Chapter 222-Not your enemy

Chapter 222: 222-Not your enemy

Snap!

A twig snapped beneath someone’s foot. Varitreya immediately lifted her head, her brows furrowing as she turned toward the sound.

To her surprise, an unexpected visitor stood a short distance away. It was Freya, the grey-haired werewolf dressed in a purple dress and black boots, her expression sour, and her arms crossed tightly over her chest as though she had already regretted coming.

Freya’s gaze shifted, immediately landing on Kayden, who was nestled in Varitreya’s arms.

"Freya..." Varitreya blinked in surprise. "Aren’t you Maisa’s friend? What are you doing here?"

As far as she could remember, the only time she had encountered the girl was during their journey back from Felor. Freya had been with Maisa then, and Varitreya had naturally assumed they were close.

Freya’s expression darkened. "First of all, Maisa and I aren’t friends." She uncrossed her arms and took a step forward. "We’re not even acquaintances."

Her eyes shifted toward Kayden again. "And I’m here for him."

Varitreya instinctively tightened her arms around Kayden, her guard raised against him immediately.

He didn’t trust her, and without knowledge of what truly happened to Kayden, she couldn’t leave him. Her eyes narrowed threateningly at Freya.

"Take another step, and I’ll snap your neck before you even get close to him!" She bared her fangs, her voice dripping with menace.

Freya stopped, but she didn’t retreat. For a few seconds, the two stared at each other in silence before Freya sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Look, I have no problem with either of you. And believe me, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here."

She lowered her gaze and nudged a fallen twig with the toe of her boot. "It’s hot, I’m hungry, and I have better things to do with my time." Her expression twisted into a grimace. "But I have to complete this errand, or else..."

"Or else what?"

Freya’s mouth twitched. "Nmph," she let out a frustrated breath. "I don’t want to find out. His mate is powerful, and I have absolutely no desire to provoke him."

Varitreya froze, her eyes darting toward Kayden before returning to Freya. What was she talking about? Since when did Kayden have a mate, and what did that have to do with his current condition?

"Is his mate the reason he’s like this?" she asked, her voice growing quieter.

Freya shrugged. "I don’t know what happened between them. I don’t know who did what to whom, and frankly, I don’t care enough to investigate."

She kicked another stone, her expression growing increasingly impatient. "All I know is that he sent me to bring Kayden back. He wants him."

Freya paused, then looked directly at the princess. "And believe me, he’s not the kind of man who takes no for an answer. He stops at nothing to get what he wants."

Her eyes flickered toward the unconscious vampire in Varitreya’s arms. "So please. Just hand him over."

Varitreya’s embrace tightened as she looked down at Kayden. He was the only thing she felt she could protect anymore, and with everything else in her life falling apart, he had become the one precious thing she could still hold on to.

Her memories had been stolen, her daughter was missing, and she was surrounded by unanswered questions. She wasn’t about to surrender Kayden to a stranger.

"No," She refused.

Freya’s shoulders slumped. "Princess..."

"He’s staying with me," Varitreya insisted. "I’m not leaving him.

Freya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, his mate..." She hesitated, then shook her head. "Even you, with how powerful you are... can’t take him on."

A sudden shift in the atmosphere silenced her. Someone else had arrived, and she felt it before she saw it.

Varitreya’s head snapped toward the approaching presence, and the moment she saw him, her entire body stiffened. Her breath caught in her throat as, for a brief moment, it felt as though her soul had abandoned her body.

That face, she hadn’t seen it in history books from a thousand years ago in the Palace library. It was Vonvaki Vancrest, her great, great, great ancestor.

The man who should have existed only in the distant memories of the vampire nation stood before her, as though time had never passed.

Freya visibly shuddered and immediately stepped aside, drawing her arms tightly across her chest. Whatever complaints she had about this errand suddenly seemed insignificant.

Vaki’s gaze settled on Varitreya before drifting toward Kayden. A faint smile curved his lips. "That’s true, Freya. Varitreya is no match for me."

His eyes lingered on the unconscious vampire nestled in the Varitreya’s arms. "You’re getting your scent all over him."

His smile remained, but something colder flickered beneath it. "I don’t like that," he expressed and tilted his head to the side. "If you could step away from him and stop leaving your scent all over his body, I might consider overlooking the offence."

The pressure rolling off him was immediate, and Varitreya’s body trembled. Her instincts screamed at her to retreat, lower her head, and get as far away from the man as possible, but she refused to let go of Kayden.

"You hurt him," her voice was unsteady, but she forced herself to meet his eyes. "I don’t trust you with him."

Vaki’s smile faded slightly. "I didn’t hurt him. I swear on my immortality," he took a slow step forward. "And if you give him to me, I’ll return the memories Kheamossa took from you," he paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Every. last. one."

Varitreya’s breath hitched.

Vaki continued, his voice calm and deliberate. "And I’ll take you to your daughter."

The words struck her like ice cold water. Her daughter? The child she had lost before she ever met, and the memories stolen from her.

The missing memories that had left her with nothing but questions and an aching emptiness. For a moment, she nearly forgot the man standing before her.

The offer was too tempting, too cruelly tempting, because it was a doorway to everything she had been searching for: the missing pieces of her past, the truth about her daughter, and the answers to questions that had haunted her for weeks.

"W-why..." Her voice trembled. "Why would you do that?"

Vaki’s expression softened. "Because I’m not your enemy, Varitreya."

She stared at him. She didn’t believe him for one second. "That’s exactly what my enemy would say."

He chuckled softly. "Believe me. I’m not."

Varitreya shook her head, unable to believe him. Not for a second. "If you’re not my enemy, then who is?"

Vaki’s smile slowly widened. "Maisa."

Varitreya blinked. "What?"

"Maisa is your enemy... not me."

The words made no sense. "Maisa?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Why should I believe you? What does Maisa have to do with any of this?"

Her voice rose as the anger she had been suppressing finally surfaced. "You’re the one who kidnapped my child! You’re the one who did who knows what to us!"

Vaki’s expression remained unchanged. "Well, we couldn’t allow Maisa to raise her now, could we?"

Varitreya went still. "Why not?" She asked. "Maisa is the child’s mother. Why can’t she raise her?"

Vaki tilted his head and viewed her with a playful gaze. "Do you know Maisa’s real surname, Varitreya?"

Varitreya’s lips parted. "W-what?"

Vaki snapped his fingers, and the world came crashing down. Memories flooded Varitreya’s mind, bringing back the journey from Felor, the faces she had seen, and the conversations she had forgotten. The days that had been stolen from her returned all at once, crashing into her consciousness with such force that she staggered.

Her arms loosened around Kayden, and her breathing became ragged. The confusion that had haunted her for so long began to dissolve, replaced by a horrifying clarity, and then came the anger, the betrayal, and the hatred.

"Everheart..." she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Maisa is an Everheart."

The name settled heavily in her mind, and she remembered everything. "She’s..." Her voice broke. "She’s a vampire hunter."

Her heart twisted painfully as the truth sank in. The girl she had come to know, the girl she had trusted, and the girl she had thought was simply Maisa was an Everheart. A vampire hunter.

Varitreya’s hands trembled before she could gather herself, Vaki stepped forward and gently took Kayden from her arms. She didn’t resist; she couldn’t, not while her mind was still drowning in memories.

Vaki held Kayden securely, then turned away. "A plan is already in motion to wipe out the vampire hunters," his voice carried through the clearing.

He glanced over his shoulder. "If you want to be part of it, follow me."

His gaze shifted toward Freya, motioning to her that it was time to go. "And if you don’t, you’re free to go wherever you wish, Varitreya."

Vaki began walking. Freya followed immediately, not daring to question him.

Varitreya remained where she sat. The palace, she couldn’t return to the palace. If she went back and stood before Maisa again with all those memories restored, she wasn’t sure she could stop herself from killing the girl. The thought terrified her, but there were still unanswered questions she needed to confront.

She needed to know about the week of hearts and how she and her mates got to bring a child into the world and what was going on.

So, she slowly rose to her feet, her hands curling into fists. Then, without looking back at the place she had been sitting, she began walking after them.

She needed answers, and this time, she would uncover the truth herself. Whatever it cost her!

"I’m in," Varitreya let out. "Maisa and her hunter family are going to burn!"