Chapter 92
CAMILLA’S PO.V
After training, it was basically just me sitting in my office doing nothing. By the time evening came around, Ryker made good on his promise and we sat in the garden alone. He offered to bring Audrey and I knew he had spoken to Lois but I didn’t want her to see me like this. I didn’t want my child knowing that I wasn’t as special as she thought. She thought of me like this super amazing person and I didn’t want to ruin it for her because a part of me wished I could be that for her.
I felt a longing and a pull towards the water but I couldn’t bring myself to act on it. My fingers itched and it took everything in my power for me to resist that pull but I did. I could feel Ryker’s eyes on me the entire time almost as if he could sense my internal struggle and was trying to find out a way he could help me. When our thirty minutes were up, I subconsciously reached my hand out towards the water but I caught myself.
“Why?” he asked but I stayed silent. “Is there a reason you keep denying yourself something that you obviously want?”
“I don’t want it,” I lied and he shook his head.
“Do you know what this reminds me of?” he asked but I stayed silent. “When you first came to the pack, you were so hesitant to receive even the slightest bit of affection. You fought me at every turn even though you knew that I was just trying to help you. Why do you do that?”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Isn’t it?” he asked and I couldn’t bring myself to answer because I knew he was right. “Just accept help where it is given, Camilla. All I am asking for is for you to try. You want to, so why don’t you?
“Because I know I’m going to fail,” my voice was a soft whisper ax I spoke and I saw something crack in Ryker’s eyes. He sighed and reached out for me. I wanted to pull away but I let him hold me. I allowed him wrap his arms around me and I reminded myself that he could protect me. I allowed myself to feel safe in his arms.
By the time he pulled back, there was something softer in his eyes. It was almost as if he could finally see me for the first time. “Just try something.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Anything.”
There was a soft encouraging tone imbued in his voice. I reached out my hand and hesitantly willed the water to me. As if it could sense my hesitation, the ripples began but they weren’t stable. I tried to get a stronger grip on myself and tugged it towards me. The water rushed out of the fountain towards my hand and just held it suspended in the air in a bubble.
It was the simplest thing in the world but Ryker was looking at me with so much pride. I felt moved to do more so I tried some of the earliest tricks I had first learnt. I remembered the feeling of glee and excitement when I did them for the first time. I remembered hoow I showed it off to Christine every chance I got and she responded with pride and adoration.
“I’ve never seen your powers in action,” Ryker’s words snapped my concentration and the water went splashing back into the fountain. I turned to him in disbelief.
“You’re joking, right?” I asked and he shook his head. “I could have sworn that I used them around you once.”
“I never joined one of your training sessions and there was never a time for you to use them. Your mother was the one who told me about them. I was always curious but I never wanted to push.”
“I’m sorry,” I didn’t know why I was apologizing but I knew that I felt bad for some reason.
He pressed a k*ss to my temple. “It doesn’t matter. You did good, baby. Do you think you’ll be up to try again tomorrow?”
This time, when I nodded, I meant it.
I was in a better mood the entire day. Maybe it was because I had finally decided to give training a chance but in reality, I
knew that it had everything to do with Ryker. Loris noticed the change but he asked no questions in regards to what brought it on. I still couldn’t conjure water out of thin air but I was getting better at controlling large bodies of water and manipulating them. It drained me more because of the size so we were working on my stamina.
By the time training was over, my shoulders ached and my muscles protested. I wanted an ice bath with a massage to relax. I was trudging back towards my room when a guard approached me. He looked hesitant and a bit young, I had a feeling he was one of the new guards hired to replace the traitors. When he got to me, he bowed low and his sword clattered to the floor.
I leaned down to pick it up and as I handed it over to him, he looked mortified. “I am so sorry, your majesty, I am very clumsy. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“It’s fine, I can be too,” I waved him off. “Is there anything you need?”
“I was asked to escort you to the physician’s quarters by the Prince Consort.”
My brows scrunched in confusion. I tried to reach Ryker via mind link but his wall was firmly in place. It was weird that he would send a guard instead of getting me himself but I decided not to question it too much and followed the boy. He walked ahead of me and I noticed him paying extra attention to his feet as if willing them not to mess up.
When we got to the physician’s quarters, Ryker was waited outside. I thanked the boy and made my way over to my mate. “What is happening?”
“The physician said it was important. I waited for you.”
I smiled and him softly. I could tell he was a bit worried, it was in the creases around his eyes and the way he gripped my hand lightly. I decided to make the first move by pushing the door open. The physician and his son were muttering to themselves and they jumped when they saw us. The room was just as I remembered- there were vials and jars lining every wall filled with weird liquids. Books took up the rest of the space and of course, the little bed where the victim was lying down.
“Thank you for coming,” he rushed over to welcome us. “I hope I am forgiven for requesting your presence but this wasn’t something that could be uttered outside of this room. The walls have ears and if anyone gets a wind of this, it could be disastrous.”
I cast a wary glance towards Ryker. His eyes met mine and I could see that his emotions mirrored mine. He squeezed my hand in silent solidarity and we turned back to the physician.
“There is nothing to forgive,” Ryker was the one who spoke because I couldn’t trust my voice. “What is it that you wanted to show us?”
He beckoned us over to the b*dy and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity as I looked down at the boy. He couldn’t have been older than mid–twenties. The physician didn’t seem to hold the same concerns I held in regards to the b*dy because he just walked by it and began fl*pping through his notes.
“I noticed something when I was looking over him. I would like to preface by saying that I am a physician and sometimes, I may be wrong. I doubt that I am wrong here because I have checked three times just to be certain,” he cleared his throat before continuing. “This boy was dead only a mere three hours when he was found. There is also no indicator that he had been out in the cold long before then.”
“Why was his skin so cold then?” I asked. “He looked like he could have frozen to death.”
“I wish that were the case,” he paused as if wondering how to continue. “I am sure you have heard about the blood being the life force of an individual. Your blood is part of what warms your b*dy and regulates the temperature.”
I nodded not quite understanding where he was going but trying to follow nonetheless.
He turned the head of the boy to the side and pointed to two barely there puncture wounds.
I felt Ryker tense beside me and I couldn’t help but remember what he had told me earlier about the vampire. I refused to believe that was what happened. Maybe it was just an accident. Maybe we were just overthinking and reading too much into things.
“This is a vampire bite. Normally, I wouldn’t be too bothered about it because we have the occasional vampire roaming around. In my time, I have handled three vampire cases but this is different.”
“How so?” my voice was barely over a whisper. I was scared to ask because I was scared to know the answer.
“This man was somehow drained completely of blood.”
“Why is that weird?”
“When vampires bite, it is for two reasons- to feed or to turn. They rarely ever completely drain bodies of blood, not even the newly turned make that mistake. The only time a vampire would make that mistake is if they lost control and this man wouldn’t have a head if that were the case. I believe this was a deliberate action on the part of whoever did it.”
No one dared to speak. It was one full minute of Ryker and I staring at the b*dy and not knowing what to do. Our worst fear had been confirmed- the rumor was true and for some reason, the vampire was here.
Ryker was the first person to snap out of his reverie. He straightened his shoulders and faced the physician eye–to–eye. “Do not breathe a word about this to anyone. Tell the family whatever you need to in order for them to let this rest as quickly as possible.”
“But your majesty-” his son began speaking for the first time and Ryker leveled him with a sharp gaze.
“If anyone breathes a word about this, they will have to pay, am I clear?” he asked and they both nodded. “Go over the b*dy one more time and tell me if you missed anything”
Without another word, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. I had so many questions but I didn’t know where to start so I stayed silent.
