Upon reaching the palace, Lazarus sent Emma to the bedchamber. When they were in the antechamber, he said, "I have to look into a few things, Emma." He kissed her temple. "Stay in your room and don't come out."
"Why?" she asked with doubts crossing her face.
He took a deep sigh. "I have a feeling that the problem of finding the culprit behind sucking the humans dry may be lurking in the palace."
Emma's body shuddered. "That is horrible."
He cupped her cheeks with his hands. "You don't have to worry. No one dares to come next to you because they are going to face my wrath after that."
She smiled softly. "I know. I have full faith in my mate."
He gave her a tender look and then placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I know what you are doing right now," he said, brushing her lips.
"What?" she asked, lifting her chin with the smile intact.
"You are enticing your vampire. And I am telling you girl— you are in for a time tonight."
"As if it is not every night?" she said, mockingly.
"That behavior attracts double time," he growled.
She bit her bottom lip, took a step back and turned. She swayed her hips excessively as she walked away from him. His chest vibrated with a deep rumble and it took all his willpower to not pounce on his mate. "You are getting bolder, Emma!" His words rumbled out of his chest.
Emma turned her head over her shoulder. She lowered her gown from the left shoulder a little and then suddenly, the gown fell down to the floor, puddling at her feet.
"Emma!" He came nearer.
She stepped out of the gown and walked in the bedchamber. He dashed to the bedchamber, but she closed the door on his face. "I will wait for you, my lord," she said in a sensuous voice from the other side. He lifted his hand to break the door to get to her when she added, "Try not breaking the door, my lord."
"You are testing my patience, Emma," he said as he placed his hand on the door. His claws had jutted out, ready to rip the door apart.
After a small pause, she replied, "Yes, I am. But patience bears sweet fruits."
"Then tonight I am going to eat all those fruits."
She giggled and Lazarus left with the bluest balls in the history of Wilyra.
Lazarus took Yul with him to go and visit Gladys.
"Why do you want to visit Gladys?" Yul asked as they both walked to her prison through a secret passageway. Yul had managed to keep Gladys in a way that no one could find her.
Lazarus didn't reply. He had too many thoughts about what happened in the village with the rebels. If there was rumor that the vampires were using the humans illegally to have blood, then surely, they couldn't do it without involvement of humans or a human.
The guard opened the gates of the heavy-duty prison where Gladys was kept. Lazarus entered and his nostrils immediately flooded with the stench of moss mixed with piss and blood amongst other things. There was only one prison down here and it had fae iron bars. The fae iron was so strong that even the faes couldn't break it with all the magic they had.
When they approached the prison, they saw her suspended with iron chains. Her hands and legs were tied to the iron chains that were hooked to the ceiling and the side walls. She was wearing a thin and tattered white gown. Her hair was matted and her face looked gaunt.
When she heard the heavy footsteps of, she opened her eyes and let out a mirthless laugh. "Here comes the future king of Wilyra who will build his throne on the graves of his brothers and sisters."
Lazarus came to stand in front of her as Yul snarled at her. "Stay quiet Gladys," Yul said. "Unless you want me to whip you again!"
Gladys snarled back at him and Yul charged at her. Lazarus had to pull Yul away from there just in time. "Stay here, Yul," he said very calmly to him in order to show Gladys that he wasn't pissed off by Yul about what he did just now. Then he returned his gaze to Gladys and replied to her, "It is better me building that throne than you doing the same. If I remember correctly, you partnered with Maeve to kill Emma and me."
She growled as she pulled her chains. "Fuck off! You will never succeed. As soon as father and Anton would come to know where I am, they will free me and then I will make sure that you are thrown out of Wilyra!"
Lazarus raked his fingers in his hair. "It seems you've been dreaming a lot. It's fine. Given your condition, you should be daydreaming. That's normal."
Gladys clenched her teeth. "What do you want from me?"
When she came in the line, he smirked. "I heard that one of the royals in the palace is sucking humans dry. Do you know about him or her?"
At his words, Gladys froze. Her sunken eyes were wide through the matted hair that hung over her face.
Lazarus studied her expression carefully and if he wasn't sharp, he would have missed the guilt that crossed her face. But he remained quiet.
Gladys schooled her expressions and said, "I don't."
He crossed his arms across his chest. He had thrown a bait in front of her and she had picked it up. He didn't know that it was the royals of the palace who were doing it, but he just tossed the question in order to zero in on the culprit. And he couldn't believe that there was no connection in this crime and Emma, who was a human, being his mate. "So what do you know?"
"I don't know anything," she replied in a careful voice.
Lazarus shook his head. "Gladys, you better answer my question, else I may use some very harsh methods on you."
---
Emma chuckled softly after Lazarus left her. He sounded so desperate and the truth was that even she was as desperate as him. She wanted him to be near her and drink from her. As his mate, she wondered if those were the signs of being a blood slave. But if they were, then so be it.
She walked to her bathroom to take a bath. She had poured lavender oil in the warm water and added mint and rose leaves to it. Lots of them. She wanted to smell fresh and clean for him. As she was taking a bath, she heard a creak on the wooden floor outside. Lazarus couldn't stay even for a minute. She called him. "I am here, Lord Lorza."
There was no answer. It all went dead quiet.
Emma rose up slightly. Was he trying to play with her? A grin spread on her face and she called him again, "I am in the bathtub, waiting for you." Saying that she placed her feet on the edge of the tub.
In response she heard footsteps coming closer to the bathroom. The door opened slightly.
She heard a labored breath.
Suspicious, she got up and leaned on the edge. "Lord Lazarus?"
The door swung wide open and a figure clad in black with a hoodie that covered his face till lips, came into view.