Chapter 8 King Severain

ELYSIA'S POV

I shuddered under their intense gaze but approached one of the stationary guards anyway.

"Can you lead me to the cave down below?" I asked, keeping my voice clear.

The guardsman did not speak. He did not even move a muscle, remaining exactly where he stood like a block of stone. I turned a frustrated look toward Martin.

The butler offered an apologetic bow. "The guardsmen only answer to His Majesty, dear. They obey no one else."

I let out a stressful sigh. If the guards were not going to listen to me or the head butler, then there was no use standing before them and wasting my breath. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to map out the exact pathway the guards had used to lead me to the cave last night. My mind was too scrambled; I couldn't remember the turns through the vast grounds.

"And who is the pretty girl with a raw chicken in her hold?"

A strange voice broke my thoughts. It definitely did not belong to King Vexhalis.

I opened my eyes immediately, my gaze snapping toward the top of the grand stairs. A man stood there, looking down at me with a piercing gaze. He was handsome in a rugged way, his black hair completely tousled and his skin incredibly pale. His red eyes made it clear he was a vampire, though I had no way of knowing if he was a pureblood.

My hackles went up instantly. I watched in silence as he climbed down the stairs, his strides smooth until he reached the path right in front of me. Looking at his face up close, I realized he bore a very mild, distinct resemblance to the King. The structure of his jaw and the slant of his eyes were far too similar.

The maid's earlier words about the East Wing belonging to the King's cousins rushed back to me, alongside Vexhalis's explicit warning to stay away from that side of the castle.

I instinctively retreated into myself, taking a step back, but the vampire was faster. He reached out a pale hand and touched a strand of my hair. I flinched, stepping back so quickly that I nearly lost my footing on the stone. Martin caught my hand instantly, holding me steady.

"Thank you, Martin," I muttered softly, before narrowing my eyes into a harsh glare at the intruder.

The vampire chuckled, pulling his hand back. "A human... in the Vampire land. How interesting."

I squared my shoulders, refusing to let him see the tremor in my knees. "I am a guest of King Severain," I stated firmly, using his formal title.

"Vexhalis..." the man mused, a dark smile playing on his lips. He glanced down at the raw meat in my hands. "I assume you are going to feed your pet."

The mocking way he said the word 'pet' made me hold the chicken tighter against my body. Every instinct screamed at me to be on high alert. My parents had always taught me never to trust a vampire, and the current look in this man's eyes was predatory.

The vampire turned away from me, looking directly at the two silent guardsmen. "Lead the girl to go feed her pet," he commanded.

He spoke with a wicked smile that fully revealed his fangs. I noted they were slightly shorter than Vexhalis's, though no less lethal. The guards looked visibly torn for a split second, shifting their weight, but they ultimately bowed their heads to the man. One of the guardsmen stepped out of line and led the way down the path.

We walked through the rocky terrain until we reached the mountainous cave from last night. The guard stopped at the threshold, remaining outside to watch the entrance. I walked inside alone, the darkness of the cavern swallowing the morning light.

I found Azira laying still in the shadows. Her eyes were closed, but the moment my boots crunched against the stone floor, she opened them. I ran straight to her, placing my palm against her warm snout and gently caressing the scales.

"Lovely morning, Azira," I whispered to her. "Did you sleep well?" The dragon let out a low, deep hum that vibrated through the cavern floor. "I have something for you, baby," I said.

I crouched down near her massive mouth, placing the skinned chicken directly onto the floor. "Eat." I commanded softly.

Azira dived in instantly. She swooped the meat into her jaws, chewed once, and swallowed it whole. I let out a sigh, running a hand over my face. I knew a single chicken did absolutely nothing to satisfy a dragon of her size, but I had no other options. I sat down on the cold stone, simply watching her rest.

After a long silence, I spoke up again. "We will be going on a journey at night time, Azira. We are going back to retrieve your egg."

A sound rumbled in the cave, but inside my mind, her voice formed clearly. "My egg."

"Yes, your egg," I confirmed, leaning my head against her scales. "The Vampire King has agreed to let us go bring it here. I only hope we can find it safe by the time we arrive."

"We will," Azira answered in my mind.

A genuine smile broke across my face. It was the very first time I had smiled sincerely since I arrived in Valkeryth.

I stayed inside the cave with her for a long time, honestly hoping no one would come looking for me or call me back to the main building. I still didn't know my exact purpose in this giant castle, and I desperately dreaded the thought of being seen wandering around like a useless human. It wasn't safe here, and I knew that fact down to my bones.

After roughly an hour of just resting in the humming cave, the guard's voice boomed from the entrance.

"His Majesty has ordered for you to be brought to his chambers."