Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
It was an obvious taunt and I knew that we could be walking into a potential ambush but I was determined to go along with it regardless. I had two guards stay outside and keep watch while the rest of us went into the cave. It was eerily quiet and cold. I could have sworn there was no sign of life on the inside.
The guards kept close to me while we moved further inside. It was pitch black and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I thought we were going in circles until I heard a sound. It sounded like cackling and it was a few feet away. I decided to follow it until I came to the center of the cave.
There was blood all over the floors and it was empty save for a man seated in the center of the room. He had Camilla standing in front of him and she looked exhausted. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her face and her l*ps were tinged blue.
The man had his head down and when he looked up, I was taken aback by how red his eyes were. They were the color of freshly spilled blood and there was blood on his face and teeth as he smiled.
“I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up,” he drawled. “I expected you to be here earlier. Do you know how taxing it has been to wait for you? I even had to put out a welcome gift so you could find your way. I would have put the others but my men wanted snacks.”
I could tell that he was deranged.
“Let her go,” I kept my voice cool although on the inside, I was a raging storm.
“Do you are
“that’s rude. You didn’t even ask my name first. I would have thought that you wolves had better manners. I know dogs but you don’t have to act like it, I growled and took a step forward but he quickly produced a dagger. “Do not take a step closer. She is still in my arms.”
The vampire simply smiled when I froze.
“To answer your demand, I will let her go. I don’t particularly like girls. They taste different. You on the other hand, you’re more my type,” Igrowled and he laughed. “I should be the last thing on your radar, Ryker. Have you taken a good look at your mate?”
“What are you talking about?” I had barely finished asking when he pushed Camilla forward.
I didn’t think as I rushed to grab her. She collapsed in my arms and I realized just how cold she was. She was shivering and she tried to speak but no words would come out. I looked up to see the vampire on the other end of the room.
“What did you do to her?” the guards started moving forward but he held up a hand and clicked his tongue.
“Let me give you a little insight on vampires that might not be present in your history books. We can bite for three reasons,” he paused for dramatic effect and began counting off his fingers. “One is to feed, the second is to turn and the third is to kill. Our venom has poison.”
I immediately realized what he was saying and I gently turned Camilla’s n*eck only to see two fang marks in her throat directly over her mark.
“If I were you, I would get that checked as soon as possible. After all, there is no cure.”
“You ba stard,” I looked up only to see that he had disappeared. I let out a roar of frustration and gently but quickly lifted Camilla in my arms. “Get the horses ready and make sure the physician is on standby by the time we arrive.”
“Do you want some of us to go after him?” one of the guards asked but I shook my head.
“We will see again, sooner or later. My bet is on sooner.”
RYKER’S PO.V
We rushed home with Camilla. I could barely remember the ride back, the only thought on my mind was her. I checked on her almost every second to ensure she was breathing. Her eyes were closed and her l*ps were still blue but each time I saw her chest rise and fall, it filled me with a sense of hope.
When we got to the palace, the physician’s son was already waiting outside with Christine. They had done me a favor and cleared out the back entrance to the palace and for that, I was grateful. I already knew the news would spread but all I could ask for was one day of peace and quiet where no one asked me st upid questions about her.
We rushed her into the physician’s room which was thankfully devoid of dead bodies. She was placed gently on the bed and he immediately went to work looking over her. I stood by the door so as not to get in their way but to have a good view of what was happening. Christine stood by my side and I could see her hesitating between reaching out to me or staying on her own. At the end of the day, she decided to stand beside me in silence.
“What happened to her?” the physician asked and I swallowed deeply before responding.
“The vampire there said she was bitten,” it took everything in me to keep my voice even as I spoke. “He said it was a bite to poison and kill”
The physician froze and turned to me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Is something wrong? Talk to me.”
“If that is what he said and he meant it then there are two things at play here. For starters, whoever that vampire was has to be almost as old as time itself. Most vampires don’t learn how to poison until they are centuries old and even then, it isn’t something they do often because not everyone masters the skill. Whoever you met has to be someone of a high ranking or vast importance.”
“The king,’ Christine whispered and I turned to her. “Camilla told me she found something about the vampire king living in the mountains close to the palace. That’s what she wanted to investigate. What if the man is the king?”
“It would make a lot of sense,” the physician mumbled more to himself than anyone.
He continued mumbling to himself and while I wouldn’t have minded on another day, there was something more important I needed to know.
“What is the second thing?” he looked confused so I explained. “You said there were two things at play but only mentioned one. What is the second?”
A dark look crossed his face and this time he didn’t speak. He opened his mouth but no words would come out and I knew that whatever he would say, there was a very high possibility that I would not like it.
“Don’t waste my time,” I growled and he swallowed.
“There is no known cure for vampire venom. I am sorry, your majesty.”