Chapter 5 Almost bitten

“What? Your new hound, Prince D’Arcy?” his mother asked. Evyths, whose eyes had analyzed her to be over a hundred years plus, met the woman’s gaze.

“This… cannot be,” the woman fired back at the prince.

“Well, while my father is recreating with Lord Astaroth, his dearest brother, I shall proceed.” Prince Valerio stated, his tearing through the veils of their contempt.

He was the crowned prince of the vampires, they were all answerable to him.

Evyths, cold in the knee, remained still. Shaking with fear of the unknown. Her presence was like standing before a den of beasts ready to devour a rabbit.

It was in their eyes, the longing to drink her blood.

Everyone sat by the long Redwood table, gazes splitting between Valerio and Evyths.

“My father and I embarked on the journey as planned. We've signed a treaty with dogs for a certain period of time.” Valerio began as missives appeared before each person at the table, critically going through them. “In the meantime, stay off their properties or hunting their kind…” he stated.

Evyths wondered if they would truly stay off the werewolf’s territory given the look of displeasure on their faces.

“Your… highness, may I speak?”

Evyths eyes darted to the woman whose voice was confident, unhurried, and low-pitched. She was pale, beautiful, and collected. Evyths almost assumed that she was the prince’s sister or a noble until she noticed the flirty smile on her red carved lips.

It couldn't be his sister, Evyths told herself.

Valerio gave a gentle nod as the lady elegantly rose. Her purple outfit was dazzling under the chandelier’s warm light.

“We understand and believe that the treaty was to our advantage. But then, why take a hound?” the lady softly spoke to the prince as her eyes averted to Evyths. “She looks… dead!” she added, a smear of irritation washing over her.

“Like I said, Raven, she is my hound.” Valerio nonchalantly responded and Raven’s smile grew thicker. “DO NOT TOUCH!” he clarified like a silent thunder, raling off his gaze from her while her smile faded instantly. “The same goes for all. The hound is mine. Although there a proof that we have signed a treaty with the dogs. I have given my word to the dog-king, she shall be well taken care of,” the prince stated, an added disappointment to everyone's by the table.

All along, his mother has been quiet yet furious. It felt like a stain on her reputation and house as Queen. It has never been heard of in the whole of their generation and that of the past that a vampire takes a werewolf, crossing both territories.

“That is all for now,” Valerio stated as everyone rose and displayed their respect before vanishing.

“D’Arcy?” his mother called when he was about to show Evyths to his laboratory since he needed to get on the matter of wolfbane antidote as soon as possible.

“What now, mother?” Valerio spun to her immediately, his thick black cloak swiftly rustling in the air.

“I demand that you return the pup to its breasts,” his mother, Queen Elena, stated, her eyes widening furiously.

“I shall not, mother. You heard what I said back there, she is proof that we have signed a deadly, unfriendly truce with the dogs…” he clarified, his talk figure towering over her. “You did not expect that I would return with a mere parchment in my hand, did you?” he asked, his tone sharp.

Elena simmered down a little knowing fully that her son loved to be accurate, organised, and noteworthy. Taking Evyths was merely a thing he would have done even if the Alpha King consented or not. He believed that parchments without physical and tangible backing were more or less null.

“Exactly what I thought.” he let out calmly. “I shall take my leave now, I have an antidote to concoct,” Valerio said one last time and headed away with his guard leading Evyths wherever the prince went.

…

Once they reached a large, tall, black thick metallic door, the guard freed Evyths.

She looked around wondering why he had freed her.

Meanwhile, Valerio stood before the door, with a fang, he bit the tip of his thumb finger and a pinch of his blood gushed out.

Evyths looked closely, baffled by the prince’s actions.

Valerio placed his thumb over the small thumb hole as his blood splattered around the hole. The doors parted instantly and the smell of chemicals and ancient engines hit her nostrils. Her eyes were blinded by the haze caused by the chemicals.

Although she didn't have the sharpest sense of smell, but then she could pick this one.

It was something that she's never smelled before, strange yet ancient.

Valerio walked right into the thick haze.

“Follow me,” he ordered before she could use a second to hesitate.

Evyths followed the prince, her vision was somewhat blurred and her breath ceased intermittently.

Valerio clapped shortly as the haze disappeared.

Evyths couldn't believe here eyes. The hall was large filled with engines that she's never seen or imagined. An array of bottles sat in the neat shelves. In the far end was an open coffin with white silky linen draped over it.

Some feet away, there was a large redwood table and a chair filled with papers and books, ink and a quill, then a golden goblet.

Scanning again, there was a different section of books that dated from the past. Nothing like she's imagined.

No wonder our king chose the vampires to handle the task, Evyths thought silently. The entire room gleamed with intelligence and dexterity.

“Look here,” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

By now, he took off his royal cloak, hanging it on the hanger behind what she believed was his work table.

The prince's tight-fitting shirt defined every nook and cranny of his upper body. Sleek and well sculpted.

The parting in his chest area leaked a glimpse of his bare skin.

Something she believed was a work of art.

“I said, look here!” Valerio spoke the second time. His frown was thick and assertive.

“M- My apologies,” she bent as he waved off her words with his mesmerizing fingers.

“Take the missive behind you,” he said, barely interested in whatever she had to say.

Evyths reached for the missive on her end of the table. Her hands were shaking, unable to open it. She couldn't read.

Back in the pack, only Alphas, Betas and Gammas had educational privileges. And sometimes the guards of certain ranks, were needed to carry out tasks. Omegas were seen as workers—engines to work asses out and never expected to get tired.

“Can’t read?” he blurted out, his tone a firm mix of mockery and sarcasm. “What else can dogs do?” he added as Evyths swallowed up the sore lump in her throat.

Certainly, the moon goddess had forsaken her. Which was better, Ryker, who was very aggressive and despicable, or the prince who uses words to permeate her soul with insults and uncertain dilemmas? She asked herself.

“I really wonder,” he continued again, as Evyths hesitantly paired his dark, cunning gaze. “Look over there,” he said, pointing at a glassy box where an extinct reptile lay unconsciously in a chemical liquid.

Evthys almost jumped out of her skin in fear. Her hands were plastered to her lips as Valerio appeared to her as if the wind carried him.

“She looks unconscious but even in her sleep. she acts smartly than ten Alpha dogs put together,” he cussed at her her brows squeezed slightly in contempt.

How could he compare a reptile to ten powerful werewolves? Her mind was battered in confusion.

“You can't—”

“If I were you...” she stared her, his face wringing with a frown that could lead to her death as the rest of her words hung somewhere she didn't want to know. “I would obey and submit,” he said.

Using his icy fingers to trace her neckline, she swallowed up for the umpteenth time. Her shutting in fear.

She was trembling, yet his touch was cold and light as a feather.

Leaning toward her neck, he kissed her leaving a tingling feeling as his fangs slightly grazed her skin.

Evyths concluded that her doom had finally come and that the vampire would drink her blood, tossing her flesh to the vultures as he gently pulled away from her as she dropped to the floor, weakened by the fear he had sown in her.

His urge to bite was there, suppressing her aggression. Certainly, he only wanted to scare her.

His smirk, almost invisible yet satisfied by his singular act of intimidation.

“You are lucky to be my pet. When I get tired of your skittish behaviors, I shall lick you dry!” he stated as he vanished and appeared on his chair, legs half-crossed.

“Henceforth,” his voice commanding and direct without the ounce of emotion attached. “You shall work with me. If I am to concoct an antidote, having a hound as a test object would not be bad.” his pride spilling over. “Report here as soon as you rise, I should not ask for you. Do you understand, Eva?” he ordered.

“Ye-yes, your highness!” she managed to speak, rising to her feet with her head down.

But, why did he choose to call her ‘Eva’ and not Evyths?

“Leave!” he added, his voice cutting through her thoughts and that was all that he said to her.

Evyths ran out of the hall that automatically opened and closed for her.

As soon as her feet touched outside the prince’s laboratory. Raven approached, burning in a fury that Evyths knew nothing of. Before Evyths could greet or think, Raven landed a thunderous slap on Evyths’ left cheek, a shrill sound almost deafening her.

“How dare you step into the prince’s private laboratory?” she asked.

One thing was clear to all the vampires of all kinds in the castle, no one had entered or was allowed to enter toen laboratory except the king and his wife.

Raven wondered, what made Evyths very special, a prince’s hound, to walk into a place he held sacred—a place with records of his past and ancient secret knowledge?