Chapter 206
~ ROWAN
I flipped through every book in the library, went through every article on the internet, but there was almost nothing on the vampire king.
Vampires had never truly been a problem for us lycans. For starters, we were too much of a hassle for them. They preferred easy prey like animals and the occasional human straggler. Lycans put up too much of a fight.
"There has to be something," I groaned, slamming the book shut, my head buried into my palms in frustration. "If the king had lived as long as Allister said he had, then there must be something on him."
"We don’t know how much of Allister’s story was a lie," my lycan noted. "If he is being compelled by the king, he could be fabricating parts of the story to throw us off his scent."
"I don’t know that he would fabricate that," I argued. "If the aim is to scare us, then he would make sure we knew just how much of a threat he was. I think the age is accurate. He is just elusive."
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up just in time to see Jeremiah walk in.
"I did what you asked and looked up information on Marlene," he said, shutting the door behind him. "Most of the story you gave me checks out. She has lived here for a while. She has mostly stayed quiet. She has a fruit stall in town and she’s at every pack event."
"But?" I asked.
He wouldn’t begin that way unless there was something that stood out to him.
"There is no record of Evelyn anywhere before a few months ago."
My brows furrowed in confusion. "That’s impossible. Did you check Marlene’s files? The ones she filled when she moved here."
He nodded. "I did, and there is mention of a child with her, but there’s only a picture of a baby. That’s all we have of the child until earlier this year when Evelyn joined the guards in training. There are no schooling records, no doctors visits... nothing."
I ran my hands through my hair in confusion.
It was practically impossible to live without a paper trail. Someone must have seen her, or related with her at some point.
"Find out from neighbors, friends, anyone who can explain why she doesn’t exist."
"Why not just ask her?" he suggested but I shook my head.
"They cannot know that we are into the compulsion. I don’t know how it works, yet, and until I do, I don’t want to risk a thing. The sooner we figure out what the fuck we are up against, the sooner we can figure out how best to deal with this."
He nodded slowly, bowing curtly. "Of course, your Majesty. If there is anything else—"
I glanced at the clock behind him and winced. It was already getting late and despite the shit ton of work I had to do, I needed to be with my mate. It was the only way I’d get a semblance of peace
"Go home, Jeremiah," I said, rising to my feet. "I will too." He didn’t speak, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw his lips tug upwards into a smile. "Is something funny?"
He shrugged. "it’s just... interesting to see you- with a mate. Before you’d spend nights here, you even used to sleep on your couch."
I glanced over at the leather couch. My neck protested at the mere sight of it.
The nights spent there were uncomfortable as hell, but until now, I never had something I n was eager to return home to.
I shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "When you have a mate, Jeremiah, you’ll run home too."
His lips curled. "Until then. Have a good night, your Majesty."
He walked out without another word and I knew for certain that he wasn’t returning home.
I drove through the quiet roads, the windows wound down and my headlights blinding.
Soft music filtered through the speakers. I didn’t know the song, but it was something I’d heard Nyssa humming a few times before.
My lips curved of their own accord at the thought of my mate. I could not wait to return home to her and—
"Fuck!" I cursed, slamming my feet down hard on the gas.
Ahead of me, right in the middle of the road was a deer. It lay on the floor, back turned to me, but it did not move. The mere sight of the headlights alone should have been enough to have it skeetering into the woods.
I slammed my fist against the horn, but still, it remained standing.
"Fucking animals," I grumbled, storming out of the car.
When my presence did not deter it, I should have known something was wrong. I was too strung up to notice that something was off until I stood in front of the deer.
The deer was unnaturally still, even its chest did not rise.
With careful apprehension, I stepped around it, eyes locking with its wide, lifeless ones. It lay limp, head bent to the side at an awkward angle but there was no blood around it,
I crouched lower, trying to get a better view, and that was when I saw it... the cause of death.
I mind linked Jeremiah instantly.
"I need your best men on the street tonight. I don’t want any pack members on lonely roads or in the woods."
"Of course," he said immediately. "Do we give a reason?"
"Come up with something that doesn’t sound like vampires."
He cursed. "It’s done."
"I also want to know if Marlene or Evelyn left the house tonight."
"What’s going on?"
"Someone left a present in the middle of the road."
I turned back to the animal.
Right there in its throat were two deep puncture wounds too think to have been made by a weapon. It made sense why there was no blood around the animal, and why I didn’t smell the death around it.
Death was linked to blood, but there was no blood in this one... it was drained.