Chapter 5

In a corner, Astria sat with her legs drawn up to her chest and her head buried between her knees. She was surrounded by huge daybeds and flames dancing inside floating iron sconces. The main bed was curved and massive, occupying most of the room. At the head, banners hung from the carved wood, a blue crest in the center.

Syvania was long gone after telling them to ‘play nice’, leaving Astria locked in a room full of demons.

She dared to lift her gaze just slightly, flinching when she saw black heels still hovering a foot away. Isaeli's glare dug into the top of her head, as her hand flicked above her shoulder, controlling a small black flame at the tip of her finger. It fluttered closer with a motion's command, treading so close to Astria's skin that she could feel it burn twice as hot as it should've.

Her heart stuttered a few beats as she watched the black flame linger next to her cheek, drawing nearer inch by inch.

“You reek of Khran.” Isaeli sneered, her heel wickedly pressing down on Astria's foot. “Tell me… are you the earthling he's been feeding from lately?”

Astria shrunk back into the wall, shaking her head frantically. The flame circled her face, a few strands of her hair wrinkling as it burned the tips to a crisp.

“Speak.”

The flame rattled, bursting into small bits then drawing together like magnets. When it merged, it was something else, something far more deadly. Astria's breaths grew quick as the sharp-edged black blade pressed against her throat, pricking the skin. Blood trickled down, sliding over her collarbone.

“N-No!” She trembled, her neck pulsing against the blade.

Marriage? It was embarrassing how naive she'd been, only to be forced out of that foolish dream by getting thrown into this harem full of demons.

Her Alpha had preached that omegas were born only to serve and give pleasure… he wasn't wrong. Coming back to her all those nights and taking her with him here… was probably the perfect arrangement.

Astria's eyes passed slowly over the room, glossy with unshed tears.

Demons. Eight of them, and each one blessed with their own share of beauty. Then there was her, Astria Salome, the useless omega with nothing to offer except the heat between her legs.

Apparently, she was the ninth… the ninth member of her mate's harem.

“Isn't her scent way too sweet even for an earthling?” One asked, her nose twitching as she dabbed a red blush onto her cheek. Her eyes were fixated on her reflection in the small round mirror floating before her face.

“Is that why Master brought her here? I wonder…” Someone else added, the tip of her tongue dancing around another demon's exposed nipple. “...what she tastes like~”

“Shouldn't she have her own room by the way?” Another hissed, dragging dark red lip paint across her puckered lips. “I'm allergic to dogs.”

“But you're fine sniffing Bastian's balls?”

“Of course, Master's favourite hound is an exception~”

Isaeli's jaw clenched. “Shut your damn mouths!” Venom laced every word as the blade evaporated into thin air and her sharp nails ripped into Astria's scalp. The pain was excruciating as Astria was hauled by the hair and thrown into the center of the room.

“I'll ask you again.” She sneered. “Are you the bitch Khran fucks every night?”

Astria trembled against the floor. “No…”

“If you're lying…” Isaeli leaned down, her fingers tightening. “...you're fucking dead!”

Astria opened her mouth to plead with a lie, but the words died in her throat when a familiar, overwhelming sensation sparked at her stomach. It was not the heat of that black flame burning the surface. No, this was wreaking havoc even under her skin and spreading like blood through her veins.

Her attire left her belly-button naked to the eye, and Astria felt the skin around it throb, Khran's swirling mark emerging with its strange glow.

The room went dead silent.

Isaeli recoiled, snatching back the hand gripping Astria's hair as if she'd been burnt.

A wave of slick dribbled down the pulsing walls of Astria's core, making her breath hitch in her throat. A low whimper escaped her lips, a burning flush devouring every inch of her skin. Her scent grew thicker, much stronger as it circled the space, seeping through the crease around the door and spreading far beyond their layer.

Isaeli had gone quiet, frozen in place.

As the daughter of a fallen Queen and a woman favored by the dark gods themselves, Isaeli Izrak Valchester wasn't like the rest. From the moment she was old enough to speak, her every flaw was whipped out of her and her ties to the world were cut off in the name of remaining ‘pure’. She was raised as a seductress and a warrior, shaped into the perfect wife.

That's why she didn't mingle with the others unnecessarily. Because… every king had a harem, every demon had their wild desires. They were nothing but new meat for him to taste. Beyond the sex, Isaeli was his only choice for Queen… a warrior, a beauty everyone coveted and a royal by blood.

And yet… the contract mark she had been raised to wear on her wedding day… was glaring back at her from the skin of a mere dog.

Shock diffused into pure, venomous anger. Isaeli's red eyes grew deadly, the muscles in her face taut with tension. “I guess we now know exactly why you're here, huh?!” She growled. “You're one of those… a dog with heats that put men under a spell.”

“T-That's not–”

Astria wasn't allowed another word, snatched from the floor by the collar. The door slid open and she was launched into the hall, colliding with the stone wall at full force. A sharp pain had her curling into a ball, a muffled scream behind her tight lips. Something had most certainly cracked.

“W-Wait! Isaeli, what are you doing?!”

As the door slid closed, red eyes seared into Astria's soul, promising vengeance. “A defiled woman cannot remain in the king's harem, can she?” Her lips curved. “Any problem?”

It fell silent.

Going against Isaeli was the same as defying the dark gods themselves.

…Not because she was a previous Queen's daughter, but because she was a child blessed by deities, the one who was born with the crest of the half moon on her shoulder.

-

-

The clock struck nine inside the meeting room and Khran was on his feet almost instantly. “We're done here.” He announced. Not a word had been exchanged since the start of the meeting, except this. Syvania mouthed apologies to the members of the court on Khran's behalf, bowing profusely as she trailed behind him.

“M-My lord!”

Khran's jaw ticked, a glare steering over his shoulder at the one who'd opened his useless mouth. His ears listened to soft ticks of the clock and with every passing second, he imagined breaking a new bone.

“The spirit tree is dying as we speak!” Edward dared to say. “Lady Isaeli's aptitude is unfortunately fire and not necromancy but still, marriage with a chosen one might be the way the gods help us! But to think you would keep her in your harem for over ten years! You mock your people, sire!”

“Do I?” Khran tilted his head, eyes finding Syvania. The command was clear.

She nodded. “As you command, my Lord.”

The room grew suffocating, every demon holding their breaths.

Floating spikes breached Edward's skin and just as his screams shook the walls, a scent swallowed the hall and slipped inside the room, making Khran freeze where he stood.

His eyes snapped to the door, watching it slide open. Standing there… was Astria, teeth buried in her neck. She collapsed to the floor while the demon stumbled back, his eyes wide as her mark glowed.

His face drained of color, a foreshadowing of his own death flashing before his eyes. It dawned on him far too late… just who she belonged to.