Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 78: caught

Chapter 78

They landed—well, more like crash-landed—at the base of the mountain, a tangled heap of limbs and laughter, Seraphina on top, her cloak askew and Rhydian flat on his back with a very smug, very stunned expression.

"I think I broke something," he muttered.

"My pride?" Seraphina offered, trying to push herself up and failing miserably. Her knees buckled, and she fell on him again with a squeak.

Rhydian groaned but didn’t look all that bothered. "Nope. My spine. Definitely my spine."

She rolled off, cheeks burning, brushing leaves and frost from her hair while trying not to think about what had happened an hour ago. Her inner thighs still ached in a way that made walking feel... complicated.

They were barely halfway upright when a soft voice spoke from just ahead.

"Well, well... what do we have here?"

Both froze.

Seraphina’s stomach sank. Rhydian lifted his head slowly.

Ella stood there in a simple gown, a basket of herbs in her arms, blinking at them like they were two raccoons caught rummaging through the royal pantry. Her blonde hair glowed under the moonlight, and her lips curved into a far-too-innocent smile.

"Well, well," Ella said, standing at the edge of the path, arms crossed, a basket of herbs hanging from her elbow. "Fancy seeing you two here. Out for a... midnight stroll?"

Seraphina froze. The blush hit instantly—violent and unrelenting. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Her brain was absolutely not ready for a pop quiz on "What were you two doing on top of a mountain half-dressed and glowing?"

Rhydian didn’t even flinch. He casually adjusted his cloak over Seraphina’s shoulders and slipped an arm around her waist like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Needed some air."

"Is that what they’re calling it these days?" Ella blinked, her tone sweet—too sweet. "Because I heard ’air’ doesn’t usually leave bite marks."

Seraphina choked. "Wh–what bite marks?!"

Ella tilted her head. "I mean, I wasn’t looking that closely... but now that you ask..."

Rhydian gave a low chuckle beside her. "Maybe you should be in bed, Ella."

"I was," she said brightly. "Until Edmund mentioned that the entire council was pacing around, wondering where the hell the king vanished to." She stepped closer, squinting at Rhydian’s tousled hair and Seraphina’s uneven braid. "Glad to know you weren’t kidnapped. Though, judging by the hair—"

"Alright, that’s enough," Rhydian said, not even hiding his smirk. "Go find Edmund and tell him I’m alive."

"I will," she said, already grinning. "But I am going to tell him you reek of fruit and forest and something else I can’t legally mention."

Rhydian shrugged. "Let him guess."

Ella turned to Seraphina, who still looked like she might dissolve into a puddle on the palace steps.

"You okay?" she asked gently, the teasing dropping just a little. "Did he drag you up there against your will?"

Seraphina cleared her throat. "More like the other way around."

Rhydian grinned. "She did the dragging. Literally."

Ella raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Nice. Didn’t think you had it in you."

"I regret everything," Seraphina muttered under her breath, hiding her face against Rhydian’s chest.

"You say that," Ella said, walking past them toward the main entrance, "but the smug ’I just got ruined’ glow on your face says otherwise."

Rhydian barked a laugh. Seraphina groaned.

Just then, Edmund appeared at the top of the palace steps, pausing when he saw them. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene—Rhydian’s disheveled state, Seraphina wrapped in his cloak, and Ella casually strolling away with her basket.

"I don’t want to know," Edmund said flatly. "Whatever happened—I don’t want to know."

"You sure?" Rhydian called. "Might be educational."

"Goodnight, Your Majesty," Edmund said, already turning away like his soul was halfway out of his body. "And your highness,please drink water."

Seraphina made a strangled sound.

Rhydian just held her tighter, his mouth brushing her ear. "Told you we’d get caught."

She elbowed him. "I hate you."

He grinned. "You love me."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

She looked up at him, still flushed, still embarrassed—but grinning now too. "Let’s just go inside before Ella starts writing a poem about it."

"Too late," he muttered. "She’s probably rhyming ’fruit’ with something filthy as we speak."

They walked up the steps together, heads held high. Or at least—his was. Hers stayed buried in his side, pretending she wasn’t thinking about the fact that at least two people now had an idea of what exactly went down up there.

And probably a few guards too.

Chapter 78

They landed—well, more like crash-landed—at the base of the mountain, a tangled heap of limbs and laughter, Seraphina on top, her cloak askew and Rhydian flat on his back with a very smug, very stunned expression.

"I think I broke something," he muttered.

"My pride?" Seraphina offered, trying to push herself up and failing miserably. Her knees buckled, and she fell on him again with a squeak.

Rhydian groaned but didn’t look all that bothered. "Nope. My spine. Definitely my spine."

She rolled off, cheeks burning, brushing leaves and frost from her hair while trying not to think about what had happened an hour ago. Her inner thighs still ached in a way that made walking feel... complicated.

They were barely halfway upright when a soft voice spoke from just ahead.

"Well, well... what do we have here?"

Both froze.

Seraphina’s stomach sank. Rhydian lifted his head slowly.

Ella stood there in a simple gown, a basket of herbs in her arms, blinking at them like they were two raccoons caught rummaging through the royal pantry. Her blonde hair glowed under the moonlight, and her lips curved into a far-too-innocent smile.

"Well, well," Ella said, standing at the edge of the path, arms crossed, a basket of herbs hanging from her elbow. "Fancy seeing you two here. Out for a... midnight stroll?"

Seraphina froze. The blush hit instantly—violent and unrelenting. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Her brain was absolutely not ready for a pop quiz on "What were you two doing on top of a mountain half-dressed and glowing?"

Rhydian didn’t even flinch. He casually adjusted his cloak over Seraphina’s shoulders and slipped an arm around her waist like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Needed some air."

"Is that what they’re calling it these days?" Ella blinked, her tone sweet—too sweet. "Because I heard ’air’ doesn’t usually leave bite marks."

Seraphina choked. "Wh–what bite marks?!"

Ella tilted her head. "I mean, I wasn’t looking that closely... but now that you ask..."

Rhydian gave a low chuckle beside her. "Maybe you should be in bed, Ella."

"I was," she said brightly. "Until Edmund mentioned that the entire council was pacing around, wondering where the hell the king vanished to." She stepped closer, squinting at Rhydian’s tousled hair and Seraphina’s uneven braid. "Glad to know you weren’t kidnapped. Though, judging by the hair—"

"Alright, that’s enough," Rhydian said, not even hiding his smirk. "Go find Edmund and tell him I’m alive."

"I will," she said, already grinning. "But I am going to tell him you reek of fruit and forest and something else I can’t legally mention."

Rhydian shrugged. "Let him guess."

Ella turned to Seraphina, who still looked like she might dissolve into a puddle on the palace steps.

"You okay?" she asked gently, the teasing dropping just a little. "Did he drag you up there against your will?"

Seraphina cleared her throat. "More like the other way around."

Rhydian grinned. "She did the dragging. Literally."

Ella raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Nice. Didn’t think you had it in you."

"I regret everything," Seraphina muttered under her breath, hiding her face against Rhydian’s chest.

"You say that," Ella said, walking past them toward the main entrance, "but the smug ’I just got ruined’ glow on your face says otherwise."

Rhydian barked a laugh. Seraphina groaned.

Just then, Edmund appeared at the top of the palace steps, pausing when he saw them. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene—Rhydian’s disheveled state, Seraphina wrapped in his cloak, and Ella casually strolling away with her basket.

"I don’t want to know," Edmund said flatly. "Whatever happened—I don’t want to know."

"You sure?" Rhydian called. "Might be educational."

"Goodnight, Your Majesty," Edmund said, already turning away like his soul was halfway out of his body. "And your highness,please drink water."

Seraphina made a strangled sound.

Rhydian just held her tighter, his mouth brushing her ear. "Told you we’d get caught."

She elbowed him. "I hate you."

He grinned. "You love me."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

She looked up at him, still flushed, still embarrassed—but grinning now too. "Let’s just go inside before Ella starts writing a poem about it."

"Too late," he muttered. "She’s probably rhyming ’fruit’ with something filthy as we speak."

They walked up the steps together, heads held high. Or at least—his was. Hers stayed buried in his side, pretending she wasn’t thinking about the fact that at least two people now had an idea of what exactly went down up there.

And probably a few guards too.