Chapter 88 - The King's Bite

The monotonous sound of the phone ringing in her ear helped calm Allegra’s nerves somewhat. Talking to her mother was one of her least favourite things to do and she found herself really dreading the conversation that would follow. She wondered if the whole thing was just a waste of time, but had no more time to deliberate any further before the phone was answered.

“Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise,” her mother greeted her. “I didn't think I’d be hearing from you for a long time.”

“This isn’t a social call, mother,” she responded shortly.

“No, obviously not,” tsked Princess Venera, her voice grating on her daughter’s nerves even through the phone. “Not when you couldn’t even bother to tell me when you were leaving for your honeymoon. I take it you’re back, then?”

“Who told you we left for our honeymoon?” Allegra asked suspiciously.

“The King and Queen, of course. Who else would have told us?” her mother scoffed.

Allegra had completely forgotten that they were still there. She had not had the time to speak to them or Aidon and probably would not until after they spoke to Cedai and Zallius.

“I assumed you’d have Elanora spying on us and telling you our every move, actually,” she said coolly and was only met with silence from the other end. “Nothing to say? Alright then. I’ll make it easy for you. Whose idea was it for her to remain behind when we explicitly told you all to leave?”

“She isn’t doing any harm. All she’s doing is trying to get in touch with Gregory so they can travel the three kingdoms together,” the Princess explained.

“That’s not what I asked you,” Allegra said through gritted teeth. “Whose fucking idea was it?”

Her voice raised when she repeated the question and the fact that it was the first time her mother had ever heard her swear had seemed to shock the older woman into answering.

“It was mine,” her mother admitted. “You saw how broken she was. When she told me a vampire had offered his assistance to get her to Drausia, she was unsure, but it only made sense for her to take the opportunity with both hands. All I did was nudge her in the right direction.”

“What vampire?” Allegra asked, even though she was certain she knew who it was.

“I don’t know,” her mother responded and, strangely enough, Allegra believed her. “Elanora met him on your wedding night, but I think he insisted on secrecy because he knew she was supposed to leave with us.”

“So let me get this straight,” Allegra sighed with exasperation as she rested her forehead on her palm. “You let your daughter stay behind in a foreign country with a complete stranger? What if he meant her ill will? Are you completely out of your mind?”

“She’s fine,” she responded defensively. “I’ve been in contact with her everyday since she left. If you had offered her your assistance like a normal sister would, it never would have come to this.”

“Greg told her how to fix this, but because she has to consult you on every single thing, she lost her chance. How is that my problem?” Allegra spat vehemently. “You’re the one who discouraged her from seeking professional assistance. This is your fault.”

“Did you just call me to talk down to me, Allegra?” she asked in a bored tone. “Because if so, I have far better things to do.”

“I called you because Cilla was abducted earlier this morning,” she said plainly, trying to calm herself down. “What I need is for you to tell me everything you know about Elanora’s plans.”

Venera audibly inhaled sharply at the information while her daughter waited impatiently.

“I’m sorry about your friend dear, but I had no knowledge about this. Elanora would never be a party to something like that.”

“I don’t think you understand what I'm saying,” Allegra said as she channelled her inner Milena. “Tell me everything you know about her plans. It doesn’t matter how insignificant it is to you or whether or not you think it’s important. Tell me everything.”

“Now hold on a minute,” her mother said indignantly. “Do you realise who you’re speaking to? I am your mother and you will address me with some respect.”

“I'll address you with the exact amount of respect you are due: little to none,” the Duchess said coldly. “Now, tell me what I want to know or else I’ll –”

“You’ll what, Allegra?” her mother challenged and she could practically hear the superior smirk in her voice. The distance between her and Nefolktu had obviously emboldened her. Her fear of what Vladislav would do to her in retaliation had practically vanished. “Are you really threatening me? Go on, then. What will you do? Send a couple of vampires to kill your own mother over an unsubstantiated claim? Do it. I dare you.”

She had never wanted to punch someone more than when she heard her mother’s snorting laughter in her ear.

“I'm sorry, is there something you find funny about my best friend being in danger? Is that how you get your kicks?” she asked in disbelief and her mother’s laughter abruptly cut off. “Luckily for you, I have a moral compass, so the idea of matricide doesn’t appeal to me, so your life is in no danger, but I know what you value more than your own life... your reputation.”

“Honestly, Allegra –”

“You seem to forget that the King is still here. If you don't cooperate, I'll make sure to have Vladislav convince him to strip father of his title,” Allegra said nonchalantly. “Although, once every Rijavian media outlet is publishing the story of your involvement in Cilla’s abduction, I'm sure it won’t take much convincing.”

“The King would never throw his brother to the wolves,” the Princess said self-assuredly, but Allegra knew bravado when she heard it.

“Vlad’s family literally put ours in power and he can take it away with a snap,” Allegra reminded her. “When it comes down to it, he would sacrifice his youngest brother in a second if it means keeping his crown and we both know it.”

Allegra actually enjoyed the silence this time around because she could tell how genuinely terrifying this prospect was to her mother.

“I really don’t know much,” the Princess finally said. “I think the vampire she was with warned her against revealing too much to me. All I do know is that when we last spoke this morning, she said she would be off the grid for a while and that everything was finally set for her to go to Drausia. She said she would find a way to contact me when she could. That is the extent of my knowledge.”

Allegra sighed. It was not much, but at least they now knew her sister was also in Drausia, which put her in the same place as Cilla. A small part of her broke. She had known Elanora was involved somehow, but somewhere deep inside, she hoped she was wrong, but this could not be a coincidence.

“Fine,” she said, although she was certain there was some information her mother had left out. “Should I find out that you hid anything from me, my promise stands. I will ruin you. You should probably let father know so he prepares himself. The same goes if Cilla is not back within a week or if she comes back hurt. Despite what you say, you are a catalyst in this whole thing. You had better pray my best friend is found unharmed.”

The Duchess cut the call unceremoniously and stood up with a heavy sigh before she left the room to seek out the others. She recognised the two guards standing outside Vlad’s study, but only vaguely. Obviously, those of the highest rank were still occupied. They silently nodded at her as she approached and she returned the gesture. She did not bother to knock and the first thing she noticed was that Branek had joined their little party.

Allegra closed the door and noticed with great relief that Cedai and Zallius looked much better than before. They had come to terms with it and elected to process their emotions later on because now they had a job to do. They were all day around the fireplace in Vlad’s ancient, yet comfortable armchairs and she took the only seat left – the one beside her husband. He must have noticed something off about her because he took her hand in his as soon as she settled down.

“Any luck?” he asked. It was spoken lowly, but she knew everyone could hear him. It was just a well. The last thing she wanted was to have to repeat herself, which probably explained why Branek was there.

“Apparently a vampire approached Elanora on our wedding night and offered to get her to Drausia,” Allegra sighed tiredly. “Mother says she didn’t know who he was, but he discouraged my sister from sharing that information. She urged Elanora to accept, so she did.”

“So, this whole thing is a ploy to make nice with her husband?” Nik asked with a sneer.

“I think everyone involved has different motivations, but that one is Elanora’s,” she said honestly enough. “They kept in contact, but again, he urged her not to reveal any details of their plans to anyone else, so she doesn’t know much, or so she says. The bottom line is all that she told me was that she left for Drausia earlier today and would be going in no-contact for a while. I told her to let me know when Elanora reaches out, but I wouldn’t bank on it.”

“At least now we know for certain that both she and Priscilla are in Drausia. We should let Milena know so that she narrows the search down to just Rafael,” Vlad said.

“There are three parties involved in this: Azil, Elanora and a mystery vampire,” Nik said as he shot a cautious glance at his brother. “It only makes sense for this mystery guy to be Raf. For one, he hasn’t exactly been subtle about wanting her. He’s the only one with a motive. Secondly, every other vampire Cilla knows has been accounted for. Unless Cilla’s been sneaking out every night to go clubbing without our knowledge, it has to be him.”

“And if it is him, it’s probably safe to say he’s in Drausia as well,” Branek said, never one to mince words.

Vlad pressed his lips together in consternation before facing the fae.

“What else did you find out from surveying the scene?” the King asked them.

Cedai and Zallius exchanged glances.

“The incantation used to open the portal was dark, just as you predicted,” Zallius said. “It usually takes quite a while to be able to break through protections as strong as those around the castle, but the blood of a relative freely given speeds up the process, as well as making it more stable.”

Everyone tensed up.

“Are you saying we have a traitor on our hands?” Vlad hissed.

“Yes and no,” Cedai said. “The blood sacrificed at your wedding ceremony means that those in Allegra’s bloodline also count.”

“So that’s why they needed Elanora,” Allegra said as the pieces of the puzzle continued to slot into place.

“Exactly,” Cedai said with finality.

“We have to go to Drausia,” Nik said. “Even if Raf isn't involved, we have evidence of Cilla being there. Our first priority is to find her. We can find out who's behind it afterwards, but the more we dawdle, the more danger she’s in.”

“He's right,” Branek agreed. “We just need a way to locate her.”

“Therein lies the problem,” Vlad said. “Drausia is a big place. Azil knows better than to keep her in his home. How are we supposed to find her?”

“We could torture him,” Branek suggested, and Nik rolled his eyes.

“That's your answer to everything,” the Prince muttered.

“Actually,” Cedai interjected. “That would be where we come in. The cleansing we went through together weeks ago bound us together. Right now, we cannot sense her, but once we pass through a portal to Drausia, we will.”

Vlad’s tense shoulders eased up a little bit.

“If that is the case, then we need to strike while the iron is hot. It is getting late and most fae are diurnal,” Vladislav said suggestively.

“You can’t mean...” Allegra trailed off as her eyebrows shot up.

“Yes,” the King turned to Branek. “Call Milena to come back. We need to assemble a team and come up with a plan for infiltration in the next few hours. We leave at midnight.”

***

“You don’t know anything about me!” Elanora screeched as she charged the bed.

Cilla only watched her impassively with a single raised brow as the barrier halted her progress. She hit her fists against it wildly and the redhead thought it must have been cathartic in a way because she continued to band against it until it looked like she was completely drained. The Duchess limply dragged herself back to her seat and slumped into it, bringing her legs up so she could encircle her knees to soothe herself.

“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered again, this time numbly.

The redhead continued to watch her silently. It was the first time she had actually stood back to study the other woman since she had woken up. It was the first time she had ever seen Elanora look anything less than perfectly put together. The Duchess had heavy bags under her eyes and she had no idea whether to attribute it to being stuck with Rafael for weeks or the desperation she felt to be returned to her husband. Her dark hair, usually presented in beautiful curls, was now lank and stringy. She did not even know that the other woman knew what sweatpants were, let alone owned a pair. She had never been one to kick someone when they were down, so she waited for the other woman to collect herself before she spoke.

“Have you ever thought about living your life without your mother's constant approval?” she asked when Elanora’s natural look of superiority returned. She looked as if her mini breakdown had never even happened. “You’re already her favourite kid. Think about it; if you had just said ‘no, Mum. I'm going to therapy with my husband,’ neither of us would be here right now.”

“I can't believe you're still talking,” Elanora murmured tiredly.

“And you’re wrong, Nora,” Cilla went on as she ignored her words. “I do know you. That’s how I can confidently tell you that you have crossed the line. It’s one thing to think you're above everyone else. It's another to actively be involved in sex trafficking.”

Elanora flicked upon hearing those last two words.

“Don't call me that,” was her only retort.

“It’s what you're doing, though,” Cilla said insistently. “If you can’t own up to it, then why do it? I'm not going to let you play pretend.”

“You should be flattered. Rafael actually cares for you,” Elanora argued. “Look at all this effort he’s putting in to just be close to you.”

Cilla released a harsh laugh.

“If you’re so touched by his gesture, then why don’t you take him?” Cilla asked and saw the distaste form on the Duchess’s face. “That’s what I thought. He’s not good enough for you, but he’s perfect for me, is that right? You’re literally sending me into the lion’s den.”

“He promised me he wouldn’t hurt you,” Elanora insisted.

“You can’t truly believe that,” Cilla snorted. “There’s no way you’re that gullible. Or are you just so desperate to believe it because it alleviates some of the guilt you feel?”

“Why would he go through all this trouble to get you just to hurt you?” Elanora challenged. “It makes no sense. He can never go back home after this. He is risking everything for you.”

“Because he’s a sadist, Nora!” Cilla burst out. “That’s what guys like him do. They get off on humiliating and hurting their ‘partners’. You’ve been living in his apartment for weeks now, haven’t you? Surely you’ve seen all the women he has there. Do any of them look happy? Do they look like they actually want to be there? No. They don’t. That’s what I'm going to become in a few months... Just another empty-eyed doll. A puppet. He’s fixated on me because I said no to him and because I always tell him what I think of him; what he really is. He has no affection for me. It's an obsession. He wants to break me and rid me of my perceived defiance. That’s what you’re party to.”

Cilla took a deep breath as she glared at Elanora, who looked almost remorseful. Almost.

“So endanger my life if you must,” the redhead said as it sunk in that there was nothing she could say to the other woman that would change anything. “Just don’t tell me how I should feel, because you have no clue about how it is to be in my shoes, Nora.”