Traded

Chapter 82

“What the fuck did you just say?” Hayes roars from behind me.

“That’s not possible.” I say plainly, refusing to fall into his emotional trap.

There will be no losing my temper, no allowing him to control how I respond with such heinous claims. Lauren is dead. Damn dead. I know this because we removed her damn head from her body.

“She is a hybrid. I don’t know what the hell she is capable of. She may be fucking immortal for all we know.” Johannes says, pacing a way with his hands in his hair.

He is disheveled, his eyes swirling red with hunger and his demeanor is frantic. I know he shouldn’t be here. Capsian said it himself the vampires have bowed out of this fight, choosing to run and hide.

Unless they did create a hybrid, one they can’t control and they want to escape the accusations and responsibilities that come from having created

one.

“Johannes, take a damn seat.” Caspian says in a threatening tone.

“There is no fucking time to sit and eat a fancy fucking meal, Fish man!” He roars. “Giselle and Lauren are working together, but they aren’t the ones in fucking charge.”

“It would be a lot easier to make a plan if we knew what the fuck was going on.” I snap at him, losing my temper.

Lauren, being alive, does nothing but piss me off. It’s not because of who she is or what she meant to me once. It’s jealousy that she is well and alive and my mate might not be. Colette has done nothing to deserve the shit thrust on her from all these bitches moving behind the scenes.

Johannes‘ eyes burn with fear and fury as he plops into a chair, lifting his arms in a show of inviting us to take a seat with him. He is being a dick, one who is coming to make a show of sharing information like he cares, but he wants something. He always wants something when he wants to be cooperative. It’s how vampires always are: selfish and needy.

“Explain how it is possible for Lauren to be a hybrid.” I say. “And alive. Because as far as I know, burning a vampire at the fucking stake or beheading them are effective ways to kill your kind.”

He sighs, leaning back in his chair as he glances up at the ceiling and then shakes his head.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“I knew you would kill her. There was no way you wouldn’t, so I bit her.” he says it’s as simple as that.

But it’s not. Werewolves and lycans can’t survi a vampire’s bite, not when they feed off of us. Not only that, if it did what it was supposed to, which is turn her into one of them, her mate’s bond with me would have been broken. That is something I would have unmistakably felt.

Lauren didn’t shield her fear or pain from me leading up to her death or as she was dying. I experienced every excruciating second of it until it snapped and she was gone.

“I said explain, not give me vague information that doesn’t make sense.” I bite out. “Our mate bond was intact until she died.”

“I bit her wrist and fed on her. It healed almost immediately, but there was no change in her like to be expected. It was a long shot, but…I loved her.” Johannes explains. “And until I went back to my coven after the attack and they showed me proof…”

Hayes snorts and shakes his head, unbelieving of his tale. Not that I blame him. It’s all pretty far–fetched.

“Look! I am telling you the fucking truth here.” He says like he is offended, we would assume he is lying.

“Fine, say you are being honest. Why the hell are you here, telling us all of this? Why wouldn’t you just side with Giselle and her army of dragons?” Caspian asks.

Johannes glances away before he clears his throat and leans forward with a sardonic chuckle as he shakes his head. Then he looks up at me, his tongue sliding over his teeth.

“Because if she is unkillable, that means my position is at stake. Lauren, being a vampire hybrid, now has a claim to my title and my throne. And as much as I cared for her, I don’t like that she is more powerful than me and will eventually come to take what is mine.”

I push off the wall, stalking toward the table as I yank out a chair across from him and take a seat. His eyes watch me with curiosity before I look over at Hayes, who seems to consider what Johannes says. He meets my gaze and nods, then he takes a seat next to me.

“You are saying you are joining us because you are worried she will be better than you?” I ask.

“Yes!” he says, relieved we seem to understand. “I am the Vampire Heir. My parents are to finally hand me over their throne after hundreds of years of waiting. It is mine.”

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2:22 PM

Chapter 82

“It’s not enough.” I shrug. “It is not enough for us to trust you, for us to believe you are on our side. I need more from you than a jealous streak and a fear of losing your throne.”

He stands abruptly, his chair clattering to the ground as he paces away. Then he groans in frustration and slams his fists on to the thick oak table. The wood creaks and a splintering races toward me, stopping just shy of the edge where I sit.

“I will swear a fucking oath.” He says, his voice dripping with honesty and contempt. The very thought is revolting to him and it’s noticeable.

“Let’s start with you telling us everything you know.” I say calmly, which I know only makes him angrier. Nothing pisses him off more than me being the cool, calm and collected one. “And I don’t want general assumptions. I want every fucking boring detail.”

“Giselle is not a dragon.” He says like it’s not news to us.

“We are aware.” Caspian says, playing with the water from his glass as it floats above his fingertips.

“She tricked them. They think she is because the Dragon lord claims to be her mate.” He says. “But with the use of Fae Magic, she can possess anyone who is weak–minded enough.”

His words are very clearly a dig at my luna and I growl low in my chest as a warning to him.

“Colette may be naïve in some regards but weak minded she is not.” I hiss at him and I see a flicker of amusement. So I lean forward, a twitch in my lip as my lycan resists flying across to throttle him. “Take another dig like that again, and Lauren will be the least of your worries.”

He throws his hands up in surrender.

“The dragon king was the only viable target. She is a Phoenix, so she smells like fire, like a dragon.”

“And how did you know she was a phoenix?” Caspian asks, sitting forward, the water sloshing back into the glass.

“Process of elimination,” he frowns. “She was able to use fire, but it was different from a dragon’s fire. It was…less controlled and she should have been able to just fly away on her own, but she didn’t. She needed to be rescued.”

“Exactly.” Caspian hums in thought. “Merikh, I would like to speak with you for a moment.”

He then stands abruptly and walks out of the room, expecting him to follow. I look at Hayes, who has his eyes trained on our enemy turned temporary ally. He waves me off with a simple flick of his wrist.

“I am fine, brother. If blood sucker makes a single fucking move and I will gladly end him.” He mutters, and I don’t doubt it. Hayes has a lot of pent up anger and he is looking for a way to let out. I have no doubt that Johannes would be the one to go down. Mostly immortal or not.

I stand, patting him on the shoulder once before I walk down the hall and find Caspian pacing back and forth, his hands on his hips. He looks distressed, his worried and tired eyes finding mine as he shakes his head.

“What is on your mind, Caspian?” I ask him with a frown and he shrugs.

“I am desperate,” he says, looking sad. “We have to find her, even if it means joining forces with Johannes.”

“Fuck that!” I hiss, “I don’t trust him. I killed Lauren. It wasn’t a simple stab wound or use of silver. I made sure there was no way out for her I fucking-”

“Enough, Merikh.” He lifts his hand with a heavy sigh. “I am not saying I trust him or believe him. But he is willing to take an oath.”

“An oath is just fucking words,” I remind him, and he frowns.

“Unless you make him do a blood oath,” I can see the plea in his eyes.

“No,” I scoff and chuckle dryly, pacing away. “No fucking way. I will not have him linked to me with an oath,”

“This is Colette,” He reminds me. “Your mate, your luna.”

I drag my hands down my face, groaning as I nod and sigh.

“Fine. You are right.” I shrug and give in. He is right. This isn’t about him being the fucker who killed my father or one of my sworn enemies. This is about Colette, my little luna. And I will do anything, including keeping this fucker attached to me to save her.

Caspian clasps me on my shoulder in appreciation as he steers us back to the kitchen. When we walk in, we find that neither man has moved an inch. Both of them lost in a staring contest until I clear my throat.

“We will initiate the oath.” I announce, silencing Hayes with a stern glance and he growls under his breath.

“Fine.” Johannes says, standing, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. I half expected to call him out on his bluff, but it seems he is being

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