The girls being defenseless, opened a window of opportunity for the vampire. Still, before he could harm the girls further, the servant, a nimble and agile woman, engaged in another fierce fight with him. She darted and weaved, her movements fluid and calculated. The vampire, relentless, matched her every step. Their clash of skill and determination echoed through the cave. Though the servant fought with unwavering resolve, her opponent proved to be a formidable foe. The vampire's fangs grazed her arm, drawing blood, while her strikes failed to find their mark. Despite her injuries, the servant pressed on.
In a moment of both desperation and defiance, the servant lunged at the vampire, sacrificing herself to provide an opening for Queen Clara. The vampire, taken by surprise, momentarily faltered, allowing the Queen to deliver a devastating scratch with her claws. With a final, primal howl, the vampire's life force dissipated.
The cave fell into a solemn stillness, broken only by the labored breaths of the Queen. Clara turned back into her human form, her body battered and bloodied, and approached the girls. Eliana had gained her strength again and crawled toward Georgina, who was still unconscious. Shaking her friend by the shoulders, Georgina slowly opened her eyes, looking at Eliana confused. "What happened?"
"Goodness, Gio, you scared me. The vampire kicked us, and we flew into the wall." She hugged her friend tightly, almost suffocating her. "Eli, I can't breathe."
"Oh, I am so sorry. Let me see how badly your head is hurt." Pulling Georgina's head, she turned her head left and right but only found a little bump in the back that was a little dredged. "Alright, that doesn't look too serious."
"Thank god because if you keep on turning my head like this, I might lose it." Georgina tried to lighten up the mood, but Eliana glared at her for being silly at such a moment.
Satisfied with her inspection, Eliana moved on to Clara, who could barely sit next to them. She moved to her side to support her in case she needed it. "Clara, you are badly wounded. Aren't you supposed to heal quickly?" Eliana asked, troubled.
"Yes, usually werewolves do unless the wounds are from vampire claws or teeth. Then it takes longer, which is why they are our mortal enemies."
"Alright then, we stay here and rest until you feel better."
"No, we cannot do that. More vampires might be coming, and I cannot fight many more." She smiled bitterly, ashamed that her powers were not what they used to be. Glancing over to the dead servants, who had saved the girls by paying the ultimate price, the Queen felt a mix of grief and gratitude.
Eliana and Georgina exchanged looks, assessing what to do next. Still looking at her friend, Georgina finally announced their next step. "I will quickly go check if the camels are still outside. If so, we will leave right away, taking you on one of our animals."
The Queen leaned back onto the stone wall and nodded, eyes closed, obviously exhausted from the events. Georgina didn't waste any time and went to check for the camels, which luckily were right where they had left them. As decided before, the three mounted two camels and sat the Queen in front of Eliana. It didn't sit well with them to leave behind the bodies of the servants, so they bound them on one of the camels to carry them back home and give them a proper burial.
The ride was long and troublesome. Besides some minor sandstorms, they also had no water or food and were tired from the long day. It was worse for Clara, who was struggling with the pain due to her injuries, but somehow, they managed to return home when the sky turned dark. As soon as the guards by the entrance to the city discovered them riding through the desert toward Lothaire, they sent three soldiers to help them and notified Damien immediately. It didn't take him long to meet them halfway and carry his mother to her chambers.
The servants cared for the dead and helped Eliana and Georgina bathe and change into clean clothes. They sat outside on their balconies, speaking of the events they had endured, when someone knocked on Eliana's door. "Uhh, let me guess, Damien came to check if you are alright." Georgina teased Eliana winking at her, whose face turned red. Nevertheless, she went to open the door but closed the balcony door first so that Georgina wouldn't listen to their conversation.
Opening the door, Eliana was surprised to find a servant standing before her instead of Damien and was asked to see the crown prince in his study right this instance. It was already late and inappropriate for Eliana to meet him so officially, but she couldn't refuse either, so she abided. Suddenly feeling as if something was wrong and standing before his study's grand, metal, and intimidating door, she became reluctant to knock and enter. As she had no other choice, though, she did precisely that, and when his voice resonated dominantly from inside the room, bidding her to enter, she confirmed that this would not be one of their pleasant conversations.
Upon entering, she slowly approached his desk, glancing around the room, which she had seen the first time. It had ornate furnishings and towering bookshelves, making it look cozy and intimidating at the same time. Reaching his desk, she smiled faintly and asked him about his mother. "Hello, Dame, how is your mother doing?" but the minute he looked up from his papers, she could read the anger in his eyes. Was he angry with her? But why? She hadn't done anything wrong.
"This is official business, so please call me by my name Eliana." He had never spoken to her so harshly that it made her turn stiff. 'That is how fast he could change his behavior. Of course, someone like him wouldn't be nice to her forever. Sooner or later, they all turned against her except for Georgina.' Eliana thought to herself with disappointment.
"Please sit down and explain to me exactly what happened today." His stern attitude made her utterly uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but stutter. "O- of course." She illustrated in detail what had occurred, and Damien listened patiently.
"Hmm, I understand. Thank you for telling me all of it. But I have one last question for you, and I was hoping you could tell me the truth. Did you know those vampires? Are they old acquaintances from Paxos who followed you here?"
His question dumbstruck Eliana and made her eyes widen. 'Did he suspect her to have planned this?' "I am not sure I understand Damien. Are you suggesting that we are complicit to what happened today?"
"I think I was clear enough. Now please answer."
Tears started to form in Eliana's eyes, but she forced herself to control her emotions. "No, I didn't know them, and Georgina didn't either." Damien could see that she was holding back her tears and felt terrible about interrogating her so roughly, but he had never seen his mother in such a state and had been scared to death that she would die. If he lost her because of his mate, he would never be able to forgive himself. He had been too trusting because, as a human, Eliana didn't feel the same pull and wasn't in love with him yet, so she could still do as she pleased and even hurt him if she wanted to. His bond with Eliana might have blinded him regarding her true nature.
Additionally, the thought of anybody daring to take his mate away from him churned his stomach. What would he do if the vampires came for the girls, and they had been complicit in it? Could he punish Eliana, even if she is his mate? Another option that would turn his world upside down was that if she knew one of them and wanted him to come to Agora, that would mean they were close. So, no matter the case, they all sounded horrific to him, making him unreasonable.
As Damon only looked at her accusingly, not reacting to what she said, Eliana stood up abruptly, drawing his attention back to her. "I know we don't know each other long, but I thought you could have known this much. I would never ever hurt anyone purposefully. NEVER EVER! The least your mother who has been gracious enough to take us in as guests. Moreover, she is YOUR mother, meaning I would not only NEVER stab you from the back like this, but also I would rather die protecting her than harm her." A tear rolled down her right cheek ever so slowly, portraying her shattered state.
Observing her made him realize that he had gone too far. It seemed like she was sincere in what she said. Not only did she genuinely look hurt about his suspicions but she also implied that she would never want to hurt him. Damien was about to apologize, "I-" but was interrupted by her. "If all is clear now, my crown prince, I would like to ask permission to rest, please." She curtsied, looking down at the floor, barely keeping her tears at bay, until he agreed. "Sure, you may go now." And so, she left the room and started running down the corridors until she reached her room. Throwing herself on her bed, she cried herself to sleep that night.
He could hear her quick footsteps and felt guilty about what he had done. Damien knew she was too emotional to receive his apology tonight, so he decided to speak to her the following day. Thinking about how to approach her, he went to bed as well but had difficulties falling asleep, profoundly regretting his behavior. If the girls had nothing to do with the attack, that meant the vampires got through the barrier and almost hurt his mate. As soon as Simon was back, they would have to investigate further.