Vanished Sisters: The Lycan King's Slave Island Chapter 190

Davelina's POV

The claws stopped.

Just inches from my throat, those deadly talons froze in mid-air, trembling with the effort of restraint.

I gasped, stumbling backward, my legs barely supporting me. My heart hammered so violently I thought it might burst from my chest. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get as far away as possible from the monstrous creature before me.

But I couldn't. The mate bond held me in place, singing with desperate hope and terrible fear.

Fergus's massive wolf form loomed over me, his body shaking with the effort of fighting whatever poison coursed through his veins. His eyes—those beautiful amber eyes I'd fallen in love with—flickered between mindless red rage and agonized awareness.

I kept backing up, my movements purely instinctive, until my back hit the cold stone wall. There was nowhere left to go.

In an instant, Fergus was on me. His enormous body pinned me against the wall, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, could smell the blood and sweat and something chemical, artificial. His face was mere inches from mine, twisted with fury and pain, fangs bared in a vicious snarl.

He looked terrifying. Monstrous. Like something from a nightmare.

But then again, when had he ever looked anything but dangerous?

The thought was absurd, inappropriate, but it made the knot of anxiety in my stomach loosen slightly. Because I realized, with startling clarity, that I was more afraid of King Mordred and his interrogations than I was of the man—the beast—before me.

Those claws could tear me apart in seconds. Those fangs could rip out my throat. Those arms, thick as tree trunks, could crush me effortlessly.

And yet... the fear was fading.

"Lord Fergus," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of his ragged breathing.

I hesitated, then slowly raised my hand, hovering it inches from his abdomen. After a moment's consideration, I placed my palm flat against his hard stomach.

Touching him. Soothing him.

The skin beneath my fingertips was scorching hot, almost feverish. "It's me... Davelina..."

A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against my palm. His head lowered toward my neck, nostrils flaring.

I tilted my head further, offering him more access. Letting him scent me. Letting him remember.

Sniff.

My hand trembled as I continued to stroke his back gently, my fingers running through the coarse fur.

He made a sound—a low, rumbling purr that seemed to come from deep within his chest.

The sound was so strange, so unexpectedly warm and comforting, that for a moment I couldn't believe it was coming from the half-man, half-beast before me.

But then he did it again, and I felt tears prick my eyes.

He was still in there. My Fergus was still fighting.

Behind us, I heard gasps of astonishment. I'd almost forgotten we had an audience—Mordred, Gregor, the terrified servants.

Suddenly, Fergus's body began to shift. Bones cracked and reformed, fur receded, muscles contracted. Within moments, he was human again, naked and covered in blood and sweat, but human.

He collapsed against me, his weight nearly crushing me against the wall. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling violently.

"Davelina," he gasped, his voice hoarse and broken. "I almost... I almost killed you."

"But you didn't," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him as best I could. "You didn't. You fought it. You came back to me."

"What the hell just happened?" Gregor's voice cut through the moment, sharp with suspicion and curiosity.

I looked up to see both Mordred and Gregor staring at us with identical expressions of shock. Mordred's wounds were already healing, his supernatural metabolism knitting flesh and bone back together, but he looked exhausted and confused.

"Fergus," Mordred said slowly, approaching cautiously. "Are you... yourself again?"

Fergus pushed away from me slightly, though he kept one hand on the wall to steady himself. "I think so. For now." He looked down at his hands, which were still shaking. "But I don't know how long it will last."

"What happened?" I asked, my voice breaking. "How did this happen to you?"

Fergus closed his eyes, clearly struggling to remember. "I went to the wine cellar. To get the good vintage for Lord Gregor's visit. I... I took a sip, to make sure it was the right one. And immediately, I felt wrong. Like fire in my veins. Like my mind was being torn apart."

He opened his eyes, and I saw the horror in them. "There was a maid there. Elara. I asked her if she'd tampered with the wine. She looked terrified, guilty. She tried to run." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I killed her. I tore out her throat before I even realized what I was doing."

"Poison," Mordred said grimly. "Someone poisoned you."

"Sebastian," Gregor added, his tone matter-of-fact. "This has his fingerprints all over it."

Fergus nodded weakly. "The maid... she must have been working for him. Put something in the wine."

"But why?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer.

"To make me kill Mordred," Fergus said, looking at his King with anguished eyes. "Or to make him kill me. Either way, Sebastian wins."

Mordred's expression was cold with fury. "We need to get you to a physician. Now."

"I can walk," Fergus said, though his legs were clearly unsteady.

I moved to his side, letting him lean on me. "Let me help you."

Gregor watched this exchange with undisguised fascination. "I had no idea you two were so... close."

I felt my cheeks burn, but I didn't let go of Fergus.

"Davelina is..." Fergus hesitated, then seemed to make a decision. "She's important to me."

The understatement of the century, but I understood why he couldn't say more. Not here. Not now.

Between Mordred and me, we managed to get Fergus to his private chambers. Servants scattered before us, their faces pale with shock and fear. Lucy was among them, and when she saw me, relief flooded her features.

"Davelina! Thank God you're alright!"

"I'm fine," I assured her. "But Lord Fergus needs help. Send for the physician immediately."

She nodded and ran off.