re's teeth on edge. As she stepped over the high stone threshold, the

ns were drawn tight, blocking out the morning storm. The only light came from a few bronz

ts usually stood were completely empty. The King had cleare

h

antic speed, as if looking inside for one second long

rpet. It stopped at the far end, resting on the massive

was slumped i

e was the color of wet ash. Thick drops of sweat caught the candlelight as they rolled down his forehead. His hands, heavy

rified, unblinking stare down t

stantly shran

hey were impossibly tall, their shoulders broad enough to block out the light. An aura of freezing

an envoys. These w

ountless battles. A massive steel greatsword was strapped to his back. This was Commander Dax. His dead,

ing in the front that ma

Lord V

the weak candlelight. Long, striking silver hair cascaded over his massive shoulders. The sheer physical density

ately, Vladya t

found Elinore. The

her icy blue ones, a catastrophic biological

O

longer a dull ache; it was a violent, electrical surge of pure, agoni

adya's top-tier Alpha pheromones, saturating the air of the Throne Room, had just viol

l submission threatened to force her to her knees right there on the red c

screamed i

The sharp, metallic taste of hot blood flooded her mouth. The sudden spike of intense ph

aight. She stared back into Vladya's red eyes, masking her i

he air into his lungs, dissecting the scents in the room. He caught something-a microscop

outh curled into a

p, smooth as silk, and dripping with an arrogance that demanded absolute submission. T

jerked his spine straight, his voice trembling as

dismissing the boy in the uniform. His voice dropped, los

or this palace burns to ash before the sun rises." There was

nd. His voice cracked with pathetic desperation. "Grand Lord, your de

nce

al confirmation. They weren't here for negotia

d? Before absolute power, human blood is no

his massive, leather-gloved han

ce was so overwhelming that King Orestus physica

into her own palms. The adrenaline finally began to burn away the biological haze. She could not show fe

of support, any kind of distraction. But when he saw the slender, silent "prince

stus choked out, making a path

etely. His face turned into a

?" Vladya

Elinore's breath plumed in front of her face as a thick, swirling mass of pitch-black mist materiali