Chapter 192

Chapter 192: Chapter 192

At Kath’tan’s response, Dulce closed the distance, not wanting to delay him further.

Kath’tan slowed him down with a hand on his face, leaning in. The kiss was chaste and brief, and it was the only kind of intimacy Kath’tan allowed himself in a bid to learn gentleness.

His hand trembled slightly as he pulled away, it had been weeks and he had made very little progress, the urge to eat up the Vampire only grew stronger.

It helped little that Dulce barely noticed the carefully cultivated distance, the Vampire treated him the same as always. Perhaps that was fortunate, because if Dulce had leaned in even a little, if he had attempted to deepen the kiss, the fragile walls of his self-control would completely shatter.

A short while later, a flushed Vampire half lay on him, in a trance. He gently carded his hands through Dulce’s soft hair, despite his reluctance, the Vampire was doing a wonderful job of getting him to see his blood as something other than an eyesore.

He put Dulce to sleep and without lingering further, he warped away from the room.

Although his mother was always welcome to seek him out, this was the first time she had done so. It worried Kath’tan although the messenger had been laidback, without an ounce of urgency.

Lady Valrena shot to her feet when a portal opened right in her room, her smile blinding as her son stepped out of it. She dismissed the helpful Fiend who had brought him, hurrying over to his side to hug him.

"Welcome home," She said with a happy smile, "I hope my request wasn’t inconvenient?"

Kath’tan felt some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders at the familiar warmth of his mother’s arms. "It wasn’t," He was quick to reassure her, although he would still feel Dulce’s fangs in his skin for hours to come.

It had healed almost immediately - each time the Vampire bit him, it was with care and gentility, and that made it sting every time.

"Did something happen?" He asked as he stepped back, looking around.

It was late in the morning and there was nothing out of place in his mother’s room, it looked the same way it did the last time he was here.

Valrena tampered down her excitement to see her son, "A few things, nothing dire." She began calmly, "You advised me to release all of the captive Hellhounds in Ashford, did you know of the Hound King’s return?"

"The who?" Kath’tan muttered, frowning. Was it Caedos who was being referred to by such a lofty title?

"The King of Hellhounds," Valrena carefully explained, inviting him to take a seat. "He has cut down city after city in Southern Flaeris to rescue captive Hellhounds."

Kath’tan scoffed, envious. To accomplish so much in a few months, why was the bastard in so much of a hurry?

"He’s one of the Demons summoned by Dulce," He explained for his mother’s sake. "I knew when he returned to attempt to save his kind, my advice was to merely spare you the trouble."

Valrena couldn’t hide her shock, "Your savior summoned him as well?"

Kath’tan was surly, when the foolish Hellhound had been summoned he didn’t even know how to walk. "Yes," He gruffly replied, keeping it to himself that the Demon was still bound to Dulce.

Valrena was visibly impressed, she had a positive opinion of the Vampire who saved her son, but he was so fragile that she didn’t quite expect to find out that he had summoned a rather powerful Demon.

Over the next several minutes, she detailed everything she knew about the war. From the fall of Ibaeron to the death of Grand Duke Kozran, as well as the part of Northern Flaeris in the war.

Kath’tan’s expression grew strange, "Grand Duke Kozran was killed?"

For the first time, Valrena shared his disbelief. "It caught Flaeris by storm as well, but it has been a week since he led an attack into the Deep Woods and neither he nor his army has yet to return. The Hound King has even liberated the captive Hellhounds in Drevalis without a single obstacle."

Kath’tan’s expression grew more and more unpleasant, he didn’t care for the dead Duke’s well-being, but there was no disputing Kozran’s strength. Unmatched in battle, it was said that he had yet to be defeated. For that reason, he refused to appoint an Archduke among his children, decreeing that only the Demon who could defeat him could inherit his throne.

"I summoned you because Threnval is the final city still harboring captive Hellhounds," Valrena finally got out, her purple eyes shimmering like gems from how pleased the idea of Zazrel’s death made her.

"I thought you wanted to be the one to end Zazrel," He lightly reminded her, still distracted by the news of Caedos’ accomplishments.

Valrena shrugged, "I can be generous."

She rose to her feet, "I told the old fogey that I sent for you and he has been impatiently waiting, we might as well put him out of his misery."

"Slandering me before my grandchild?" Yamra appeared out of thin air, his expression surly.

Kath’tan rose to his feet as well, Ashford managed to welcome him anew whenever he returned.

"False accusations," Valrena immediately rose to her own defense, sidling up to her father.

"Hmph," Yamra snorted coldly, yet his pleasure to see his daughter’s child was plain to see. "Times are getting turbulent, Kath’tan. Come and spar with me."

That was more than enough to catch Kath’tan’s attention. Before arriving at Ashford, he hadn’t intended to stay long but after hearing Caedos’ accomplishments, his blood was fired up.

Grand Duke Yamra was inviting him to spar to grow his strength for a possible war, but all Kath’tan could think of was how little use he would be to Dulce when Caedos returned.

"Wait-" Valrena’s face fell, hurrying after them. "Won’t you lift my ban, Father?" She tried to sweet-talk him.

Yamra pretended not to see his child practically hanging off him, his expression serene as he addressed Kath’tan. "I know you have no interest in the throne of Ashford but could I at least convince you to protect your home?"

That was an easy request to accept, Kath’tan had a lot he wanted to protect.