His Queen

17. Family

Aliya's POV

The night got even colder, as I stood there shivering in the king's bedroom just a few feet away from the massive bed. Or perhaps it was the state of shock from the scene before me that made my bottom lip quiver.

Damien was lying on his back, unconscious on the bed. There was a doctor checking up on his wounds, which were now on full display. The fabric of his shirt was torn apart away from his body so the doctor could focus on the injuries.

Pulling the robe around my body, I walked closer to the bed that everybody was ordered to stay away from.

Emma's cries rang in my ears as she clutched onto Eric's shirt, burying her face into his chest. He tried to comfort her, while wearing a hard expression as if holding back tears himself.

"The sword was coated with silver," the doctor sliced the anticipation in the air with his words.

An earth-shattering thunder boomed through the castle, white light flickering through the balcony doors.

"There couldn't possibly be another explanation as to why his majesty is not recovering naturally. It is due to the extreme allergy to silver that a vampire's heeling ability is slowed drastically, where it could take days instead of hours to recover," the doctor went on to explain.

Silver?

Who would try to kill Damien with a silver sword?

The last time I saw him he was sitting at the dining table enjoying the company of the girls around him. There wasn't anyone suspicious enough in the room who would dare to attack the vampire king, not if they wanted to sign their own death contract.

Or somebody who didn't care about death.

Who could it be?

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned to find Emma staring at me with tear-filled eyes. Her mascara mixed with her tears and streamed down her face, which she wiped away forcefully with the back of her hand.

There were no tears in my eyes, I couldn't even bring myself to cry.

She pulled me closer in a long hug.

"He is going to be fine, it will just take some time. But he will be okay," she whispered, as if she needed that assurance more than me.

In the background, I thought I heard Eric talking to the guards by the door to find if there is any intruder lurking through the castle halls. And to check up on the guests to see if anyone seems suspicious, while keeping the king's health a secret, until we find the root cause.

The world seemed to move around me, but my legs stayed glued to the same spot. The doctor inspected Damien's body for further injuries and asked his assistant to write something down.

Another one of his assistants appeared through the doorway, with a bowl in his hands. The doctor started to apply the contents of the bowl directly onto Damien's body, making me flinch as it made contact with the stained cuts.

"This will help suck some of the silver out of his body, we can only hope it shall speed up the process. I have given an injection for the pain as well, in case he wakes during the night," he said, as he finished dressing the wounds.

"How long will it take for him to recover?" Emma asked.

"I would not be able to answer that question right now, your highness. Every vampire reacts differently to the ointment and it is not something we often have to use. Let him sleep through the night, I will be back in the morning to notice if there is any progress. We can only ensure he gets proper rest and gives himself the time needed to heal," the doctor explained, looking down at Damien's frame with concerned eyes before excusing himself to leave.