The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 357: A monster

"It’s a good thing that your ability allows you to tell them apart and easily heal in case you get injured," he added, even as Aira, instead of speaking, simply nodded her head in agreement. She shifted her legs to the side as she placed her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear.

"I want to go with you when you find her!" she told him, confident that with Zyren beside her she would be safe.

Zyren didn’t immediately speak, but he didn’t have to. Aira was confident that he wouldn’t say no to her—and he didn’t.

To lighten the tension she felt regarding all that was happening, she reached toward the table and picked up the plate of cake. Breaking some apart with a spoon, she offered a piece to Zyren. Vampires didn’t have to eat, but they could if they wanted to, even though it would be tasteless unless coated with blood.

Zyren didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and bit into the cake, even as his eyes remained focused on Aira. She found the sight oddly endearing, the contrast between his dark, dangerous presence and such a simple, domestic moment making her lips curve into a smile. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Can you even taste anything?" she asked him with a sly smile, which he returned almost immediately.

"You know I can’t," he replied. "I might have both vampire and werewolf blood, but one has to dominate to keep me from going insane." His tone was calm, matter-of-fact, as though he were talking about something trivial rather than the constant battle within his own body.

Aira took another piece from the plate and put it into her own mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the sweetness, delighted that she could taste food. She couldn’t imagine how terrible it must be for vampires—unable to taste food, unable to walk freely beneath the sun.

She was barely done biting into the piece when she instantly began to tell Zyren all about what the hunters wanted from her and what they had offered in exchange. Her words spilled out quickly, urgency threading through her voice.

"From the way they sounded, I’m sure they’re colluding with werewolves. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were already in the city," she added, thinking of Zyren’s brother, the one they had broken out of the dungeons. That alone was proof enough of how deeply rooted their plans were.

She was surprised when Zyren agreed with the conclusions she had come to.

"You’re right," he said. "I knew the moment they entered the city. I expected them." His voice remained steady even as he continued speaking, outlining his plan—something Aira knew he usually preferred to keep to himself.

"Jared himself came, and this time, I intend to kill him," he told her without trying to soften his words. "It would be easier to control the werewolf realm without their alpha."

Aira, who had just finished eating another spoonful of cake, opened her mouth to ask a question. She wasn’t the least bit sympathetic to the werewolf fight.

"Won’t another alpha appear?" she asked. "Isn’t that the way it works?"

As she spoke, Zyren’s gaze dropped to her lips, where a few crumbs were stuck to the corner as she chewed. For a moment, he didn’t answer.

"I can kill half of them," he said calmly. "Even with an alpha, it would be impossible for them to ever be a threat if their numbers are extremely low."

Barely done speaking, he raised his hand to her lips, placing his fingers at the corners and wiping off the crumbs. The touch was gentle, almost reverent, before he leaned in and captured her mouth with his.

At first, the kiss was soft and gentle as he pressed his lips against hers. It was slow, unhurried, as though he were savoring the moment.

The kiss gradually became more passionate as he pulled their faces closer than usual. His tongue wrapped around hers, and Aira didn’t need a soothsayer to know where they were headed. Her breath hitched, her fingers curling into his clothing as warmth spread through her chest.

Slowly, his hands snaked under her dress, and Aira didn’t mind. She herself could barely keep her hands to herself, wanting exactly what Zyren wanted. There was no doubt between them—only certainty.

She had just shifted her body, ready to place herself fully on his thighs, when a loud knock echoed through the study—one that sounded almost urgent.

Aira’s first thought was to completely ignore it. Annoyance flickered through her as she felt Zyren pull away from the kiss. He leaned in, whispering against her lips.

"It’s bound to be important," he said.

And he wasn’t wrong. The guards knew better than to disturb them once they were together.

Aira didn’t speak. She simply waited as Zyren gave permission for the guard to enter, bracing herself to hear what he had to say first.

The guard fell to his knees almost immediately, his head bowed low. "We found her, my lord!" he said.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Aira sat up, eager and wide-eyed. Relief washed over her face as she listened.

But that relief didn’t last long.

A frown slowly formed as the guard continued. "...But there’s a problem, my king."

********

The sun had only just begun to set in the sky. The clouds were blue and gentle, like they usually were at that time of day. Most people were still outside, tending to their businesses, while others walked around with their families, having ended their daily work.

Everything seemed to be going well.

Then, suddenly, a loud and piercing sound rang through the air.

It might as well have been an explosion. It ended just as suddenly as it began, leaving behind a stunned silence. Some people who were closer to it looked around in confusion, while others farther away grew curious, wondering why those nearer wore such worried expressions.

Then came the crashes.

Loud, violent impacts echoed, followed by screaming.

People began to run as fast as their legs could carry them. Mothers scooped up their children, clutching them to their chests, while husbands dragged their wives along, fear etched into their faces as panic spread like wildfire.

The scene before them shifted—from one of curiosity to one of pure horror.

Bodies, half-eaten, were scattered across the ground. Blood stained the streets. One figure stood among them, half of what could only be described as human, clinging to another person. Her hands had morphed into pools of blood, dripping and writhing as she slowly sucked him dry.

It was a slow, gruesome, and messy process, made even more horrific by the fact that half her body was composed entirely of blood—living blood that moved and shifted on its own—while the other half still resembled that of a woman.

A face that was more monster than human.