Chapter 241 — The Vampire King

Chapter 241: Chapter 241 — The Vampire King

~ Raven ~

Raven had absolutely no idea what was happening to her.

The strange warmth spreading through her chest had begun to subside, but it hadn’t disappeared completely, and having four powerful men staring at her with glowing eyes certainly wasn’t helping matters.

Cassian was the first to recover, his silver gaze gradually returning to normal as he approached her. His attention moved from the fading markings beneath her collarbone to her face, and Raven could see the concern replacing his earlier anger.

"Raven, are you alright?"

"I think so," she murmured, although she wasn’t particularly convinced herself.

Dante moved closer from the opposite side, his expression troubled as he glanced toward the two vampires. "Just what the fuck was that?"

Raven wished she knew.

She’d experienced something similar with Cassian and Dante during their previous training session, but this had been considerably more intense, and the fact that Sevrin and Bastien had reacted in exactly the same way made absolutely no sense.

Her attention returned to Sevrin, who was watching her with an expression she hadn’t seen on him since their encounter began.

For once, the bastard wasn’t smiling.

His eyes had returned to normal, although Raven noticed something peculiar about them now that she could see him more clearly.

The crimson colour was concentrated entirely within his irises, contrasting with the whites of his eyes and giving him a rather striking appearance.

She found herself studying them for a moment longer than necessary before catching herself.

Goddess, what the hell was wrong with her?

Sevrin seemed to notice her attention, and the familiar amusement slowly returned to his face as his gaze drifted toward her collarbone.

"Well," he murmured, "you’re becoming considerably more interesting by the minute."

Raven frowned at him. "Don’t even start."

His smile widened, but Bastien stepped forward before he could respond.

"Sevrin, enough."

Bastien sounded considerably less composed than he had few moments earlier, although he appeared determined to regain control of the situation.

Raven glanced toward him and found herself momentarily distracted.

His eyes had also returned to normal, but she could still remember the remarkable green glow surrounding them.

It had been so unexpected, especially on someone with Bastien’s imposing features, and Raven couldn’t deny that the colour had suited him rather beautifully.

Oh, for Goddess’s sake.

She was seriously beginning to worry about herself.

Bastien noticed her looking at him, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Something shifted in his expression before he cleared his throat and looked away, his jaw tightening as though he was struggling with something he couldn’t quite understand.

Raven found that strangely reassuring.

At least she wasn’t the only one having trouble making sense of what had happened.

Cassian, however, looked anything but reassured.

His gaze moved from Sevrin to Bastien before settling on Raven again, and she could almost see the questions gathering behind his expression.

She knew that look well enough by now, and considering what had just happened, she had a terrible feeling he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d figured out why the two vampires had reacted to her Mark.

Dante appeared to be thinking along similar lines, although his irritation was considerably more obvious.

He folded his arms and turned toward Sevrin. "Whatever the fuck just happened, you had better not have caused it."

Sevrin raised an eyebrow, looking almost offended by the suggestion. "You seem rather determined to blame me for everything today, Prymont."

"Considering what you did to her earlier, can you blame me?"

"Gentlemen," Bastien interrupted, stepping between them before another argument could begin, "we’ve already caused enough trouble."

Raven couldn’t have agreed more.

Unfortunately, that was precisely when several voices sounded from beyond the entrance.

"Over here!"

Footsteps followed, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of people approaching in considerable numbers, and Raven turned toward the doorway just as several unfamiliar figures entered the training court.

Their formal uniforms and distinctive insignias made it obvious that they belonged to the visiting delegation, although Raven barely had time to examine them before another group of officials followed.

And standing at the front, wearing an expression Raven recognized far too well, was the Headmaster.

Oh, fuck.

The woman’s gaze swept across the court, taking in the damaged stone, the lingering traces of elemental essence, and the three Cardinals who had been fighting only moments earlier.

Her expression darkened.

"What," she asked slowly, "is going on here?"

Nobody answered immediately.

The Headmaster looked toward Cassian, then Dante, before her attention settled on Sevrin.

"Sevrin Veyrholt."

The vampire inclined his head with a politeness Raven found thoroughly insulting, considering everything he’d just done.

"Headmaster."

"You were instructed to remain with your delegation until your official arrival."

"Yes, I seem to remember something about that."

Bastien closed his eyes briefly, looking as though he was struggling to believe the bastard had actually said that.

The Headmaster didn’t look particularly amused either.

Then her gaze moved farther across the court and landed directly on Raven.

For a moment, the woman simply stared at her.

Raven recognized that look immediately.

It was the same expression she’d worn during several previous incidents, usually shortly before asking Raven to explain how she’d managed to become involved in yet another disaster.

Oh, for Goddess’s sake.

"Rivers."

Raven immediately raised both hands.

"Before you say anything, I swear I didn’t plan this. I was minding my fucking business when trouble came looking for me this time."

A quiet chuckle escaped Sevrin.

Raven turned and glared at him. "You shut up."

That only made the bastard smile wider.

The Headmaster pressed two fingers against the space between her eyebrows, looking as though a headache was beginning to form.

"Rivers, your language."

"Sorry," Raven muttered, although she wasn’t particularly sorry at all.

The Headmaster regarded her for another moment before turning back toward the Cardinals.

"I was informed that one of our visiting representatives had disappeared from his escort. I did not expect to find him involved in a fight with two of Valerius’s Cardinals before the delegation had even been formally received."

Cassian’s expression hardened.

"He attempted to use mental influence on Raven."

That immediately changed the atmosphere.

Several officials exchanged concerned looks, while the Headmaster’s attention returned to Sevrin with considerably less patience than before.

"Is that true?"

Sevrin’s smile faded slightly as he straightened.

"I used a minor Fascination technique. There was no intention to cause harm."

Raven scoffed. "And yet my head still fucking hurts."

The Headmaster looked toward her again, and Raven made an effort to appear less irritated.

It didn’t work particularly well.

Bastien stepped forward, his expression serious as he addressed the Headmaster.

"I found them after the confrontation had already begun. I can’t speak for everything that happened beforehand, but Sevrin has acknowledged using his ability."

"Then there will be a formal report," the Headmaster replied firmly. "Unauthorized mental influence against one of my students is not something I intend to overlook."

Raven felt a small measure of satisfaction at that.

Finally.

Someone with authority who understood that the bastard couldn’t simply interfere with people’s heads whenever he felt like it.

Unfortunately, the matter was far from settled.

The officials near the entrance suddenly began moving aside, and Raven noticed several of the visiting vampires lowering their heads respectfully.

A strange silence spread through the gathering as a man entered the court, his unhurried steps drawing the attention of everyone present.

He was tall and strikingly pale, with dark hair carefully drawn back from a face so sharply defined that Raven found herself studying him before she could stop.

His formal black attire was decorated with subtle crimson embroidery, although there was nothing excessive about his appearance. He wore no elaborate display of wealth, and the dark, almost ruby-like stone resting against his chest was the only ornament that immediately caught Raven’s attention.

Yet something about him made every other vampire in the room seem considerably less imposing.

He moved with the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed, and the men accompanying him maintained a respectful distance that spoke more clearly of his position than any introduction could have.

Bastien immediately straightened, while Sevrin’s amusement disappeared so quickly that Raven almost laughed.

If even Sevrin Veyrholt had decided to behave himself, whoever had just entered was someone she probably didn’t want to offend.

One of the visiting officials bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty."

Raven froze.

Your Majesty?

Her gaze returned to the newcomer, and her stomach tightened as the realization finally struck.

Oh, Goddess.

The Vampire King.