Melody of Blood and Night

Six

"What do you mean, I'm the only one who can?" Aedlyn demanded.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Ghislaine answered.

"Then why did you say it!?" 

"Prince Kaius blabbered it out, amongst other nonsense during our little dialogue."

Aedlyn's eyes grew wide and her lips parted in vague distress, "You didn't....kill...? He's still alive, right?" she stammered.

"Unfortunately, yes. I cannot go on killing everyone I have a bone to pick with, otherwise, half the world would be on fire." The Vampyress sighed and pushed herself off of the wall.

Aedlyn let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Right then, rest well." Ghislaine said before turning to leave.

"One last question..."

The Vampyress halted, letting her know that she was listening.

"Did you bring....the Crown Prince along?"

Ghislaine spared her a glance over her shoulder, tilting her head as she answered, "Yes."  Before leaving Aedlyn alone with her thoughts.

She knew that there was more to the Prince than he was letting on and she had to find out what. Aedlyn had known him since they were children, had suspected something had been off ever since Zaivian had recovered from his illness so mysteriously.

She sighed. Her head hurt and she was too drained to let her mind wander any longer, so, Aedlyn allowed her eyes to droop, letting the lulling effects of whatever the Healer had given her, pull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

----------

Over the next two weeks, Aedlyn healed rapidly. She had pushed herself, reached her limit and made new ones, until she was standing on her feet, pulling up her leather pants.

The days had gone by slowly. Painstakingly so. And the fact that all she could do was toss Ghislaine’s words around in her head had not helped. Her agenda for today was simple, she was going to head to the library and see if there was any truth to what Ghislaine had told her.

Aedlyn tired to not let her thoughts wander back the aching thorn in her side. But it was, unfortunately, in vain.

No one had visited her except Ghislaine, who had popped in after the first week to check on her prized assassin.

She understood that the Prince had no reason to, but she couldn't understand why Caelan hadn't visited her even once. And it had hurt. More than she was willing to admit.

She had begun to think that he had sustained memory loss due to a concussion. Doubt nipped at her as the fear that he had just been toying with her began to creep in. Had the heart-fluttering kiss they shared back then, just another conquest for him? The mere thought was enough to make her heart sink and lose her appetite.

"Seems like you have recovered well." A voice called out to her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she whirled around to see Caelan, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his broad chest. But his eyes...his cerulean eyes were harder than ice, regarding her with a cold glare, his lips pressed in a thin line.

She had a thousand things to say, hundred complains to tell, and a overpowering urge to throw her hands around his neck and tell him how much she missed him, but instead, she just confirmed nonchalantly, "I have." Schooling her face into a cold mask of indifference.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, "Yes, faster than us, mortals. You're probably stronger too. Is that why you are so good at your job, princess? " He glowered, pushing himself off the doorframe, but Aedlyn read the emotion underneath the anger, understood the reason.