Chapter 100


    I barely managed to get any sleep at night. As soon as I finished with Christine, I had to check on


    Cami and I didn’t leave her side until well into the early hours of the morning. I was barely able to


    sleep three hours before I had to get out of bed to deal with the elders. The news about the vampires


    had spread and people were flooding the pce gates with their concerns and fears. I couldn’t help but


    wish that Cami was here. She always took the edge off and it was easier to get through a long day


    with her.


    The elders were already waiting in the council room when I arrived. I could tell they were looking for


    Cami because they kept ncing at the door. Her whereabouts was something I nned to keep


    under wraps for as long as possible. The people didn’t need any more reason to go into panic mode.


    “Will the Queen be joining us?” one of them finally asked as I took my seat.


    “If she were then you would have seen her by now,” I drawled. “She has other duties to attend to. Is


    there a problem?”


    “I just thought she would be more concerned with the well-being of her kingdom and people. It should


    be a topmost priority.”


    “It is, that is why she is spending her time in a productive manner and not sitting here arguing with fools


    thatck brain cells,” I shot back and his cheeks flushed pink. I was already in a shi tty mood and he


    was making it worse. “I’m not someone you can push around, elder. I would tread carefully if I were


    you.”


    He bowed and took his seat at the edge of the room, as far away from me as he could possibly go.


    There was silence for a full minute before anyone dared to speak. I could tell that they were analyzing


    the room and the atmosphere. Contrary to what anyone thought, they weren’t fools, they were justzy


    and proud. I had no idea how Leanor put up with them for so long. I made a men tal note to look up the


    history and find out if there was any way to disband or change them.


    “The people are concerned about the vampire attacks. I was thinking it would help alleviate their


    worries if the Queen made an announcement telling them that the problem is handled.”


    “That will not be possible,” I said immediately and his brows furrowed.


    “Your majesty, it will help ease the people’s minds.”


    “I know but I said no. Now, are you going to keep kicking a dead horse or will youe up with


    something else? I don’t know why I bother spending so much time here when it never breeds anything


    productive. I would have better results if I spoke to my daughters.”


    There were varying levels of anger on the faces of the elders. If they had their way, they would have left


    me a long time ago, I could have bet that they weren’t used to people speaking back to them. I wouldn’t


    have been surprised if Leanor was the first person to do so. One of them opened his mouth to speak


    and I waited to see if he would have the balls to say what they all wanted to but at thest moment, he


    closed his mouth and breathed deeply.


    “We cannot fix this without the Queen.”


    “You are not looking to fix it. You are looking to p a cotton cloth over an open wound. If you wanted


    to fix it, you would have tried to find out something about the vampire attacking us. Have you tried that?


    Have you done anything to figure out how to stop the attacks?” none of them could speak. “You are the


    most useless set of people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.”


    There was a loud gasp. “We are the elders of the monarchy. This position demands respect.”


    “I will give you respect when you earn it. Right now, you are as useful to me as a dirty dish rag. Get


    out,” they sat there staring at me in disbelief. Even on my worst day, I had never spoken to them like


    this before. “Did I stutter or would you like to be removed from the room?”


    They stood to their feet as one and the person closest to me turned to speak. “We are some of the


    most powerful people in this kingdom, You do not want to make an enemy out of us.”


    “Was that a threat?”


    “It was an incentive,” he smiled looking somewhat pleased with himself.


    I stood to my feet and at my full height, I towered over him. His smile faltered a little at that considering


    he had to crane his neck to look at me.


    “Allow me to give you some incentive of my own. If you ever threaten me again, I will make sure that


    you leave this pce with nothing but the clothes on your back. You will be a pariah and you will be


    forced to live the rest of our life in those woods alone. If you truly are one of the most powerful men in


    the kingdom then you surely have enemies. I wonder how long it will take for them to get to you.”


    He swallowed deeply.


    “That goes for my mate as well. Am I clear?”


    He gritted his teeth and bowed. “Yes, your majesty.”


    They filed out after that and I watched them leave. I knew I might have taken it too far with the insults


    but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My mate was in critical condition and I had no visible way to save


    her. Thest thing I wanted to do was cater to the whims of old men.


    I took five minutes trying to calm myself down before I began in the direction of the great hall to listen to


    theints of the people. I was almost at the door when I bumped into Christine. For the first time


    in a long time, I noticed that she was dressed up in an borate dress with a small tiara on her head.


    “Where are you going?” I asked almost immediately. Thest time I saw her dressed up was at


    Aurora’s ceremony.”


    “I am going to hear out the people,” I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me off. I used to do it for


    the Queen before she passed. When she was too busy, she would send me. You have a lot on your


    te right now, Ryker. I can handle this one.”


    “Are you sure?” I asked and she nodded.


    “A maid is with Aurora and if she cries, I will be notified. Audrey is doing her lessons right now as well. I


    am doing nothing, allow me be useful.”


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    “Thank you,” I whispered and she simply squeezed my hand.


    She walked away without another word and I felt immense gratitude to her. Talking to people


    had never been my strong suit, that was Cami’s thing. I preferred to go straight to action, I wasn’t the


    kind of person who could alleviate people’s guilt or worry.


    Instead of going to deal with people, I decided to go back to our room. I retrieved all of Cami’s books


    and took them with me to the physician’s room. He was in there with his son but I ignored them and


    looked straight at my mate. She was lying on the bed but she looked even worse than before. Her skin


    had a sickly tint to it and she looked like she was barely breathing.


    “How is she?” I asked and they hesitated before speaking. That hesitation told me all that I needed to


    know.


    “There are no improvements, your majesty. I am trying everything that I possibly can. I am using old


    remedies but nothing seems to be working.”


    “Then you try again,” he began to protest but I cut him off. “Let me exin this to you in simple terms,


    physician, my mate is not going to die. You are going to do everything you possibly can and more to


    make sure that she walks out of this room healthy.”


    “There is nothing more that I can do.”


    “Then you find somebody else to do it, I don’t care whose effort it is as long as she is alive,” I shrugged


    effectively shutting him out.


    Did I know that I was being unfair to him? Of course I did but I didn’t care. If getting Cami back meant


    that I had to step in the toes of everyone in this pce then so be it. I didn’t care who I [pis s ed off in


    the process as long as I got her safe and sound.


    I opened up the first book and began to read as I sat next to her. I faintly acknowledged the physician


    and his son doing their own thing in the background but I paid them no heed. Most of the books were


    long, boring and unhelpful but I kept flipping the pages in the hopes that I would find something that


    would be useful.


    By the time I got to the third book, I was almost at my wits end. There was nothing on vampires or their


    bites. I couldn’t help but realize how incredibly st*pid it was for us to have enemies and not know a


    thing about them. It was a recipe for disaster and that ipetence could possibly cost me my mate’s


    life. I risked a nce at Cami on the bed and just the thought of life without her had my heart


    clenching in a disturbing way.


    I stood to my feet abruptly and walked out of the room without a second thought or word. I knew if I


    stayed, I was going to lose my cool and that was thest thing anyone needed. I started in the direction


    of our room knowing it was the only ce that I was allowed to lose control. I hoped no one would


    bother me until I got there but unfortunately, I couldn’t even get that prayer answered.


    A guard rushed up to me. He took one look at me and his steps faltered. He opened and closed his


    mouth repeatedly but no words woulde out.


    “Are you going to stand there gaping like a fish?” I spat and that seemed to snap him out of his stupor.


    “Another body was found, your majesty but this one is different?”


    “How?”


    “For starters, it is a guard and it was ced in the town square.”