Lady Dhampir
Chapter 291

"That's right," he chuckled. "...Did you already forget your own husband's face?"

However, her mind wasn't in the right place for humor right now. She was tired, confused, and still unsure about what had happened in the last few minutes. She couldn't calm down; she could just barely catch her breath. Rayan's words, which were meant to calm her down, failed. Instead, something broke inside Milena. Some doors were suddenly blown open, and she let out a half scream, half cry, in utter shock. She broke down in tears, completely shaken up, unable to control it.

"Oh, damn..."

Rayan hugged her, and pulled her to the side, away from the main corridor, to a corner where they'd be half-hidden. Milena was half-carried away, without any protest. He was concerned someone had heard her scream, and was covering her with his cape, but in his arms, Milena was sobbing uncontrollably. It was as if all of her emotions had returned to her at once, and she just couldn't handle the shock. Her shoulders shaking, her fingers holding on to him, she kept crying like she hadn't cried in a long while, unable to calm herself. Rayan wasn't asking her to, either. He kept caressing her hair and looking around, nervous, waiting to see if someone would notice them in the darkness. He had managed to drag her to a narrow corridor, with even less chances of anyone walking by... After a while, he smiled, and kissed her raven locks with a faint sigh of relief.

"I should have come back sooner," he whispered against her hair. "J-Just... How? W-when..."

Milena's tears resumed even harder, as a scary thought suddenly came to her mind. She was completely wrapped in his arms and cape, but she still couldn't believe any of her sensations. She knew she wasn't in her right mind, and the rational part of her was doubting everything. Even more so if it seemed too good to be true.

"P-please tell me I'm not dreaming," she cried. "I can't handle it... If this is a dream too..."

"I'm here, my Queen," he whispered against her ear. "I'm here and I'm not leaving you again. I promise. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry it took so long....I missed you too."

Those words made her punch his chest, weakly, in frustration. Milena tried everything to calm down her breathing, but she was worn out, and so was her body. This was the last lock opening, as if those emotions she had held back for way too long were now pouring out. Still, she punched his chest again, making him groan, but not protest.

"Milena..."

"Prove to me it's really you."

He froze, looking down at her, a bit confused.

"What?"

"I'm probably dreaming," she muttered.

"Milena, my Queen, you're not. I'm here. I'm real. What the f**k did that bastard do to you... Look at me!"

She raised her purple eyes at him, but that only made it all too hard. His face looked too real. His traits, his red eyes, his dark hair, even that fresh injury on his cheek. His traits looked emaciated, and tired, but he seemed a bit stronger than before. His beard wasn't like she had imagined, either, poorly cut and unruly. He took her face between his dry, coarse hands, having her stare at him. He seemed genuinely worried and confused.

"You look sick," he muttered.

"That's not what I want to hear," She cried. "Tell me something so I believe you. Something only Rayan would know."

He let out a faint sigh, and nodded.

"The last thing I told you in person was I love you....I left you roses when I couldn't finish the night by your side, and-"

"No, no..." She cried, interrupting him. "All those are things I already know. I can't... I can't trust my own mind. I could be telling all those to myself... Tell me something you'd know that I didn't." "What? But... damn, Milena, what the hell did he do to you."

"Just talk!" She begged, still crying. "Rayan, please... I need to know if this is a dream or true. Please..."

He sighed, even madder than before. Their reunion was completely stained by her half-delirious state. Every inch of her body was trembling, and her eyes seemed unable to focus on him. He couldn't see her well in the darkness, but his wife had definitely changed a lot, physically, and not in a good way. To think all of that was his twin's fault made him angrier. Still, he had to think of the situation, and he had to think about Milena. She needed him more than ever, and he had to be grateful he had come at the right time. He took a deep breath, and hugged her even more tightly in his arms.

"...You secretly like sweets, although you'll always pretend otherwise," he whispered. "The bitter kind is your favorite, you like dark chocolate and raspberry cake the most. You also like orange, but you'll never say it because you think it doesn't fit you. You hate corsets, but you like to wear them because you think it makes you look a bit taller... Same for heels.....You snore in your sleep, just a bit. You move a lot too, although you tend to stick to me when we sleep together, because you like my cool body and hate being hot. ...You touch your hair a lot when you feel nervous. And... you have a bite scar on your inner left thigh."

"...That's not true," she frowned.

"It is," he sighed. "But your husband was too worried about admitting his mistake and kept it silent... I may have generously paid your maids to shut up about it too."

She let out a laugh, almost a cry, suddenly relieved. She had no idea she had a scar, but only Rayan would ever do something like that, and lie to cover it... Suddenly, she didn't even need to confirm anymore. She knew. She let out a sigh of relief, and leaned even more into his arms, leaving his scent to surround her, comfort her.

"It's really you," she cried silently.

"...Yeah. I'm so sorry, Milena, I-"

"I stabbed him!"

She suddenly grabbed his arms, looking at him with an urgent expression, panicked; She had no idea why that had suddenly come back to her, but she felt it was important she told Rayan, right now. The Vampire Prince frowned. "Who?"

"E-Ellias. I... I stabbed him and escaped..."

His eyes darkened, and he glanced to the side, towards the corridor they had just left. He looked... silently furious right then. As if a cold rage was brewing under his calm surface.

"...I see. Did you kill him?"

"I-I don't think so. I aimed at his abdomen..."

She shook her head, but really, she wasn't sure of anything. Everything was a blur... and dark. The sensations of what had happened in the last few minutes were distorted, as if she was trying to wake up and tear reality apart from dreams. It was still hard to even focus. Facing her, Rayan nodded, and let out a faint sigh.

"...I understand. For now, you're my priority, I only came to free you from there."

"Just how... how did you..."

She was getting dizzy. She didn't want to lose consciousness, she needed to talk more with him, but her body was at its limit after going through so much. It was a miracle she had even been able to run away, and not trip on the stairs, given how little energy she had left. Rayan gently caressed her hair once again. He was holding her tight enough to prevent her from falling, so she only had to lean against his sturdy body to keep standing.

"...Don't worry, my Queen," he whispered with a kiss against her forehead. "I'll take you out of here, and to safety. Good work for enduring it all this time."

"Rayan," she muttered. "Our... babies..."

"They're beautiful," he chuckled. "Don't worry, they are safe. They both are. I'm busy saving their mommy right now, but I promise I'll tell you about them later. Just trust me, my Queen. I may be banished but this place is still my home. Let's get you out." Milena suddenly felt his strong arms carrying her, and she leaned against his shoulder, her eyes half-closed. She was completely exhausted, but she couldn't replace sleep. In fact, she was worried she'd go back into that horrible dungeon if she closed them just once. She saw dark walls and corridors fly by, places she'd never seen before. Some were even darker and narrower, with spider webs and strange smells. Still, she wasn't nervous. She was just relieved, to be able to be taken away, as far away from this place as possible. She only had to lie there, with Rayan's comforting smell surrounding her. She could barely feel his arms or anything anymore, her body going numb, but her sense of smell was the one thing comforting her, calming her down. Even when she felt sick, she held onto that smell like a light in the darkness. She had a hard time believing this was real, not just another horrible nightmare. She heard voices, people shouting that somebody had escaped. The King was injured. The sounds for armors, horses, and more panicked people. The cold wind suddenly caressed her cheek, and she turned around, to see the night sky, with the faint snow falling on them. She had never been so grateful for the sight of white, fresh snow...

Milena wouldn't have been able to tell if she dreamt what happened next, or if she was half-awake. She recognized the familiar throttle of a horse, and felt gently hugged by a strong arm for the whole trip, a cold breeze caressing her face. The pine trees that seemed to pass by without end, and a few buildings that seemed familiar, but not really. She heard voices, people shouting, perhaps even a couple of gunshots, but everything felt so far away. She felt feverish and sick, but breathing some fresh air helped her feel a lot better. Anything was better than the place she had left. Even if this turned out to be nothing but a dream, it wouldn't be one she regretted dreaming. A glimpse of heaven after days and days of hell...

"Lady Milena!"

"She passed out on the way here. Call the doctor, I want her to see one immediately." "Oh, Love..."

Milena had a vague feeling of being carried around, then put down gently on a mattress. She faintly opened her eyelids, only to notice a lot of movement around her, worried faces and a cool hand gently caressing her hair. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure... I managed to infiltrate the Castle without much difficulty, but just as you had said, she was confined in a remote area. I was on my way there when she suddenly came out running, covered in blood."

"Her hand!" Exclaimed a familiar feminine voice. "Oh my God, did he hurt her?"

"More like she hurt him, from what I understood... While I was trying to get away, a lot of people were shouting about the King having been stabbed. They already know she escaped too. I barely managed to get out, they were closing all the gates. If it wasn't for the secret passage, we would have both been trapped inside."

"He might not have hurt her physically, but she is in a bad state. I don't feel sorry for that piece of shit... Where is that doctor!"

"Did she say anything?"

"She was half hallucinating, so she wasn't very coherent... She barely even recognized me. She did this in self-defense. At least she kept her instincts..."

"...She has a terrible fever..."

"The fever's at the bottom of the list, look at her! That b****y bastard starved her and turned her into a junkie!"

"Come on, everyone out of this room please, let's let the doctor examine her first... Your Highness, we'll leave you with her and wait next door..."

Whatever followed, Milena didn't catch it. Once she was lying down in a cozy bed, her mind drifted away into a chaotic sleep. She vaguely felt like she ate something, and drank some water, but for a long while, her mind was shaped by confusing dreams, haunting nightmares and terrible visions. She felt like she had thrown up several times, but the details were fuzzy. She was sure someone took care of her though. Several times, she reached the surface and woke up faintly, and every time, that soothing presence was there, to caress her hair, whisper kind words to her ear and gently help her go back to sleep.

When she woke up, it was still very dark, but she immediately realized she was in a different environment. Not only that, but her mind felt clearer than it had been in... way too long. She didn't recognize the details of the canopy bed above her, nor the comfortable mattress under her and blinked, several times, completely at a loss. The moonlight was also coming from a different side, and a different window. Milena let out a faint sigh of relief. Wherever she was now, just had to be so much better. "Milena?"

She turned her head, and, with much bliss, found Rayan by her side, gently holding her hand. He had a relieved expression on, despite looking quite tired himself. He got closer, pulling the chair he was in until he could caress her head with a gentle smile. "...You're finally awake. How do you feel, my Queen?"

"Awful... W-what happened?"

"What do you remember?"

A cold chill went down her spine, and Milena grimaced.

"... Nothing good," she admitted. "I remember... The tower. And... Ellias. I'm not sure of anything... How come... How are you here? What happened? What about the army? And our babies? And Lucian-!"

"It's alright," he chuckled, kissing the back of her hand gently. "Everything's fine for now, I promise. Do you think I would have been here if our adorable children were in any kind of danger? Don't worry, they are both fine, and safe. Sadly, they are not with us, but that's for the best, and temporary. I plan to bring them back to their mom as soon as possible."

"Then why are you..."

Milena grimaced, confused. Although the effects of the d**g were mostly gone, she still felt drowsy. She hadn't gotten real, restful sleep in too long, and she was physically exhausted from undereating as well. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten something or even drunk water. She felt annoyingly weak even just lying there and turning her head to chat with her husband. However, Rayan's smile was the most reassuring thing in the world.

She had missed him so much, and for a thousand reasons. She felt as if her second half was back, here to support her and take a huge weight off her shoulders; it was clear she wasn't dreaming anymore, but it still didn't feel real. Mostly because she could not remember how and when he had gotten by her side. He smiled, and leaned even closer, his face just inches away from her. Milena f****d her hand to move, and graze his chin. The cold feeling of her husband's skin felt almost... foreign. She hadn't seen him for so long, and although she hated the circumstances that reunited them, she was still happy.

"...I saw the Manor's distress signal," he whispered.

"From my house?"

"Yeah. The Lord... I mean, that guy, Raelius, showed up all of a sudden with Blanche at the military camp, two days ago. Almost three now, actually. He told us everything, and more importantly, he had the antidote and the recipe to make more. When he told me what had happened to you, what Ellias had done... I couldn't stop myself. I asked Rachael to lead the Army for me, and I went ahead with my best men, to see if we could cross the forest now that we had the antidote. It worked. Two of my men got bit by wendigos and survived, without transforming. It works, my Queen. You did it."

He kissed her forehead as if Milena had invented that antidote herself, making her chuckle.

"So... You came alone? What about the children...?"

"Lucian is back too," he smiled. "He took them with Blanche to your older brother and your maids, in your friend's residence. I told him not to leave them until I personally come to retrieve them."

"Wait, Rayan. There's another White One, he can..."

"Change appearances, I know. That's why Blanche stayed with them, she can detect whoever that White One is..."

Milena nodded, feeling a bit better. So not only had the antidote been found while she was held in that tower, but both Rayan and her babies were back... He smiled, and leaned his head on the mattress, staring at her. "...That's it?" She asked. "What about-"

"I'll tell you the rest when you're better, Milena. That bastard brother of mine starved you and drugged you; you need to heal first. I'll annoy you with the politics when you get better."

Milena let out a faint sigh. The truth was, although she was glad to hear all this, she couldn't be sure she would remember it by the next time she woke up... Hence why she didn't push it, and only stared at him. Rayan's silhouette against the moonlight was all she needed for now.

"...So they really were with you," she smiled.

"Yeah. You sure worked hard to make perfect babies... They are as beautiful as their mom."

"I think they look more like you."

"Well, Maria's got her devilishly handsome dad's eyes, and Elizio's got my sensitivity. But they both got half the army at their feet, so that's definitely their mom's side, right?"

"...They both looked so much like you," Milena whispered.

The sadness broke her voice a little, and Rayan's smile melted slightly too. He sighed, and kissed her hand once more.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this, my Queen... I'm sorry. I promise, once all of this is over, I'll spoil you and our adorable children until my dying days. We will have the most sheltered and pampered kids in history."

"Don't say that," she chuckled. "I want you and I to get some time alone together too..."

"Oh, I count on that too. We can sneak away anytime," he winked at her.

Milena smiled, and slowly, fell back to sleep with Rayan's fingers gently caressing her skin, his red eyes watching her all the time.