Scarlet Vows

6.

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We settled into a tranquil park, a welcome escape from the clamor of mainstream NYC. I enjoyed a bag of French fries while Aren seemed content with the blood he had drained from the boy. Not a boy, he corrected. A messenger. A messenger for the King, who would stop at nothing until he set foot on Earth.

"Why is your father a bad person?" I finally asked, breaking the silence that had lingered since Aren told me I had misread the spell. We hadn't bothered to hide the body; he had mentioned that the King would send his 'cronies' to clean it up because he wanted to avoid detection at any cost. It would be a disruption to his plans, otherwise.

Aren snorted, rubbing his hands not from the chill but as if recalling something I was unaware of. "The King is not my father. I was the former Prince when my grandfather was the King. People continued to call me by that title even after his death, and the current King finds it amusing. But for me, it is a reminder of what happened to my family."

I bit into a French fry, the crisp snap echoing louder than I intended in the somber atmosphere.

"You want to stop the King from coming to Earth," I said, more a statement than a question.

"Yes," Aren confirmed. "At any cost."

I let his words sink in, realizing the extent of his intentions. "You want to find those papers and destroy them so no one can summon the King."

Aren tilted his head and pressed his lips together. "Not exactly. The spell you read would have summoned the King, but fortunately, you misread it, and I was the closest royal you could call upon. However, the other pages contain spells that can summon his army—beasts humankind has never even imagined. If we destroy those spells, he won't have the means to bring them to Earth."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Can't they just follow the King through the same portal? Why would he want to bring those beasts to Earth anyway?"

Aren shook his head. "No, they need an invitation from someone born on Earth. Born, not made. As far as I know the King, he can do anything."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

He leaned back on the bench, resting his head against the wood. "Eat quickly, and we'll head home to discuss this. There are too many prying ears here."

If there had been a contest for devouring a pack of medium fries in record time, I would have won. Within minutes, I was ready to go. Aren remained silent, his face still etched with the grim events of the day. He didn't speak as I drove us back to my villa.

As we entered the house, Bianca greeted us with enthusiasm.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did you have dinner? Should I ask the staff to set plates for you?"

I smiled and shook my head. "We already grabbed some burgers on the way here."

"Great!" Bianca beamed again. "But try not to eat out every day. I know you're busy, but you should think about your health too!"

"Yes," Aren smiled, a subtle lift of one side of his lips that satisfied Bianca. She left us, and we headed to my bedroom. I opened the door for him, and he walked in before I closed it securely, making sure the lock clicked into place. I figured I'd handle any explanations later if someone found us locked in the same room.

"Lythra..." Aren started, even before I could ask.

"Vampires didn't have Lythra before. We lived among you. We were part of Earth, alongside many other creatures that humans didn't know about. We existed in a different realm, a world separated from yours by magic, yet still right in front of you."