Chapter 39 The floating monster

Chapter 39 The floating monster

Rain's POV

"It isn't human."

"It looks like someone drained a vampire dry."

The room fell silent. For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Even Mykel's playful smile disappeared.

Rosee was the first to move.

"Take us there."

"Yes, sir."

The guard hurried out.

Mykel stretched lazily even though he had just heard horrifying news.

"Well" He sighed.

"There goes my peaceful morning."

Mirah rolled her eyes.

"You never have peaceful mornings."

"I try."

"You fail."

"I know."

She clicked her tongue before walking toward the door.

Rosee folded the map neatly into his pocket.

"We leave immediately."

I instinctively stood.

"I'll come."

Three pairs of eyes landed on me.

"No."

"What?" I asked in defense.

"No." Rosee answered immediately.

"I wasn't asking for permission." I replied.

"You aren't coming."

My eyebrows shot upward.

"You don't get to decide that."

"I do."

"This isn't your kingdom."

"And you're under my protection."

" I can protect myself."

Rosee looked at my bandaged hands.

"Can you?"

"..."

That one hurt.

Not because he was wrong but because I couldn't answer.

Mykel watched us with visible amusement.

"I love watching married couples argue."

"We're not married."

Rosee and I spoke at exactly the same time.

Mykel burst into laughter.

"See?"

"You even synchronize."

Mirah groaned loudly.

"If you don't leave in the next ten seconds."

She twirled one of her knives lazily.

"I'll kill all three of you."

Half an hour later, I still followed them.

No one invited me though, I simply walked behind them.

Rosee noticed almost immediately.

"I told you to stay."

"I heard you."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I can fend for myself."

He stopped walking.

"So you're just..."

"Ignoring you?"

"Yes."

"Well."

He stared at me.

I stared back.

Neither of us moved.

Finally, Rosee sighed.

"Stubborn."

"So I've been told."

Mykel threw an arm over my shoulder.

"I like her."

Rosee immediately removed Mykel's arm.

"Walk."

Mykel blinked.

"Hmm quite possessive."

"I don't like people touching what's under my protection."

Mykel's grin widened.

"Oh?"

"I didn't realize she was yours."

Rosee's expression remained perfectly calm.

"I never said that."

"You implied it."

"I didn't."

"You absolutely did."

"I didn't."

I quietly slipped away while they continued arguing.
Mirah appeared beside me.

"They'll do this for hours."

"They argue a lot."

"They're both idiots."

"I've noticed."

For the first time, Mirah almost smiled maybe she wasn't as bad as I concluded but that day slap was still unforgivable.

The eastern district of the vampire kingdom was nothing like the palace.
The luxurious streets disappeared.
Instead, stone roads twisted between ancient buildings.

The air smelled damp. People whispered as we passed.
Several vampires immediately bowed when they saw Mykel and Mirah.

"My King."

"My Princess."

The crowd parted. A body lay in the middle of the street covered by a black cloth.

Rosee crouched first.

"Move."

The guards stepped aside.

He slowly lifted the cloth.

I gasped.

The vampire looked so strange I couldn't even describe it. His skin had turned completely gray, every vein across his body was black.
His eyes remained wide open in terror.
Not a single drop of blood remained inside him.

"What happened?" I said barely above a whisper.

"Who could do this?"

Mykel knelt beside the corpse.

His playful attitude disappeared completely.

He gently closed the man's eyes.

"I knew him."

"He served my uncle"

I looked at him.

Rosee examined the neck.

"No bite marks."

Mirah frowned to Rosee statement. "That's impossible."

"Vampires always leave bite marks."

Rosee nodded.

"Exactly."

"So this wasn't done by a vampire."

Mykel slowly stood.

"No."

His crimson eyes darkened.

"It was done by something else pretending to be one."

The words sent chills through everyone nearby.

Then, a short old woman pushed through the crowd.

"I saw it! I saw the monster."

Everyone turned towards her.

The guards immediately grabbed her.

"Let her speak," Mykel ordered quietly.

The woman trembled violently.

"It wore a black cloak and It wasn't walking."

"It floated."

My stomach tightened. What creature float?

"Also she carried a little boy with her."

My heart stopped.

"Could that be Noah? "

I noticed Rosee's eyes sharpened instantly.

"What did the boy look like?"

The old woman closed her eyes, trying to remember.

"He had silver hair."

My heart sank. Noah didn't have silver hair.

So, who was the child?

Then something caught my eye.
Near the corpse, half-hidden beneath a puddle lay a tiny wooden toy horse.

I slowly picked it up.

The paint was chipped and one wheel was broken.

My breath caught in my throat as I recognize this toy.

Noah had shown it to me once.
He had cried for an entire afternoon after losing it.

Which meant the old woman hadn't been mistaken.

Noah had been here and the floating creature must be Sahra but then who's the child with silver hair?

Or did Sahra kidnapped more children? What does even what?