Just Breath

That damn wolf will be the death of me, my own greed and jealousy got in the way. I asked her to choose between soulmates. When I brought her home, he was an unexpected snag in my plans. Then I thought it best to use him to protect her when I couldn’t. Now he is doing nothing but causing problems. Caroline was supposed to belong to me, and I had no intention of sharing her. Now it looks like I won't have a choice. I could just wait a few hundred years for the wolf to die off.

No that won't work, I am a patient man, but I want her too much to wait that long. I make my way back to the ballroom. The corridor is slender and softly illuminated, where trembling flames from candles set in elaborate holders throw dancing silhouettes against the walls. Majestic gothic vaults rise above, while the echo of their steps reverberates off the stony ground. This place hasn't changed in years. I see Deaken in the corner. I glance around for Caroline only to realize she isn’t with him.

My steps speed up as I approach him, “Deaken where is Lady Caroline?”

He looked at me perplexed, “I thought she was with you.”

“God damn it Deaken, I gave you one fucking job.” I seethed at him, “Do you have any idea how much danger she's in right now!” I said in a hushed yell. I looked around to find my father's eyes on us, no doubt listening to every word.

He took a swig of his drink, “I last saw her with you in the hallway. She didn’t seem like she needed me with your hands down her dress.” He said with his jaw clinched tight.

“I only keep you around to keep her safe dog, so do as your told.” I poked him in the chest.

He growled out, “call me a dog again prince I dare you.”

I let out a long breath taking in the eyes around us. “Now is not the time to be fighting over her, we need to find her before anyone else.”

He finally nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll see if I can locate her by scent. Then you can shadow walk to her.” He closed his eyes taking a deep breath only to shake his head after a moment. “There is to many people here I can’t pinpoint it.”

Fuck, I look back over to my father's throne but he’s no longer in the room. “We need to hurry my father is already on the hunt.”

Deaken gritted his teeth, “you should have never brought her here.”

Tell me something I don’t know; I couldn’t ignore him any longer either. I had hoped there would be safety in numbers. Clearly, I was wrong. Deaken and I take off down the corridor, “I need you to keep trying to locate her it should be easier in the hallway.”

He kept taking deep breaths trying to find her trail as we walked to the place, I had last seen her. As we hastened through the corridor, the air grew colder, the shadows darker. Deaken’s frustration was palpable, his breaths coming in short, sharp bursts as he sought her scent. My patience was growing thin as more time passed, we are at a disadvantage in my father's home.

“I can’t… It’s like she’s vanished into thin air,” Deaken muttered, his voice laced with a mix of anger and concern.

I stopped abruptly, my eyes narrowing. “No, not vanished. Hidden. She’s still here; I can feel it. We need to think like her, anticipate her moves. Where would she go to feel safe?”

Deaken paused, considering my words. “The library,” he said finally. “She always found solace among the books. It’s secluded, quiet. Dose your father have one?”

Without another word, we turned towards the library, our pace quickening. I could sense the urgency; my father was a relentless hunter, and if we didn’t find Caroline first, the consequences would be dire.

As we approached the library doors, a faint scent caught Deaken’s attention. “This way,” he whispered, leading us down a hidden passage behind a bookshelf. The scent grew stronger, a mix of lavender and something metallic. A smell I know very well, her blood. We moved swiftly through the serpentine passage, the scent of Caroline’s blood now a guiding beacon in the darkness. My heart raced, not with fear, but with a desperate hope that we were not too late. I couldn’t lose her not like this.

The hidden path opened into a small chamber, where the sight that greeted us was one of both horror and wonder. Caroline lay motionless, her skin ashen, a stark contrast to the vibrant glow emanating from the amulet around her neck. It pulsed with an ethereal light, each beat a whisper of life flowing back into her.

Deaken knelt beside her, his hands hovering over her body, afraid to touch yet longing to help. “The amulet… it’s ancient magic,” he murmured, a mix of awe and dread in his voice.

I crouched down, my gaze fixed on the slowly brightening color returning to Caroline’s cheeks. “It’s her lifeline. She had it on our wedding day too, but it didn’t do this.” he explained, his voice barely above a whisper.

As if summoned by our presence, Caroline’s chest rose with a sudden, sharp intake of breath. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting my eyes with a clarity that belied the brink of death she had just skirted.

“Lord Syndril,” she breathed, her voice a mere thread of sound. “You found me.”

I nodded, my hand finding hers, our fingers intertwining. “Always,” I echoed my earlier promise.

Deaken stood, his senses alert. “We must move. Your magic is strong, but it will not shield her for long.”

With Caroline’s strength returning, we helped her to her feet, the amulet’s glow dimming but still present, a silent sentinel against the darkness. We exited the chamber, I led the way, my mind racing with plans of escape. The library was close, and with it, a myriad of hidden exits only I know. If we could just reach it, we might evade the vampire kings pursuit.