coming from the veins of crystal that ran through the structure.

The few castle staff I passed were cloaked, their visages hidden, which I found myself thankful for. The last thing I needed was more fear to settle in at seeing living, breathing monsters again.

I’d seen enough at the slave auction to last me a lifetime.

Despite the cloaks hiding their forms, I made out horns and claws, scales and glowing eyes hidden within the darkness.

I wrapped my arms tighter around myself and continued my exploration until I found a chamber with the large wooden door open. I stopped and stared at the stone statues lining either side of the entryway.

A gust of chilled air came from inside the darkened room, and I hesitated at the threshold.

Pushing my unease aside, I stepped in, candlelight flaring to life upon my entrance as if I’d beckoned it.

The room was a grand hall—enormous in size with an arched and curved ceiling that opened up to the peaceful night sky above.

And of course, the same glowing crystals veined the walls and floor.

I stood in awe, shaking my head to clear my thoughts from the beauty of it all. The room was filled with massive, monstrous statues, each seeming larger than life. They stood like sentries, beasts frozen in violent poses, as if ready to attack.

A shiver rippled down my spine and intensified when I realized I wasn’t alone.

“Fearsome, aren’t they?”

I jumped and spun around, heart leaping into my throat. Blaylock stood in the doorway, framed in the glow of the blue torchlight.

In the time it took for me to explore, Blaylock changed into a pair of dark trousers that clung to his thick, powerful legs, his chest still bare of any covering. But nothing could hide the raw, brutal strength of his body.

His horns curled back from his brow, gleaming faintly like onyx in the low light, matching his short dark hair that had this windswept appearance to it.

“Yes,” I answered honestly, my voice small in the vastness of the hall. “I didn’t mean?—”

He moved toward me, slow, controlled, but there was an edge to his stride. His very aura had the rest of my words stuck in my throat.

“I told you that you were free within these walls,” he said, voice low and sounding deep like thunder. “This place can be terrifying, I’m sure, but you’re safer here than anywhere else.”

I swallowed hard and nodded, not sure why I trusted him. Not sure why his words made me feel like this was where I should have been all my life.

His black gaze scanned the room. “This room is frightening for you. I have no doubt. But this is a place of memory. Of battles won.”

I glanced at the nearest statue, at the way the creature’s stone wings loomed behind it—high and intimidating.

“No one will bother you. You’re under my protection. But my subjects will stare?—”

“Because I'm human?”

“Because you’re different,” he said, his gruff voice gentler. He was only a breath away from me now, and the scent of him was so intoxicating that I actually swayed slightly.

“I smell your fear. I smell your confusion.” He reached out and cupped my cheek. “You’re so fragile.” He inhaled deeply. “You’re so beautiful and perfect that I want to destroy anything that even thinks of taking you from me.”

I sucked in a sharp breath at his words… and what they did to me. I felt heat, the kind of warmth that settled between my thighs and made me tingle in places that certainly had never felt that before.

I shook my head, closed my eyes, and gathered my composure. “You keep saying that I’m yours.” I bit my bottom lip and felt a flush cover my cheeks and neck. “Why me?”

Blaylock stared at me, his expression unreadable again. But there was something softer there now, something cracked open behind his onyx eyes.

“Because when I saw you,” he said, his voice low and distant, as if he were replaying that moment when he saved me.

And he had. He’d saved me from far more than he’d ever know.

“I felt this fire inside of me. One I'd never experienced before. It made me feel alive, my little one.” He stroked his claw over my cheek. “You’ve seen things in your life and experienced pain. You’ve been frightened for far too long, but you didn’t break.

I knew then you were destined to be mine and mine alone. ”

His words sank into me like the claws he had pressed to my skin, tugging at something I didn't know had been buried deep.

“I’m not strong,” I whispered, not sure why I’d said the words. “I’ve been slowly breaking my entire life.”

“Maybe,” he murmured, his gaze locked on my mouth. “But despite it all, you survived.”

I couldn’t speak. The lump in my throat was too thick. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry, scream, or fall into his arms and tell him I never wanted to go. That this felt… right.

But I stayed where I was. I didn’t move or speak or even breathe. His presence wrapped around me until I was cocooned in everything that was Blaylock.

“You mesmerize me, my perfect, little human… in ways that make no sense to a beast like me. You are mine, Katrina. Not as a prize. Not as a prisoner?—”

“As yours,” I whispered, finishing his sentence.

He leaned down, his voice just above a whisper along my lips. I closed my eyes and shivered. “As my queen.”

I wanted to deny him. To push him away. But I couldn’t. I didn’t want to.

Whatever he had to offer, in that moment, I knew I wanted it all.