injured

Chapter 10

Rhydian

Kael had always been mischievous, but he had gone too far this time. I had no idea what kind of spell she would cast on me, but it was sure to take effect soon.

"Why are you mad? After tomorrow, she is going to be your wife. What's so special about hiding your name?" Kael grinned, feigning ignorance. He knew exactly what a witch was capable of, and yet he was acting like it was nothing. I wasn't mad; I was actually looking forward to what kind of spell she had waiting for me.

I reached for his ear, wanting to pull it hard to punish him for being a loudmouth, but was interrupted by the sudden outburst of magic power. It was as if someone released a bunch of energy all at once. That feisty witch—what was she up to now? I hoped she was fine.

"Go back to the kingdom. I'll come when I'm done with things over here," I ordered Kael and started heading toward her direction.

"I'll come with you," Kael insisted, wanting to follow me, but one stern look from me instantly shut him up. He was my cousin, but he was still young. His mother left him in my care, but that didn't mean I wouldn't scold him if he did something wrong.

I hurried to where she was, only to find someone lying below her feet, blood pooling around them. In her hand was a bloodied dagger. It was obvious she had just killed the person. And then I saw it—blood dripping from a wound on her stomach. I didn't know why, but my heart skipped a beat.

I walked up to her, and she turned to look at me, her purple eyes blazing with rage. She looked so dangerous and powerful… talk about the perfect woman. I halted, wondering if it was safe to come closer. She looked like she could kill anyone at that moment.

But just then, she started to fall, her eyes closing. I rushed to catch her before she hit the ground. How careless was she to get into trouble already? Her wound was still bleeding, and the wound was deep. I couldn't let her die, especially here in the vampire kingdom.

This could sabotage our truce, and the witch queen might even go to extra lengths and form an alliance with the dragon empire just to get revenge.

I looked down at the person she had killed, and to my surprise, her body turned to ash and disintegrated right before my eyes. Clone magic. This was the work of the dragon kingdom for sure. They must have found out about our alliance with the witches and wanted to destroy it. This war had been up for centuries, and it was time to put an end to everything, once and for all.

My jaw clenched with a feeling I wasn't familiar with—rage. I never let myself get lost in rage no matter how dire the situation was, but I actually felt anger right now. I carried her in my arms and headed to the kingdom. It didn't take me long to arrive; I could move a lot faster than other vampires.

"Get the physician right away. She is injured," I said, my voice firm and urgent as I headed to her quarters. Once inside, I lay her gently on the bed.

I hurriedly folded my sleeves. I needed to stop the bleeding, and my blood was the only way out of this. There might be side effects later from a witch drinking a vampire's blood, but I needed to save her first. My blood had healing properties, and that was because I wasn't a pure vampire. It was only a secret known to me and no one else in this kingdom. If the people were to find out my identity, the result would be disastrous.

After cutting my wrist, I put the fresh cut against her mouth, urging her to suck on it. But there was no response. Her face was slick with sweat, her chest rising and falling in labored breaths. Not wanting to waste any more time, I brought out my fangs and bit myself, sucking out my own blood. Then I placed my mouth on hers, pouring the bloody liquid inside her throat. That was only when she finally drank it.

Even after she had drunk the liquid, I wasn't willing to pull away. I sucked gently on her lips, feeling her delicious taste. My fangs retracted as I deepened the kiss. These lips of hers were as hypnotizing as the first time I kissed her—so soft and addicting.

I suddenly started feeling itchy and uncomfortable. My brows furrowed as I quickly pulled away. It started with my face, then my neck, and my back. What the hell was happening? A knock interrupted me.

"Come in," I said firmly, straightening myself. I couldn't afford to disgrace myself in front of my subordinates.

The physician stepped inside, an old lady, her eyes sharp and alert—evidence of years of experience.

Already knowing what she was supposed to do, she rushed to where the witch lay and inspected her wound. I didn't know her name yet; we just met yesterday after all. No rush—the wedding was tomorrow. It would be my turn to ask her then.

"Your Majesty, the wound is healed completely. How is this possible?" the woman exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief. That was the power of my blood. I never knew why my blood had healing powers. I was still yet to discover that reason.

"Just do an overall check and clean her up. I'll excuse you now," I ordered sternly and walked out of the room. I'll tell you a thing about me: I was brought up to be emotionless. My upbringing was brutal.

I was never cared for, and I didn't know how to care about others. All I knew was war, wine, and beautiful women—nothing more. I couldn't even imagine myself actually caring for anyone. I just didn't know how.

The only reason I bothered to save her was to protect the truce between our kingdoms. The fact was, no matter how strong we vampires were, we still needed the power of the witches to end this war.

Once I was out the door, I rushed to my chambers, where I immediately removed my clothes. My body was burning. It felt like a thousand ants were crawling under my skin.

I looked over my body—there wasn't a single rash. It was then I realized who could have done this. Damn that little witch—she actually cast an itching spell on me.