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VAMPIRE KING APOLLYON

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Apollyon had cleared his throat, breaking the eerie silence as they entered the woods, walking through the path by the riverbanks.

There was no sound of crickets or wild animals howling in the night, but he could hear the mellow burbles of the stream as it traveled along its bed, bubbling over rocks and branches.

The river was a snake of turquoise in contrast to the dark green of the forest.

The trees stood tall with pride as Apollyon and Aspen passed through.

"So, we got settled at your Lilac Manor earlier---" Apollyon trailed off as he followed Prince Aspen's trails, clawing at the vines and cutting the branches.

He could have sworn these plants were alive, trying to get a hold of his long tunic.

After one last swat in the air, he finally ripped the top of his tunic and threw them aside without a care.

"Yes."

As Apollyon stared at his cousin's back, he noticed that Prince Aspen had slowed down his pace.

His cousin briefly glanced over his shoulder with a glare before he forged ahead, " What about it?"

Apollyon smirked as he saw his cousin straighten his spine.

From his curt tone alone, Prince Aspen was aware of where the conversation was going.

"I haven't seen Lady Clarence."

Prince Aspen exhaled so loud as if he was running out of patience.

Now, he had turned around to face Apollyon with a clenched jaw. "You don't have to see her."

"Lilac Manor is a large estate." Glowering at him, he growled as he crossed his arms. "That is why you couldn't see my fiancé."

Apollyon had no intention of taking his ex-concubine away from the Faerie Prince.

He was done with the boredom and the awkward silence.

Annoying his cousin was good enough as a distraction.

"You kept her hidden because you don't want me to persuade a concubine to come back to the Vampire Realm."

"No." Placing his hands on his hips, Prince Aspen massaged his forehead as he paced back and forth. "Lady Clarence told me that she didn't want to go outside of her room with all these Vampires and Faerie Sentinels patrolling around Lilac Manor."

"I want her to be safe." He said sharply. "She told me she didn't want to see any men for now."

Pokerfaced, Apollyon replied in sarcasm. "She must consider you a female in that long straight auburn hair of yours."

"Yes." He agreed.

Surprised, Apollyon raised an eyebrow.

Prince Aspen rubbed his jaw in contemplation. "Having androgynous features is a blessing and a curse at the same time, but Lady Clarence wasn't attracted to me at all."

His cousin's brows knitted in confusion.

"Perhaps, she preferred extremely masculine men similar to a barbaric warrior," Apollyon said as his eyes strayed on the river.

He continued with nonchalance, "—but still that didn't explain that the Lady-of-the-Manor wouldn't greet a significant guest like the Vampire King."

Brief crescents of yellow, green, and red as fishes leaped into the water surface as they swam snd the billions of drops of water moving together were relaxing and hypnotic chimes to his ears.

"I find it strange that I haven't seen her around."

"We just have too many empty rooms. That's why you hadn't seen her." Prince Aspen had lowered his voice that it sounded like a growl, "I told you I had no problem with providing a place to stay for you and your Envoy."

From the defensiveness Apollyon had heard in his tone, he realized at that moment that annoying his cousin would be his favorite pastime aside from being with his sleeping Empress.

"As the King of the Vampire Realm, that is the bare minimum of what I am asking of you in exchange for asking for my help."

Prince Aspen squinted at him for a long moment.

Apollyon stared back with a nonchalant shrug.

Why would a mere Faerie Prince intimidate him when Apollyon was centuries older than this brat?

He should call Prince Aspen 'brat' sometimes to assert who had the upper hand when it came to power.

"We are helping each other." At that point, Aspen had an inkling that Apollyon was merely provoking him, so he returned to their path, treading into the rich brown and green hues of the forest floors.

Aspen murmured, "I am also helping you to find a possible conjurer who had summoned an Archdemon for this unicorn sacrifice."

A strong gust of wind tousled Apollyon's hair into a bird's nest, complete with the fragrant leaves gracing his silky locks.

He smirked. "Touché."

A milky white mist had settled over them.

Apollyon had lit three light orbs floating above Prince Aspen's head for their convenience.

He couldn't speak for Prince Aspen, though, so he might as well aid his host.

Apollyon wanted to ask why they were hiking deep into the woods for thirty minutes to meet the captive when his cousin had told him that his sentinels had put him to prison.

Well, he hadn't seen how a faerie prison looked like and if they were settled deep into the forest.

Apollyon snapped impatiently, "Are we there yet?"

"You will surely know when we get there, cousin." Prince Aspen sighed. "You don't know how to be patient."

"If I am not patient, I should have killed you by now, Aspen, and your mother and your father and your sister and your butler or anyone I might cross paths with and set me off with the slightest of words."

"You are annoyed."

The Faerie Prince was best at stating the obvious.

"Yes, I am triggered by the word 'patient.'" His lips pressed into a white slash. "I had waited for my wife to come back for years, and if that isn't patient enough for you, then I should probably kill—"

Prince Aspen had understood and abruptly changed the subject. "We should plan a strategy on how to deal with the captive."

The sky had almost vanished as they went even deeper.

He began, "Faeries are bound to speak only the literal truth."