The Vampire King's Possession-Chapter 799. In The Sun

It had been two full weeks since she gave birth to their child, Darcy, and in that time, Jael had not left her side, not once. He hovered close—a little too close—and Mauve was starting to worry that he might be neglecting his duties by staying with her constantly.

She had assured him several times that she was fully healed, that there wasn’t any pain, and that he didn’t need to be constantly around her. But no matter what she said, Jael never left her side.

The midwife had told her this was the fastest recovery she had ever seen, as Mauve had lost a lot of blood. Even if she hadn’t, it usually took more than two weeks to fully heal from childbirth. Her stomach still needed time to return to what it used to be, but Mauve no longer had any pain.

And she had Darcy to thank for that.

Even though she had given birth to him, Mauve noticed she hadn’t lost her ability to see in the dark, her newfound strength, or her quick healing. She knew it was the only reason she had survived birthing a vampire.

Or rather, a hybrid.

Her baby was equal parts human and vampire.

She looked at him as she shook the toy over his crib, a smile slipping out every now and then as he followed the toy with his eyes.

She desperately wanted to pick him up and hold him, but his grandaunt kept scolding her that she was spoiling him, since she wouldn’t put him down even when he was asleep.

But he is my baby.

She was supposed to be putting him to sleep, but they had both gotten distracted with the toy, and now he was smiling with wide, bright blue eyes—no sign of sleep detected.

Jael walked up next to her. "I thought you were putting him to sleep?" he asked.

Mauve turned to look at him. "I don’t think he is falling asleep anytime soon."

She looked at the baby and gave in, picking him up out of the crib. He was quick to lean into her, and Mauve moved to sit so she could hold him more comfortably.

As soon as she sat down, someone knocked, and Jael moved to see who was at the door while Mauve concentrated on the baby, who was dozing off once again as he lay in her arms.

The door opened to reveal Louis, who didn’t look very happy. Mauve could guess why. He wanted to return to the battlefield, but Jael had declined and instead put him in charge of things while he stayed with his mate and son.

Louis often came by to give reports, and it was pretty clear that that was what he was here to do. "Sire," he called as he opened the door with a scowl.

"Louis," Jael replied, his voice more inflected than it usually was, but with everything that had happened, it was hard to catch the primus in a bad mood. "What news do you have for me?"

Louis didn’t respond; rather, he walked past Jael to where Mauve was seated. "Good day, my lady."

Mauve smiled as she looked up at him. "Louis, it is so good to see you," she said.

"How’s Darcy?" he asked and lightly touched the baby’s fingertips.

"Asleep, but as soon as I put him down, he wakes up immediately," she chuckled. "How are you?"

Jael stood in the corner, glaring at both of them as Louis continuously ignored him. He shut the door and walked closer.

"You don’t have to worry about me, my lady. How are you?"

Mauve smiled and looked at her baby. "Couldn’t be better. Did something happen?"

"Nothing bad. Your brother sent his reply, and he will be here in a few days," Louis said, handing the letter to Mauve. However, she couldn’t take it as she held the baby, so Jael accepted it on her behalf.

"Isn’t he busy at this time?" she said, looking from Louis to Jael, who was going through the letter. "He said so in his last letter."

"He can’t wait to see his nephew. I can definitely understand why."

Malcolm wasn’t the only one who wanted to pay a visit. Jael had had to cancel many of the lords’ requests, and they had refused to receive guests at this time. It would be too overwhelming for Mauve, and the baby was still in the early stages. There were a lot of things they didn’t know about a hybrid, and no one wanted to make a fatal mistake.

Mauve knew they couldn’t keep Darcy away from the lords forever and would have to properly give them a chance to see him; he was the future primus, after all.

Mauve winced; she didn’t want to think about the political side of her baby’s life. Right now, he was simply her baby, and nothing else mattered.

"We have more gifts for Darcy, this time from the Garths. Lady Sabrina won’t stop sending letters about how she wants to visit and that you should make an exception because you are friends."

Mauve glanced at her mate at this statement.

"No," he stated unapologetically.

Mauve wanted to make an exception—in fact, she already had—but Jael declined her request, reasoning that if he allowed her into the castle, he wouldn’t be able to refuse other lords, and Darcy couldn’t handle that many people just yet.

"Okay," she pouted.

Louis finally stepped away from the baby and stood to his full height, facing Jael. His expression changed from playful to serious; he was about to change to a heavier subject.

"We have received word from Danag. Not much has changed, and they have only seen two Palers since we left. However, the fact that there are Palers is a cause for concern, and Danag wanted to get approval to begin exploring caves."

Jael frowned; he didn’t like this. It could go horribly wrong. It also didn’t help that humans couldn’t see in the dark. "I don’t like this idea."

"Not to attack," Louis explained. "To inspect. He would send three vampires to check. Their goal isn’t to attack, but to inspect and possibly draw out Palers."

It wasn’t a bad idea, but it was filled with risks Jael would rather avoid. Making sure there was not a single human fatality was the only way to ensure that this ended well. Many humans were already skeptical about helping vampires and wanted them wiped out; Jael wanted to try to bridge that gap a little. Unfortunately, they couldn’t sit around waiting; they had to make the Nolands safe as fast as they could.

Jael sighed. "Okay. No humans, and only the best vampires at escape and stealth will be allowed into the caves."

Louis smiled. "Thank you, Sire. One more thing: at this crucial time, don’t you think it would be best if I returned?"

"No, Louis. Danag can handle it."

Louis sneered at Jael, then turned around to give Mauve and the baby a smile before he slowly turned and headed toward the door. At the same time, the door opened to reveal Mill.

"Lord Louis," she bubbled out in shock, almost biting her tongue.

"Mill," he stated politely before stepping out of the room.

When she appeared in front of Mill, her face was a little flushed. Mauve didn’t think vampires could have that much color on their faces, and it made her giggle, but she held it back, not wanting to embarrass Mill.

---

"Are you sure about this, my lady?" Mill was asking.

She helped Mauve slip into a fur coat while Lady Marceline sat on the bed and held the baby, gently rocking from side to side. He was wrapped in a brown blanket with his little hands sticking out. He had on tiny little gloves and a woolen cap on his head. His bright blue eyes stared intently at his grandaunt as she rocked him.

"I think so. I haven’t stepped out in two weeks, and I do think I need the sun."

"I am not against that," Jael started to speak as he watched the scene intently.

He was sitting in one of the chairs with an ankle resting on a knee, and his foot was shaking rapidly. Mauve knew he was anxious, and so was she, but she was pretty confident about this.

She pulled away from Mill and walked to where Jael sat. "You know I would never put our baby in danger," she whispered.

Jael grabbed the back of her hand, kissed it, and then placed it against his forehead. "I know."

Mauve tried not to laugh at his reaction; one would think she was taking his son away from him. She just wanted to check something she had been curious about: Could her son walk in the sun?

Mauve had been curious since she gave birth to him. His skin wasn’t as pale as a vampire’s, and he didn’t need to drink blood. It had been two weeks, and he seemed to be fine with just breastmilk.

However, vampires themselves don’t start drinking blood from birth and are also nursed, but there have been many cases of baby vampires given blood not long after birth.

She used her free hand to caress his face and tuck some of the hair that had escaped the hair tie behind his ear. He was reluctant to let her go, but Mauve was glad he wasn’t stopping her despite his discomfort.

Lady Marceline stood up simultaneously and handed Mauve their son. She graciously accepted him and, holding him close to her chest, exited the room.

Jael followed closely behind her as she walked down the hallway, but then she noticed that this seemed to draw the attention of even the servants and guards.

Did someone make an announcement that I am taking our son outside?

Mauve almost chuckled at the thought. She didn’t mind; she understood that the vampires were curious. First, she had done the impossible by birthing a vampire, and now this.

"You are really doing this," Louis said as she got to the bottom of the stairs, just a few feet away from the front doors.

Jael ran his fingers through his hair as he stood next to Mauve. "I can’t seem to stop her," he lamented.

Mauve turned and looked at Jael, wondering if she should be annoyed, but before she could say anything, he spoke again.

"But I trust her instincts."

Mauve pouted. "Thank you, Jael." She would have hugged him if she weren’t holding their baby.

Mauve took a deep breath and walked forward. Her mate didn’t follow her; this was the farthest he could go without being hit by the sun when the doors were opened.

"I am ready," Mauve announced when the guards showed no sign of opening the door, even though she was close enough.

"Open the doors," Jael’s voice roared in the entrance hall.

The guards moved immediately, and the doors groaned as they pulled the huge doors open. Servants whispered and instinctively stepped away from the doors, as if to move away from the sun that might reach them, even though it was impossible from the distance they stood.

Mauve blinked as the doors opened, revealing the soft rays of the sun. The sky was painted blue, orange, and brown. Mauve smiled as she thought that the skies weren’t as bright as her son’s eyes.

She looked down as they stood in front of the doors, the soft ray hitting them directly. Darcy squinted at the bright light and blinked rapidly, as if trying to adjust.

Mauve studied him intently, making sure there wasn’t any redness or any indication that he couldn’t handle the sun. Aside from his rapid blinking, there didn’t seem to be anything odd. Then something unexpected happened: Darcy tilted his head as if to follow the light.

Mauve’s face lit up, and she was on the verge of tears, but she was more confident now. She took a step forward until she was out of the castle.

She was glad he wasn’t crying, as she had been worried about that. That was why she had chosen a time when the sun would be at its dimmest, so as not to overwhelm him. The brightest thing Darcy had seen was a candle, and perhaps the moon, as she didn’t hesitate to leave the window open once it was sundown.

She walked down the stairs carefully, occasionally staring down at her son, making sure he wasn’t showing any signs of discomfort. But he was just looking at her face and then in the direction of the light.

They got to the bottom of the stairs, completely out of the shade the building provided, and Mauve took a few steps forward to make sure, but Darcy didn’t react alarmingly.

He was no longer curious about the sun and was now staring at her face. Mauve lifted him higher and kissed the top of his head.

She looked to the sky one more time before turning around and making her way back to the castle, walking just as slowly. As soon as she walked through the doors, Jael looked as if he might bolt to her side, but he could not—not until the doors were closed.

"He can walk in the sun," Mauve cried out, and the space erupted in cheers just as the doors closed.

Jael was by her side in an instant, wrapping both of them in his arms and kissing her. Mauve blushed as he pulled away, and they both looked down at their child, who was gazing equally at both his parents.