Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Chapter 113

Kath’tan had completely different thoughts running through his mind, the clothes he wore were all that he had. Enormous wardrobes filled with formal and well-tailored clothes. And although he had no interest in the throne, it was hard to miss his mother’s proud expression whenever he wore one of the crowns from his large chests full of crowns without her urging.

Dulce had lost his color again, the Vampire insistently refusing to drink from him after they arrived at Ashford. Kath’tan couldn’t convince him to change his mind, so he considered other methods.

"Come here," He invited, pulling the Vampire even closer. He had not only improved his fighting prowess in the past week, and naturally, Dulce had no guards up against the kiss.

He bit down on his tongue without a change in expression, feeding the Vampire a mouthful of blood.

The surprised betrayal on Dulce’s gradually flushed face was something he wanted to see again, too bad the Vampire fell into his arms before he could look his fill.

He gathered Dulce up into his arms, picking up his little trunk as well before starting for the door. He didn’t look back as he left his room, not even for a moment plagued with the fear that he would return and not find things as they were.

Valrena was concerned when he arrived at her room with an unconscious Vampire in his arms. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, he’s unfamiliar with portals." He explained shortly. Keeping to himself that more than his concern over Dulce’s adverse reactions to portals and warping, he also missed the color on his skin.

Valrena nodded resolutely, opening a portal without another word. She had wanted to hug her son and reassure him to return whenever, even if it was only for a moment. But she was prevented from doing that with his arms full, and it also made her realize that this wasn’t a goodbye.

She could visit her child on Earth whenever she wished, he was alive and well, and most importantly, back at her side. She stepped back to get a good look at him, pleased at the matching crown he wore on his head. This truly was her son.

She said nothing of his strange relationship with his summoner, the soft-spoken Vampire had saved his life, and if Kath’tan wanted to spend more time by his side then he was free to do everything he wanted.

Valrena frowned when the portal collapsed after they had gone through, feeling wetness on her cheeks before she realized he was crying.

"He’ll return in no time," Yamra’s gruff voice came from behind her. "Come and eat dinner with this old fogey."

Valrena lost her ability to cry then, wincing. Her petty nickname for her father was something she didn’t expect him to know of. "Now, I would never call my sweet father that," She tried to butter him up, hurrying over to grab onto his arm.

Yamra hmphed, ignoring her feeble attempts. He was quietly pleased that she had stopped grieving over a child that was no longer lost, leading the way to the dining room.

-+-

The portal to Earth didn’t take them to the desert palace, but it didn’t matter because Kath’tan could warp them there from anywhere on Earth. He stood at the foot of a mountain, sunlight dappling against them through the cover of trees around, Dulce still in a trance in his arms.

The wash of color wasn’t as jarring, save for the skies, Ashford had been surprisingly colorful. It made him realize that the red trees and flowers in Threnval hadn’t been the norm, but the strange obsessions of a deluded people.

He lingered by the mountain for a short while before warping to the palace. The burning desert sun was gentle compared to the suns of Flaeris, a surprisingly cool breeze blowing through the palm trees on the oasis.

Kath’tan barely took a step forward before he was surrounded by dark scowling faces, and all the anger that had been drained out of him when he returned to the Hells came rushing back.

"What? Were you all watching the windows waiting for my return?" He demanded.

He was blatantly ignored, the three Demons’ attentions on the Vampire in his arms.

"What did you do to him?" Ruoxi accused.

Kath’tan easily sidestepped Asael’s attempt to take Dulce from him. Immediately reminded that he never had the Vampire all to himself, even while they were in the Hells. "Portals make him uneasy so I put him to sleep. Who is that?" He asked in turn, noticing the stranger peeking at them from one of the verandas.

Silence greeted another of his questions, the three of them standing obstinately in his way, gazes inscrutable. Kath’tan found himself irked by the sight of it, deciding to just directly warp to Dulce’s room.

It didn’t surprise him when he was followed, ignoring them just as they selectively ignored him. He put the Vampire in a trance on his bed, his little trunk discarded to the side, habitually taking off his boots.

When he straightened up, he found that the others had gotten comfortable in the room, seeming prepared to watch Dulce until he woke. Kath’tan had spent the last week sharing a room with the Vampire so watching him in a trance wasn’t odd, but the company was unwelcome.

"Are you all going to sit around waiting for him to rouse?" He had to ask.

Asael was leaning against a wall, looking him over with disapproval in his gray eyes. "Yet, here you still are."

Kath’tan let the accusation roll right off his back, uncaring. Returning to find the Shadow Demon back wasn’t as surprising as it should have been, yet it didn’t stop him from being irked by his presence.

He had given the Vampire substantially less blood than he usually took, so the wait shouldn’t be too long. They were in the middle of the desert, the sun approaching its height as it was late morning, yet the air in the room was frigid, the silence tangible.