The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 648. After So Long

Chapter 648: 648. After So Long

"Are you ready?" Jael asked.

Mauve nodded and slowly rose to her feet. She walked towards him, her eyes fixed on his face. She noticed his eyes squint slightly but didn’t look away.

"What?" he asked softly when she stopped in front of him.

"Nothing," she mumbled, lifting her hand to his chest. She adjusted his collar, not because it needed it, but because she wanted an excuse to touch him.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"You look really good," she grinned.

"Really? Even with the burn marks on my face?" he asked.

Mauve nodded, "Even with that. Your hair looks longer too." She stood on her toes, attempting to touch it.

"I thought about cutting it," he said.

Mauve froze, "Oh no. I will miss it."

"You don’t mind?" he asked, stretching out his hand to touch her cheek.

Mauve shook her head. "I’m sure it’s a bit of a nuisance. You don’t have to keep it long for me. Besides, I do think it needs a trim; any longer and it would rival the length of my hair," she joked.

Jael laughed. "I couldn’t even get my hair to your length even if I tried."

"You never know until you try," Mauve added.

Jael threw his head back and laughed, "Look at you teasing me."

"I’m not teasing you," she replied, smiling brightly. She found that she couldn’t stop smiling.

He looked back at her, "If you say so," he said, bending his arm at the elbow. Mauve quickly slid her arm into his.

The walk to the dining hall was mostly quiet, and Mauve felt a little anxious. She had been away from the hall as long as Jael had been. She doubted things had changed, but being around so many vampires at once would make anyone uneasy, no matter how long she had been in their presence.

"Are you anxious?" Jael asked as they descended the stairs.

She looked up at him. "Well, not exactly. I just haven’t been in there in a while. I guess that’s being anxious. I’m just a little self-conscious, I suppose."

Jael’s brows knitted. "You have nothing to worry about. You were away at my request."

"I know," she said, looking away from him. It annoyed her that he could tell how she was feeling just from hearing her breathing or heartbeat.

She didn’t want to talk about how she was accepted by vampires, and frankly, she didn’t care about that. The ones that mattered acknowledged her presence, but it was a thought that popped into her head once in a while.

Mauve blinked as they entered the dining hall. The space looked a little dimmer than usual, but it was still bright enough to clearly see the vampires, and she could see surprise on most of their faces as Jael walked in.

They stood up immediately, while Louis performed an elaborate bow. "How nice of you to join us, Sire. Good to see you’re in good health and high spirits."

Jael shot him a look but quickly turned away and walked to his seat. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from Mauve and pulled out her chair to help her. She smiled brightly and mumbled her thanks as she sat down. Jael dropped into his seat, and the rest of the vampires followed suit.

"Sire," Danag spoke first.

Jael slowly turned to look at him. "Yes," he said, his expression showing he wasn’t going to be impressed by anything Danag might have to say.

"I am glad you could join us," the vampire mumbled.

"I was only away for a few days, and you saw me yesterday. Your reaction makes it seem as if I rose from the dead."

"I don’t see the difference," Louis interjected. "And Mauve," he quickly added before Jael could interrupt him, "It’s wonderful to see you at the dining table again."

Mauve grinned at him but didn’t say anything. She just concentrated on her meal, which a servant had chosen in that moment to place in front of her. The rest of the meal was relatively quiet, and soon enough, it was over.

Jael quickly saw her out of the dining hall, and Mauve realized she had been anxious for nothing. The meal hadn’t been any different from normal, and the vampires had ignored her as usual. Things weren’t any different.

"I have to head out," Jael suddenly said, pulling Mauve out of her thoughts.

She jerked her head up at him, waiting for some explanation, but he didn’t give any. "Where are you off to?"

"I need to address the guards, and I’m certain there are letters that need my immediate attention. I’ll deal with that after I speak to them."

"Do you want my help?" she asked.

His eyes scanned her face. "Maybe later. For now, do whatever you want, just make sure either Mill or Louis accompanies you."

"Wait, really? Even go outside?" she asked incredulously.

"Don’t push it, but I suppose you can, as long as you don’t stay out too long."

Mauve’s brows furrowed. "Are you dying?"

"What?" he asked, baffled.

Mauve reached out and touched his forehead. "Vampires don’t get a fever, so I can’t tell if you’re sick."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"You’d never let me go outside so easily, and here you are agreeing to it. Something must be wrong."

"Nothing’s wrong. You can go anywhere you want to."

"I’m not that curious about outside. I’ve already seen it, besides, it would be too dark for me to see anything," she said, looking away from him and scrunching up her face.

This was a change of character. People don’t change overnight. Was he less worried about her safety, or did he want to give her as much freedom as possible? It should be good news, but it just felt a little off.

"Mauve," he called softly. She reluctantly turned to look at him. "I expected you to dance for joy, or do you enjoy being locked up by me?"

He closed the gap between them and wrapped an arm around her waist to prevent her from moving away. Here it was again—barely saying anything, and she was already turned on. She wondered if it had to do with how long it had been, or if there was just something wrong with her.

"Take your love show elsewhere," Louis interrupted. "You’d think the time you two were locked up was more than enough."

Mauve hid her face in Jael’s chest as she waited for her flush to subside. Jael gently caressed her hair and slowly let go of her waist. He took a step back, leaving her standing at the foot of the stairs.

"I’ll come to you later," he said, starting to walk away without another word.

"The Potato Head," Louis muttered as Jael walked away. "He still treats me the same. Not a single word of thanks for saving his life."

"Thank you," Mauve said instead, and Louis turned to look at her. "I don’t need your thanks. Besides, you’ve already said that several times. Did he say where he was headed?" Louis asked.

Mauve nodded. "Something about speaking to the guards and answering letters."

"Oh," he said, taking a step up the stairs. "I’m surprised he’s willing to return to his duties so early. I thought he would sulk for another day or two."

"He wasn’t sulking," Mauve said as she followed him up the stairs.

"We both know that’s exactly what he was doing. What are you going to do this morning?"

"Not much," she replied. "I do need to check the gardens, but watering will only take a few more minutes, and then I can practice some spells—"

"Do you never learn? I’m surprised we haven’t been caught yet with your lack of discretion."

"You don’t always have to be so rude," she snapped.

"I’m actually very nice to you," he said, stopping at the top of the stairs. "You said the garden, right?"

"Yeah," she said, leading the way. "Jael also said I could go outside if I wanted to."

"He said that?" Louis asked in horror. "He just got attacked, and he said you could go out. The burns must have gotten to his brain."

"I said I shouldn’t go alone, and even though he hasn’t thanked you, I’m pretty sure he appreciates what you did. I mean, he tolerates your presence more."

Louis shrugged. "I guess you could say that. Still, we have to be careful."

"I know better than to do anything careless. You don’t have to worry about a thing."

They reached the stairs leading to the rooftop, and Mauve stopped, allowing Louis to go ahead. She had never been able to figure out the door herself, and it was best to let him do it.

He pulled the door open and Mauve caught a glimpse of the moon even before she climbed the stairs. It was as though the night was calling to her.

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