Chapter 57: Foolish People.
The moment Rosaline’s carriage disappeared beyond the crowded streets of Virellion Square, the smile on Xandros’ face vanished.
One second earlier, amusement had lingered in his grey eyes and the next, there was nothing.
No warmth nor trace of humor.
Only silence.
The bustling square continued around him as merchants shouted prices and customers haggled over goods, yet none of it reached him. His attention remained fixed on a single memory.
A rough hand reaching toward silver-white hair.
The image lingered so bad in his mind that he felt like air was being sucked from his lungs directly.
For several moments, Xandros stood motionless in the middle of the square.
Then he turned.
The scent lingered in the air .... oblivious to humans but he was a night creature for a reason.
He then followed the smell into the heart of the square.
Through crowded streets.
Past narrow alleys.
The trail eventually led him to a weathered inn hidden near the outer quarter of the city.
The building looked ordinary enough.
Old timbers and Crooked windows.
The color of the building was now faded, it was nothing remarkable.
Yet the moment Xandros stepped inside, every conversation ceased.
Several men occupied a table near the center of the room.
The same men from the black market.
The leader noticed him first.
His expression shifted as confusion marred his face as he then nudged the others.
One by one, they turned toward the entrance.
The Duke ignored them completely and Instead, he walked toward the innkeeper.
The older man straightened immediately.
Nervousness flickered across his face as soon as he saw the person approaching and the uneasiness he caused.
Xandros stood in front of the man and said a few words to him quietly and the innkeeper’s gaze lost focus almost instantly.
A vacant look settled over his features.
Without argument, he removed his apron, stepped around the counter, and walked out of the building.
The door closed behind him.
The men at the table exchanged uneasy looks.
None of them understood what had just happened.
Xandros finally turned toward them taking his time like a lion who sighted his prey.
But right now Xandros was more than a lion.
The room seemed smaller now.
The air heavier.
The Duke approached their table and stopped directly beside the man who had touched Rosaline earlier.
The man’s confidence visibly weakened.
Still, pride forced him to speak.
"What does the Duke want?"
Xandros regarded him calmly.
"What is your name?"
The man lifted his chin.
"Johnie."
A chair scraped softly across the floor.
To everyone’s surprise, Xandros sat beside him.
The gesture felt wrong somehow as it was more threatening than if he had remained standing.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You know there is something I dislike greatly."
Johnie frowned.
"What?" He asked the Duke.
"Foolish people." Xandros told him as confusion crossed the man’s face.
Before he could answer, Xandros rested a hand on his shoulder.
The reaction was immediate as pain shot through Johnie’s body making his face pale.
His breathing became uneven as he tried to keep his face straight in front of the Duke whose smile never left his face.
"Tell me something."
The Duke’s voice remained calm.
Gentle, even.
Which somehow made it worse.
"Who did you think you were?"
Johnie swallowed.
"What are you talking about?" Outrightly confused on what the Duke wanted from him
Xandros tilted his head slightly.
"The woman."
Understanding dawned.
Fear followed.
The other men at the table suddenly wished they were anywhere else.
"You touched her."
The Duke’s voice softened further.
"Her hair."
Silence filled the inn.
The temperature seemed to drop.
"I have spent days resisting the urge to touch it myself....to feel it ....to smell it." His gaze lowered briefly as he remembered Rosaline.
A strange expression crossed his features...the affectionate type ..and it was only for Rosaline.
"Yet you thought you could place your hands on it."
Johnie’s face drained of color.
Every instinct screamed danger.
The smile on Xandros’ face widened.
Not pleasantly nor Kindly.
His eyes then darkened and something dangerous stirred beneath them.
Something inhuman.
The men around the table attempted to stand.
None of them could move.
Panic exploded across their faces.
Their limbs refused to obey them and their voices vanished.
No screams emerged.
No cries for help.
Only terrified silence.
For the first time, they truly understood why the Duke of Dagon inspired fear throughout the empire.
Johnie trembled violently.
Sweat rolled down his face.
His confidence had disappeared completely.
Xandros studied him quietly.
Then sighed.
Disappointed.
"You should have stayed home today."
The words settled over the room like a death sentence.
What followed passed quickly.
Xandros held Johnie’s hands and looked and his panic stricken face and asked him " which hand did you use?" The smile still on his face.
Johnie wanted to talk but his voice was also gone and he started shaking his head violently as tears filled his face and Xandros looked quite excited at his plight.
" Don’t worry about it...cause your answer doesn’t even matter." Saying that Xandros grip on his hands became tighter so did the pain and before Johnie or anyone in the room could blink his bones shattered inside his hands as Xandros who still wasn’t satisfied tore away the skin holding the bones together as blood stained his hands.
Johnie who couldn’t take the pain forced the scream out of his mouth but instead blood came out and he choked on his blood.
Two out of the others in urinated on themselves seeing what was going on.
The Duke was really a Demon.
But it was too late for them to make a change.
Xandros still wasn’t satisfied with what he had done and he was still thirsty.
His fangs elongated... unnaturally thicker and longer.
He didn’t hesitate before he digged his fangs into the man’s neck and before long he drained the blood and life out of the man, when Xandros was done he tossed the body to the man to the side and went to the others and drank their blood.
Far quicker than any of the men expected.
No dramatic struggle.
No chance of escape.
Only the terrifying certainty that they had attracted the attention of something far beyond them.
When it was over, silence returned to the inn.
The kind of silence that felt unnatural.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Xandros stood alone in the center of the room his eyes now black instead of the original grey or red that vampires had.
His expression had returned to normal.
Calm.
Controlled.
As though nothing significant had occurred.
For a moment, he glanced down at his hands.
Then toward the doorway.
The irritation inside him had faded.
Not completely.
But enough.
Rosaline’s face surfaced in his thoughts.
The memory immediately steadied him.
With a quiet exhale, he stepped outside.
The innkeeper remained exactly where he had been left.
Waiting.
Unaware and unknowing.
Xandros placed a heavy pouch of gold into the man’s hands.
More than enough to compensate for the building.
More than enough to start over elsewhere.
Then he spoke a single command. " Forget everything that has happened and burn your inn."
The compulsion settled instantly.
The man nodded blankly.
He would remember nothing.
Nothing at all.
Satisfied, Xandros turned away.
By the time flames eventually consumed the abandoned inn later that night, the Duke of Dagon was already gone.
And now...
here he was.
Back inside the mansion.
Back beside the woman responsible for occupying far more of his thoughts than she had any right to.
Rosaline remained seated on the bed before him, her silver-white hair spilling over one shoulder as she watched him expectantly.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xandros blinked.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Nothing important."
Rosaline narrowed her eyes immediately.
That answer convinced her something important had definitely happened.
Before she could press further, his gaze shifted toward the untouched tray sitting nearby.
"You haven’t eaten."
She followed his gaze.
"Oh."
The single syllable carried enough guilt to answer the question.
Xandros raised an eyebrow.
"You forgot?"
"No I was just to tired to eat."
"Okay"
Rosaline looked away.
Which was essentially a confession.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
The sound warmed the room.
Then realized she could hardly admit she had spent the evening wondering what he was doing.
Heat immediately crept into her cheeks.
Xandros noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His eyes softened.
Then he rose from the bed and offered her his hand.
The gesture surprised her.
Rosaline looked from his face to his hand and back again.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving you from starving."
"I wasn’t starving."
"You forgot dinner."
"That is not the same thing."
"It is close enough."
The amusement in his voice made her roll her eyes.
Even so, she placed her hand in his.
His fingers closed around hers immediately.
Warm.
Steady.
Comforting.
Xandros helped her to her feet.
For a brief second, neither of them moved.
Neither seemed eager to let go.
Then he gently tugged her toward the door.
"Come."
Rosaline glanced up at him.
"Where are we going?"
The Duke’s smile returned.
This time it carried genuine warmth.
"To get my wife something to eat."
And somehow...
those simple words made her heart beat much faster than they should have.
