Page 14
To my utter shock, Alik emits a soft grunt. I whip my head in his direction. I can’t help myself. He’s staring straight at me and for a split second, I swear I see a flame flare to life within the onyx depths of his eyes, but it’s snuffed out before I’m certain. For several tense minutes neither of us look away. Alik studies me with a slight cock of his head. This is the longest I’ve been able to meet his gaze. Usually, he jerks his head to the side or he growls a warning at me. Not today.
“Your horns are growing.” A slightly inane thing to say, but the words just tumble out of my mouth. “They’re not as long as Jan—as other Bohnari’s, but since you won’t let anyone shear them it’s no wonder they’re growing. Your hair, too. Johnna’s friend Eloise told her that one of the women on Tavikh jokes you have sex hair. Like a woman’s run her fingers through it after a night of pleasure.”
Only a second passes before it hits me what I just said. Oh my god. Did you seriously just mention sex to a prince? Quick, say something else. Something less mortifying.
“I haven’t had sex in nearly a year.”
I slam my hand over my mouth. What the hell is wrong with me? My face is on fire, and I pray for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I grab the light source and scramble to my feet. Alik lurches back a few feet away from the transparent wall that separates us.
“Holy shit. I’m sorry. I have to go now.” Despite the desperate rush I’m in to get the hell out of here before I combust from embarrassment, I gently close the steel door of the containment room. I test the knob to make sure it’s secured and I speedwalk the length of the tunnel, not stopping until I reach the secret exit. With labored breaths, I collapse against the wall to try and calm myself and my racing heart.
Granny would tell me there are worse things in the world than my mouth working faster than my brain. She was a huge proponent of saying whatever was on her mind and not giving a damn what anyone else thought. It was one of the things I admired most about her growing up. She was a strong, opinionated woman and tried to raise me to be the same.
Once my breathing evens out, I set the light source back in its place and fumble for the latch on the stone door. I find it without issue and engage it. The lock clicks and it pops open enough that a splinter of sunshine creeps in. It’s always a chance I have to take that no one is on the other side when I push it fully open. As with all the times I’ve snuck in and out, the area just beyond the door is empty, although I can hear voices in the vicinity.
I close it softly behind me and check to make sure the seam isn’t obviously disturbed before I hoof it out onto a main street. A few people walk past. If any of them notice me suddenly stepping out from behind a building, they don’t say anything. As I wander back toward the dormitory, I come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the walkway and pat my pocket.
I’d been in such a hurry to get away from Alik’s cell before I could embarrass myself any further, I forgot to give him the small, colorful stone I’d picked up in the market. Every time I visit him, I bring a small trinket with me to leave behind. I slip them through one of the small holes in the cube as a little gift for him. They’re gone from the place they land each time I come back, but I don’t know what Alik does with them.
Already knowing I’ll be back, I try not to let it bother me that I forgot. Considering I have no idea how much of the prince remains inside his head, I don’t know why it’s so important for me to keep giving Alik inconsequential trinkets. He may not even recognize what they are any longer. It’s hard to reconcile the fact that physically, he is still Prince Alik of the Bohnari, but mentally, he’s the mad beast that’s the direct result of what can happen when their mating fever isn’t sated.
In every prior case, the person has had to be destroyed. Once the madness hits the Bohnari, there is nothing left of the male that once existed. His mind becomes that of a beast whose only intent is to kill.
A few horrifying instances occurred in the past when the mating fever has hit one of the males, but before the beast could fully take over, a nearby female suffered. It’s allegedly what happened to the one who kidnapped and raised Janik from when he was a baby.
Mohneek had been violated by a man she claimed was King Danik while he was under the influence of the mating fever. Once the deed was complete, his mating fever had been sated and the king went on his way. The rape had resulted in a child, but when that child died, Mohneek chose vengeance and wanted the king to suffer. It’s why she stole Barrik—Janik—as a baby and why she pushed him to form the rebellion to take the crown from Alik. In truth, she’d been manipulating him and orchestrating Bohnari deaths behind his back.
Like my granny said, “the truth will always reveal itself.” And it did. Of course, Mohneek and her lover managed to escape during the final attack on Preska. Janik, Horek, and Carrik have all been looking for her ever since. We’re all still a little on edge knowing she’s out there somewhere, biding her time until she can enact her revenge.
Chapter 7
Alik
The unusual female has gone and did not leave a strange gift like the others I have collected and keep on the far side of my cage, hidden from anyone who might steal them. I enjoy her visits even if I do not understand why she is alone and always hurries away before she’s seen. The older female—who is of a different species than the younger—is always accompanied by males I do not like and do not want to be near. I make my displeasure at their presence known, and each one flinches at my growls. In turn, the older female reeks of grief, which makes my head pound so hard, I often snap my teeth in her direction so she will leave and take the sorrow that nearly crushes me with her.
There is another male who comes alone and speaks to me as the females do, but while I feel as though he is as familiar to me as the older one, his voice does not soothe me in a way the copper-skinned female’s does. I enjoy the stories she tells me. I do not know of the people of them, although there is a casualness in the way she says their names that makes me feel as though I am supposed to. I can often sense her…perhaps, disappointment when I do not acknowledge them. Except one name struck a chord. Beck. A hazy image of a small furred beast comes to mind, but just as swiftly, it’s gone like a puff of smoke.
I pace the length of my cell and breathe in the faint fragrance the younger female left behind. My suspicion is that it will not last for long given the short amount of time she spent here compared to her usual visits. They have decreased in number since that first. I wish it were she who opened the outer door more often rather than the older female and the lone male. Is that why she does not come as often any longer? Does she avoid my other visitors?
The light given off by the plants climbing the outer walls is dim, but pleasant. They are the only thing pleasant about this cage. Long have I stopped trying to break down its walls. My attempts only led to blood and pain. It does not stop me from remaining patient. My prey will let their guard down at some point, and when they do, I will be ready. I must bide my time.
I move to the far side of my prison and squat so I may riffle through the gifts the copper-skinned female has brought. Perhaps to any other being, each of them would be worthless. Yet, after the initial one—the one shaped like a miniature beast—I could not bring myself to destroy any. I treasure each gift.
A familiar clicking sound occurs outside my cage and hope flairs that the small female has returned. I carefully push her gifts into a darkened corner and wait until she opens the door. The moment it cracks open and the bright lights of the outer area shine—instead of the hand-held light source she carries—the hairs on the back of my neck rise. A deep growl rumbles up from my chest and throat to warn off the potential threat.
Fight.
Destroy.
Kill.
My fangs ache with the need to tear into flesh. To mangle the enemy. To dominate. To feed. A shadow appears in the widening doorway. I crouch into fighting position and ready myself to launch despite the wall that separates me from my prey.
“Be at peace, Alik. It is Horek.”
The lone male steps into the space between the door and my cage. His eyes seek out mine, and when they meet, I am struck with a feeling I cannot name. It makes my head ache, and I growl in the attempt to make him leave or look away. Except he holds my gaze like he always does. He shows no fear of me. Like the older female, grief surrounds him, but not to the same extent. His is tolerable, while hers suffocates me.
My growls turn to low grumbles since he keeps his distance. I remain tense and ready to defend myself or attack if I need to.
