Chapter 91 - The King's Bite

Allegra was somewhat shocked by the swiftness with which Nik had acted. Before she knew what was happening, she was being ushered into a dark SUV. Mystik insisted on her being placed in between her brother-in-law and him for security purposes. Theirs was the second in a convoy of four cars that looked exactly the same – from their tinted windows and black exterior, to their black leather interior. They were filled up with vampires she could have sworn she had never seen before and they made their way to Gatterlein Castle in the dead of the night.

“This would have been much faster if it were an all vampire mission,” Nik told her. “We've sent a number equalling our pay ahead of us to scout the location before we get there. They'll arrive much faster on foot than we will.”

“You could’ve just carried me on your back or something,” Allegra reasoned. She was not comfortable with the implication that she was slowing them down when the whole thing had been her idea in the first place.

“You’re human,” Nik reminded her. “You would probably catch frostbite by the time you got there.”

“I have weather-appropriate clothing,” she argued stubbornly.

“That doesn't matter,” Mystik said. “This is the safest way to transport you. It’s bad enough that our necks are already on the line when King Vladislav returns and catches wind of this plot of yours. We would surely be signing a death warrant if we did not take the most appropriate safety precautions in transporting you.”

“You’re such a stickler for the rules,” Allegra said with rolled eyes as she realised how little she knew about the vampire.

“I am,” Mystik said proudly. “It’s why I'm so good at my job.”

Allegra grunted noncommittally as she settled into silence as they drove to Rafael’s ancestral home. Nik and Mystik broke the silence to converse in Nuicun here and there, but she did not mind because she assumed they were trying to work out the logistics of her plan and would fill her in on it when they came up with a final solution. Besides that, she was relieved neither of them were driving. It had taken some convincing to get the Prince to give in on that, but it had thankfully happened.

Even though he had not consumed enough liquor to impede his driving ability, the Prince was already reckless behind the wheel as it was. It would have been a nightmare for the others to try to keep up with him if he had his way. No one in their right mind felt safe with him taking control of their vehicle. About an hour into their journey, Mystik’s phone rang. He did not even let it get to the second ring before he whipped it up to his ear.

This time, when the entire conversation was in Nuicun, Allegra did feel a stab of irritation. She wanted to be filled in as much as anybody else. Considering everyone else in the car with her had super hearing, they were obviously keeping up with everything that was being said. When he cut the call, she immediately pounced on him with questions.

“What did he say?” she asked. “Is the castle abandoned?”

“No,” Mystik answered. “There’s definitely activity going on inside. On top of all the lights being on, they can hear it.”

“Can they hear how many vampires are inside?” she pestered. “Are they sure they’re vampires and not servants?”

“A few dozen. Maybe more,” Mystik said. “They can differentiate between the two because there are very few heartbeats. I don’t think they permit their servants to live with them, as they all come from the small town nearby. Anyway, I’ve told them not to engage with them. We need to keep the element of surprise.”

“If they can sense the vampires inside, can’t those vampires sense them?” Allegra fretted anxiously.

“Normally, yes,” Mystik admitted. “However, we made sure to send ancients instead. They’ve had centuries to hone their craft and know how to stay hidden.”

“How do you know that Rafael only has young vampires in there?” she asked sceptically. She noticed that they tended to make a habit of acting on assumptions.

“It’s standard practice,” Nik explained. “Most newly turned vampires stay under their maker’s protection until they’re experienced enough to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, it takes years, particularly when said maker barely spends any time with them. Raf is known for doing this.”

“So, you're saying he just goes around turning people into vampires and it's common knowledge?” Allegra sputtered. “How is that allowed?”

“It's frowned upon, but not illegal,” said the Prince. “Besides, it takes a lot of energy to change a vampire. As one who is natural born, he can probably turn about three a year. He can't do much damage with that. They have a real sense of loyalty to their makers, though. Why do you think Mace is still around?”

Allegra perked up at that.

“Wait a minute,” she said as she scored her memories of the past two hours. “Where is Mason?”

The two vampires exchanged weary glances.

“He convinced Vlad to let him join them,” Nik said. “He's really worried about Cilla.”

To Allegra, it felt like a soap in the face, but she ignored it to focus on the matter at hand.

“The point we were trying to make is that once they leave that stage, very few of them stay,” Mystik said, obviously not wanting her to dwell on the news for too long. “Most of them realise how reckless he is when the mist clears their brains and their eyes. So, at any given time, Rafael probably has more or less the same number of vampires under his command.”

“You'd think him being in business in his current life would teach him more about how to keep his employee turnover low,” Allegra joked weakly, then sighed when the two vampires only shot her confused looks. “Never mind. All I'm saying is that it should be easy to talk them out of going to Drausia if they have such weak interpersonal relationships with Rafael.”

“That's your plan?” scoffed Nik. “Talk to them?”

“I already hinted at this before,” Allegra proclaimed. “Why would you want to shed blood when this can be resolved peacefully? As far as we know, they haven't committed any crimes yet. Cilla never even stepped foot onto Gatterlein's premises. We shouldn't pronounce them guilty by association.”

“So, you're telling me that I gathered almost forty vampires for a ‘peaceful negotiation’?” Nik spat as if the words were a personal insult to him. “What was the point?”

“You might still get your way,” Allegra said with a glare. “I’m sure any semblance of us coming in peace will be wiped away if this is the attitude you face them with.”

“I like her plan,” Mystik said after a strained silence. “Everyone on our team knows that protecting her is of the utmost importance. Once they see how many vampires are inside the castle walls, they'll understand why their presence was so important, but we both know very few of them actually want to take lives unnecessarily. We left those days long behind us and most of us are glad to see the back of them. Sometimes diplomacy is the best solution.”

Allegra smiled gratefully at him and he returned it while Nik gave a sigh of resignation.

“Fine,” he gave in. “We’ll try it your way. Diplomacy. Plan B, however, is ripping all their throats out.”

The laugh the Duchess released was the first genuine one she had given since first hearing about Cilla’s abduction. They all spent the rest of the drive ironing out the details together. She was starting to feel optimistic because it was the first time they had all been on the same page. Nik nudged her intently when the SUV in front of them started to slow down as they took a turn into a narrower road. They drove past a small town that was as silent as could be expected on a random Wednesday at 3 AM.

They were noticeably elevating as they went on and Allegra could see a huge property that rested at the top of a hill, presumably Gatterlein Castle. She felt her nerves build as they continued to approach the intimidating structure. They stopped suddenly a kilometre or so away from the sprawling gates. The vampire in the front passenger seat suddenly exited and was replaced with another, more familiar face. She assumed he was who Mystik had been talking to. It made sense that he had distanced himself from the castle to make the call, but it seemed a bit extreme. She surmised that the castle was not completely filled with new-borns if he had taken this much precaution. They waited for the other vampire to hop into one of the other cars before they continued.

“Any updates?” Mystik asked.

The vampire shook his head no. “Not really. From an overheard conversation, we know that they’re waiting to hear news from Rafael, but they don’t exactly know when. They do think things are being delayed, however.”

Glances were exchanged.

“That’ll probably be Vlad,” Nik said. “Maybe he’s already gotten a hold of Raf.”

“Maybe,” Allegra said, “but we can’t just make that assumption. Someone bought us time and we’re already here, so we might as well get on with it.”

“I agree,” said Mystik. “Plus, someone would have reached out to us by now if Rafael was dead or Cilla was found. We should proceed as planned.”

They all nodded as one as the gates drew closer. When all four SUVs were parked right outside the darkly painted iron bars, Allegra saw a familiar vampire materialise from the mist. He approached the intercom and spoke into it. There looked to be a bit of a back and forth before he stepped away with an impatient look on his face. She saw each vampire crane their heads in concentration and knew they were straining to hear whatever they could.

“What happens if they don’t let us in?” Allegra asked Nik in a whisper, not wanting to disrupt everyone else’s focus.

“I'm the Prince and you’re the future Queen of Nefolktu. They’ll let us in,” Nik said reassuringly before giving her an intent look, as if gauging whether or not she could handle hearing his next words. “And if they don’t, then it’s on to Plan B.”

A shiver ran down her spine at those words. They did not have to wait long before a figure in the distance appeared. He took his sweet time approaching the gates, especially because they all knew he could be there within a second. He was obviously trying to buy them some time. He finally approached the vampire – zipping past the still unopened gates. They had a stilted conversation before he led them right to their car. Mystic lowered the window and he ducked his head low enough to look inside the car right at them. Once those strange, chaotic eyes met both of theirs, he bowed swiftly.

“Your Highness, Your Grace,” greeted the young vampire, his eyes no longer meeting theirs. “I apologise for the wait. We just had to make sure you were who he said you were.”

The ‘he’ in question scowled back in silence.

“I suppose you didn’t recognise the royal crest on the number plates, then?” Allegra asked coldly. If the vampire could blush, she suspected he would.

“I apologise once more, Your Grace,” he said, briefly glancing up at her, then back down again.

“May we go through now?” she asked, although everyone heard it as the order it was.

“Of course,” he said.

This time, when he turned to the gates, he acted swiftly. Mystik raised the window back up as they swung open and their convoy was permitted inside.

“What a performance!” Nik laughed. “It was so believable. Milena would have been proud.”

Allegra’s cheeks heated up at the praise.

“You think so?” she asked, feeling a little proud of herself as well.

“Absolutely,” Mystik said with a serious nod as Nik continued to laugh.

His laughter died down as they drew close to the castle itself. The cars came to a park and they all exited at the same time. Allegra was aware of how antagonistic it may have appeared to bring this many vampires without prior notice and was even more aware of the fact that the rest remained hidden on the outskirts of the castle’s walls, but she firmly put the thought out of mind. She felt Nik stiffen beside her and followed his gaze.

Before them stood a vampire of intimidating stature. He took the few steps required to close the distance between them and gave both her and Nik a terse smile and a brief bow.

“My, what a surprise,” he remarked, his voice leaving no doubt as to who was in charge. “To what do we owe this unexpected honour?”

“Leander,” Niklaus said, his arm outstretched and his eyebrows lifted in shock. “It has been a while.”

***

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cilla whispered in fear as she brought her knees closer to her person and threw a stray blanket over them, as if that could somehow protect her.

For all of Rafael’s faults, she had never seen him lose control in this way. It was so much more terrifying than she could have imagined. She much preferred his glacial mask to this. His eyes were glowing red and she could tell he was moments away from losing control of his fangs. If it were possible for brute force to crack the magical shield surrounding her, she knew that would be the day they found out with how his closed fists kept on banging against it.

“Take it down!” he hissed at Azil, growing tired of hitting the shield over and over again.

The fae had regained some of his energy; enough so he could retort with vitriol.

“And give up the only leverage I have?” Azil asked. “Do you think me a fool?”

“She knows something,” Rafael stated with certainty. “She knows what caused this sudden sickness and she won’t say anything if she’s being protected by this damn shield.”

“Impossible!” Azil scoffed. “What could she possibly know that I do not?”

“That’s what I'm trying to find out, you stubborn old fool,” Rafael spat as he took a menacing step towards the seated fae. Josai stood in between them.

“What evidence do you have to support your claim?” Azil asked. “It is unfounded.”

“There is something she is hiding. I can tell by the rate at which her heart beats,” declared Rafael.

“My heart is practically beating out of my chest because you’re frightening me!” Cilla screamed. “It’s a normal biological reaction to being attacked!”

“There, you see?” Azil proclaimed. “I told you how feeble these humans are. If you simply controlled your temper, you would reason with your logic instead of your emotion.”

Rafael launched himself at the fae, but Josai caught him before he could make contact.

“We still need him, my Lord,” the younger vampire tried to reason. “You signed an agreement in blood. You cannot hurt him.” His words trailed off to Nuicun as he tried to talk sense into his master. It looked like it worked, because the red receded from his eyes somewhat until it only filled his irises. Rafael went back to pacing the floor, shooting her suspicious glances every now and then while he did so.

“Even if I did believe that she knew what was happening,” Azil continued to speak as if he had not just come face to face with death, “I am too weak to even take down the shield right now. I’m afraid I will have to retire. By the time I wake up tomorrow, my energy should have regenerated. Then we can move on to the next step.”

He did not wait for a response before he reached for his staff and used it to laboriously get to his feet. No one offered him any assistance and Cilla had no idea if he would have accepted any if it was offered.

“I know you two do not have to rest, but there are other rooms available on this floor should the other human female wish to retire as well,” Azil said as he made his way to the door.

“Don’t you need any help, Azil?” Cilla could not resist calling out a parting shot. “You look too feeble to make it to your own bed.”

He turned his head to give her an unimpressed stare and at that moment she knew he really would have lowered the shield if he had the strength to. Cilla told herself that was the only reason she relished Josai’s stifled laughter and Elanora’s amused smirk. The fae turned away as he wordlessly hobbled out of the room. Rafael barely paid him any attention as he left.

“This is bad,” the ancient vampire said. “We have an entire night ahead of us and very few reinforcements here with us.”

Cilla wondered just how many vampires they had brought with them. She assumed Rafael had only come with Elanora until she saw Josai. She did not bother to ask because she was not naive enough to think he would give her that information.

“We had a long head start, my Lord,” Josai said self-assuredly. “It will take them a couple of days to catch on to us, at the very least.”

Rafael shook his head. “You don’t know Vladislav,” he said as he headed for the door. “I have to make sure our forces stay vigilant. It’s already night-time. We are at our most vulnerable.”

He stepped out with one last promising glare in Cilla’s direction and the moment he was out of the room, she slumped down with relief. She felt like she could breathe again. Josai immediately turned to Elanora.

“I could help you find a room to rest in if you’re tired,” he offered the Duchess smarmily.

“No, thank you,” Elanora said haughtily. “I’d rather keep my eye on Priscilla. Just as you should be helping Rafael right now.”

“I don't think he’d mind if I took a moment or two to see to your comfort,” he said as he draped himself next to her on the sofa where she was seated.”

As upset as she was at the other woman, Cilla saw how decidedly uncomfortable she was and it caused her stomach to roil.

“Cut that shit out!” she snapped, much to Josai’s displeasure. “The sight of you trying to play ‘Mr Smooth’ is nauseating and you don’t want me to throw up. This shield doesn’t keep scents at bay. Trust me, I’ve been able to smell the cheap cologne on you from the moment you walked in.”

The vampire looked mortified and vengeful, while the Duchess looked strangely grateful. Cilla ignored them both and laid down on her back with her blankets cocooning her. Now all she could focus on was the fact that Rafael seemed certain and scared shitless of the fact that Vladislav was currently on his way. She dropped off into a fitful sleep even as she hoped his hunch was true.