Chapter 22 CHAPTER 22
CAEL'S POV
“Damn, you sleep deeper than the dead.”
“You realise I was poisoned right?” I growl at Marcus who just won't let me rest. I don't know between him and the poison quietly leaving my veins who irritates me more.
“That was a week ago. You've had five litres of the special blood pass through your body. At this point you just want to lie down there so you won't have to deal with me,” he pouted.
I rolled my eyes, but chuckled at his childish antics.
One would never guess he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire capable of mass murder.
“Maybe you should see it that way and then go bother someone else. I want to rest some more, school begins on Monday and I have a lot to catch up on.”
“School? Did the poison wipe your memory as well? We're going back to England so you have to wrap up whatever you have going on here, I've booked the flight and all.”
“You booked a flight for me?”
“As if you can do it yourself.”
“I can book myself a flight, I'm not a child.”
“Hmm, I remember the last time you did that,” he said, folding his arm across his chest and cupping his jaw with the other.
“Yes I ended up on a different continent, keep mocking me over it for another century. I don't mind.”
“So since we're on the same page, please get your feet moving. Sunday night, we should be home.”
“Cancel the flight Marcus, I still have to do some surveillance. I don't want to mistakenly kill an innocent person.”
“Oh please, spare me that crap. You and I know the effects are already showing. You need to wrap this up quickly.”
“What effects?”
“This is your fourth dandelion poisoning incident Cael and yes, they made this one alarmingly deadly but you're usually up in three days. It's been nearly two weeks and you're here, rolling around in the sheets and moaning about work. You need to terminate the Dawnbringer now before she gets too powerful. Before they find her and make her a proper weapon. That's your mission, isn't it?”
“You don't understand Marcus. Just go back without me. Fabian can wait a few more weeks.”
“That's the problem my friend, he can't. He's in more danger than he's ever been. Wind has gotten out about the dawnbringer and everyone is waiting for the day she'll take him down. Well, not really waiting. They're making plays, looking for weak spots. He needs you back by his side, protecting him. Fabian needs his guard dog Cael.”
I hate being backed in a corner but that's the situation right now. I also hate how right the bastard was, this is a crucial time.
Judging by the pain all over my body, someone is cooking a full labful of poisons for us and we must stick together as we've done in the generations past.
It's the only way to ride this wave.
“Fine, we'll do it tomorrow.”
“Why not tonight?”
“Because I want to fucking sleep. Now go elsewhere and bugger someone else.”
“But you're the only person in this house! If I go and meet these humans, don't blame me for the consequences.”
“So far you leave me alone to sleep, you're free to do as you choose.”
“Jeez, you want to get rid of me that bad?”
“You're the one cutting my holiday short. I'll like you some other time.”
“Shut it, you love me every waking moment of your life,” he joked but he was leaving.
If he'd stayed for one more minute, he'd see me breaking apart at the reality of my situation.
I'll never see her again, I'll never tease her again until she's fuming and damn near wolfing out even though she doesn't have her wolf yet.
The Dawnbringer was supposed to be male, easily killable but instead, that power is wrapped in the most delicious form possible.
Maybe I'll go against my principle and have a taste before I do it.
It'll be hell living the rest of eternity with the knowledge that I'll never taste her again but it's the punishment I deserve for snuffing out such a bright light.
That night, I close my eyes but it's her face I see.
In pain, over and over again and every time, instead of letting her fade away, I rush in and save her.
For the first time in my existence, I'm scared of doing my job.
But the evening of Saturday rolls around and I stop treating myself like a child.
I've been keeping my brother on the throne for centuries and will continue to do so.
Some little girl will not destroy what we've suffered to keep all these years. I don't know who can do it better but I'm very sure that in the wrong hands, the Vampire Republic will end the world as it is so we must use our immortality to keep things balanced.
I wash off my stupor and feelings and I shorten my blade, wear a leather coat and set out into the night.
I'm so screwed that I can scent her from across the damn town, not as strongly as when we're on the same block but strong enough that I can find her with my nose.
My feet slow down when I'm close and for a full minute or two, I just stand outside the restaurant she seemed to be in and I just breathe her in.
I don't know what she's doing to me but it's working overtime, damn.
My instincts usually work for me, not against me and right now, it wanted me to barge in there, take her from predators and protect her.
But I'm the ultimate predator.
And if she were any wiser, she'd be on her feet right now, running as far away from me as possible.
I wonder if her powers would still be as destructive if I changed her into a vampire.
But there's no safe way to guarantee that so I swallow my cowardice and walk into the establishment.
She's not in the restaurant as I had thought and I had to keep following her now overwhelming scent towards the ladies' room out back.
She cleaned up nicely, I could scent a healthy dose of perfume trying to cloud her normal scent but only amplified her scent in a good way.
It's not until I open the door that my nose finally picks up another scent, one that made a snarl escape me, despite where I was.
And then I look down the stalls and I gasp first, then red, hot rage fills my entire being.
This wolf scumbag and bastard sure got a signed death wish and I won't hesitate.