Chapter 260
~ NYSSA
The entire room was silent.
Allister turned to the crowd, holding his father’s heart in his hands. No one dared to speak, they all stood to their feet and bowed low. I could almost taste the unease in the air and the confusion. We had gone from a celebration to a death in a second.
“I am your king now,” Allister said coldly. “If anyone has any objections, you may voice them now p>
At first, no one spoke, and then a male stood slowly, his shoulders squared as he faced Allister. “How can we trust a king who killed his father to get the throne? You are not p>
In a flash, Allister was standing next to him. He grabbed the male’s head with both hands and twisted. I squeezed my eyes shut as the head came flying off the body.
“Does anyone else have something to say?” No one dared to speak. “Good, now that we’ve gotten everything out of the way, the feast is fucking over. I don’t know what the hell my father told you, but we are not risking a war with the lycans p>
There was displeasure on their faces but no one dared to speak. They murmured disgruntled agreements under their breaths as they glanced between him and me.
“Nyssa, come p>
I forced my legs to move; over the King’s dead body, and through the pool of blood that had gathered around him. I kept my head straight as I made my way over to him, taking the hand that he held out to me.
He turned his back on the men and for a split second, I feared that one of them would attack him but to my surprise, a group of them broke away from the crowd and formed a protective circle around us.
“You didn’t think I’d really kill my father without having protection of my own, did you?” he asked, the corner of his lips tugging upwards. “It’s going to take some time to get things settled here. You don’t need to be here while this happens. There is a car waiting for you outside p>
“I don’t know where to go p>
“Just drive straight ahead, you’ll figure it out p>
My lips pursed tightly. “What about the others? The lycans and the wolves? The children p>
“You need to understand that the kingdom is fragile enough as is. If I change too much p>
I stopped in my tracks and turned to him. “I’m not leaving without them p>
“You’ll have to because you’re not leaving with them. You have my word that there will be no more maids and they will be returned to their families, but not today. Today, you will go p>
His tone was final and I knew he wouldn’t budge, but I couldn’t just leave here with nothing.
“What about Irina? And her daughter?
He exhaled deeply, running his hands through his hair with a sigh. He turned to one of the guards. “Find the girl p>
As they searched for Irina, I was led through the palace and towards the front doors. Some vampires were clearly pissed, but as we walked, more people joined our protective bubble. I was surprised by just how many people he had on his side.
He finally led me towards the mouth of the cave and a cool breeze wafted through the air. I stopped, tipping my head back to take a deep breath. I hadn’t realized just how much I missed the air until now.
“You should go,” Allister said coldly. “Things are going to get messy from here on out p>
“Where is p>
“Where are you taking us?” a familiar female voice asked. “What’s going p>
Irina trailed off as she stared at us. She held her daughter tightly against her chest and she looked a mess. Her hair was tangled and dirty and there were streaks of mud on her cheeks. A bruise marred her cheek, but otherwise, she looked fine.
“Are we?” she asked and I nodded. “What’s going on p>
“There’s no time to explain,” Allister cut her off. “Get in the car, now p>
I knew better than to delay. If this was my only chance at freedom then I was going to grab at it with both hands.
I jumped into the driver’s seat and turned on the car. It roared to life beneath my hands as Irina got into the passenger seat.
I floored it, driving down the long road before they could change their minds.
I watched Allister through the rearview mirror. His eyes held mine for a moment, then he tipped his head forward, a silent show of respect before turning on his heels and disappearing into the palace.
“How?” Irina asked once we’d gone a bit of a distance from the palace. “Why are we leaving? The King p>
“Is dead. Allister is ruler now p>
“Allister?” she asked with a scoff. “He’s compliant in his father’s sins p>
“As it is, he let us go. I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. All he said was keep driving straight and I’d know what to do p>
She swallowed thickly. “Why did you save me? Us p>
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… I couldn’t go alone p>
I drove down the long, dark road, with nothing but the trees as my companion. Exhaustion tugged at my insides but I forced myself to keep going. I wasn’t sure how long I drove, but the roads became narrower and the trees grew denser.
I closed my eyes, only for a second, and only to blink, but when I opened it again, there was someone in the middle of the road. I slammed my foot onto the brakes.
“What is that?” Irina asked.
They stood facing the moon, so their face was shrouded in darkness, but I saw the white hair that reflected the perfect moonlight, and the scars highlighted on skin.
I threw the car door open and ran.
I ignored Irina’s panicked shouts as I ran towards the figure. Tears blurred my vision but I spurred my legs to keep going. I kicked off the stupid fucking heels and ripped at the dress to give my legs room.
He recognized me as soon as I ran for him and he cursed low, his voice familiar and safe.
I threw my arms around his shoulder, inhaling his scent as he pulled me into his chest. Tears streamed freely down my cheeks as I sobbed.
“There’s blood all over you,” Rowan noted. “Are you hurt p>
“No, it’s not mine, it’s the kings.” I squeezed him tighter. “How are you here? How did you find me p>
“Allister… he gave me coordinates. How did you get away? You’re… fucking hell p>
I scoffed. “The bastard planned this whole thing p>
He lowered me slowly, taking me in. “Who’s that in the car p>
I turned back to Irina who had poked her head out of the side and was watching us warily.
“A friend… I think,” I shrugged. “I want to go home, Rowan p>
He smiled softly. “Of course p>