Chapter 220

Chapter 220: Chapter 220

When the rain came to a halt late in the afternoon, the skies were clear, the blue sky heralding early spring.

"We might need to set out soon so we can arrive at Eynsworth in time for the entrance exams," Dulce struck up a conversation at dinner time.

It had been a mostly quiet day, rain filling up most of the pleasant silence.

Kath’tan scoffed, but there was no anger in his purple eyes, his dark red hair was in a ponytail, falling down his bare back.

He still had no answer to what he would do when his contract was broken, just like he had no solution to tonight...

"I’m off to sleep," Kath’tan announced gruffly after dinner, throwing Dulce over a shoulder and striding out of the room.

"I can walk just fine," Dulce said tranquilly, not expecting the Demon to heed his words.

It was no surprise when Kath’tan ignored him, only setting him down on his feet when they reached the Demon’s bedroom.

Dulce glanced at the fireplace, knowing that there was little chance he would spend the night next to it. He undid his waistcoat, his overcoat long taken off.

"I hope we can return to Dewmire before spring is over," He murmured more to himself, "Dewmire is always lovely in springtime."

Kath’tan watched the Vampire wordlessly, his hands clenched into fists by his side. He had been summoned to Earth in the spring, and he had thought then that it was the worst thing he had ever set his sight on.

Regret wasn’t an emotion he let himself feel lightly, but it suffused him completely when he thought of Dulce. He knew that the Vampire held no grudges about their first meeting... looking at those tranquil blue eyes, he doubted Dulce even remembered.

It felt self-serving to speak about it, already knowing what Dulce would say, but it was lodged stubbornly in his chest, clogging up his veins. His fear of hurting the immortal Vampire was rooted in this, it was why he kept chasing solutions, trying to fix an already crushed flower.

"Drink from me and spend the night with me," He requested quietly when Dulce turned to him expectantly.

Dulce held his waistcoat in a hand, reluctance brimming in his silver blue eyes. He had fed from Asael just the night before, and Ruoxi two nights before. He had no use for so much blood, his skin flushed a healthy red.

He looked up at Kath’tan, the Demon was waiting patiently for his answer, a hopeful pleading in his eyes, which weren’t angry on a rare occasion.

"Alright," He sighed out, walking past him. "I need to change into something more suitable."

Kath’tan watched the Vampire walk over to his wardrobe to rifle through it, heading to the bathroom with a silken night robe in hand. It was so startlingly domestic that it left him stunned in silence until Dulce stepped out a short while later.

The Vampire was wrapped up in his robe, wearing only that and nothing else. The fiery red robe warmed his skin even further, and when the fireplace cast warmth on him, he looked nothing like a cold, soulless Vampire.

"Is something the matter?" Dulce asked in concern, noting that Kath’tan had yet to move from the spot he was standing on.

Kath’tan held out a hand to the Vampire, his gaze lowering when Dulce took the offered hand without hesitation. He wished the Vampire would get angry, he wished that Dulce would show a selfish emotion, any selfish emotion.

"No," He closed his hand around Dulce’s, guiding the Vampire to the bed.

Dulce wasted no time sealing their deal, the Vampire still couldn’t hide his reluctance, even though he had agreed to drink his blood, his fingertips cold against his burning chest.

A short while later, he gathered up the limp Vampire to his chest, realizing that Dulce had been wholly trusting from the start. Kath’tan clenched his jaw, burying his face in the Vampire’s floral-scented hair - he still was the foolish Vampire who had disrupted his life.

Kath’tan didn’t think he could fall asleep, but as the gentle warmth of the morning sun spilled into the room, he was just rousing. In his arms, Dulce was still in a trance, the Vampire’s expression was serene, not a single crease or frown.

He brushed the Vampire’s sun-warmed hair out of his face, he didn’t doubt that Dulce wouldn’t be able to undo his contract. It was inevitable, and perhaps it was the only path he could take.

Their paths were never meant to cross anyway...

-+-

Already accustomed to Dulce’s Demons going out of their way to be nuisances to her, Aylin already wore a scowl when a shrouded figure slipped into her study.

It was high noon, so her study was completely dark save for the burning candles. Even though it was late winter, she was still susceptible to the sun’s strength.

"You all seem to have so much free time on your hands," Aylin quipped, studying the strangely shrouded figure closely.

Dry laughter came from the strange visitor, it set her teeth on edge, making her sit up in consternation. "I wouldn’t call it that, Your Majesty."

"Who are you?" Aylin shot to her feet, her eyes narrowing in anger.

No one but the Demons could brazenly charge into her study, anyone else would have raised an alarm or been apprehended before they could get this far.

"That’s unimportant," The figure said, lifting his head. He kept his distance, but his vibrant red eyes were hard to miss.

A Vampire.

"How did you get in here?" Aylin demanded, even more suspicious now. It would be extremely difficult for a human to get past the guards, but it was noon, so for a Vampire, it was impossible.

"Your prized possession has fallen into the hands of the High Coven of the North," The figure went on like she hadn’t said a word, "Ironic considering the history they both have together."

Aylin’s pupils shrank, too shaken by the information to keep digging for the stranger’s origins. "The High Coven of the North?" She repeated, deeply affected by the mere name.

The figure didn’t affirm or deny her words, waiting patiently for her to make her choice herself.

Aylin recovered but not completely, her gaze distant. "How did you find this out? What proof do you have?" She asked coldly, staring him down.

"My knowledge of both is enough proof, but you’re free to believe me or not." The figure shrugged, nonplussed by her accusations.

"Very well, but what do you hope to gain by informing me? If you want it for yourself, you already know where it is." Aylin crossed her arms, her expression growing even colder.

"I have my own reasons. It would benefit me greatly if it were returned to whom it belongs."

"So you need my help," She accurately guessed his intentions.

"I’m afraid so." The hooded figure admitted easily. "You have evaded the High Coven before, you are the only one who could do it again."

Aylin sneered, "Why should I help you for your selfish reasons? It makes no difference to me whose hands it’s in."

The figure went silent for a long while, his shoulders almost seemed to slouch under a great weight. "High Lord Valois is personally seeing to its destruction. I’m not your enemy in this matter."

Now it was Aylin’s turn to fall silent, her chest heaved slightly from the intense fear that lanced through her at the figure’s word. "That’s impossible." She whispered.

The figure turned around as if to leave, "Perhaps, but I’m not going to wait around to find out." He paused for a moment before speaking. "If you change your mind, I’ll wait for you in the gardens at midnight today. Time is a luxury."

And just as wordlessly as the figure arrived, so he left.

Aylin barely noticed his departure, slowly lowering herself to the polished stone floor, distraught. For the first time, she wished that it had been Dulce’s Demons that had come to disrupt her day.

She should have known when it was stolen that the High Coven had a hand in it. The thief had disappeared into thin air, and she had been too distracted by Dulce’s arrival in Marlen to personally chase after them.

She glanced over at her table, and the important documents and royal edicts scattered all over its surface, they held little importance in the face of such a grave matter.

Going up against the High Coven directly was seeking death, but even as she slowly rose to her feet, she knew that she would make her way to the gardens at midnight.

Her only brush with them had been when she first acquired her prized possession at the cost of her life. Escaping the members of the coven had been perilous, so going against the High Lord himself was nothing short of foolhardy.

But it didn’t change her mind, she sat back down at her table calmly, regaining her composure. There was no chance of focusing on the documents, so after gathering them up, she rose to her feet.

If she were to go against the Vampire at the very pinnacle of power, she had to make preparations.