Page 72 of The Hellbeast's Betrayal

As for the rest of the room, there was Marcus who looked relieved to see me. Asher, who also gave me a nod in acknowledgement, relief also painted his expression. Then there was Lucius at the head of the table with Amelia now sitting next to him. Tyr was also there, as well as Clay, and lastly a man I only vaguely recognized. A man that looked to be of Persian descent with a warm bronze skin tone and long dark hair that was currently tied back, often like I wore my own. Light olive-green eyes flickered amber at the centers in the candle light that hung from the ceiling in glass cages. His full lips smirked as I assessed him, prompting his brother to say,

“Jared, this is my brother, Dariush, you have him to thank for getting you out of there in time.”

Koro cleared his throat, making Lucius add with a smirk,

“And our Gypsy King of course.”

At this my shock showed, as my gaze snapped to find him looking smug.

“You saved me?” I asked in astonishment.

“Oh, the irony, HellBeast,” he replied with a wink, making Lerna scold him, something he didn’t look to take too seriously.

“Okay, back up, can someone please explain what happened?” I said, making Lucius hold out his hand, inviting my brother and I to take the last two empty seats. One of which was at the other end of the table. A seat that I knew technically should have been reserved for his Queen. But this was Lucius we were talking about here. Meaning I knew how obsessed he was with his wife, so I doubted he wanted her to be that far away from him. Something I could relate to as I was the same with Ella.

I took the seat, with my brother sitting on my right and Marcus on my left. The chairs were black, gothic, and grand with their high spiraled carved backs. The table in between was like black glass had been melted over an existing wooden table, as the grain could be seen slightly through the top.

“Well?” I asked, prompting them to start, with Koro speaking first.

“After Ella cut her hand, I soaked it up, not wanting anymore to spill incase our fears were founded, something that transpired that they were,” Koro said, before placing his hand on the table and making the lengths of his bindings snake out beneath his sleeve. Instantly, they went to Lerna, as if attracted to her, making her giggle as they played with her fingers, wrapping themselves around them.

“Once they have tasted blood, they don’t forget it, and Ella happened to have quite a bit of your blood in her system, having recently fed from you, I assume?”

I nodded, confirming this.

“As soon as you spilled your blood, the spell Lerna and I had cast on Ella registered as being the same blood I had wiped away. Only a portal didn’t open, meaning we knew it must have been yours.”

I then looked to Lucius as he continued.

“Koro was already with me, as I had already been on my way to the ruins of Lúpe when he told me what happened. My brother here has a special gift that not many know about and therefore we would like to keep it that way.”

“Go on,” I prompted, as the Vampire knew I wasn’t one to spill anyone’s secrets.

“He can create portals, but to bring someone through, he must have a link to where they are if he hasn’t been there before, and your blood was that link, one Koro was able to provide.”

I released a sigh.

“And you three?” I asked, looking to Marcus, Tyr, and finally my brother.

“Once my brother had opened the portal, he recognized the castle from the color of the stone, seeing it through the gateway himself, so he created one above the mountain,” Lucius told me, making me look to his brother.

“I then searched for a way inside, after being told that there should be four of you,” Dariush added, making me look to Orthrus before he told me,

“This guy then pops up above us and tells us to climb up, telling me my brother needs me.”

“After that, we each took a trip on the Kingdom of Blood and Death express and ended up here,” Marcus added, making Tyr agree.

“What they all said.”

“And as for you, HellBeast, and the sorry state in which you arrived in, I had a witch I know help aid you in your healing, as you were losing more blood than your body could regenerate, which means you would have most certainly died,” Lucius added, this knowledge another bitter sting I was forced to swallow.

“I found bandages,” Amelia popped her hand up to say, making Lucius grin down at her.

“Yes, you did, and amazingly, in the bag Nero told you they were in,” he teased, making her stick her tongue out at him. Something he would have killed others for. Of course, he did pretend to try and bite it off, making his brother Dariush groan and roll his eyes.

“Gods they are at it again. Seriously, brother, I remember when you used to be the most feared ruler of this land.”

To which Lucius smirked and after picking up Amelia’s fingers and kissing the tips of them, one by one, he said,

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