Chapter 99
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.”
He began speaking about the bite but I couldn’t hear him. There was blood rushing through my ears and I couldn’t figure out if I was upset with Camilla or with the situation. All she had to do was wait for me and all of this would have been avoided. The more I thought of it, the more annoyed I got. I knew I was a second away from losing my cool so I forced deep breaths out of my lungs. When the vampire said it, I didn’t want to believe it but hearing it again was like a wakeup call.
There was a pained gasp and it took me a second to realize it came from Christine. She had a hand over her mouth and I could see tears swimming in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her but I didn’t know how so I did the next best thing and opened my arms to her. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around me as so bs wracked through her b*dy.
In a way, she reminded me of Riley. They both cared too much although she had a harder time showing it. They also liked to pretend to be stronger than they actually were. I held her by her shoulders and allowed her cry while I turned to face the physician who was watching me intently.
“You don’t look surprised,” he began and I shrugged.
“I already knew,” it felt like torture having to keep a straight face when my entire insides were burning.
Camilla had already gone through so much and now this. I knew from a young age that the world wasn’t kind but if there was anyone who deserved kindness from the world, it was her. Despite everything, she never failed to be a good person and all she got nothing but pain in return.
“Do everything you can,” I told the physician and he opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. “I don’t care what happens but my mate must not die. Check your history books, hell, I don’t even care if you have to find vampires and get answers out of them. I want her alive and healthy.”
“Your majesty,” his voice was soft. “Thousands before me have tried to get a cure. The venom is strong. Nothing seems to work against it.”
“There’s always a first time for everything.’”
He swallowed once he realized how serious I was and nodded. Once I was sure he understood what I was asking, I turned to Christine who had calmed down. “Come, we need to figure out what to tell Audrey. I don’t want her seeing her mother like this again.”
We ended up telling Audrey that Camilla would be gone for a few days without any other explanation. She asked a lot of questions but if there was one thing I was good at, it was avoiding questions. I left her with Christine while I went to speak with the guards. I knew there was no way to avoid telling the public about the vampires now especially since all the guards that Camilla took with her were dead but I wanted to control the narrative.
I found one of them outside feeding the horses and ordered for the others to be brought to me. It took almost fifteen minutes to get them all assembled. They were al trying to keep brave faces but there were varying levels of hurt on their faces.
“I know you lost friends and brothers today,” I began and a few of their masks cracked, “and for that, you have my sincerest apologies. Lives were lost today and they will forever be remembered as having a great sacrifice. I know we cannot cover up their deaths but discretion is needed when talking about it.”
I watched their expressions before continuing.
“If people know where and who was responsible for their deaths, they might want to go there for vengeance and more lives will be lost,” I was bluffing but I hoped it would be enough to convince them. “As of right now, all that needs to be said is that vampires are responsible for what happened. Do not give more information than necessary. Am I understood?”.
They all nodded and there was a flurry of yes, your majesty. I started to leave when someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned to see one of the younger guards. He looked hesitant as he walked out of the line up.
“Will they be avenged at all?” he asked. “My brother was one of the men who died. I haven’t found his b*dy yet. Will there be any retribution? Will their attacker go free?”
“I promise you that the responsible parties will die slow and painful deaths.”
He was shocked by my words, they all were. It was rare for me to be anything but stoic in public. I waited to ensure that my words had sunk in before I walked out. I all but ran to the room I shared with Camilla and the moment I was within the safety of the four walls, I allowed myself to feel.
It wasn’t until I saw her messy side of the bed and the books stacked up non her bedside table that everything hit me all at once. It felt like a band was being wrapped around my chest and it was getting tighter with every passing second. The reality that there was a possibility she would never be fine came crashing down on me. I couldn’t accept it. It didn’t matter if I had to go to every vampire den on my own to find out a solution, I was going to do it.
I walked over to her side of the bed and inhaled her scent. It did little to calm me down but it felt like getting a warm hug from her. I could clearly see her lying there and smiling at me. I could feel her skin beneath my fingers.
“She isn’t dead, stop acting like she is,” my wolf nagged. “She is going to come back. We will find a way.” I realized he was right but I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding doom. I lay down on her side of the bed and just inhaled her scent. I knew I was replacing her scent with mine by lying there but I couldn’t bring myself to care in that moment. I just wanted to be close to Camilla without having to see her looking sickly pale.
I managed to get five minutes of silence before someone knocked on the door. I tried to ignore it but then I heard Christine’s voice.
“Ryker, they need you, I don’t know what it is but they were asking for Camilla and she isn’t,” there was a cr ack in her voice and I sighed deeply.
I reluctantly stood to my feet and exhaled deeply. When I was sure that I was relaxed and there was no trace of my emotions on my face, I pulled the door open.
Christine stood there. “I’m so-”
“Take me to it,” I said immediately. Duty waited for no man.
“
