Page 7 of THE SOULBOND AND HER BELOVED (Beasts Of Wrath And Madness #4)

Chapter seven

A NEW CHAPTER

Grand King Daemonikai released his hold on Sinai’s neck and stepped back.

Mistress Sinai staggered back, breath shaky as her hand flew to her throat. Her wide eyes followed him as he retreated a few paces.

“Why did you harden your heart so much against me?” she cried. “It’s me—your Laelsainai. Have you forgotten how it used to be between us? We had something beautiful, Daemon. Those two hundred years together...” Her voice dropped, softer. “Our sex was always explosive. You can’t deny that.”

“Our time together only happened because Evie wanted us to explore that way. If not for her urging, I would have never gotten intimate with you sexually.” His tone grew sharper.

His words were punching blows. And he wasn’t done.

“Let me say this again, in case you have allowed your mind to deceive you into thinking otherwise. You had a sexual relationship with Evie and me . No more, no less.”

Sinai was hurting, her body shaking, tears filling her eyes.

“I admit I got possessive, that’s why you had to end things then—I admit it! But I can be better now. Let’s rekindle what we had.” She stepped closer, desperate. “Fine, I admit you belong to the human princess; I acknowledge that, alright? Emeriel is your Soulbond , I’ll accept that! B-but you can still be mine too...!”

“You are my bloodhost. Nothing else,” he stated firmly.

“I know what happened two weeks ago,” Sinai’s words tumbled out in a rush. “If you were with me, I would have handled you better than Emeriel did. I wouldn’t have screamed the way she did. Ravenshadow would’ve never known something was wrong!”

Sinai lifted her chin, confident even as tears fell. “I could take you that way. I’m Urekai, Daemon, with my own beast. I’m stronger than she is. I could’ve done better—”

“ Ten of you couldn’t do what half of her can,” Daemonikai snapped, furious.

Sinai recoiled.

“Ten of you will never be as strong.” he repeated, slowly, throwing more blows. Eyes burning into hers. “You will never be half the female Emeriel is.”

Punching through her heart. Her lungs.

Sinai struggled to breathe. “How could you… how could you say that to me ?”

Closing the distance he put between them, Daemonikai growled, deadly. “The next time you dare compare yourself to her, I may truly snap your neck. Have some respect for mine.” His gaze hardened further. “And that’s what she is— mine .”

Sinai’s lips parted, but no words came. The fist had stopped punching, claws now digging into her wounds, tears flowing freely.

“Wipe those off,” he ordered curtly. “I do not care to see them.”

With trembling hands, she swiped at her tears. How could he be so heartless to a female who has served him for millennia...?

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, his gaze bored into hers. “Don’t think I don’t know you used to delay my feedings when I was feral to coerce Vladya into giving you the lands in Crystal Waters.”

Blood drained from her face. How did he know that!?

“W-what? That’s not true! Who told you such ridiculous lies?”

“You did,” Daemonikai’s tone did not soften. “After I broke out of the forbidden chambers in bloodlust, killed our own people , and Vladya threatened to punish you... that was when you came to feed me! You confessed it yourself.”

“You remember...?”

“Everything. You really did not think I would regain consciousness, did you?”

She averted her eyes with shame and guilt.

"Now, you dare stand before me to act like you have feelings for me?"

Sinai sniffled. "I really do—"

"If it weren't against the law, I would have you drained every few days and stored away, so I do not have to see your face. An almost good reason to wish for war."

She flinched. All this just so he would not feed from his source?

“Feed me.”

“Daemon… I didn’t mean—”

“ Feed me in the way of old, ” he commanded, his face carved out of stone. “The less time we have to do this in the future, the better.”

Swiping at her tears again, Sinai complied, undressing.

***

After the feeding, Sinai sat alone on the bed, her body humming with unfulfilled desire. He wouldn’t touch her aching nipples or throbbing clitoris. Would not even let her grind against his strong thigh to find her release. Instead, he kept the feeding cold and impersonal.

Desperate, she'd used her own hands to get herself off, but even as she reached her climax, it didn’t feel like she had.

But that was okay.

Wiping her tears, Sinai glared at the closed door. Daemonikai needed her.

No matter how much he pretended otherwise, acted as if he didn’t want her—He. Needed. Her.

Always would.

Sinai smiled. He could never get rid of her.

Rising, she dressed languidly, felt untouchable. Like the queen she was always meant to be.

She just finished dressing when the door opened, two soldiers marching in.

“We were instructed to escort you back to your cell, Mistress.”

Just like that, the dreamy haze of bloodfeeding and orgasm disappeared.

“ What?! No, no, you can’t mean that!” She scrambled backward. “Tell my master I need to speak with him—!”

The soldiers took her arms, their grips firm as they began to drag her from the room. She struggled violently, her bare feet sliding against the floor.

“Daemon!” she screamed. “ Please! Don’t let them take me back there!”

***

Two days later, in the earliest hours of dawn, Grand Lord Vladya stood outside the Grand King’s bedchamber, pausing at the door.

Inside, Daemonikai stood still at the center of his vast chamber, his attendants working to dress him in his full ceremonial attire.

Vladya observed quietly for a moment, noting the cold, distracted look in Daemonikai’s eyes.

It was the same distant expression he’d seen far too often in recent days. A sharpness that concealed something else.

Vladya’s gaze flicked to the crown resting on the polished table nearby, its gold and crimson gemstones gleaming in the faint morning light.

“Someone has decided to wear his crown today, I see,” Vladya said, stepping inside.

Glancing briefly at him, Daemonikai's tone left no room for conversation. “A proper attire for a formal ceremony.”

To his servants, he ordered. "You may leave.”

They quickly bowed and filed out without a word.

Vladya crossed the room, resuming the work the attendants had left unfinished, adjusting and tying the last of the ceremonial robes.

“You look majestic, Your Grace,” Vladya remarked lightly. “And tired.”

Daemonikai’s lips twitched faintly, though not into a smile. “I haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

“You barely ever sleep enough but always manage to look refreshed,” Vladya pointed out in an easy probing tone. “I think something is on your mind.”

When the final robe was secured, Vladya stepped back and gave a small nod.

Daemonikai inclined his head slightly. “Thank you, Grand Lord Vladya.”

Under normal circumstances, Vladya would have taken the title as the jest it usually was, but today there was no humor in his voice.

He gave a simple, respectful nod in return. “You’re welcome, Your Grace.”

The rest of the day passed in much the same way. Daemonikai carried an air of aloof formality that set the tone for the entire ceremony.

Everyone in attendance noticed the shift, though no one dared address it openly. Vladya himself kept a cautious distance.

By evening, as the people feasted and danced to the vibrant music, he finally stepped away from the event square, seeking a moment of quiet. The slaves’ performance was energetic, but he found little enjoyment in it as usual.

He hadn’t made it far before he heard footsteps behind him.

“What is wrong with His Majesty?” Ottai asked.

“I have no idea.”

“For days now, he’s been giving off this unapproachable air,” Ottai continued, concerned. Lowering his tone further, almost a whisper, he added, “Do you think… it has something to do with the return of his madness?”

Vladya stopped abruptly, turning to look at his worried companion. His eyes shifted back toward the square, where Daemonikai sat at his grand chair, scribbling something on a scroll.

The grand king’s posture was rigid, his focus intense.

“I’m not sure,” Vladya admitted finally.

"I worry there may be a rift between him and Emeriel," Ottai voiced out. "I'm worried that what happened in court may just be a front for the people, and that Emeriel never truly forgave him for that night."

"That is a possibility," Vladya conceded.

Ottai sighed. “And you? How is your plan with Princess Aekeira coming along?”

Vladya shook his head as he resumed walking. “I spent all day yesterday in the Royal Library going through every document, combing through anything I could find on Soul Returns and Resurrection .”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Ottai nodded. “So, what did you find?”

“Nothing.”

Before Ottai could respond, the ground beneath them began to tremble .

Subtle at first. A faint vibration that barely registered underfoot.

But it quickly grew in intensity… rumbling carrying through the festival grounds.

Dust stirred on the wind as nervous murmurs rippled through the people.

Ottai glanced around sharply. “What’s going on?”

People began stepping out of the square, their eyes lifting to the sky.

Above them, a strange red star had appeared. Brighter than any other, its light pulsing faintly like a living thing.

Ottai gasped, freezing. “Is that...?”

Vladya couldn’t help it, his lips curved into a broad smile of disbelief as he stared at the glowing star.

“The Oracle is waking,” Vladya breathed.

The tremors grew, whispers turning to shouts as people pointed skyward, their voices filled with wonder and fear.

“She is waking,” Vladya repeated, his heart thudding. “ Finally . Thank the sky and the sea.”

The soldiers were already moving the people, the festival ending earlier than anyone had expected. Voices carried across the grounds as families gathered their belongings while the guards directed them toward safety.

Daemonikai had stepped out of the arena as well, staring at the sky, his face softening. Vladya approached him, Ottai following closely behind, both of them glancing upward.

“Is that really what it looks like?” Ottai asked in disbelief.

The grand king nodded once. “It is.” He looked at Vladya. “She may have an answer for you. An answer on how you can get your soul back.”

“She may.” Vladya couldn’t believe the happiness he felt. Suddenly, his future looked even brighter than it had when he woke up this morning. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but...”

“Hey! This is good,” Ottai clapped a firm hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay to get your hopes up.”

“Let’s focus on ensuring the people return home safely and quickly,” Daemonikai cut in. “Then we will be ready to receive her.” He glanced back at the glowing red star. “Knowing the Old Lady, the fortress will be her first stop.”

Vladya nodded, and they got to work.

***

Deep in the heart of Urai, where the land was wild and untamed, lay a strange, secluded cave no one dared to venture near.

Birds had long since taken flight. The winds howled with an aggressiveness that could not be matched.

Churning violently, creating a swirling vortex that tore through the trees, tearing leaves from their branches. Lifting grasses from the ground and scattering them into the sky.

Inside the cave, darkness ruled.

Dust blanketed every surface, undisturbed for centuries.

The cave was vast and eerie, lined with ancient coffin-beds, their surfaces engraved with cryptic symbols glowing faintly in the dim light.

At the very center of the cave, one of the coffin-beds shifted.

The lid creaked, stirring the silence as it began to slide open.

Dust billowed into the air, and inside, a female figure lay. Her body perfectly still, as though frozen in time.

Her eyes snapped open, memories flooding her mind all at once.

Moving like a torrent, each image sharp and vivid. The eclipse moon night. The deaths of so many. The aftermath of that fateful night. The chaos, the wars, the heartbreak. It was all there, rushing through her consciousness, piece by piece.

From the moments of her sleep to events that unfolded during her long sleep. Everything she had missed.

Seven hundred years this time .

Her body moved slowly, muscles awakening. Rising from her coffin-bed, stepping out, her feet finding balance on the cold ground.

She extended her hand.

From the shadows, her staff flew into her grasp.

The ancient wood hummed faintly in recognition of its wielder. The Oracle gripped it firmly, curling her fingers around the familiar weight as it pulsed with energy.

Her gaze shifted back to the coffin she had risen from. The cryptic symbols along its edges sparkled, then dimmed… fading entirely, leaving the surface bare.

A lot has happened while I was in you.