Dark Lord by Corinne Balfour Page B

thought that Briella had agreed to never mention such a thing, but he supposed the events of last night had loosened her tongue. It was too bad that they were destined to be enemies.
     
    He eventually rolled out of bed and forced himself to dress. He planned to meet with Sebastian without delay. There might be some talk about his leaving without an escort, but he didn’t wish to bother with getting his excursion approved by official channels. Nefertiti would not approve of his travel plans, as he intended to visit the home of her rival and enemy.
     
    When he arrived at Pembroke, the eunuch house servants directed him to the dungeon of all places. He wondered why Sebastian was in the dungeon. He entered the dark area and spied a light in the distance. He walked deeper into the dungeon until he reached the prison cell that housed Helsina . He was taken aback by t he sight that greeted him. The hybrid female was shackled to a post in her cell. She was naked and muzzled . She stood upright and Sebastian was at her back, plunging into her from behind. The female moaned and keened as if she enjoyed such treatment, but he was still stunned to see his friend ravishing a hostage. He had never before abused a female in his care.
     
    Sebastian caught Dev’s gaze and gestured for him to come forward, although he made no move to stop plowing the woman. “It’s not what it looks like. If she doesn’t have sex, she will die. We should be done shortly. She requires a dose every twelve hours.”
     
    It sounded like a load of bullshit to Dev , but he nodded and took a seat in the next room to give them some privacy.
     
    Sebastian returned a few minutes later. “I didn’t mean for you to witness that little display, but it couldn’t be helped. If she doesn’t get her dose, she gets very ill. The hybrids that were doing research experiments on her forced her to bite humans to establish a mating bond, but they never let her consummate the union. They left her in that unsatisfied state until she sickened and begged for their touch. When the human s she had bitten died, they repeated the process. Helsina says that she may eventually recover, but for now, the doses help her stay alive.”
     
    “Why must she be dosed?”
     
    “It has something to do with a mating bond that isn’t consummated. It can lead to insanity and death, which is why a hybrid should never bite another unless the mating will be consummated.”
     
    He had royally screwed up by biting Briella . He had initiated a mating bond that would never be consummated, which explained why he was losing it. “Why was she muzzled?”
     
    “To prevent her from biting me. I will not risk that and I cannot trust her. She is the enemy.”
     
    “So why bother keeping her alive?”
     
    “She’s w orth nothing as a dead hostage.”
     
    He talked with Sebastian and explained the recent events and he felt uncomfortable at the look of concern on his friend’s face. “I’m losing control and I don’t know how to gain it back.”
     
    “I’ll take you to see Helsina . She is sure to know what to do .”
     
    He followed Sebastian into Helsina’s cell. She was still shackled to the post, but she was covered by a robe and her muzzle had been removed.
     
    Helsina stood and analyzed Devereux. “Hybrid. I’ve heard talk of you.”
     
    “From where?”
     
    “The Donovan K ing. He took an interest in you for some reason, but none of us know why. What brings you to see me?”
     
    He told her of his problems and she listened attentively. He didn’t know if they could trust her, but she was their best source of knowledge. “How do I get control of this?”
     
    Helsina studied him silently for a minute before speaking. “ You bit a female and didn’t consummate the union, right?”
     
    “Yes,” he admitted.
     
    “You either need to consummate the union or stay away from the female. The cravings are worse if you are near her. In time, it will fade and her mark will