Chapter 95
CAMILLA’S PO.V
The library was amazing. The shelves were as high as the ceiling which was more than three times my height. It was chilly and I assumed that was because the books weren’t exactly books, they were scrolls and bound parchments. I was almost scared to touch anything because everything looked ancient like it was going to fall apart if handled wrongly. I couldn’t fault Ryker for losing track of time here, I would have too.
It was lit up by torches on either side and all the windows were closed but there was still a breeze blowing through. The walls were pure cement and there were only two tables that I could see. The crest of the kingdom was etched on each shelf and on the walls. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people actually knew about it.
He led me with a hand on my lower back to a table where papers were arranged in a neat pile. I could tell that was where he sat because it still had his faint scent around it. As we got closer, I noticed some of the drawings and writings on the texts and I realized that he was reading about vampires. I turned to him with a raised brow and all he did was shrug as if it were no big deal.
“Were you able to find out anything?‘ I asked and he sighed.
“Not exactly. Vampires aren’t like us, they’re immortal and they can have one king for a millennium. It is unusual for them to document about their leaders so that others don’t realize who they are. I tried going as far back as the last war but I couldn’t find anything about his identity. I’ll keep searching but I doubt we will find anything here about them.”
“Have there been any vampires so far who have done things like this in the past?‘ I asked and he shook his head.
“None that I have found,” he ran his hand thrugh his hair in frustration. “Our best bet is to find the vampire king and request a meeting with him. He is the only one who can keep his subjects in line.”
I bit my bottom l*p as I debated what to say. All we could do was keep searching because fighting vampires was bad enough, but fighting vampires that we knew nothing about was even worse. I picked up the closest text to me and stuffed it under my arm,
“I hope we can take them out,” I murmured. “This place is too stuffy for me to stay in all day.’
The corner of his l*ps tilted up. “You’re the Queen, you can do whatever you want.”
We picked out a few books that we thought would help and returned to our room to ensure they were kept safely before making our way to the dining room to spend time with our daughters. When Christine saw me, she must have immediately known that Ryker had told me about the library because she offered me a small apologetic smile. I narrowed my eyes at her playfully and she laughed.
Dinner was long and fun. I hoped after dinner he would forget about practicing but Ryker was nothing if not disciplined. I tried to argue that we had to read about the vampires but he was adamant that it could wait. Audrey joined us this time and we spent our exact hour outside and despite my protests, I ended up having fun. Audrey made demands and she squealed whenever I got it right. It felt relieving to not have the burden of powers on my shoulders and to be able to use it for something as miniscule as entertaining my daughter.
While we were packing up to leave, I felt a cool breeze at the back of my neck. I straightened instantly and turned towards the woods behind us but it was too dark to make out anything. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching us and I started in that direction but Ryker’s hand wrapped around my wrist pulling me to a stop and snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and I glanced towards the woods but Ryker grabbed my chin and turned me to face him. “Look at me, what are looking at?”
“Nothing, I just thought-”
I began in that direction again but Ryker wouldn’t let me go. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the woods. I knew there was something there and I could have sworn that I saw a flash of red in the trees.
“Camilla!” Ryker rarely said my name unless it was important. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I thought I felt something there. I felt it that day with Damien and Riley.”
Ryker frowned. “Take Audrey and go inside.” I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. “Just do as I said. I’ll see you when I’m back, I promise.’
I would have stayed there to argue if Audrey didn’t yawn loudly. I picked her up and reluctantly walked towards the palace. She clung to me like a spider and buried her face into my neck. I led her to her room and helped
her change into her pajamas before tucking her into bed.
“Where is daddy?” she yawned and I k*ssed her forehead.
“He had to work on something. He’ll be here tomorrow morning, okay?” I whispered and I doubted she heard me because her eyes were already drooping. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, mummy.”
I pulled her blanket up to her chin and walked out of the room.
I waited in our room for Ryker anxiously. I debated just going into the woods to find him myself but I knew was more likely to get lost. I paced around the room for what felt like hours but in reality was just thirty minutes. When he walked in, he looked exhausted. It wasn’t in his face but in the way he moved. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and shut the door behind him.
‘Did you find anything?‘ I asked and he shook his head.
“The woods were empty,’ he whispered and I froze in my place. “Well, it was empty of vampires.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was another b*dy,” his words dropped like a bombshell and there was a ringing in my ears. I blinked twice wondering if I heard wrong but by the pensive look on his face, I knew I hadn’t. “The physician has taken in the b*dy to analyze but I figure it is going to be the same.”
“We have to figure out something.”
“We will,” Ryker assured me as he grabbed my palm and squeezed. ‘Just forget about it for tonight. You should rest.”
“What about you?” I knew he had no plans of resting. “Well then, I guess we can get through the material faster if we both read.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You’re always reminding me how I’am queen. Don’t you think it is time I started acting like it?”
I fell asleep sometime during the early hours of the morning and by the time I woke up, I was in my night gown and already lying in bed. Ryker was still hunched over the desk and I knew he hadn’t slept. I slowly made my way out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly but relaxed when he noticed that I was the one standing there.
I placed a k*ss on his cheek. “You need to rest, Ryker. Today is going to be a very busy day and you know it. We have to see the elders and the physician.”
He smiled softly. “I’m fine, baby. If I’m tired, I will rest.”
“I don’t like this.”
He stood to his feet and placed his hands on my waist. He pulled me into him and k*ssed my l*ps softly. He was obviously tired but he was trying to put up a brave face for me. I knew there was nothing I could do save for drugging him and in that moment, I was honestly contemplating it. He didn’t give me the chance to say anything because he just side stepped me and began bringing out clothes for the day. i sighed and just got ready.
Like I predicted, the first thing we had to do was meet with the elders. They were in a more agreeable mood since yesterday and I knew it had more to do with Ryker’s presence than anything. It was obvious that this was out of their league because no one knew what to do. Apparently, the b*dy that had been found belonged to a family in the lower town and they were already searching for their son. News was beginning to spread and I knew it was only a matter of time before we would have to tell them that he was found.
All we could do was double down on the curfew and try and blame his death on the elements. I knew it would
be a hard sell considering werewolves rarely got cold but it was the best that we could do at that point. The elders were not too happy about having to break the news to the people but they went to do it either way. Our next stop was the physician and there was nothing new for him to tell us. He died in the same manner as the last person and had only been dead for a few hours before we found him. He offered to cover up the bite marks so the family didn’t see it and I was quick to agree. As we left his office, I turned to Ryker.
“How long has the boy been missing for?” I wanted to fact check something.
“According to the elders- two days.”
“If he only died last night then that means that they are being held before they die. The question is why? What does he gain out of holding them captive for days? Is it a fear tactic?”
“It could be but somehow I doubt it. If it were that then they should have signs of torture but there is nothing. I have a feeling there’s more to this than we realize.”
I knew he was right but it was so frustrating to think about. I couldn’t help but wonder why us? Why were we the ones to be targeted? There were thousands of werewolves and hundreds of packs all over the world so why were we the target?
“You’re the Queen,” Ryker began and I realized I had spoken out loud. “There is no greater show of strength than being able to overthrow the werewolf monarchy. Everything goes through you. If you fall then they all fall with you.”
