The Demon Queen (Otherworld Series #5)

Chapter 30- Proudly.

Nikolai breathed heavily. The room did not have enough air in it either that or he was having another panic attack.

His body was sore, his sex ached. He was crouched in a corner, the lashes on his back bleeding.

She had whipped him, this time because he refused to kiss her. She found the smallest things to punish him for. He was wary now, of moving the slightest inch.

He thought about Lunia. Was this how she had been, for all the years he tortured her? Sure, Runeria was influencing him to torture her, but he felt like it was still his fault. If he had been more powerful, he could have stopped her from controlling him. He could have broken her hold on him. But he was weak.

His kingdom had suffered with Lunia. If he ever got back to Dinhae, then he would give up the throne.

The Demon Kingdom needed a strong King. Not a weakling like him.

He couldn't even see now, he was pretty sure that he would remain blind for like, forever living in the darkness he created.

And he was alone responsible for this.

The door freaked open, Nikolai lifted his head to try and hear the sounds.

"Tsk. Tsk." It was her again.

He turned back into his demon form. He wished he had more of his father's war demon in him. But Nikolai was mostly incubus, hence no strong defends tactics.

"Poor Nikolai." The hand came out of no where. Damn it, she caught a hold of his face and stroked his cheek.

He hissed, halfheartedly, afraid that she'd whip him again. "Look what I have reduced you to. The big strong Demon King. A cowering mess at my feet. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She laughed.

It was a shrill sound, his ears were not accustomed to it after being in silence for so long. He gritted his teeth, wishing he had sharp ones, so that he could bite her throat out, instead he unsheated his claws, they were sharp, his only weapons.

She stroked a finger down his forehead to the tip of his nose. "Your eyes saw a world you could not comprehend. Closed forever now. I have never seen this happen. You keep surprising me, my Lord. It is a good thing. " She whispered.

She was close to him now. He could feel her breath near his ear. She was standing before him, awfully close, bending down for her face to be leave with his.

It was going to be useless, He knew, but all prisoners try toto escape and Nikolai would try too. He had to. Woman were strong, woman like Lunia were very strong, they could bear to be prisoners, they could bear to be slaves. But Nikolai was weak. Men were weak whiny creatures.

Nikolai remembered the story of Catra Wyatt. She had been kidnapped from her life and sold as a slave to Pius Valor, had been beaten, raped. He used his last nail to scratch a small line into his wrist.

Nikolai vowed that no woman in Otherworld would ever have to be a slave ever again. He would abolish all slave trade. Even the servants in the castle would make their own choice. He vowed that it would be his last cememted law as King.

Two drops of his blood dripped to the floor, his vow now sealed in blood.

Runeria pushed him down to the cold floor and mounted him, her thighs cornered his own and she stroked his side. His body betrayed him but he turned his face away.

He took two deep breaths. He had to wait. Had to be patient. Runeria would need some time to recuperate once she was done with him. And then, he would take his chance.

She moaned, the sound grating on his nerves. He kept quiet.

She ran her hands all over his body, down his chest, over his arms. Nikolai kept his hands above his head, hiding his claws.

She stroked his horns, moving over him, pulled his tail, licking it and tickling herself with him. She toyed with his body while he lay unresponsive. He was glad that his incubus tendencies were as spent as he was.

After a while, she came, with a loud cry.

His muscles tensed. Now was the time.

She braced herself by putting her hands on his chest.

"My love, y-" he did not let her complete her sentance.

Nikolai sliced his claws across her neck and punched her, throwing her off him. She screeched, her voice sounding with a wet gurgle.

He blindly made his way towards her, until he was sure that he was close, she lay prone, dying hopefully. He searched her body for a key.

Her hand touched his bicep, he hit it away.

If I don't kill her now, she'll come back to kill us all later.

He found a bunch of keys and snatched it away. Then kept it beside him and wrapped his hands around her torn throat.

"This is for Lunia." He whispered, his own voice sounding alien to him.

He pressed down, her hands scratched him. But it didn't affect him, his claws were still out open, doing more harm to her already torn throat.

Her voice was gone, she chocked to death. Slowly and painfully, she stopped struggling and Nikolai could no longer feel that evil heart beat.

He left her there, having no time to linger or think. He used the key to escape the room, and slowly and blindly, managed to lock the room.

He was right. The air out of the room was better. He felt a bit stronger. Nikolai immediately knew that the room had been enchanted so that nobody could use their powers in there. It was the sole reason why he was able to kill her.

In the end, his physical power was better than her magical power. Nikolai backed away from the room and laughed as he strode through the passage. He didnt even know if it was a passage.

He didn't care. Runeria was dead. He was free.

It hadn't been long but Nikolai felt like the eternal chip on his shoulder had finally been removed. The sky was finally cleared. His chest felt lighter and he breathed easier.

How much of his life had Runeria been influencing exactly? How much of her consciousness had been a part of him?

He felt that he could jump as high as ten stories.

He laughed again, his voice echoing. His legs were now submerged in water. What, in his happiness, had he walked into?

"Hello?" He asked. Was there someone here? Someone who could help him? Or just Runeria's cronies? Someone who he had to kill? He unsheated his claws again.

"Is anyone here?" He asked as he took a step foreward.

CLICK. A sound echoes in the room. Nikolai had stepped on something.

He cursed as he took two steps back. Another sound echoes, a sound of water whooshing back and something old and rusted unhinging.

Nikolai stood there, blind and vulnerable. He didn't know what to do, wished he could see his enemy. But as he stood, silently, he felt a sudden feeling of dread come over him.

He didn't know what he had awoken, but he doubted it was good.

Nothing in this place, wherever it was, was good of it had been touched by Runeria.

But this was no time to run. He had killed Runeria, it was enough.

It was enough in itself for a life accomplishment.  This time Nikolai would face death like a king.

Proudly and with strength.