A Shade of Vampire 79 A Game of Death - Bella Forrest Page 0,76

Petra. To our surprise, Prince Thayen, the only son of Acheron and Danika, had been allowed to dine with us, since it was a restricted circle. Not even Zoltan was present—that didn’t really bother me, if I were to be honest. There was something about the chief councilor that irked me beyond belief. Maybe it had to do with his persistence with regards to Nethissis’s cause of death, his insistence that it had been a fox. Then again, Corbin had droned on the same, not to mention the Lord and Lady Supreme, and even Petra. But no one annoyed me more than Zoltan whenever he spoke about Nethissis.

For once, I hoped we’d have a quiet evening, as full of grief and silence as it was.

I couldn’t even enjoy the Rimian blood anymore, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the young prince. Thayen looked at us discreetly, his curious green eyes flickering with delight whenever Acheron spoke to him—the father-son bond was strong with these two, and it seemed to bother Danika a little. I doubted anyone else had noticed, but she glanced to the side, her nostrils flaring, whenever Acheron and Thayen chuckled about trivial things.

“He’s such a beautiful child,” Sofia murmured, smiling at the young Aeternae boy.

Indeed, aesthetically speaking, Thayen was a work of art. Taller than most kids his age, he carried himself with a certain regal composure. His green gaze pierced through pretty much everything, inquisitive and daring in its study. His hair was short and curly, in shades of blond and light brown, and he wore a gold band as his princely crown. He seemed to have gotten the best of both parents: his father’s nose, his mother’s lips and high cheekbones.

On top of that, Thayen was also extremely polite and amiable, brimming with knowledge and always wanting to know more. We’d spent the better part of the evening so far telling him about Earth and the humans, and about how we, as supernaturals, had achieved global balance with their species.

“Few people have seen him,” Valaine said to Sofia, smiling. “I suppose it is quite the privilege that you get to have dinner in his presence.”

“Thayen is the heir to the Nasani dynasty and the throne.” Acheron’s voice boomed through the dinner hall, bursting with pride. “He will make a fine leader someday. Won’t you, my boy?” He gave his son a playful wink, and Thayen nodded convincingly.

“I will do my best to lead the empire,” he said. “But I hope not to see that day too soon.”

“Why do you say that, my love?” Danika asked. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she doted on the boy. He was probably spoiled rotten, but he carried himself with grace and dignity. A privileged young Aeternae, but not one to reek of entitlement. I had to admit, I was impressed.

“Because that would mean you and Father wouldn’t be around anymore,” Thayen mumbled, his gaze dropping. Servants came around with pitchers of fresh blood, refilling our crystal glasses. He nodded thankfully and took a long sip from his.

“How so?” Derek replied, the corner of his mouth upturned into a faint smile.

Danika sighed. “One ascends to the throne when his predecessors are dead. Acheron and I would have to have passed for our son to take over.”

“Meh! It’s not set in stone!” Acheron exclaimed, jovial as ever. “We can always change the laws, expand the abdication conditions… We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“All these niceties aside,” Petra interjected, “I thought you should all be made aware: there are six Black Fever patients now. One was discovered this evening, in the laundry rooms. A carrier has been identified and quarantined, thanks to Amal’s efforts. Hopefully, the Rimian girl was the only one.”

Amal nodded slowly. “We will definitely need to run more tests over the next few days. The virus could still be in its incubation period. If we at least isolate the Aeternae she’s been in touch with, we might be able to prevent an outbreak.”

“What are the odds, in your professional opinion?” Danika asked, her brow slightly furrowed. Thayen followed the entire conversation with renewed interest, but I could also see glimmers of fear in his eyes—not that I could blame him. No one would want to come down with Black Fever.

“Rather slim,” Amal replied, and Petra exhaled sharply, leaning back into her chair. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but my studies so far show that the Black Fever