Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 49: Leave

Chapter 48

Rhydian stepped into the dimly lit chamber, his sharp gaze scanning the room. His muscles tensed the moment he noticed the woman standing before the mirror. She turned slowly, her lips curling into a soft, sultry smile. He frowned instantly, noticing it was someone else instead of seraphina.

His nostrils flared slightly as he took a cautious step forward, his crimson eyes narrowing. The woman before him was stunning, draped in a silk gown that clung to every curve. Her hair cascaded in waves down her shoulders, her eyes holding a seductive gleam. And yet—her beauty was nothing compared to Seraphina. Not in his eyes anyways.

His entire body went rigid.

"Who the hell are you?" His voice was low, sharp.

The woman’s smile widened as she took a step forward, her gaze holding his with a teasing glint. "Your Highness," she purred, tilting her head, "why do you look so tense?"

Rhydian didn’t move. His jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. "Where is she?"

The woman blinked in feigned confusion. "She?"

He exhaled sharply, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice. "My wife. Where did she go?"

Seraphina heart skipped a bit, he cared enough to ask about her, and he seemed annoyed...but for what reason? She had to push more to find out.

She chuckled, a delicate hand resting against her collarbone as she took another step closer. "Oh, Your Highness," she murmured, her tone dripping with something sickly sweet. "Her Highness ordered me to satisfy you."

His entire body went cold.

"She noticed you’ve been in much need lately, and she thought you might want some relief," she continued, her fingers tracing the edge of her gown. "So she asked me to come serve you."

Rhydian’s head tilted slightly, his gaze darkening. His silence was heavy, suffocating.

The woman’s smile didn’t falter. She stepped forward again, this time close enough that he could smell the faint floral scent on her skin. Her hands ghosted toward him, grazing his chest lightly. "Feel free to use me, Your Highness," she whispered, her lips dangerously close to his ear.

For a split second, Rhydian considered it.

Not out of desire, but out of sheer fury.

If this was how Seraphina saw him—just a man controlled by lust—then perhaps he should give her exactly what she expected. Perhaps he should prove her right. His hands twitched at his sides, his breathing shallow.

His gaze flickered over the woman before him, and he willed himself to go through with it. His hand lifted, tilting her chin as he leaned closer, as if to kiss her.

But still, he couldn’t.

Seraphina’s face invaded his mind.

Her sharp tongue, her stubbornness. The fire in her eyes when she argued with him. The quiet vulnerability when she thought no one was looking. The way his name left her lips in moments of weakness.

The way her lip felt against his, the heavenly way she tasted, how she kissed him back like he was the only thing she knew.

His stomach twisted violently.

Damn it.

His fingers curled into a fist, his body going rigid as the frustration built inside him like a tidal wave threatening to crash.

Seraphina.

Why the hell was it always her?

His mind refused to let her go. Even as another woman stood before him, offering herself freely, it was Seraphina’s touch he craved. Her scent, her warmth, her everything.

The realization hit him like a blow to the chest.

He couldn’t do this. He didn’t want this. Not if it wasn’t her.

A humorless chuckle slipped past his lips. Then another. Until he was laughing—low and bitter—his shoulders shaking from the sheer absurdity of it all.

Seraphina stepped back slightly, startled by his sudden reaction. "Your Highness?"

Why’d he suddenly stop? Had she done something wrong? Or had she been exposed?

Rhydian lifted his gaze, his expression unreadable. Then, in a voice laced with quiet fury, he said, "Tell her to never try this again."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Seraphina hesitated. "But, Your Highness—"

"Now. Leave."

The authority in his voice left no room for argument. Seraphina swallowed hard, so was this a pass? Did this mean, he really wasn’t just interested in her body like he was with every other woman? Did it mean he only wanted her? Her stomach did a weird flip as she quickly turned and walked out through the door.

The moment she was gone, Rhydian collapsed onto the bed, exhaling sharply. His hands dragged down his face as he let out another low, bitter chuckle.

Edmund had been wrong.

There was no point in confessing anything. Seraphina didn’t feel a damn thing for him.

Not after she had done this.

Outside, Seraphina stood by the door, frozen. Her gown clung to her skin, too revealing to step out like this. She needed to leave—now. But how? She couldn’t risk anyone seeing her like this.

Her only option was to find a cloak. Stealing one from a guard or maid wouldn’t be difficult. She was used to moving unseen.

Minutes later, wrapped in a borrowed cloak, she slipped through the palace gates and into the forest. The cool earth met her bare feet, every step crunching against fallen twigs. Pathetic. She hadn’t even managed to grab shoes.

She wasted no time, pressing trembling fingers to her chest as she whispered the spell under her breath. The air around her thickened. Her body tensed. Then came the pain—sharp, searing, twisting through every nerve.

One agonizing minute passed before it was over.

Gasping, Seraphina staggered, her forehead damp with sweat. The exhaustion hit immediately, but she had no time to rest. She needed to see him.

Her real self.

Heart pounding, she turned back toward the palace, her legs weak but determined. Teleporting was out of the question—her body was too drained. So she ran.

By the time she reached her chambers, her lungs burned. She hesitated for only a moment before slowly pushing the door open.

Rhydian was there.

Sprawled on the bed, his arm thrown over his face. His chest rose and fell in steady breaths.

Relief flooded her, but before she could step closer—

"You’re back."

His voice cut through the silence, low and unreadable.

She stopped.

Rhydian sat up, his crimson eyes locking onto hers.

Something was wrong.

The warmth that usually softened his gaze was gone, replaced with something distant. Cold. Emotionless.

Her breath caught in her throat.

This wasn’t the way he usually looked at her.

This wasn’t the Rhydian she knew.

She swallowed, her pulse pounding in her ears.

"Rhydian..." she started, stepping forward cautiously.

He didn’t respond. Didn’t move. Just sat there, watching her with that unreadable expression.

The silence between them stretched, thick and suffocating.

Seraphina’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. She had rushed back to see him—to explain, to fix whatever this was—but now, standing here, she suddenly wasn’t sure what to say.

What was he thinking?

Why did he look at her like that?

She opened her mouth again, but before she could speak, Rhydian’s voice cut through the air.

"Don’t."

One word. Cold. Final.

Her chest tightened.

His gaze roamed over her, but there was no trace of the heat, the hunger, the quiet longing he used to have when he looked at her. Instead, there was only a hollow distance.

And then, he smirked. But it wasn’t his usual smirk. This one was laced with something sharp. Bitter.

"Should I be grateful that you came back as yourself this time?" he asked, his tone dripping with something she couldn’t quite place.

Her stomach twisted.

So he knew.

Of course, he knew.

She forced herself to stand her ground, meeting his gaze head-on. "I—"

"You what?" Rhydian cut her off, tilting his head slightly. "You thought you could play games with me?"

She flinched, the mockery in his voice hitting harder than she expected.

That wasn’t what this was. She hadn’t meant to—

"I had my reasons," she said, her voice quieter than she wanted it to be.

Rhydian let out a low, humorless chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair, his fingers gripping the strands for a brief moment before letting go.

"Of course you did," he muttered. "You always do, don’t you?"

Seraphina’s throat tightened.

She wanted to explain. To tell him why she had done it. To make him understand.

But would he even listen?

Would he even care?

She took another hesitant step closer. "Rhydian, I—"

"Do you think I would’ve touched her?" he interrupted, his voice low but laced with something dangerous.

Seraphina’s breath hitched.

His crimson eyes bore into hers, sharp and unyielding. "Tell me, Seraphina," he continued, "is that what you think of me?"

She shook her head immediately. "No, I—"

He stood up.

The sudden movement made her freeze.

He was in front of her in seconds, towering over her, the heat of his body almost suffocating.

For the first time in a long time, Seraphina felt small.

Rhydian leaned in slightly, his voice a quiet challenge.

"Then why?"

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Why?

She knew the answer. She just didn’t know how to say it.

His gaze flickered down to her lips for the briefest second before returning to her eyes, unreadable. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a blade.

But then—

Rhydian exhaled sharply, stepping back as if suddenly exhausted.

"Forget it," he muttered, turning away.

Seraphina’s heart clenched.

No.

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

"Rhydian—"

But he was already walking away.

And for the first time, Seraphina felt something dangerously close to panic claw at her chest.

She couldn’t lose him.

Not like this.