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 lips 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.copy right hot novel pub