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I look at him pleadingly, and his eyes dart to the girl cowering away from his blood-red gaze. He swallows thickly, and it’s the first time I have ever seen genuine pity cross his face.

Eagan lets out an audible breath when my hands move to the king’s chest, gripping his shirt. I want to slap him, curse him out for leaving me here and not letting me know what happened with King Xavian, but he is not of sound mind right now. He is a slave to his instincts.

His hand moves to grip the back of my neck, massaging gently, and I lift my gaze as he peers down at me, fangs mere inches from my face. I fight the urge to shudder.

“Did you feed?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

He peers around at all the young faces before his eyes land on the door to the other room. “I will before I take you back to my quarters,” he growls, but his face scrunches with disgust.

I fist his shirt to pull him closer, and he tilts his head, staring at me with his inhuman gaze. “Not them,” I whisper, my cheeks heating. Right now, he’s a predator seeking prey, and it both terrifies and thrills me. I can’t explain why, but maybe it’s the bond he and Xavian speak of.

“I need Eagan to get the little red head from that cell and place her in mine.”

“Why?” he asks. I worry telling him might shove him over the edge, and these girls don’t deserve to take the brunt of his wrath. I may be furious with how they’ve been stealing from her, but I also see myself in the oldest sister, ready to do anything to feed her younger sisters.

Desperation does terrible things to us all.

“You just want her moved to your cell?” Eagan asks, and I nod, not looking away from Kylian’s hard stare. Eagan doesn’t need me to explain before he opens the girls’ cell. “You said the red head?”

“Yes, the youngest one.” I move to put myself between the now-open cell doors and the king.

Eagan waves the girl closer, but she only stares at him, petrified, shaking her head and pulling her knees to her chest.

“He isn’t going to hurt you,” I assure her, turning slightly. The girl crawls out slowly before Eagan pulls her to stand. She races to my side, body trembling, and grips my coat like she believes I can protect her.

The other girls press against the far wall, huddling beneath their shared blanket, eyes trained on the king. When I look back at Kylian, he’s glaring at them. Shit! He knows they’re the reason I want the girl out.

When Eagan locks their cage again, the girls inside visibly relax.

It takes me a moment to register that the shivering child against my side doesn’t have a blanket of her own. As I unfasten Kylian’s coat from around me, his hand lands on mine.

“You’ll leave it on.” He glares at me then nods down at my dress that’s torn all the way to my hip. My cheeks flame. I didn’t realize, but he must have ripped it when we were in the bunker with Xavian. Angry tears burn my eyes as I look down at the little girl.

With a deep sigh, his hands go to the buttons on his long-sleeve shirt. I’m stunned, watching a king remove his clothing to keep a servant warm. He peels his shirt off and thrusts it into my hands.

The little red head has wide eyes trained on me, but when I glance around, I notice everyone else in the room is watching us as well. “Quick, take it. It will keep you warm.” I crouch down and wrap the shirt around her small frame, and as I stand, Kylian jerks me back out of the cell.

“Are we done here now?” he demands, and I quickly nod, letting him lead me to the stairs.

Peering over my shoulder, Eagan locks the little girl into the cell with a smirk. When he sees I’m watching, he dips his head before quietly heading toward us. I let out a breath and follow King Kylian up the stairs.

When we reach the top, his grip tightens like a steel band on my arm, reminding me of the temper he’s barely containing. I know asking anything else of him at this moment could be detrimental to my safety, but I can’t think of anything else.

“What happened with King Xavian, and what about Sable?”

Kylian glares sideways at me but doesn’t speak.

My mouth opens to push, but Eagan’s voice is in my head. “Not now Alessia, don’t push him.”

I glance over my shoulder and clench my teeth.

“I can assure you, your sister is fine, but right now, I need you to focus on your bond. He is weak because of you, and he’s been fighting himself since returning. He needs to feed.”

Then I remember what the girl told me earlier, about how he didn’t feed on any of the servants when he last went down to do so. He was angry.

“You can’t feed on anyone else, can you?” I murmur, and Kylian’s grip on my arm tightens. Once again, Eagan’s voice is in my mind.

“He tried, but the scent of others repulsed him—even more than usual. Since you, it’s been different. Kylian can usually force himself to feed, but his body has been refusing.”