The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 423. Costs My Life

Chapter 423: 423. Costs My Life

After the screech, it was deathly silent. Mauve didn’t hear a cricket crick nor any of the usual nightly sounds. The worst part was as the sound suddenly appeared so did it cease.

She noticed Jael resumed moving before the sound stopped. Mauve could feel his urgency. The worst thing that could happen is the sound getting closer because it was headed in the same direction as them.

Whatever the sound was, there was no doubt in her mind that it was something dangerous. It was better to be out of reach in case it decided to head their way.

Mauve wondered how long it would take to get to the castle. Jael did say they were heading out earlier than normal but she could tell they wouldn’t get to the castle until just before dawn.

She hoped Danag was fine, he was closer to whatever made that sound. Mauve hoped they would all get to the castle safely.

She clung to Jael as her life depended on it because it truly did. She didn’t want to make the journey any harder than it already was.

Mauved already felt like a big inconvenience and she was quite willing to do anything to avoid feeling so.

So she kept quiet and held on as hard as she could, feeling the breeze against her and the hardness of Jael’s muscles all around her body.

He ran for a long time, at this point Mauve was sure hours had passed. It must have been more than three hours at this point.

How was he not tired? He had been running consistently at a steady but fast pace and she couldn’t even hear loud breathing nor did his face show any sign of tiredness but it was hard to say for sure in the nightlight.

Suddenly, Jael slowed down. Mauve frowned, they were still in the Nolands. Was something wrong? She raised her head to look at him.

"What happened?" She asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?" He asked, coming to a full stop.

"You stopped," she replied. Wasn’t that enough reason to be concerned?

"Oh, we should be out of the Nolands in about half an hour. At this rate, we should make it to the castle before the last meal of the day," Jael said.

She nodded, this was good news so why were they stopping and why did he look a bit worried?

"That’s good?" She said squinting her eyes a little. It was hard to decide what type of news it was.

"Yes," he replied. "However, we have put enough distance between us and whatever that was. If Danag is behind us. We should see him soon. I figured it’s best we all left Nolands together."

He kept his gaze on her as he spoke, carefully explaining the situation.

"Oh, okay," Mauve said. She was glad he took the time to break it down for her.

Jael looked very concerned, the fact that there was still no sign of the other guards must be a problem.

She didn’t want to think the worst, Mauve was hoping it was simply a delay and not that they had been attacked.

"I don’t think waiting is a good idea," Louis chimed in.

Mauve jerked her head to look at him, she didn’t even realize Louis was next to them until he spoke. He was behind Jael, she had to arch her head backward to get a glimpse of him.

"Why not?" Jael asked without turning his head to look at Louis.

He kept his gaze straight ahead, staring in the direction they had just come from.

Mauve wondered if he was checking to see if Danag was coming. She could see that being the case.

"It’s not safe. We are out in the open. If you want to wait, it would be best to do so when we get to the Vampire Regions. At least we would be able to hide in the trees," Louis explained.

Mauve could see sense in Louis’ explanation. They were standing in the middle of the path, clear as day. Though it was night they could be easily spotted from afar.

There wasn’t even a rock or a bush next to them, just the hard ground. However, maybe Jael was hoping the rest of the guards would be able to find them through this method.

Unfortunately, this also meant they could easily be spotted by Palers too. Their vision was just as good as vampires in the nighttime if not better.

"Getting to the Vampire Regions defeats the purpose. Besides, it’s a bit concerning that not one of them has gotten to us by now. Danag wouldn’t let it go on for this long without updating us. It’s the same way he had sent Erick. We should have met up with a guard by now. More like they should have met up with us so we wait."

Mauve heard a sound from Erick, he was standing next to Jael, and Mauve couldn’t help but think he was a little too quiet.

"What if a Paler gets to us before Danag? You have Mauve on your arms, think about it Jael."

Mauve felt Jael’s grip tightened around her. She could almost feel his emotions through them as he held her tightly.

"You don’t have to worry about that. I will protect you even if it costs my life." His blue eyes held her gaze.

Mauve swallowed. Maybe it was the look in his eyes but she believed him with every fiber of her being.

She tore her gaze from his eyes and placed her head on his chest. "I would greatly prefer it doesn’t get to that extent," she whispered. "I want you safe too."

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked with a subtle frown.

"No, I do trust that nothing will happen to me under your watch and I am also as concerned about Danag as you are," she replied.

Mauve meant every single word she said. She did trust Jael and she knew dwelling on her fear wasn’t going to change the situation.