The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 293: The journey ahead

That was what unsettled Aira. The genuine tone with which he said things made her temporarily forget the kind of person he was as she felt her cheeks grow warm even as she turned her gaze to the sky, doing her best to hide whatever feelings he roused out of her which weren’t her own. The sky above them was a pale stretch of color, clouds drifting lazily as if the world itself had no urgency, and she clung to that calm as an anchor.

It was the intensity of his gaze as he focused them on her that made it harder to see beyond the bond she knew was between them. That invisible tether tugged at her senses, blurring lines she had sworn never to cross, making her heart betray her with its uneven rhythm.

So instead of taking it in, she looked elsewhere. Everywhere else but directly at him as she waited for them to get into different carriages and leave. Her fingers flexed at her sides, nails brushing against fabric, grounding herself in the present moment and the inevitability of what was to come.

Having already made arrangements with her sister and Rymora who would follow her, Aira had little left to do but wait. Harriet was someone she also wanted to get closer to, but not only had she become weakened after the potion that Lady Violet used on her, she had also become completely dispirited. The light that once lived so brightly in Harriet’s eyes had dulled, and it weighed on Aira’s conscience in a way she couldn’t easily shake.

Aira silently waited a step behind Zyren, waiting for him to speak and give orders and for the journey to begin, when she paused, noting how King Jared, instead of heading towards his carriage, headed straight for them instead. The shift was subtle but unmistakable, enough to set her instincts on edge.

But King Jared and Clara were still walking towards them when Aira suddenly heard Zyren speak to her, his voice lower and softer than usual, almost intimate in its restraint.

"Regardless of what happens..." he began with such conviction in his voice that Aira couldn’t help but furrow her brows, her attention dragged back to him despite herself.

"...I’ll protect you!" He promised her, even as Aira listened without actually giving a response. It wasn’t like it was a good time to directly tell him that she was going to kill him. The thought lingered cold and sharp beneath the warmth he stirred, a contradiction she carried like a hidden blade.

It was something he had heard before and, moreover, it was redundant to keep saying such things over and over again. Words, after all, were easy. It was actions that carried weight.

Instead, she simply stared up at the back of his head, memorizing the familiar line of his shoulders even as she quietly remained silent until King Jared and Clara got to where they stood.

"I hope this alliance goes well!" King Jared said with an easy smile on his face, his tone practiced and smooth.

"...after the Zygons in the werewolf realm are taken care of, then together with my people I swear that the werewolves would also ensure to help erase all the Zygons in the vampire cities until every single one of them are gone!" He promised with a determined look in his eyes, even as Clara smiled softly behind him, meeting Aira’s gaze but otherwise not opening her mouth to speak. There was something tight in Clara’s expression, a restraint that spoke louder than words.

Zyren didn’t speak at first and simply nodded his head slowly before he finally did, the pause deliberate.

"Of course!" Zyren said, his tone neutral as he stared at King Jared’s outstretched hands asking him to put their differences aside for the plan.

"...we don’t need to grip hands over it!" He confidently said, moving right past King Jared without another word, but not before beckoning to Aira to follow closely behind him.

Aira, dressed in a flowing-length red gown and jewels that lined her neck, hair, and arms in a way that made her look every bit like a queen would, didn’t hesitate to follow. The fabric whispered softly with each step she took, and she felt every gaze drawn to her without having to look.

She didn’t spare a glance at Clara, who previously she had thought was cool with her regardless of their differences, but at that moment it was clear that Clara wasn’t the slightest bit pleased with her and was doing her best to hide it. The tension was palpable, heavy as the air before a storm.

Walking closely behind Zyren, who gestured towards a carriage, making it clear that she would be riding with him, she went ahead to get in, knowing better than to try and argue and get him to do otherwise. Experience had taught her when resistance was futile.

Most importantly, she was also aware that nowhere could be safer than beside Zyren. So instead of speaking against it, she entered the carriage and settled inside of it with her hands on her laps, waiting for Zyren to settle in front of her for the journey, only to be surprised when instead he sat beside her. The confined space seemed to shrink instantly.

Scooping her off her seat and right into his lap, she glared at him, wondering what he was up to. Barely had she formed the thought when she felt him grab the back of her head and pull her closer to him until his lips were pressed directly over her own. The world tilted, breath catching in her throat.

With him whispering to her in a low tone as he lowered his head to leave trails of kisses down her neck, her senses reeled.

"You smell exceedingly sweet!" He told her, even as Aira felt her heart pound harder in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears.

She could feel the bulge in his pants and hated how his pleasure seemed to induce hers without the need for a word to be spoken between them. The reaction felt invasive, treacherous, and yet impossible to deny.

"The driver!" She pointed out, even as she frowned, not from the feel of his hands against her back, but from the awareness that she wanted his hands not against her dress but against her skin. The thought alone sent a shiver through her.