Chapter 98
RYKER’S POV
When I was told that there was another b*dy, I was expecting to see a scene similar to the last ones. When I got there, I was suddenly thankful that I asked Camilla to stay back. It was so graphic that one of the guards threw up on sight. The smell of blood hung in the air and it was so messy that I didn’t even know where to stand. It was clear that unlike the others, this man was killed in the forest.
His head was completely severed off and there was blood everywhere- on the grass and on the trees. There was no way we could hide this one even if we tried. I muttered a curse and ran my hands through my hair as I thought of what we could do. The guards were most definitely going to talk and the family of the boy were not going to accept any bullsh it explanations.
“Your majesty,” one of the guards spoke snapping me out of my thoughts. “What do we do with the b*dy.”
“Right now, leave it. Get the physician here. We can’t risk transporting it back to the palace.”
He nodded and left to do as I asked. While we waited for the physician, I spoke to the guards who had found him. They were lured by the scent of blood and discovered the scene. No one recognized him yet and I was grateful for that. It was easier to deal with the victim as a stranger than someone’s child or father.
It took twenty minutes for the physician to arrive with his son and I saw him flinch when he took in the scene. He muttered something under his breath and went to work analyzing the b*dy. His son looked a little green and if it were another day, I would have suggested that he sat it out but I needed to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible.
“It is the same as the others,” he said as he stood to his feet.
I didn’t want to risk the others overhearing us so I turned to the guards. “Wrap up the b*dy and take it back to the palace. Ensure it is cleaned and made presentable then find out who he is and if he has any family.”
While they scrambled to do as I asked, I led the physician to a corner of the woods away from prying ears. I didn’t know what he wanted to say but I had a feeling that I was not going to like it. He looked around to be sure that no one was listening before he spoke.
“I think it was the same vampire that did this,” he whispered. “It looks more disorganized and the scene is made to look like he lost control and ripped the head off but I don’t think that’s what happened. It was a clean cut. It wasn’t ripped out using teeth because if it was then it would have jagged edges like ripped skin.”
“What are you saying essentially?”`
“I’m saying that whoever this is has to be exceptionally brilliant. They know what they’re doing. This is a game your majesty, I just don’t know what the rules are.”
I sighed. “Thank you for your help.”
He nodded and I watched him walk away. I waited until the guards finished clearing the scene before I got into the carriage to leave. I just wanted to sit with my mate and forget everything that happened. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this exhausted and it wasn’t a physical thing.
As soon as I got to the palace however, I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t as if anything stood out, there was just an unease in my chest. I tried to mind link Camilla but her wall was up. I decided to go looking for her but I saw Christine with the girls.
“Where is Camilla?” I asked making all of them turn to me. Audrey ran into my arms but I could barely focus on her, my attention was on Christine and the guilty expression on her face. “Where did she go?”
“She took some guards to follow up a lead on the vampire king. I tried to convince her to wait for you but she said she would be back soon. I’m sorry.”
I cursed and rushed out of the room. I knew Camilla made impulsive decisions but this topped the cake. I immediately
up the guards while Christine told me where she went. If it wasn’t so frowned on I would have considered just
rallied
permanently locking Camilla up in a room so she wouldn’t make crazy decisions sand give me a heart attack before 40.
No words were spoken as we took off. I was burning with anxiety and fear. I kept trying to reach Camilla through her mind link but it was almost as if something was blocking it. I couldn’t get to her no matter how hard I tried. The sun was setting and I was getting increasingly paranoid. The night was their domain and I didn’t want her out while there was a crazed vampire on the loose.
We got to the mountains and I didn’t know where we were going but I trusted that we were going the right way. When I found the horses tied up and abandoned, I let out a sigh of relief. Even though Camilla was not with them, it filled me with a sense of relief that we were going the right way. I decided to continue on foot since we were already at the base of the mountain.
I could feel the curiosity from the guards with me. The sun had almost set completely and we were still nowhere close to finding them. The logical thing to do would have been to call off the search until morning but Ii had zero plans of leaving Camilla out alone. There were only two choices- return with her or do not return at all.
“Your majesty, I found something,” I immediately rushed towards the sound of the guard’s voice. I didn’t know what I was expecting but it definitely was not the severed b*dy of one of our guards at the mouth of the cave.
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 neck 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.”
