Chapter 382: A cup of tea
The carriage ride was harder than Aria had expected. Even worse was when she had first been moved and picked off the floor by Zyren. She had groaned as the pain that tore through her body eclipsed everything else, swallowing even her thoughts beneath its relentless weight.
Others had tried to comfort her, their voices low and anxious, but the man who held her in his arms simply stared at her face silently as he began to head outside and towards the carriage without opening his mouth to say a word. His expression had been unreadable, his grip firm yet careful, as though he feared she might break if he held her any tighter.
"What? I don’t get a sorry?" she whispered to him, her voice low and strained. But she knew that even if she had only mouthed the words, Zyren would still have heard her.
Placing her carefully on his legs, his arms secured around her as no one else dared to enter the carriage with him. The door shut, sealing them inside as the driver began to move slowly, the wheels creaking while they headed back toward the castle.
"Sorry?" Zyren finally said after a moment. "...you’re going to live!"
He told her with such certainty that Aria couldn’t help but feel relieved. The immense confidence in his gaze removed some of her own fears, even as the pain still lingered beneath her skin.
The fact was that she was scared.
Apart from the bleeding, her body was colder than it should be. She was stronger than a human, and even with such wounds her condition should have been improving. Yet it was clearly regressing instead, her strength slipping away little by little.
Zyren had covered her with a thick blanket, but it barely did anything to assuage the cold that seemed to pass beyond her skin and settle deep within her bones.
Poison? she wondered to herself.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when suddenly she felt something familiar against her lips, something warm pressing gently, pushing her mouth open.
She was taken aback by the faint scent of blood.
Instantly aware of what Zyren was doing, she licked his bloody lips where he had bitten himself. If he thought his blood could help her, then there was no reason to refuse.
She kissed him, licking his lips with slow intent as she slid her tongue gently against his own, a faint sound of protest escaping her when Zyren pulled away even though she clearly wanted more.
But barely had he drawn back when the exhaustion returned in full force.
She rested her head against his chest, listening faintly to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as the warmth of his body seeped into her. Slowly, her eyes began to close, her breathing evening out as sleep pulled her under.
She welcomed it.
Hopeful that by the time she woke up, she would feel much better than before.
*********
"The beast is dead! I can’t believe it!" Jared gasped, his voice filled with astonishment as he stood on the roof of the inn where they had all returned.
They had been planning to leave, convinced it wasn’t safe to remain, when they saw Zyren kill the beast.
Clara, who stood right beside him, was speechless as she stared at the smoke that still filled the night air. The citizens below were slowly returning, trying to salvage what remained of the destroyed structures and moving about their business as though disaster had never come.
But they couldn’t do the same.
Even Falson, who stood behind them, wore a stunned expression. Gregory had sunk down to sit on the ground, still trying to process what they had witnessed.
They were all instinctively aware of the same truth.
All of them combined, along with every other werewolf alive, would have been incapable of killing the beast if they had tried.
Yet Zyren had done it.
And he had come out of it unscathed.
Zyren is unkillable, Clara thought to herself.
The realization came with a strange calm, even a hint of relief. King Jared had seen the same display. Surely he would come to the same conclusion.
But the thought had barely formed when she heard him speak words that made her lashes flutter as she tried to process what he had just said.
"...he’s too powerful! This just shows that we need to kill him!"
Clara couldn’t hide the shock that surged through her.
She wasn’t the only one.
Falson’s mouth hung open, and even Gregory forgot for a split second that Jared was his king, staring at him as though he had lost his senses.
"...he could wipe us all out in a day and we wouldn’t be able to stop it!" Jared continued, his voice tight with intensity, his eyes burning with a mixture of fear and determination.
"...Aira is the key! He cares about her! If we kidnap her then..."
He trailed off briefly before continuing.
"...we’ll head back for now and get reinforcements, then return when he least expects it."
He turned around, looking at the people behind him, seeking agreement. There was a wild, almost crazed look in his eyes, the shock of Zyren’s power still fresh in his mind.
But the moment he turned, Clara stepped closer to him.
A gentle smile appeared on her face as she reached out and took hold of his arm.
"Let’s return to the room," she said softly. "I’ll make tea, and we’ll come up with a plan."
Jared seemed to relax at her tone. He nodded and followed her without protest, climbing down and heading back toward their rooms.
Meanwhile, Clara made a show of ordering tea from a maid. One by one, everyone entered the room behind Jared while she lingered near the door to receive the tray.
Jared moved straight inside, pushing his cloak off his shoulders. The motion revealed his missing arm as a storm of emotions continued to flicker across his face.
Silence settled over the room.
Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.
It lasted until a knock sounded at the door.
The maid had arrived with the tea.
Clara stepped out immediately to take the tray from her, though her movements were slightly slower than usual. When she returned, Gregory moved instinctively to take the tray from her.
She refused.
Insisting that she would serve them herself.
She handed a cup to Gregory, then to Falson, before placing one carefully in front of Jared. Only after that did she take a cup for herself.
"We’ll figure it out," she said, her voice calm and reassuring. "It might take a while, but we’ll figure it out."
She raised her cup slightly in a quiet salute before bringing it to her lips and taking a sip.
The tea was warm.
One by one, the others followed her lead.
But even as Clara drank, her gaze never once wandered from Jared.
She watched him carefully.
Watched as he lifted the cup.
Watched as he took a long sip, a look of faint satisfaction appearing on his face as the warmth settled in.
And as she lowered her own cup, there was a trace of satisfaction in her eyes as well.
