Chapter 89 - The King's Bite

While everyone waited for Milena to return from the Capital, Allegra took the time to unwind in their rooms as she prepared to visit Aidon. It did not help. She paced frantically as she came to terms with seeing her aunt and uncle. Even though they were not directly responsible for the incident, she considered them somewhat culpable because they had willingly kept her sister’s presence in Nefolktu a secret. Vladislav saw her hesitation and offered to go speak to them instead while she sought out her brother.

“Someone has to tell them that they cannot leave until this whole thing is sorted out,” her husband explained. “It might as well be me since that will leave them no room to argue. I am sure they will send the children out of their suite when I arrive, so just give it five minutes before you go looking for Aidon.”

She smiled with relief and placed a grateful, yet chaste kiss on his lips before he stood and made his way down to speak to the Rijavian monarchs. Allegra shot a quick text to Mace so he would let her know when he was with Aidon. That was undoubtedly the first one he would run to. As Vlad had promised, it did not take long for the text to come through. She jumped to her feet immediately and made her way to the lounge.

As soon as Aidon saw his sister standing in the doorway, he ran to her. They stood there holding onto each other for a long while before they let go of each other. Allegra moved further into the room and closed the door behind her and then hugged Jakk and Channa as well. They may not have known it, but there was gratefulness in that embrace. They were the ones who had found out about Elanora and they did not waste a moment before telling their younger cousin. Had it not been for them, the lead they had found from Cedai would only have caused them to waste time in trying to figure out who among them had assisted Azil.

The Duchess sat down next to Mace and Aidon joined her on her other side. Only then did she realise that they had all been sitting in silence before she came. No one was in the mood to do anything else, it seemed, not that she could blame them.

“This sucks,” Aidon said, breaking the silence. “Kind of makes you wish Cilla had been there for all our kidnapping drills.”

Allegra let out an empty laugh. Growing up in royalty meant there was always a danger of someone in their family being taken for ransom and their parents had prepared them well for the possibility. It was probably the most thoughtful act they had ever committed as parents. It was the reason she never put up a fuss about being given a security team. If anything, she felt safest with one. It was why she and her siblings knew the basics of self-defence just in case their bodyguards failed them. Still, knowing what she did about how Cilla got taken...

“I don't think it would have helped when magic was involved, kiddo,” she said sadly, as she ruffled his hair affectionately. “Don’t worry about it, though. We’ll get her back.”

Aidon seemed to hesitate before he spoke again.

“Have you told her parents yet?” he asked curiously.

Allegra bit her lip. She was ashamed of this aspect of the whole thing the most. Cilla’s parents – her mother particularly – were practically family to her. She had been avoiding calling them because she did not want to admit that she had failed to protect their only daughter.

“No,” she admitted stiltedly. “No, I haven't. Not yet, at least.”

Her little brother watched her with eyes that belied his young age. In the most unexpected of times, he showed that he was wiser beyond his years.

“You can’t let your fear of disappointing them keep you from doing the right thing,” he said sternly. “What if they hear it from someone else? Then they’ll be hurt, disappointed and angry. It’s best coming from you.”

Allegra wanted to retort that there was no way they would find out until she remembered that her mother knew. Her mouth dried up at the thought of them hearing it from Princess Venera of all people. Aidon was right. She sighed heavily and massaged her temples. The sun had set, but they still had a few hours until midnight. She stood up and reluctantly eyed the balcony, which was the closest bit of privacy she could get while she was there.

“

“Mace, please make sure they eat when dinner is served,” she said as she walked to the sliding glass doors. “This could take a while.”

She barely heard Mace’s grunt in response before she stepped outside. Allegra made the call to Mrs Duval, who was glad to hear from her in the beginning. It physically hurt her to interrupt her overflowing positivity to break the news. When the older woman started to tear up, her husband took the phone from her and she had to start from scratch. Perhaps the worst thing of all was that she could not tell them everything. Would they even believe her if she told them a vampire in cahoots with a fae was behind their daughter’s abduction?

So, instead, she told them as much as she could without revealing any supernatural elements; that they suspected a man who had developed an unhealthy attraction to her and that they were following a very promising lead. They knew that the best Nefolktu had to offer were on the case and she. Allegra had such complete faith in her husband that she reassured them both that they would have a positive outcome. In the end, it looked like her fear was all for nought as they told her they believed in her. She felt tears form in her own eyes as Mrs Duval told her, in an obviously over-emotional state, that they trusted her to bring their daughter back home safely.

They ended the call about an hour after it had started, after she promised to keep them updated. Once she cut the line, Allegra allowed her tears to fall. It was the first time she had let herself cry since finding out and she realised how freeing it felt to let her emotions pour from her. Now that she was alone and in the dark, she knew she no longer had to hold onto the image of a calm, cool and collected Queen-to-be. She took full advantage of it. After her tears stopped, she wiped her face dry with her hands and gave herself fifteen extra minutes for the whites of her eyes to become less red and to get her breathing back in order. She took a moment to clear her throat of any hoarseness, then she returned to the room.

She found everyone was still there. By looking at the table, Allegra could tell her brother and cousins had had their dinner as requested. She saw a place set for her and, even though she was not hungry at all, knew it would be hypocritical of her if she did not at least attempt to eat. Plus, it would give her a few extra minutes to hide the fact that she had been crying. So, she sat down to eat, only serving herself the littlest bit of food possible. After she ate, she rushed into the bathroom to rinse her face before she went back in to face everyone.

Unsurprisingly, the mood was still as sombre as it had been before she left. Aidon immediately faced her when she sat down.

“So how did it go?” he asked.

“Better than I expected” she admitted. “Thanks for the advice, kid. That’s one less thing off my shoulders, at least.”

She glanced at her phone and saw that it was past nine. Allegra knew Milena must have been back for a while now and that it would not have taken Vlad very long to speak to her aunt and uncle. There was probably a lot that she had missed.

“Come on,” she said as she stood up. “Let me walk you to your room. There’s still a lot that we have to do.”

“Can I stay with Jakk and Channa tonight?” Aidon asked. It was obvious that the kid did not want to be alone.

“Sure,” Allegra said as she made a mental note not to step inside their suite lest she bump into Jakk and Channa’s parents.

Allegra was antsy the entire walk downstairs. She hugged all three goodnight and as soon as the door closed behind them, she tugged on Mason’s sleeve impatiently. She was eager to go back to the study and catch up on what she had missed. The moment they stepped inside, it was to find themselves in the middle of an argument. They had been joined by Milena and Mystik and the shouting match seemed to be going on between the Prince and Princess. Not that Milena was doing any shouting.

“How can I be of any help if I'm stuck here?” Nik demanded.

“This is our home” Milena reminded him coldly. “We cannot all be gone at once and we are going in blindly. What if an ambush happens? Either you or Vlad have to stay. You’re the only ones who can further the line.”

The Duchess’s heartbeat accelerated frantically. Was she hearing them right? Was Vlad planning on going with them?

“Then let Vlad stay!” Nik shouted stubbornly, barely acknowledging Allegra and Mace’s entrance. “He’s the one with the wife!”

“He is also the only one who can possibly talk sense into Rafael” Milena explained tiredly, as if this was not the first time she had explained this to him.

“That’s a lie and we all know it,” Nik spat. “Raf is always going to do what he wants to. Even if Vlad does ‘talk some sense into him’, it’s too late. He’s gone against someone who is under the crown’s protection. The minimum penalty he’s getting is an exile. He has nothing to lose at this point.”

“One could say he's already exiled himself,” Allegra said as she took the empty seat next to her husband.”

“Exactly!” Nik said with relief as he finally had someone take his side.

Allegra turned to face her husband with folded arms and an expression even more stubborn than his brother’s while the argument continued. Vlad met her eyes with his own, gleaming with curiosity.

“You’re not going with them, “ she said with a note of finality.

The arguing tapered down as every eye and ear honed in the two of them.

“Pardon me?” the King sputtered in disbelief.

“You heard me,” Allegra said. “You aren’t going to Drausia.”

“Allegra, you do realise that I am doing this for your friend’s safety?” he asked reasonably.

“Fine, then I'm going with you,” she announced.

“It is not safe for you, pet,” Vlad reminded her gently. “You know that.”

“Milena and Cedai get to go,” she said insistently, aware she was very close to whining. “And this is my best friend we’re talking about.”

“Yes, well, Milena is a vampire and Cedai is fae,” her husband said dryly. “They would not even remotely be in the same amount of danger as you. Not to mention what a long day you have had. You are already bone tired. It makes no sense to bring you into a volatile situation when you are so vulnerable.”

“I don’t care, Vlad,” she said honestly. “If you’re going, then I'm going. There is no way I’m going to become a widow at such a young age.”

“Now you are exaggerating,” he sighed. “Rafael is not going to kill me.”

“Would you kill him?” she asked frankly. “If he was directly threatening your life, I mean. Be honest.”

“I suppose I would have to,” Vlad admitted after a long hesitation.

“Well, I have news for you: your very presence there is going to be a threat to his life,” Allegra said bluntly. “He would do the same.”

“And what exactly is your presence going to do except give him something to use against me?” Vlad growled in anger.

“I've told you my terms, Vlad,” Allegra retorted calmly. “We’re a package deal.”

The King growled once again and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Fine,” he spat begrudgingly. “Nik, Mason, Mystik, you three are staying along with Mystik’s men. The rest of us will leave at midnight along with Branek’s men. Milena, make sure the few you left watching Raf’s apartment stay there and report back to Mystik if they see anything suspicious. He will know what to do.”

“Unbelievable!” complained Nik. “You’re letting Allegra go, but not me? She’s human, for f...”

He trailed off when he saw his brother’s livid glare. His eyes warned him that he was on the ledge and one more word from him would push him over and be his undoing. So, Nik clamped his mouth shut and leaned back in his chair dejectedly. Allegra ignored this and approached Milena, completely missing her husband approaching Cedai and Zallius behind her. Everyone took the last of the King’s words as a dismissal, so some left, but she paid them no attention. She sat beside her sister-in-law with an awkward smile.

“Hey,” she said softly. “How’re you doing?”

“I should probably be asking you that,” Milena said with her mask firmly in place.

“As well as can be expected,” Allegra responded.

“Likewise,” said Milena.

“Did you find anything incriminating in his apartment?” Allegra asked, wanting to be filled in on anything she may have missed.

Milena shook her head.

“Nothing except the lack of vampires in the place,” the vampiress said. “We know he has a somewhat loyal following, but his home is filled with subservient human women and only four vampires. The word is his ancestral home has been abandoned, so we have no way of knowing where they could be. It is highly possible they are all already in Drausia.”

“But why would they willingly leave Nefolktu for Drausia?” Allegra asked. “That’s a vampire’s worst nightmare. There are no humans to feed on there.”

The vampiress shrugged uncharacteristically.

“I have no idea, but by the time we get to Drausia we will find out.” Milena stood up. “I should prepare for the journey. We only have some two odd hours left. You should probably do the same.”

Allegra nodded and looked up to see that she was alone with Nik, who was staring unseeingly into the fire. She gave him a comforting pat on the back before she left to go to her rooms. She found Vlad there with both Cedai and Zallius, seemingly talking semantics. She turned away thinking of taking a quick shower to invigorate her, so she completely missed the moment when Zallius’s lips began to move in a silent incantation. One moment she was deliberating what to wear and the next she felt a tingle shoot up her body. She shook it off and turned to ask Cedai what would be appropriate to wear, but by the time she was looking at the fae, her mind had emptied of all thought except how tired she was.

She automatically sought out her bed and slumped down on it. She refused to fall asleep. There was something important that she had to do, even if she could not quite remember what it was. Allegra slowly lifted her head with a visible effort. She looked at Vlad, Cedai and Zallius and saw them all staring at her.

“How long will the effects last?” her husband asked.

“Only until she falls asleep,” Zallius said with some amusement. “She should be down for around three hours, but she will be completely rested when she wakes up.”

“And we will be long gone,” Vlad said, still staring at his wife.

“Exactly,” Zallius said with no small amount of satisfaction.

As a matter of fact, they both wore the same pleased look. Cedai was the only one who looked remorseful.

“What... did... you... do?” she asked, not even able to draw up enough energy to show any emotion.

“I'm sorry, Allegra,” Cedai said sadly.

“Only what we had to,” Zallius said at the same time as his partner.

Their overlapping sentences made her go silent as she took some time to decipher them. Seeing the effort she was putting into the smallest of tasks, Vlad turned to the fae with a tense smile.

“Thank you both,” he said. “We will reconvene in the library before we depart. There are quite a few of us going, so I imagine you will need to draw a lot of strength to hold a portal steady enough to suit our needs.”

“Actually, after our vow of silence, there should be no trouble at all,” Zallius said as they turned to leave.

“All we need to do is gather some items that may be of some use to us,” said Cedai, with one last look at Allegra before they stepped out of the room.

Vladislav went into the closest to pull out something comfortable for his wife to wear to bed. He carefully stripped her out of the day’s clothes and slipped one of her oversized t-shirts over her head before he picked her up and slid her underneath the covers. He stood by her side even as she continued to fight against the enchantment. A fond smile made its way to his lips as he admired her stubbornness even now.

The King laid his hand on her forehead and gently pushed it down so she was finally resting her head on the soft white pillows even as they maintained eye contact.

“You... bastard,” she mumbled as she finally gave in to the force and her vision went dark.

“I apologise, pet,” Vlad whispered as he placed a tender kiss on her forehead before standing up. “But I will not lose you.”