Chapter 86-She came for her

Chapter 86: 86-She came for her

Nersus felt Varitreya and Kayden before he saw them. The sensation arrived as a disturbance in the strange silence of the Dark Forest, a pressure moving through the ancient magic that clung to every tree and root.

Two powerful presences had entered the prison, and there was no mistaking what they were. One aura was unmistakably whiteblood of royal bloodline; it was cold, immense, and commanding, the kind of presence that made the very atmosphere seem to straighten around it.

The other force, Kayden’s, was almost as overwhelming, but it was entirely different from the first. Where the other presence felt regal and commanding, Kayden’s was cold, sharp, and edged with a threatening aura that was both magnetic and warm.

Under normal circumstances, he would have regarded such a presence as a potential threat. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, his heart suddenly began pounding against his ribs.

Then, without warning, a flash of white light streaked across his vision so quickly that Maisa didn’t notice it. At the same instant, a thunderous voice echoed inside his mind, leaving him stunned. ’Zing... Mate!’

Nersus stopped beside an ancient mapple tree and glanced over his shoulder. He felt Kayden and what the boy meant to him and pushed it away, brushing it off.

A small smile touched his face as his eyes landed on Maisa. ’Just like my True Heart,’ he thought with pride. His eyes shifted toward the direction of Maisa to get an even better view. ’You’ve got the princess breaking rules for you so soon,’ a smile crossed his lips.

There was almost amusement in his expression. He had known something was different about the girl from the moment he had found her. No ordinary newly turned vampire would have survived the things she had survived inside the forest, much less possess whatever strange connection she carried within her.

Now, the arrival of two whitebloods confirmed that there was far more to Maisa than she understood. ’I definitely made the right bet turning you into a vampire, Maisa Everheart!’

But that thought quickly gave way to caution. He couldn’t let Varitreya find him, or his plans would be ruined. He had done his job and protected his pawn. Now it was time to take a step back and watch the show from the shadows.

Whatever brought the princess into the Dark Forest, Nersus didn’t intend to stand around and become part of that confrontation. He turned back toward Maisa, forcing his expression into something casual.

"I need to check something. Stay here, I’ll be right back," he said even though he had no intentions of coming back.

Maisa frowned. She got up to suggest they go together. "What? Where are you going?"

"Nothing dangerous. I just have to gather more herbs for our protection," he said. That answer earned him a sceptical look.

Maisa was wondering, wouldn’t it save trouble if they both went in search of more herbs together?

Nersus shrugged. "Stay here. I’ll be back."

Maisa glanced toward the surrounding trees. "You know this place better than I do. If you need to go somewhere, fine. Just don’t disappear."

"I won’t," he promised, his fingers crossed behind his back. It wasn’t time for his identity to be revealed yet, so he couldn’t return... yet.

He walked away. At first, his pace was ordinary like a blackblood whose powers had been stripped by the rule of the Dark Forest. Then he reached a bend between two enormous trees, looked back one final time, and vanished in frightening speed.

Maisa stared after him. "Nersus?" She called out to see if he could still hear her. ℴℴ𝘮

When she didn’t receive a reply, she sighed, tightening her grip around the crude rod she’d been carrying. "Of course he left."

She turned, intending to follow after him for safety reasons, but a sound stopped her.

She heard footsteps approaching in the opposite direction. Each measured step seemed unnaturally loud in the silence, echoing through the darkness and setting her nerves on edge.

Her mind immediately conjured images of the countless monsters said to dwell within the prison, and a cold shiver travelled down her spine. She couldn’t tell what was coming, only that whatever it was, she didn’t want to meet it alone but if it came for her, she was prepared to fight with everything she had.

Every instinct she’d inherited from years of hunting snapped awake. Maisa spun around and raised the rod in a defensive pose.

Her heart hammered. The trees seemed to close around her as a figure emerged from the shadows. White clothing appeared first. It was the first thing she saw before the wavy silver-white hair, and then, her eyes landed on those unmistakable white eyes.

Maisa’s breath caught. "Varitreya..."

The princess stopped several paces away, her gaze immediately dropping to the weapon in Maisa’s hands. One eyebrow rose. "I hope you have a better plan than a rod if you mean to come at me."

Maisa’s fingers slowly loosened around the rod. It slipped from her grasp and landed softly in the grass, forgotten the instant it left her hand. For several long seconds, she simply stood there, staring at the princess without moving, as though her mind had abruptly forgotten what it was supposed to do.

She had imagined seeing Varitreya again so many times during her lonely hours in the prison that she’d stopped trusting the thought. She had imagined hearing her voice, seeing her face, feeling the strange certainty that came whenever one of her mates was near.

But none of those imagined moments she had thought of as she talked herself into accepting her fate to stay in that god-forsaken place had prepared her for the reality.

Varitreya was there. The otherworldly princess had actually come into the Dark Forest. She had really come for her.

Something inside Maisa broke loose at the realization. All the fear, loneliness, and desperate hope she had been forcing down for what felt like an eternity surged to the surface at once. Before she could stop herself or even think about what she was doing, her feet moved, and she ran.

"Varitreya!"

The princess barely had time to react before Maisa reached her and threw her arms around her, holding on with desperate strength. The sudden impact made Varitreya stagger half a step, but she immediately caught Maisa around the waist, steadying her before she could stumble.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Maisa simply clung to her, overwhelmed by the sheer relief of finally seeing a familiar face in a place that had felt impossibly dark and hostile.

Varitreya could feel the tremor running through her and tightened her hold instinctively, silently reassuring her that she wasn’t alone anymore.

Maisa buried her face against Varitreya’s shoulder. "I thought no one would know I was missing," she whispered shakily. "I thought no one would come looking for me."

Varitreya went completely still. For several seconds, she had no idea how to respond to Maisa. It wasn’t as though she was accustomed to showing up for people, nor had she ever been particularly good at having someone show up for her.

She knew how to command, how to argue, and how to maintain the composed expression expected of a princess. But this? Someone throwing themselves into her arms without hesitation, clinging to her as though her arrival alone had been enough to make everything right? She had no idea what to do with that.

She had come into the Dark Forest prepared to be angry. She had rehearsed the questions in her head during the entire journey; the first being what Maisa had possibly been thinking when she stepped into forbidden territory, followed by a dozen others about the danger she had put herself in.

She had intended to demand an explanation from the reckless redblood and make it very clear how furious she was.

She hadn’t expected Maisa to run toward her the moment she appeared. She certainly hadn’t expected her to throw her arms around her and hold on with such desperate strength, as though letting go wasn’t an option.