Chapter 6 Guest Of Vexhalis
VEXHALIS'S POV
I took in every single reaction she gave me. The mild widening of her hazel eyes, the movement of her throat as she swallowed, and the slight parting of her lips before she snapped them shut again. 'So expressive,' I thought, finding her raw display of human emotion entirely transparent.
I leaned back, swirling the remaining blood in my cup. "It is as easy as that, Little Keeper. Be my blood mistress, or take your dragon and leave my kingdom."
I watched as she widened her eyes further before lowering her gaze, the fear rolling off her in waves curling through my veins with a pleasant trace of amusement. I tilted my head, smirking evilly as I pressed her further. "Or rather... I can feed her to my wolves and just have my guards kill you. After all, you are entirely homeless now."
The fear in her eyes instantly fractured, hardening into burning anger. She snapped her gaze up and glared directly at me, completely forgetting—or perhaps simply not caring—that I was a king who could end her life with a flick of my wrist. I found her defiance intensely amusing.
"Never." she seethed, her hands clenching into tight fists against the dark wood of the table. "I will not allow you to feed Azira to your wolves."
I let out a low chuckle. "Azira is her name, then? She is a beautiful dragon."
At the mention of her beast, the volatile anger in her eyes began to calm, settling into resignation. She let out a long, defeated sigh and turned her face away from me for a brief moment. She smoothed a hand over her wavy hair, gathering her composure, before she turned back to square her shoulders against me.
"What does being your blood mistress even mean?" she asked, her voice tightly controlled.
"Exactly the word," I replied smoothly. "You will be my blood mistress. I call you, and you answer anytime I need to take blood. In exchange, you remain safe under my roof for as long as you want."
I watched her face closely as her mind scrambled to process the terms.
"As long as I want?" she repeated, a flash of calculation dancing in her hazel eyes.
'Good luck with that,' I thought dryly. Once a mortal entered a contract with a vampire king, they rarely went anywhere afterward, except straight to heaven or hell.
She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping slightly. "Where... where will you bite me at?"
A dark red flush crept up her neck, turning her face beet red. Because her human skin was so fair, the blush showed prominently, highlighting the rush of blood beneath her pulse points. 'So much blood,' I thought, a predatory thrill striking the back of my mind.
"That is for me to decide," I said, "and for you to not know until it is time."
She let out a huff, crossing her arms. "I have a request too."
"I do not think you have any right to demand things from your helper, Little Keeper."
"Please, listen first," she pleaded, her tone turning serious.
I offered a curt nod for her to go on.
"Azira... she is meant to be the last dragon. At least, she is the last dragon so far as I and my parents have ever known. But yesternight, before I fled, I found she had laid an egg."
My eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. 'Now that is a surprise.' She continued quickly, the words tumbling out in an urgent rush. "I do not know how long until the Daggers will find her cave and surely take the egg. It is Azira’s child, so I wish for it to be brought here too, to remain under your protection."
She stared at me, waiting for my judgment. I knew very little about the dragons. All I knew was that dragon shifters and vampires had historically never been on pleasant terms, so I had never bothered with their business. I had only heard whispers from beyond the castle walls that a single, female dragon remained alive under the care of dragon keepers. No one had known who those keepers were until this girl landed on my courtyard.
"So there is a conclusion that Azira isn't the last dragon?" I mused, leaning forward. "Even if I do not read history, I am fairly certain a female dragon cannot impregnate herself and lay an egg."
She sighed softly, nodding her head. "Unfortunately, there must be another one out there."
"A male, to be precise," I corrected. "Do you let her out?"
"What?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Your dragon," I clarified. "Do you let her out to roam?"
Elysia nodded immediately. "Yes, sometimes. Always in the dead of night, because we couldn't keep her locked in a cage forever. Mama let her fly out on certain nights. Maybe it was one of those nights..."
She trailed off, the realization hitting her, and I understood the rest without her needing to speak it. But it left a nagging question in my mind: where exactly was this other dragon hiding?
"How would you prefer the egg should be brought?" I asked.
She looked up at me, a ray of hope brightening her hazel eyes. "The nighttime would be better." Then, the brightness dimmed as she frowned. "Only... the human kingdom is very far from here, and the egg is likely too heavy for even a vampire's hands to carry across horseback. Only Azira would be able to lift it safely."
I knew exactly what she was suggesting before the words even left her mouth. "You want to take the dragon with you."
She gave a firm nod. "I can take a few of your guards with me. But we would rather use Azira for the journey than horses."
I stared at her for a long moment. She was brilliant, I noted, and entirely practical for a human facing her own demise.
"The night shall be good for your travel, then," I declared, finally standing up from the head of the table. "You are allowed to walk freely through the West Wing. Steer completely clear from the East Wing."
I picked up my golden cup, taking one final, slow drink of the dark liquid. As I swallowed the blood, my eyes involuntarily tracked the delicate line of her exposed neck. I set the empty chalice down, finished with the conversation, and walked around the table toward the exit.
Before I pushed the double doors open, I paused and turned back to look at her over my shoulder.
"If anyone asks, you are a guest of Vexhalis." I watched as she gave a small nod of understanding. "And Little Keeper," I added, a dark smirk playing on as my fangs grazed my lower lip, "I hope to see you tomorrow morning."
Without waiting for her reply, I slipped out of the room and left her alone.
