Dark Hunger

Elize had fallen asleep in his arms. She had cried for both of them and his guilt lessened. He had stroked her hair until she was sleeping peacefully in his arms. When she confessed to him that she would walk the earth with him and then to wherever he goes, his heart squeezed. The girl had so much love inside her and it was all buried in layers and layers of societal norms. He had stared at her for a long time, before he came to a decision. 

Quietly, he got out of the bed and carried her back to the cave because it was about to be morning. If she stayed in this tent, she would be confined to a very small area. At least in the cave she was able to take a proper bath and have a bigger space for her activities. After tucking her comfortably in the blanket, Caleb went to meet Auril. 

"I want to fight," he told Auril. "So I think I need to mobilize men." 

Auril was sleeping in his tent wondering what Caleb had just said. Caleb had entered his tent, pulled a chair and sat on it. He was staring into Caleb's face when he spoke about mobilizing people. Auril shook his head. "What are you talking about?" 

"I want to fight Edyrm, and I want to mobilize men." 

Auril got up with a groan. "Are you sure? Before you get into it, think about the number of ways it can go all wrong. You would be risking your kingdom's people for the woman." 

"That is not just the woman. That is my woman." He had realized tonight that if Elize was hurt in that attack, he would have blamed himself a million times. He didn't want to take any chances now. 

Auril rubbed his hand over his mouth. Mates. "Well, did you talk to Daryn about it?" He knew trhat Caleb was bustling with impatience after the attack. 

"No, I haven't. We are out of time. I just want to find Edyrm and bloody kill him!" That way there won't be more problems. He was sure that he was going to take care of the local problems easily. 

"And where are we going to find him?" asked Auril. "Don't be so impatient, Caleb. Edyrm is not a toy eagle who you will be able to find at the corner of the street. He is a bloody demon king who is in his feral form and that bastard is after your wife. So you better come up with a plan and then we will go about it. It is easy to mobilize men, but what will your men hunt for? Do you want them to shoot arrows in the blind?" 

Caleb growled dangerously and then stabbed his hand in his hair. "Then what the hell do I do? That dickhead is a constant problem!" 

"For now, just let Daryn come back with his report on Ixoviya. We have to know who is with Laurel on this." Auril got out of his bed. "You have time to prepare Elize for the worst. Hone her magic, hone her skills. She would need it." 

Caleb was anxious. How could he increase protection around his wife? He grabbed his hair in his hands and sat with his gaze fixed at the ground. 

Looking at his irritability, Auril said, "Go back to the cave and sleep for a few hours." 

Though Caleb nodded, he decided to go on a lookout for Edyrm on his own. He got up and walked back to the cave where he joined Elize in the bed once again. He gazed at her and his lips tugged up when he found her sleeping peacefully. He wondered what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers Was she dreaming about her? He knew that Lizzy was sleeping peacefully because she was assured that he would keep her safe. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and then murmured, "I will find Edyrm for you and kill him." 

--- 

"What is the news about the king and the queen? And where is Laurel? There is a long gap in your reporting this time, Urhan," said one of the councilmen. They were all seated in his private meeting room. "And how did that soldier's body end up in front of Norhall Castle? What is going on?"

Urhan lips were pursed in a thin line. He needed to go and talk to the demons about it, but he didn't know where the hell did they go. They constantly changed their location which made it difficult to track them. "I have sent people to find Laurel and I have no idea where the king and queen are. But I should know about them soon." 

"If your people can't find her, then you better find her!" The woman amongst them said. "We can't risk the king to come at us first!" 

"What about the task I gave you?" asked Urhan, speaking in the same tone. "How far have you been successful in spreading hate about the vampire queen? Huh?" 

"Spreading hate is not like giving candies, Urhan," the woman retorted. "Can't you see that they have increased vigilance over the kingdom? King's brother Daryn came over for a surprise inspection a few days back, and I heard that they are keeping their eyes on the councilors now, especially the Ixoviyans. If we do anything against the empire, it will come back to us very fast. As such after the death of the soldier, none of us is going to do anything until you give us a strong warning that you are successful in your endeavors!"

Urhan's shoulders drew back and he crossed his hands across his chest. It was time to take things in his hand rather than depending on the others. The soldiers he had sent to look for, apart from the one who was murdered, five of them haven't returned. He gazed at the men and the woman in front of him and took a deep breath in to hold his temper. They were the kind of people who had selfish intentions. They would back out the moment he wavered or showed weakness. "Give me a few days. We will meet back in a week's time." 

"You better give us concrete information, otherwise we will break off this alliance with you," said the woman. 

After the councilmen and the councilwoman had left, Urhan's anxiety shot high. It had been quite a few days and he didn't hear from Laurel. He decided to trace her this time. He had to take help of the rogues in the Lore. And the most notorious rogues were the werewolves. They had the ability to sniff the target from miles away. 

--- 

It was morning and when Elize got up, she found him gazing at her lovingly. He tucked up a strand of her hair behind her ear and she beamed looking at him. "I think I am ready for morning sex," she said, moving closer to him, but her stomach gave way to what she wanted. It growled. 

He chuckled. "You need to be fed love," he said. He pulled her closer to him. 

"Fuck, I love you," she said and latched onto his neck, where she lapped his creamy bloody softly.. And Caleb curled his hand behind her neck and pressed her hard.