Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 39: An arrow straight to the heart

Chapter 39

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Seraphina asked coldly, pressing the blade harder against his neck until blood began to trickle from the shallow wound. "Were you expecting me to be some random weak guard? Well, look again." Her voice was low, controlled, and her eyes glowed a faint, ominous purple.

The man’s expression tensed, his body going rigid as realization dawned on him. "A witch..." he whispered, his voice trembling despite his efforts to appear unfazed. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Here’s the deal," Seraphina said, her tone deadly calm. "Tell your men to back off, and I’ll let you keep your head."

He hesitated, glancing around at his remaining soldiers who were still engaged with Rhydian, clearly caught between pride and survival. The grip on his weapon tightened, and Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "Don’t make me repeat myself," she warned, the edge of her blade digging deeper into his flesh.

Swallowing hard, he raised his free hand, signaling his men to halt. One by one, the soldiers stopped fighting, uncertainty flashing in their eyes as they took in the scene—Rhydian, standing amidst the blood-soaked floor, his chest rising and falling steadily, and their leader, immobilized by a woman who looked ready to end him at any second.

"That’s more like it," Seraphina muttered, her grip never wavering. "Now, why exactly are you after her?" She jerked her chin toward Rhydian’s mother, keeping her gaze locked on the man’s fearful eyes.

The man scoffed, his earlier fear replaced by a defiant glare. "You think I’ll just tell you because you’ve got a knife to my throat? You’re more naïve than I thought."

Seraphina pressed harder, the blade cutting deeper, making him wince. "You’d be surprised what a dying man is willing to confess."

A twisted grin spread across his face despite the pain. "You’re wasting your time. You think this changes anything? You scared off a few weaklings. The real threat is coming. You should’ve killed me instead of making deals—you’ll regret letting us go."

Rhydian stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "Then you won’t mind dying right here."

The man’s expression faltered, and he swallowed his pride. "The Dragon King... he said to capture the woman and kill the vampire. I don’t know why. Orders came directly from him. All I know is it has something to do with the clan’s future."

Rhydian shot his mother a sharp glance, but her face remained impassive, not giving away anything.

Seraphina gave the man a final, disdainful look before pulling the blade away from his neck. "Tell your men to retreat and leave the area. If I see even one of you lurking around, I’ll hunt you down myself."

The man hesitated again but finally nodded, signaling his men to withdraw. Reluctantly, they started moving back, casting wary glances at their leader.

As soon as the soldiers dispersed, Rhydian grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. "If you’re lying or decide to report back about this, I’ll make sure your death is slow and agonizing. Do I make myself clear?"

The man scoffed instead, his eyes tearing slightly, "The king would kill me anyways." Rhydian dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. He scrambled back, eyes darting between Rhydian and Seraphina before vanishing into the shadows with the others.

When they were finally alone, Rhydian exhaled slowly, releasing some of the tension that had been gripping his body. He turned to Seraphina, his expression guarded but grateful. "You didn’t have to step in like that."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You were about to rip him apart. I just saved you the trouble."

A faint smirk tugged at Rhydian’s lips. "Still. Thanks."

She gave a noncommittal shrug, clearly unwilling to dwell on it. Rhydian’s mother approached them, her face tight with concern.

"Rhydian... what did he say?"

Rhydian hesitated, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You tell me. You know something, don’t you?"

His mother looked away, lips pressed into a thin line. "Now’s not the time," she murmured, avoiding his gaze.

Rhydian clenched his jaw but didn’t push further. "We’re not safe here. We need to move before they regroup."

Seraphina looked around, her senses still on high alert. "They’ll be back with reinforcements. We have to put as much distance between us and this place as possible."

Rhydian nodded, his gaze shifting to his mother. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, though her hands were still trembling. "No. Just... worried."

"Let’s go," he said firmly, guiding her down the corridor with Seraphina right behind. They moved swiftly, every shadow and distant sound keeping them on edge.

As they rounded a corner, Rhydian paused, his instincts prickling again. "Wait," he whispered, signaling for them to stop.

Before they could react, a massive blast shook the entire structure, the ground beneath their feet rumbling violently. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, and Rhydian pulled his mother close to shield her. Seraphina braced herself, eyes narrowed as she scanned the area.

"What the hell was that?" she muttered.

A sinister laugh echoed through the corridor, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. A towering man emerged from the shadows, scales lining his arms and a predatory grin on his face.

"You thought you could just walk away?" he taunted, cracking his knuckles. "The others might be cowards, but I’m not stupid enough to fall for your tricks. A witch and a bloodsucker? You should have killed that idiot when you had the chance. Now I get the pleasure of wiping the floor with you."

Rhydian stiffened, recognizing the unmistakable aura of a high-ranking dragon warrior. His hands curled into fists, power crackling through his veins.

Seraphina shot him a quick glance, her flames flickering around her fingertips, ready to ignite. "Careful. This one’s not like the others."

The dragon warrior let out a bark of laughter. "Damn right I’m not. You’ll find I don’t go down as easily as those fools."

Rhydian didn’t hesitate, rushing forward with a burst of speed. The dragon warrior blocked the first hit but stumbled back from the force, surprise flickering across his face. Before he could recover, Seraphina unleashed a torrent of flames, engulfing him in scorching heat. Hell, now she was no longer afraid of using her flames.

With a roar, the dragon burst through the inferno, scales singed but intact. "That all you’ve got, witch?"

Seraphina gritted her teeth, unleashing a more focused blast of blue flames, far hotter than before. The warrior staggered, part of his armor melting, but he still lunged at Rhydian with brutal strength.

Rhydian dodged, delivering a crushing blow to the man’s side that cracked his ribs. The dragon warrior retaliated with a backhand that sent Rhydian skidding across the floor.

Wiping blood from his lip, Rhydian glared at the grinning warrior. "You’re tougher than the others... but not tough enough."

Seraphina stepped in, fire pooling around her hands, and with a swift motion, she sent a blazing spiral of flame straight at his chest. The warrior roared in pain as the fire burned through his armor, searing flesh.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Rhydian shot forward and drove his claws into the man’s throat, twisting viciously. The dragon warrior’s eyes widened, his roar turning into a gurgle before he collapsed, blood pooling around his body.

Breathing hard, Rhydian wiped his hands clean and glanced at Seraphina, who merely arched an eyebrow.

"Nice work," she muttered.

He huffed a tired laugh. "Could say the same to you."

Just when they thought it was over, a silent arrow with speed as fast as lightening came flying straight for Rhydian...but he was too absent minded to see it ... seraphina saw it, but it was too late to read a spell to counter it, and it felt like her body moved on its own when she quickly shoved him aside, letting the arrow hit her instead, straight to the heart.