A rumble nearly caught in my throat at the suggestion, but I shook myself. I was being ridiculous. Mind you, the image of how she looked coming back from the enemy ship would forever be burned into my subconscious…but I logically knew she would be fine going into town with me at her side. It was just hard to reconcile everything she’d endured and still potentially put her at risk by being exposed in public. Kyella’s safety was my first priority, but I knew I had the ability to protect her, even with Dakath and Elijah occupied with new recruits and training exercises at the moment.
So it seemed I would be spending most of the day alone with Kyella. I wasn’t sure how I’d been lucky enough to end up in this situation, but I would make the most of it. I tried to keep the images of the last time we were alone together from my head.
I was already on edge with the need to touch and kiss her perfect body. I wanted to claim her again, to soothe the possessive rage inside of me that demanded the head of anyone who hurt our woman.
“Sounds like a plan,” I answered as another gorgeous smile broke across her face.
When we got up to leave, we bid Bailey and Rina goodbye, and a surge of contentment washed over me when Kyella intertwined our fingers together as we walked side by side out of the dining hall. I looked down at our connected hands before lightly brushing a kiss to the top of her head, and she answered with a happy hum.
“You really want to go into town?” I asked her, unable to contain the tiniest bit of hesitation from my voice.
“I haven’t really had a chance to look around, and this place is so damn different from anything I would have experienced in Malakai’s empire. So yeah, I would love that,” Kyella admitted before looking up at me. “As long as you’re okay with that.”
A stab of pain in the center of my chest reminded me how easy it was to get caught up in the present and forget that there was an entire life worth of experiences that Kyella had been kept from. I vowed that wouldn’t be the case ever again.
“More than okay with it, darling,” I said before gently leading her in a different direction than toward the hallway and staircase that went to our private quarters.
As we made our way to the large entrance doors of the castle, I couldn’t help but notice how alive the castle grounds seemed to be. The energy of war preparations vibrated through the air, and there was an exhilarating sensation that came with the confidence that seemed to fill our people before battle. But I knew this fight wouldn’t be an easy one. I knew we needed to be as prepared as possible. Malakai’s forces were deadly, and while we had the element of surprise, I still worried.
Kyella froze momentarily in the pathway toward the castle gates, pulling my attention as her head turned to the side where two men seemed to be arguing. I wasn’t listening attentively, caught up more on her reaction, but it seemed to have something to do with training. The thing that stood out to me, and most likely to Kyella as well was that one man was a vampyre and the other a human. While they were openly arguing, there wasn’t a strong level of aggression between the two—and when another vampyre approached, the situation seemed to defuse almost completely. The entire interaction took place in less than two minutes before they all walked off, going their separate ways.
My darling was still frozen in place, though, staring at where they’d been arguing.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, running a hand over her back as she looked up at me.
“Yes…maybe?” She tilted her head before shaking it and letting out a deep breath. “When I heard them arguing and realized that one man was human, I was ready to step in between them. I thought, well, I’m not sure what I thought would happen, but a human in Malakai’s empire wouldn’t be allowed to live if they argued with a vampyre.”
I nodded in understanding, gently leading her forward on the path as I said, “I guess it would be odd to see both species coexisting peacefully here.”
“You’re right.” Kyella tucked herself further against my side as she continued, “Though, there are so many people who have grown up under Malakai’s rule that wouldn’t imagine a situation like that ending in anything other than death. His is an entire society that has been taught that because vampyres are stronger physically, they have dominance over humans.”
“That's bullshit,” I said through a clenched jaw.
“It is, but it's also their normal.” She exhaled a long, pinched breath before continuing, “Before coming here, I assumed it was the only version of normal to exist. I always felt instinctively that it was wrong, and I wonder how many others feel the same way. I wonder how many will choose to join our fight once they realize that Malaki could be defeated—that they don’t need to fear him once they realize he isn’t invincible.”
As we reached the castle gates and stepped out onto the cobblestone streets, I admitted, “I think you will have those who will be resistant to change after enduring Malakai’s rule for so long, but hopefully most will come to their senses. It can be scary to let hope enter your soul, only for it to be crushed. So I imagine many will remain guarded in their stance until the outcome is clear.”
She nodded in agreement, but before she could say anything, we reached the start of the marketplace. The noise of the boisterous community gathering caused her eyes to widen in surprise. When we walked through here last time it hadn’t been nearly as crowded, and I couldn’t help but smile at her reaction.
I couldn’t blame her. The market was something to experience in its full glory. One thing the Tridian Empire prided itself in was the care and consideration it took when focusing on its citizens. Each building and road was maintained through an infrastructure program the Empress put into place, and the marketplace was no different.
The entire area, despite being crowded, was clean and well taken care of. Each vendor had an assigned stall, all of them well constructed and maintained, no matter if they were selling the smallest of trinkets to the most important of crops.No matter if they were human or vampyre.It fostered a true sense of community, and I could tell Kyella could feel that from the way she seemed to glow from the inside as she soaked in the energy.
“There are so many people here! So many more than when we first arrived,” she whisper-yelled in excitement, her eyes filling with curiosity.
Vampyres and humans from all different parts of the Empire came to the capital city to trade their goods. It was why we established a marketplace, so that even the farthest of farmers would be able to make a living for all their hard work.
There was something I wanted to show her, but I couldn’t deny her the opportunity to stop at one of the closest vendors. I gently urged her toward a stall on the left side of the road, realizing it was a perfect opportunity to get her something that was a bit warmer to wear, especially since I planned on going down to the docks. She hadn’t said a word about being cold, and I knew as a vampyre that we didn’t get cold easily, but I was a paranoid fucker when it came to her. I wanted to ensure she was taken care of.
“Wow,” Kyella breathed out, “these are beautiful.”
She examined each of the hand-knit shawls that laid folded on the front of the stall. The older woman who ran the stand watched her with a gentle warmth as the sound of children laughing drew my attention to three kids in the back of the stall, most likely her grandchildren helping her. As the woman approached Kyella and began to show her the shawls, I paid attention to which she seemed to favor.
When she hesitated over an emerald green one, holding onto it a bit longer than the others, I knew it was the one.
“We’ll take this one,” I confirmed to the woman.
“Good choice, this color always goes fast,” she confessed, happily taking the coins I offered. I took the shawl before helping Kyella wrap the material around her shoulders, loving the way her face lit up.
