Chapter 456: Home And Garden
Alaric, already tense from the earlier clash, narrowed his eyes. "He wouldn’t just wander off."
"Unless something pulled him off," Jean added, barely hiding her growing anxiety.
Sebastian, lounging beside the window like a smug cat, folded his arms. "He’s a big vampire. He can handle himself. Probably just got tired of being hunted like a dog and decided to slip into a shadow or two."
"That’s not funny, Sebastian," Jean snapped, her voice sharp.
"I’m not joking," Sebastian replied, a flicker of seriousness sliding beneath his lazy expression. "If he wanted to disappear, he would. But if he didn’t want to... then yeah, maybe we should worry."
Salviana shifted closer to her husband, worry flickering across her face.
Alaric exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. "He won’t go far. If anything pulled him away, he’ll find a way back. We wait. We watch. But we don’t panic yet."
"I highly doubt anything pulled him, he looked uncomfortable," Sebastian mumbed.
Still, Jean’s gaze didn’t waver from the darkened roads behind them. The ache in her chest grew heavier.
"Please be alright..."
The carriage rolled to a halt in front of the carved stone archway that led to the royal guest quarters. Familiar halls—gold trim, velvet carpets, polished columns, the scent of warm incense. The same place they had once walked through in fear. Now they were back, armed, bloodied, and... uncertain.
As the door swung open, Alaric stepped out first, offering his hand to Salviana, who descended gracefully despite the weight of her thoughts. She leaned into his side, not just out of love—but because she felt the tension rippling off him like fire trapped beneath his skin.