Page 96 of Bitten

Chapter Twelve

Meeting a stranger…

Hours later, they were back in Ralnur’s room—he and Caelian. The king hadn’t liked the idea, but ultimately relented once reminded the room was warded and guarded—and that Caelian had, in fact, not been charged with any crime, but needed to remain close as he had information about Kane.

Luckily, the king had also allowed him to release Kane’s gem. It now resided in Noah’s possession.

Once Caelian had showered and dressed in some of Ralnur’s clothing, he lay across the bed and rested—in Ralnur’s arms. There, he relayed the entire story, to both him and Theis, who had remained to collect information.

“And you have no name for this vampire who threatened you?” Theis asked incredulously.

“There’s power in a name,” Ralnur said to Theis. “You know how reticent vampires are to offer one up.”

“How did you know to be afraid of him if you didn’t even know who he was?” Theis asked Caelian.

“You’re a shifter. You can likely go toe to toe with a vampire. Me? I’m a mutt. A little Fae, a dash of human, and some elf. Any vampire who comes up to me and says he’s going to kill me—yeah, I shut up and assume he’s going to do just that, name or no name.”

“Point taken,” Theis said, scribbling something in his notes.

“And all you did was cut the chain and steal his amulet and he went nuts?” Theis asked.

“Yeah,” Caelian said.

“We need to find out where this amulet came from—and how it holds back his bloodlust—and if it can work again.” Ralnur sighed. “Or if he’s lost to us.”

“If they’ll let me go back to the library, I can research it,” Caelian said.

“If only I could go with you,” Ralnur said. His mind went back to the amulet. He knew it would sap his powers. “Can you ask for the king?” he asked Theis.

“You won’t get another field trip, trust me,” Theis said.

“We might be able to save Kane with that amulet. Before we do more harm, we need to see if it will work.”

“I’ll ask, but don’t get your hopes up,” Theis said. “And I have a few more questions.” He turned to Caelian. “How did the fight with Cannon start?” Theis asked.

“He wanted the amulet,” Caelian answered.

Theis frowned. “I thought you had the amulet.”

“I did. And I gave it to Cannon.”

Theis eyed the elf. “Why did you give it to Cannon?”

Caelian was silent a moment. Ralnur sensed there was something the elf didn’t want to share. “Theis can be trusted,” he whispered. Ralnur lifted a stare and met Theis’. “He’s always been fair to me.”

Caelian met his stare before turning his face back to Theis. “Cannon’s working with the vampires.”

Theis frowned, shaking his head vehemently. “No.”

“Yes,” Caelian said. “How do you think the vampires got to me in the library to give me those instructions? Cannon allowed them to find me. I could’ve been killed right then and there. When the vampires left, he admitted it. He had no shame. He said the vampires would win this war—and that they had a long reach within the law and could get to me if didn’t do exactly as they said.” Caelian sat up. “I’m likely not safe here. Neither is Kane.”

“I can’t believe that,” Theis said. “I’ve worked with Cannon for nearly a decade.”

“He’s a pig,” Caelian said.

Theis sighed. “But he’s always done his job.”

“He rarely served the king directly,” Ralnur said. “Why was that?”

---