The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 273: A Black Heart

Aria headed back to the room, her steps soft but deliberate, not going as far as to enter when she realized that Zyren wasn’t inside.

She needed to speak to him right after she was done speaking to Jared, and it couldn’t wait until the next day. Every passing hour pressed on her chest like weight she could no longer bear.

Steadily, she turned away and headed straight to his study — the one place she half expected him to be at such an hour. Her footsteps echoed faintly down the dim corridor, brushing against the soft light of wall sconces that flickered with amber flames. Her pulse picked up as she reached the dark wooden door, hesitating for only a second before she knocked.

The familiar sound of her knuckles against the surface broke the silence, and when she heard no objection, she turned the handle and stepped inside. Relief washed through her to see him there, even though he wasn’t seated at his desk where she half expected him to be.

Instead, he stood by the tall window, the moonlight tracing the outline of his form, shoulders broad and posture still. His gaze was distant, focused on the night beyond the glass.

He turned around when he heard her steps cross the room, his red eyes glancing at her only briefly before sliding back toward the window as if something outside had captured him — something more compelling than her presence.

"We just parted and you miss me already?" he asked, his tone calm, edged with dry amusement that made her chest tighten in irritation.

Aria slowly moved closer to him, trying to close up the gap between them, her movements quiet and controlled. Her expression stayed calm, her jaw tight but composed, not the least bit rattled by his words. She had learned long ago that reacting to him only gave him more power. She was aware, painfully so, that his cold heart couldn’t possibly feel anything real for her.

"You agreed for the werewolves to stay! You really think it’s good to fight the Zygons with them?" Aria asked, her voice firm though her tone betrayed the underlying disbelief she felt.

Zyren slowly turned to look at her, fixing his crimson eyes fully on her face. That sharp, steady gaze always had a way of making her spine stiffen even when she refused to look away.

"Isn’t that good for you? You can find an opportunity to kill me," he said simply.

His voice carried a dangerous calm, a quietness that made his words even sharper. Aria froze slightly under his gaze, feeling the weight of his attention deepen, more intense than usual — a focus that pressed against her skin like heat. It confused her, unsettled her in a way she didn’t want to acknowledge. Still, she ignored it and forced herself to focus on what she had come for.

"You are that confident in your survival?" she asked him, curiosity slipping into her tone despite herself, wondering just what it would take to truly kill him — if such a thing was even possible.

"Maybe I just underestimate my enemies," he responded smoothly.

Aria struggled to find a response, her lips parting slightly before she gathered herself and spoke again, unwilling to let him dismiss her so easily.

"You’ll need me to identify them," Aria stated, trying to sound composed though her heart was already racing with the thought of what she truly wanted to ask for. She was ready to find a way to draw a deal out of him — that was why she came in the first place. If possible, she was still willing to go through the ritual, even if she had to find someone else to prepare the ingredients.

Aria wanted an offensive ability the way a suffocating person craved air — desperately, instinctively, with every fiber of her being. It was something she wanted so fiercely that its worth had grown to equal her freedom, maybe even surpass it.

"I can help you, but I want something in return," she said at last, the words coming out more firmly than she felt.

But Zyren chuckled — low, unhurried, the sound curling through the space between them like smoke. He hadn’t shifted his attention from her since she had stepped closer to stand by his side, the faintest glimmer of amusement lingering in his eyes.

"...one would think the messenger of light sent by the God of light would do it to save the ordinary citizens from death," he said, his tone laced with mockery, though faint, as if he enjoyed testing how far she could hold her composure.

Aria ignored the tone completely, tightening her grip on the edge of her sleeve. "Do you need my help or not?" she asked, knowing that she was the only one who could clearly identify them. Zyren could only guess — and she was certain he knew it too.

Her words hung in the air, and then slowly, she watched a faint smile spread across Zyren’s face. He fixed his gaze on her and sighed, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"No. No, I don’t. Smart as I am, I was able to figure out a way to identify them myself," he said.

Aria frowned, her brows pulling together tightly. It was hard to believe him, though his expression made it clear he wasn’t joking in the slightest.

Slowly, Zyren dug his hand into his pocket and drew something out — a small, smooth black stone that glimmered faintly in the half-light. The motion was casual, but deliberate. He raised it slightly, letting it catch what little illumination the candles provided.

The study was dim, the corners swallowed by shadows, but neither of them had any trouble seeing in the dark — not him, and not her.

Aria’s eyes fixed firmly on the stone, her expression tightening in curiosity as she spoke. "This is—" she began, her voice low, confident that it was related to the Zygons with the strange pulse she could sense from it. But Zyren interrupted before she could finish.

"It’s their heart," he said calmly. "It’s also what allows some of them to use magic. Or at least some form of it."

Aria’s frown deepened as she stared at the object, feeling the faint energy emanating from it, unstable yet rhythmic. She believed him — she could feel it.

"You can identify them through this?" she asked, raising her head again to look directly at him, her tone careful but intrigued.

"Yes. I can. If there’s a Zygon here, simply by bringing one out, it would react — unless it’s a high-ranking one," Zyren told her, his expression unchanging.

Aria exhaled softly and nodded, the motion slow. "So I guess that’s what you’ll give King Jared?" she asked, realizing that if this was true, then he really didn’t need her anymore — just as he’d said.

But Zyren’s next words caught her off guard.

"What deal do you want to make? I thought I made it clear that you could ask me for anything and I would do it for you," he said.

Aria sighed, her shoulders tensing, irritation prickling through her veins at his tone — that calm assurance that somehow managed to sound both sincere and taunting at once. The problem was that she could feel he meant it. He would give her what she wanted — everything except what she truly wanted most.

"Can you ask Savira to help someone without diving into the details?" Aria asked suddenly, changing her request on a whim, her mind racing as she spoke.

But her voice faltered the moment she saw Zyren’s expression shift.

Her eyes widened as his next words fell like a blade.

"You mean for your sister?" Zyren asked, his tone unreadable as he turned his gaze away from her, looking once again into the night outside. The pale light washed over his features, softening nothing.

Aria froze, her breath catching. Shock rippled through her, too fast to conceal. She fixed her gaze on him, trying to search his face for what he meant — for how long he had known.

"Don’t look so surprised," he said with a faint smile, his voice calm but cutting.

"It was hard not to notice — especially with the amount of bodies she was drinking in on a daily basis." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The words hit her like a physical blow. A cold chill spread through her chest, sinking deep until she felt her hands tremble slightly where she held them clasped before her.

Her face paled as she looked at him, her mind racing to catch up. He knew. He had known for longer than he was letting on.

Her lips parted, her voice barely steady when she finally managed to speak. "You’re not—" she stopped herself, her throat tightening before she forced the words out. "Are you actually going to—"

Her voice faltered, unable to finish the question that burned in her mind. Hurt her?

The silence that followed stretched longer than she would have liked, especially when Zyren didn’t speak.