Chapter 16: Concealing the Corpse

WILLOW

As darkness descends, Lira, Kaiser, Willow, and Lyric rendezvous with Boris in the infirmary. Lira weaves a spell of invisibility around the group, ensuring they can transport Andrei to the crypt on the Royal Pack grounds without detection.

They move silently through the pack, smoothly wheeling his gurney along the path that leads to the cemetery.

The grand stone crypt stands majestically at the heart of the cemetery. Its doors are shut tight, but Boris knows the code to unlock them.

Inside, the crypt is ancient, shrouded in darkness and dampness.

Boris thinks ahead and brings candles, which he lights as they guide the gurney inside. The crypt is furnished with a cot, two chairs, a small table, and a bedside stand complete with a pitcher of water and a washbasin.

Clean sheets, pillows, and a blanket are neatly folded on the cot, accompanied by a towel and washcloth. Willow spots a duffle bag resting on the floor next to the cot.

“I packed some essentials for you, so you’d be comfortable. You’ll need to show up at the castle daily to avoid arousing suspicion, but I know you prefer lounging in sweats,” Lyric informs her.

“I also expect you to have at least one meal a day at the castle. We can justify your absences as duty for the rest, but maintaining good relations with our allies is crucial.”

“I’m okay with that, Mom. As long as I can secure the crypt when I leave. Moving through the pack as smoke will be a breeze.”

“I trust the leaders who are coming here, but they might unknowingly harbor spies in their ranks,” Kaiser warns the room.

“I can place a ward on the crypt to deter people. It will make them think they’re smelling something foul and give them a sick, uneasy feeling,” Lira suggests.

“Yes, do that. I’ll meet you all for breakfast in the morning. I’m going to set up the cot and connect with my team. I’ll run a perimeter check and handle security. They need to understand we’ll be busy with extra guests in the coming days,” Willow says as she tucks Andrei in and begins to prepare her cot.

Her mother lends a hand, and they quickly get it done. Lira sets up the wards in and around the crypt, and Boris gives Willow the entry code. They kiss her forehead and quietly exit the crypt as Lira whispers a goodnight.

“Tobias and the Fae will arrive tomorrow too. I received a message just after dinner. They’re a powerful magical force, love. They can help secure our perimeters by creating impenetrable vines and trees,” Lyric tells her, kissing her cheek and wishing her a good rest.

Then the double doors close, leaving Willow alone with Andrei. She stands by his gurney, gently lifting his eyelids. She gazes into his icy blue eyes and smiles.

“Genisis, can I reach him through the mate bond?”

“~Yes. I opened it so that we both could speak to him. Just remind him to think softly. He gets excited and tends to…well, not yell, but think loudly?~”

I chuckle. “That makes sense. Especially if he’s not used to communicating through mind-link.”

I pull up a chair and sit closer. I let my mind follow the link to his brain and feel him. He’s silent. Waiting. No thoughts or dreams are flowing through him.

“Andrei, it’s Willow. I need to update you on what’s happening. We moved you from the infirmary to a crypt here on the Royal Pack grounds. It’s an old ancestral crypt of some long-forgotten relative of ours, I’m sure.

“Anyway, I’ll be staying here with you whenever I can. I have a cot set up to sleep, and the door is coded, so no one can just walk in. Also, Lira masked your scent and put up wards to keep people from wandering over here. It’s the safest we could come up with.

“I don’t know who can be trusted. Not fully anyway. We have spies everywhere, so it stands to reason King Mihai would as well. I will make these reports to you daily if I can, but I may need to travel with my team as well to gather more intel and protect other packs.

“The vampires have been systematically targeting the smaller packs lately. They’re also hitting smaller human settlements. We’ve received reports of two small villages where the entire population was killed. Their necks were bitten, and they were drained of blood.

“They’re drawing more and more attention to themselves, and we can’t keep it quiet much longer. Granted, they’re isolated villages, but these people have families. We’re trying to send as many as we can spare to these outlying areas to protect the people living there, but the vampires move quickly and unpredictably.

“I may need to track them myself. If I leave, I’ll have Mom and Lira look after you.”

~

I pat his chest as I speak.

“Will you take a team?” he asks me.

“Always. My guys are the best,” I reply, my voice filled with a smile.

“From what I’ve seen, you’re the best. Be careful. My brother is not right in the head. He was never a good man. Even when he was human, he was a killer. That’s why my father chose him. He enjoys the killing. He enjoys playing in the blood. It’s a sport for him. Just like it was for my father.”

“So…if we come across a lot of blood and obvious torture, then we can assume it’s him?” I ask, recalling one or two reports of bloodbaths at some of the scenes.

“Mihai loves to bathe in the blood of his victims. He believes it gives him power. It’s his sickness. It’s…repulsive and abhorrent.”

“I’ll examine the reports more closely. I might be able to track him better this way. Follow his path and catch him off guard. This might be the only way to stop him. Use his sickness against him.” An idea begins to form in my mind.

“Please be careful, Willow. He’s not like other vampires. He’s the king now. Aside from me, he’s the strongest of our kind. He’s also very cunning.”

I pat his shoulder and press a soft kiss to his cheek. “You rest. I’ll be right here all night.”

He closes his eyes, and I move to my cot. I settle in and lay back on my pillow, my mind buzzing with plans.

Tomorrow, I’ll pore over the numerous reports and try to track this monster.