The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 627. Training Grounds

Chapter 627: 627. Training Grounds

Mauve couldn’t help the feeling in her stomach as she walked out of the front doors of the castle with Jael. She glanced up at him, trying to quell the excitement bubbling inside her.

They were headed to the training grounds as he had promised her. It took a while and she had almost thought he had forgotten. After the second meal, she had waited in her room for a few minutes while he spoke with some vampires. Mauve hoped it wasn’t the person who had knocked earlier. As soon as he was done, he came to pick her up.

"You don’t have to seem so excited. It’s not as fun as you think. It mostly involves Danag barking orders as they battle with him. Sometimes, the experienced Lords fight themselves, but not always, usually that’s the best part."

Mauve nodded, listening. She didn’t really think fighting was fun but she was sure she wouldn’t mind. "It doesn’t matter," she said. "If I am with you, I’m sure it will be fun."

"Do you realize what you’re saying?" he asked, looking down at her, his blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Yes," she said, a little hesitant.

Jael’s serious expression broke into a smile, and he brought his face down as if to kiss her. Mauve pulled away immediately. "There are guards just by the door!" she cried.

"So?" he asked with an unimpressed expression.

Mauve blushed and looked down at her feet. "We should go," she said, pulling him down the front stairs. At first, he wouldn’t budge and it felt like she was trying to pull a stone. How was he this much stronger? But eventually, he gave in and let her lead him.

"What direction?" she asked as they reached the foot of the stairs.

"I thought you knew the way?" he asked sarcastically.

Mauve could hear voices and, by the sounds of it, they were coming from the back of the castle. However, there was no way she could make her way there in the dark without any light. The moon was out tonight, and so were the stars. The moonlight cast a bit of a shadow on the trees that decorated the front of the castle, but it was barely enough to light her path.

"Would you prefer I head down this path practically blind? It would be your fault if I were to trip and fall," she said, looking up at him with a stern expression.

"True, I am in charge of making sure no harm comes to you, even if it might be as a result of your clumsiness."

"It’s not clumsiness if I can’t see," she retorted.

"That’s not how it seems to me. It would certainly be clumsiness, as there is barely any obstruction in your way. But that’s okay, you’re my clumsy little darling," he said with a smirk.

"I am not clumsy," she cried.

"I beg to differ," he said, leading her to the corner of the castle.

Mauve scoffed. She knew better than to keep arguing; she wouldn’t win. If she knew anything, it was that Jael absolutely enjoyed teasing her, and the more she tried to stop him, the more it just made him tease her even more.

The voices were even clearer now, sounding as if they were chanting something, and there was a loud clashing sound. Mauve’s stomach knotted. Would they think she was interrupting? She hadn’t thought about this while asking Jael, but she was sure if it was a problem, he would have refused vehemently.

As they got to the second turn, Mauve could clearly see the open field and the slew of vampires on it. They made a circle, not a closely knit one, but it was still a circle, and she could see something in the middle.

It looked like a fight. Mauve looked at Jael with a panicked expression, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. He didn’t seem to think anything was out of place. Was this what he meant when he said some Lords liked to fight themselves? She looked away when he didn’t say anything, and they moved closer to the circle.

The grass made a soft swish under her feet as she moved her boots over it. She clung tighter to Jael as she noticed two vampires turn in her direction. The ones fighting were still at it, but more than a few vampires were starting to notice their presence.

Jael clung closer to Mauve, and she noticed a couple of vampires breaking out from the circle and starting towards them. It didn’t take long for Mauve to recognize who they were, and the fight immediately broke off.

"Sire," Damon called, stopping in front of them and bowing. "What brings you here?"

"Don’t act as though my presence is that unusual, Damon."

Mauve didn’t miss the way Damon’s eyes slithered over to her. It didn’t hold. He stood to his full height just as the rest of Jael’s personal guards joined in.

"I apologize for the statement. It isn’t."

"Sire," Erick and Danag bowed as they came close enough. "Glad you could join us. Princess," Danag gave her a stiff smile.

"Danag," she called back, smiling nervously.

"What’s she doing here?" Erick spat out. It was obviously a question on everyone’s mind.

Jael gave him a stern look. "And how is that any business of yours?"

Erick visibly flinched and took a step back. "It is not." Mauve frowned. Jael didn’t even look that angry, but Erick’s reaction stated otherwise.

"You didn’t have to run all the way here to come meet me. Go back and continue with the training," Jael commanded.

"Yes, Sire!" The three of them bowed and started jogging back to the circle, but Jael suddenly called out.

"Erick," he said, and Erick stopped in his tracks. "Could you get me a seat?"

"Of course, Sire," Erick responded and ran off.

"Can you even see?" Jael asked as they moved closer.

Mauve shook her head and smiled. "But I don’t mind," she replied.

"Hmm, if you say so," Jael responded.

He suddenly stopped, putting a lot of distance between them and the circle. She had thought they would at least go closer, but she figured it was better they stayed this far for her own safety.

She stood and tried to look around. Danag had returned to the party, and the fight had continued but in the dark it was unclear who was winning, and it looked like the fight would come to an end soon.

Suddenly, Erick appeared with a stump that looked like it had been cut from a tree. He placed it at Jael’s feet, and Mauve strained her eyes to get a proper look. She didn’t think he had just gone off to cut a tree, right? She glanced at Erick and half-believed he had cut it out of a tree.

He peered at her as though asking what she was doing here. She didn’t know the answer to that either, but just being outside was nice, even though she was clearly not wanted here. The air smelled great, the sky looked beautiful, and the breeze felt wonderful in her hair. She knew she would rather sit here and be unable to see than inside the castle where she could clearly see.

But just how great was vampire eyesight? There was not a single light in sight. The moon was about a crescent that could barely light up the sky, let alone the ground. She looked around, and the fight was picking up again. She had almost thought it was about to end. The chanting increased, and Mauve could see Jael’s gaze on the fight.

"Sire," Erick called, drawing his attention.

Jael barely glanced at him and then said to Mauve, "Sit."

Erick didn’t look very pleased to discover he had brought a seat for her, but he stepped back without saying a word or sending a glance in her direction. She tried not to look at him as she sat on the wood.

It was smoother than she thought, and it felt a little more worn than fresh. It was also very balanced. It felt like it was actually used for sitting. She watched Erick retreat back to the rest of the party while Jael concentrated on the fight that was going on.

Mauve realized that being seated greatly impacted her already terrible vision. The circle also didn’t help; someone stood directly in front of her. Without thinking, Mauve stood to her feet.

Jael glanced at her. "What do you think you’re doing?" She knew it was more a question than a threat. Jael didn’t realize how he phrased his words sometimes.

"I can’t really see, and sitting makes it even worse," she whispered.

He pulled her to himself and made her stand directly in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her front. "I didn’t think of that. Would you like me to describe the fight to you?"