The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 349: Hunting

"We’ll wipe her out before she can do any more damage to us! Zyren can also identify us, but his ways are not as straightforward as hers are!"

She sighed, blushing even harder as she held the tips of the apron she wore, her legs shifting back and forth in an anxious manner that showed she was struggling to keep calm. Her fingers twisted the fabric as though grounding herself, knuckles pale from the tension.

"You will find the perfect time and inform me! I’ll do it myself," she said sharply, her tone cracking only slightly before she continued, "Do you understand?"

Even as Clay, who had been about to vigorously nod his head, simply responded with a quiet yes, he turned his gaze away from her, making it seem like he was reluctant to continue the conversation any further. His jaw tightened, eyes fixed stubbornly on the hedges beyond her shoulder.

The maid was perfect at acting. Even as her entire body shook like she was about to burst into tears, she wiped her face with her sleeves, shoulders trembling as she slowly gave him more orders, her voice wavering convincingly.

"Good! Before I return, I want the vampire woman dead!" she told him, even as her shoulders shook violently. Without waiting for a response, she turned around, bursting loudly into tears as she dashed away as quickly as her legs could carry her, vigorously wiping her face with her head lowered, sobs echoing down the corridor.

She struggled to keep her sobs at a minimum as she fled. The rumors would be the same as always. He had broken the heart of another maid mercilessly.

With him only belonging to Lady Vivian, even though they couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Clay went back to tending the bushes in the garden without any particular change in his expression. His hands moved automatically, trimming and shaping with practiced ease, as if nothing of importance had occurred.

In his chest, there was no emotion he particularly felt anytime he thought about the vampire he was going to kill. It meant nothing to him. The presence of the ruler of his race meant much more. That alone outweighed everything else.

I can’t afford to mess up again.

All he could think about was the fact that failure was no longer an option. He was acutely aware that the consequences would be far beyond what he could endure, especially since the Zygon overall ruler had suddenly felt a need to step in personally.

The girls by the edge of the garden continued to stare at him, giggling to each other, most likely casting lots on who would be next to confess their love to him and shoot their shot, hoping for a desperate opportunity to win his attention.

Clay, though, paid them no mind. His focus remained elsewhere as he began to slowly structure a plan in his mind for how best to get Aria on her own so that the assassination would go on without any problems.

As long as Zyren is distracted...

Realizing that as long as they could divert Zyren’s attention out of the castle, then killing her inside the castle would be the easiest path. Clean. Efficient. Final.

Vander knew that he was weak.

Even then, when Zyren had attacked the entire family, subduing all of them had been as easy as breathing. There had been no hesitation, no mercy—just overwhelming force that crushed resistance effortlessly.

They also had shadow abilities, but it couldn’t be compared in any way to what Zyren had displayed. The difference was humiliating, an abyss Vander could not bridge no matter how hard he tried.

It was also the main reason why he had left the group of werewolves as fast as he could. They feared him because they knew he had powers similar to Zyren’s—but all that would change once they realized that his abilities were inferior.

Then they would kill me.

He wouldn’t even be able to stand properly if he hadn’t killed his mother and drank her blood.

The mad woman. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He muttered under his breath even as he covered his entire body with a hood and hunched forward, slowly making his way to the less desirable parts of the city. His steps were uneven, his breathing shallow, each movement costing more effort than it should have.

It was the only place he could slowly recover—by drinking blood and getting rid of the body without drawing too much attention to himself. The streets here were narrow and filthy, filled with people no one would miss.

Who cared if a few beggars and destitute souls died? Even if they all died, the authority in the area would simply thank him for cleaning the streets.

Vander walked slowly. He wore a calm expression on his face, even as his gaze bellowed with an anger that could barely be contained. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding as resentment simmered beneath the surface.

I was a prince.

He had fed on rats in a cell simply to keep his sanity while his half-brother lived like a king, indulging in luxury and power without consequence.

I will destroy him and everything he holds dear.

He decided this within himself, having already heard talks about a woman whom Zyren liked enough to keep around.

You will know pain, dear brother.

He mumbled under his breath as he stumbled forward slowly, his strength wavering but his hatred unwavering.

"You will know pain... and after that, more pain!" he swore to himself, even as he slowly imagined himself as king, taking his rightful place on the throne.

I’ll make sure to keep his woman by my bed.

The thought brought him enough joy to make him chuckle darkly, ignoring the looks he received in response to his strange behavior as he continued to struggle onward.

His sense of balance was still a bit askew. Eventually, he made his way into an alley and dropped to the floor, deciding to wait for night to fall. As he collapsed against the cold stone, exhaustion overtook him.

Lowering his hood even further, he shielded his face. The last thing he wanted was to be roasted by the sun. He was well aware that once night fell again, he would have no problems hunting.