Page 2 of THE SOULBOND AND HER BELOVED (Beasts Of Wrath And Madness #4)

Chapter two

A LOVE THAT IS FIERCE. AN ILLUSION SO BEAUTIFUL

Hours later, Grand Lord Vladya returned to Blackstone. As he approached the Royal Residence’s hallway, he came to an abrupt halt. Aekeira stood leaning against the wall outside her sister’s chamber, eyes closed.

Vladya allowed himself to look at her. Really look at her.

His chest ached at the sight, and for once, the pain had nothing to do with his bruises or swollen eye.

She wasn’t talking to him. Hadn’t spoken a word to him in three days.

Avoided him like he carried the plague.

Vladya couldn’t blame her, but still it stung.

Eyes fluttering open, they landed on him. Jerking upright, Aekeira straightened, and looked away immediately.

But just as quickly, her eyes flicked back to his face, her expression shifting into one of shock.

“What happened to you!?” Aekeira hurried toward him, brows furrowed deeply as she took him in. “Look at your face. Look at…” Her breath caught.

Even now, she worried about him.

Vladya... missed this.

Her fretting. The easy smiles. The warmth in her voice directed at him.

“Is it the… you know?” Concern was etched into every line of her face. “Did you have an episode?”

“It’s not the madness.” Vladya hadn’t had an episode in over a month now. The longest stretch so far.

“Then what is this…” She lifted her hand, brushing against his busted lip, light, almost hesitant.

Vladya didn’t so much as flinch.

She could have pressed her fingers into his swollen left eye, and he wouldn’t have reacted… wouldn’t have minded at all if it meant she kept touching him.

“I was in a fight,” he sighed, hoping to ease her worry. “In court.”

Her lips parted in shock.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing. You should see the other male.”

She squared her shoulders. “Who is he?”

“Why? Are you planning to fight him for me?” The faintest smile tugged at his swollen lips.

She snatched her hand away from his face. “I wouldn’t. And you shouldn’t joke about things like this, Your Highness.”

Your Highness. They were back to formalities. He hated the distance formalities created between them.

“Why are you waiting outside her room instead of just going in?” he changed the subject, looking at the closed door of Emeriel’s chamber behind her.

“I was waiting for the Grand King to come out,” she said in a quieter tone. “He has been in there for hours.”

“All day, then,” Vladya murmured, more to himself than to her.

“He just... keeps staring at her.” Aekeira’s expression was tight. “Doesn’t move a muscle. Not even when I accidentally stumbled in earlier, apologized and walked away, he didn’t spare me a glance.”

Vladya’s jaw clenched. Daemonikai was drowning in guilt.

“My lord—"

“I thought we had moved past that,” Vladya said.

“So did I.” She looked away. “Now, I’m not so sure anymore.”

He reached for her. “Aekeira—”

She stepped back, out of his reach. “I must take my leave now, Your Highness.” She inclined her head, before turning and walking away.

Vladya stood there, watching her retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner.

He had no idea what to do. For the first time in ages, he felt truly powerless.

***

Light shone behind Princess Emeriel’s closed eyes, faint but persistent.

She tried to blink it away, but it remained insistent. With an inward sigh of resignation, she opened her eyes.

The ceiling came into focus. A familiar view. Same room. Same bed.

Mentally bracing herself, she moved her hands, expecting the familiar shot of pain through her body.

None came.

Surprised, she flexed her fingers. Still nothing.

Slowly, she moved her legs. There was no pain there either.

A low groan left her lips as she shifted, pulling herself into a slightly upright position. Her body still felt weak, but the sharp aches had dulled to a manageable throb.

In fact, she felt better than she had in… days? Weeks?

The sound of the door creaking open caught her attention and she turned her head to see Aekeira step inside, a basket of herbs balanced on her hip.

At the sight of Emeriel sitting up, Aekeira froze, eyes going with shock. The basket slipped from her hands, the herbs spilling across the floor.

“Em! You’re awake!” she cried, voice breaking as a wild smile split her lips.

Before Emeriel could say a word, Aekeira ran to the bed, hopping onto it and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Oh, thank the gods! Thank the lights! You are awake!” she sobbed, clutching Emeriel tightly as though afraid she might vanish if she let go. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“Keira…” Emeriel’s voice came out raspy. The sound surprised her, but it was a good thing.

She hadn’t regained her voice during the previous brief moments she had woken.

“Yes, it’s me!” Aekeira’s sobs grew louder, trembling with relief.

Emeriel’s heart ached as she hugged her sister back, though her arms felt weak.

"How long has it been?” she asked softly, her throat still raw.

“Nine days,” Aekeira pulled back slightly to look at her, tears streaming down her face. “Nine days, Em. For nine days, you were in pain. You were fighting for your life, you were…” A shudder ran through her and she sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “Don’t ever do something like that again! Please!”

Guilt caught Emeriel’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

Neither spoke for a while, only Aekeira’s occasional sniffles surrounding them.

Eventually, her sister pulled herself together and climbed off the bed, returning to the basket she had dropped. "These are for you. It helps you get better."

Crouching down, Aekeira gathered the scattered herbs before setting them neatly on the bedside table.

***

The next few hours passed in a flurry of activity.

The healers came in to administer their routine treatments and examined her progress.

Madam Livia arrived shortly after, with Amie trailing close behind. Both women overjoyed to see Emeriel sitting up. The head maid had a gentle smile, and Amie openly wept.

Emeriel had to hug the girl in consolation. She always had a soft spot for Amie.

They helped her eat, the warm broth soothing against her sore throat.

Aekeira assisted her with a bath, carefully helping her freshen up and change into clean clothes. The simple act of being clean and groomed made Emeriel feel more alive.

By afternoon, the chamber was busy with visitors. Lord Vladya and Lord Ottai arrived together. Emeriel could see the relief in their eyes as they looked at her, mingled with the lingering shadow of worry.

“It’s good to see you looking better,” Lord Ottai said in a sincere, relieved tone.

Emeriel offered him a faint smile. “Thank you,”

While Lord Ottai remained by her bedside, Lord Vladya stood a little farther back, his eyes flickering between Emeriel and Aekeira.

Emeriel noticed how her sister refused to meet his eyes. Her stiff posture.

Whenever they passed too close to one another, Aekeira would shift, subtly moving to avoid him.

Oh yes, there was tension right there.

After them, Lord Ottai's bondmate came, breezing into the room with an elegance that belied her concern. She carried a bundle of fresh roses, their scent filling the room as she arranged them in a vase on the bedside table.

“These should brighten your day, dear,” she said with a soft smile. “It’s so good to see you recovering.”

Emeriel’s heart warmed by the gesture. “Thank you, my lady,”

As evening fell, the visitors trickled out one by one, leaving the room quiet once more.

Emeriel lay propped up against a mound of pillows, her body sore but her mind finally at ease.

Aekeira sat beside her on the edge of the bed, cradling a small bowl of steaming broth in her hands.

“I told you, I’ve had enough,” Emeriel sighed.

“You have not eaten properly in days,” Aekeira dipped the wooden spoon into the chicken broth and brought it to her lips. “Try to eat some more.”

“Aekeira…” Emeriel groaned, sinking back into her pillows. “At this rate, I will be fat.”

“You should . You have lost weight.” She nudged the spoon closer. “Here, just a little more.”

Resigned, Emeriel parted her lips.

Her sister tilted the spoon carefully, letting the warm liquid glide into her mouth.

“There."

Aekeira kept feeding her until the bowl was empty. Only then did she set it aside with a satisfied nod.

“So, what’s going on between you and Lord Vladya?” Emeriel asked.

Aekeira's hand hovered over the dishes she had begun gathering.

“Nothing,” she said tightly.

“Aekeira…”

She resumed the work, her hands moving jerkily, dishes clattering loudly as she stacked them.

“He should have never allowed it to happen,” Aekeira blurted. “He could have stopped it. He could have ensured none of this happened, but he didn’t .”

“You know you cannot blame him for this,” Emeriel said. “I made the decision on my own and made him promise me. Their word is their bond, you know this.”

“As if that wasn’t enough, he had Lord Ottai drug me through the night,” Aekeira spat, angry and hurt. The dishes clattered again as she packed them furiously.

Emeriel exhaled. “He did it to spare you the pain. You know it was for your own good. If he hadn’t done it, you would have done everything possible to try rescuing me… and you could have gotten yourself seriously hurt.”

Aekeira pursed her lips, her body rigid as she stood with the stack of dishes in her hands. Without saying anything, she walked to the door, opened it, and called for one of the maids.

Emeriel waited patiently as she handed the dishes over and spoke quietly to the maid.

Finally, the door closed, and Aekeira returned to the room.

“Don’t be so mad at him, Keira,” Emeriel said in a low tone. “You know you don’t really want to be.”

Aekeira’s jaw locked tight.

But then, she released a slow breath. “I think… I think I’m more mad at me than I am at him.”

Emeriel tilted her head, studying her sister with concern.

“I couldn’t do anything,” Aekeira's voice shook, tears filling her eyes again. “I felt so weak. So helpless. You’re my sister and…”

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she tried to hold back the sob building in her throat.

Emeriel patted the empty space on the bed beside her. “Come here.”

Aekeira hesitated for a moment before climbing onto the bed, careful not to lean into Emeriel or disturb her healing bruises.

Emeriel ignored the dull ache spreading through her body and shifted slightly to lie on her side, turning to face her sister.

“Keira, you need to understand that some things are beyond your control,” she said with affection. “It’s not every situation you can save, and I would never expect that from you.”

Aekeira looked at her, tears still falling silently.

“I love you so much, and you are the strongest person I know.”

A faint, genuine smile touched Aekeira's lips, breaking through the sadness, and the visible tension in her shoulders dissolved .

“I love you too,” Aekeira whispered, wiping at her cheeks. “But I’m not half as strong as you are.”

“That’s debatable.” Emeriel laughed. “How about we both agree that we’re each the strongest person the other has ever known?”

Aekeira chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. “Deal.” Then tentatively rested her head on Emeriel’s belly. “Is this okay?”

“Oh yes.” Emeriel’s fingers drifted into Aekeira’s hair, stroking it gently. My Keira.

For so long, this woman had been the single most important person in Emeriel's life.

Through every trial and tribulation, Aekeira had been her anchor, her protector, her sister. And even now, as Emeriel lay broken and healing, Aekeira’s presence was her greatest comfort.

But there was someone else now.

Someone just as important.

Someone who had been on her mind all day, though she had tried not to ask. And Aekeira, perhaps sensing her hesitation, had not spoken of him either.

Emeriel wet her lips, gathering the courage to speak. “How is he?”

Aekeira’s soft, even breathing met her question. “Your Grand King?”

Emeriel’s heart clenched. “My Grand King.”

Aekeira lifted her head slightly. “Lord Vladya and Lord Ottai put him in the forbidden chambers after… what happened,” she sighed. “He woke on the third day, without any memory of it. But Lord Vladya filled him in and brought him to see you.”

A knot twisted in Emeriel’s stomach. “And?”

“He stayed all day beside you, seated right here.” She patted the edge of the bed. “I’ve never seen him so…”

“Broken?” Emeriel supplied softly.

“Defeated,” Aekeira whispered. “He was in a daze the whole day. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word. Just… stared at you.”

The knot in Emeriel’s stomach tangled painfully .

Drawing in a shaky breath, Emeriel spoke through her constricting chest. “And after?”

“And after… nothing.” Aekeira’s tone went flat. “He went back to his bedchamber and hasn’t come out since.”

Emeriel went still. “What?”

“Lord Ottai calls it a self-imposed exile. No one has seen or heard from the grand king in almost a week, but we know he’s still there. He shut down the Royal Residence and stopped taking visitors."

Aekeira placed her head back on her belly. "Not even Lord Vladya could get in, and apparently, he has tried repeatedly. The Frostfall soldiers guarding the royal wing won’t budge. They have strict orders not to let anyone in.”

I am glad he is back to his senses. Whatever had overtaken him that night had been terrifying. Uncontrollable.

She could still see the wild, vacant look in his eyes. Could still feel what had happened afterward.

Shoving those vile, disturbing memories down, Emeriel thought of the days before that horrible night. Their days together at the cottage.

She thought of the male who was her soulmate. Who had never given up on her, even when she had given up on herself.

Daemonikai had chased her tirelessly. Relentlessly. He had been determined to prove their bond deserved another chance.

Her grand king had stood proudly in court and fought for her. Before an audience filled with those who hated her kind, he declared her his Soulbond . His Woman.

And Emeriel wouldn’t lose him over this. Never.

“I know that look.”

Emeriel blinked, looking at her sister, whose head had lifted again to watch her. How long had she been observing me?

Aekeira's brow lifted. “You’re not giving up on him, are you?”

“Never,” Emeriel whispered matter-of-factly.

Aekeira nodded, the corners of her lips tugging upward. “Mmm. I didn’t think you would.”

Then, she settled her head back onto Emeriel’s belly.

“No protests?” Emeriel was mildly surprised.

Aekeira sighed. “Emeriel, you have loved this male even when he was nothing more than a mindless beast we had to serve to survive. Even as you laid there, unconscious and dying, I knew when you woke, you wouldn’t give up on him. It’s just who you are. And I respect that.”

Emeriel’s lips softened into a faint smile. “Thank you.”

“Who would have believed, ten years ago, that this would be our life today? That you, Em, would get to live like this. A girl. A princess.”

Emeriel’s gaze drifted to the ceiling. “It amazes me too. If someone had told me back then that I would be here, living this life, I would have thought them insane.”

“I used to think the best thing that could ever happen to me was being sold to a kind aristocrat.” Aekeira let out a small, bitter laugh. “Someone who might make me his breeder. Maybe even let me service his men to ‘keep them happy’ but would at least offer me protection. He’d keep others, the ones he didn’t authorize, from hurting me. That was my dream, Em. That was hope to me back then.”

Emeriel didn’t chastise her for the harshness of the thought. She saw the truth in it.

Back then, such a life would have been a blessing. Compared to the endless horrors they had endured before meeting the Urekai, it was almost a mercy.

“I never thought we would find love here, Keira,” Emeriel said softly. “Powerful men who care for us in return. Who want to protect us, possess us, and keep us for themselves instead of sharing us. So what if they have more demons to fight than the demonchasers?"

Emotions welled up as Emeriel continued. "So what if their minds deteriorate from time to time, and they do things they cannot control? So what if they are so broken?”

“You’re right." Aekeira’s throat worked against Emeriel’s belly as she swallowed hard, her voice quiet when she spoke. "And that’s why they have us. We will always be there to pull them out of the dark. Even if it consumes us. Because that’s how much we love them.”

She paused. “Now I fully understand why you did what you did, Em. Because it’s exactly what I would have done for Lord Vladya. What I have already done for him in the past.”

Emeriel stroked her sister’s hair gently. “I remember. That day, when my secret came out in the courtyard, Lord Vladya had a terrible episode.”

“It was the day he opened up to me for the first time." Aekeira smiled faintly, caught in the memory. "The day I realized I was in love with him. He had so many dark thoughts back then... he wanted to whip me but thankfully, he ended up whipping the slave master who hurt me instead." In a lower tone, she whispered. "Even then, when I was so terrified, I was fully prepared to be whipped by him, Em.”

Emeriel stared at her sister with sorrow and admiration.

“That’s why I knew, deep down, I would do anything for him,” Aekeira said, her voice dripping emotion. “I love that male so much that making sacrifices for him comes easy. It always has.”

Emeriel understood completely. Exactly how I feel.

“Maybe one day, we will tell the story of this day too.” Aekeira’s tone turned wistful. “All of this will be a thing of the past. My Vladya will have his soul back, and I will be a Syren. We wouldn’t just be bonded, we would have children together. He will be free of his feral symptoms, and we will finally be happy.”

Emeriel smiled tenderly, letting her sister’s dream wrap around her like a warm blanket. I like this dream.

So, she added hers. “Maybe one day, my Daemon will no longer battle mindlessness. He will sleep peacefully, without the nightmares that leave him restless. His soul death healed, his blood nourishment no longer a worry. Maybe our bond will form again, stronger than ever.”

She paused, her voice growing even softer. “Maybe one day I will give him children and help him heal from the ones he lost. And maybe, in time, he will grow to love me as much as I love him.”

Aekeira sat up, staring at her, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“And all these dark times will be behind us.” Emeriel smiled through her own tears, still spilling her own dreams. “He will be healthy and strong again, like the Daemonikai he was before the tragedy. The Grand King Daemonikai of legend, without the bondage of tragedy holding him down. Maybe one day, we will look back on this moment and smile, saying… ’Look how far we have come…’”

Aekeira shifted closer and pulled her into a hug.

Emeriel returned it, even as the pressure sent a sharp pain through her spine.

But she bit it back, choosing instead to lean into the embrace, her tears spilling on Aekeira’s shoulder.

“Yes, Em,” Aekeira whispered, her voice warm in her ear. “Maybe one day, all of this will merely be a story of the past.”

Maybe.

Emeriel blinked back tears as a bittersweet smile touched her lips. What a beautiful, fragile illusion they had painted together.

A dream of a brighter future, untouched by the dark shadows of their present.

“When I recover more, I’m going to go see my Beloved,” Emeriel declared softly. “I don’t like the thought of him spending days lost in self-loathing. Drowning in guilt and self-destruction.”

Aekeira pulled back just enough to look at her, her own tears threatening to fall and gave a small nod. “Then I guess we need to get you recovered as soon as we can.”

Emeriel managed a watery smile. “I guess so.”