Chapter 124: Deja Vu
Chapter 124: Deja Vu
Killian’s POV
I stood frozen in my place the moment I heard the woman speak that honorific title to me. Two simple words that shouldn’t have affected me in any way. And yet, they struck like a memory wrapped in steel, piercing right through my chest.
No one had called me by that title in centuries. Not formally. Not playfully. Not even with the slightest hint of affection. And yet, the woman standing in front of me had nearly said it perfectly.
“Killian. Do you feel it?”
Theard Elysian’s soft, longing voice. It hurt just as much as my own emotions.
“I’m afraid what I’m thinking right now is becoming real,” said the wolf.
I replied through the link, “Me too.”
I brushed the disgusting ashes of that vampire from my hand, my gaze fixed on the woman holding her daughter close as if she were protecting her from a monster. Her lips trembled. Her eyes widened, filled with recognition. Or maybe…. it was fear.
Whatever it was, it stung more than I wanted to admit.
Well, I couldn’t blame her. My reputation had always been the same.
Cruelty was my middle name.
Rosalyn Torrance. A name unfamiliar to me. I walked forward with good intentions only to suddenly lose my breath, my vision flickering with floating lights that made my head spin.
Not Rosalyn. I saw Ruby.
The memory of the way she stood half stubborn, half amused. The way she threw around Your Majesty like a joke shared between lovers. She only ever used that title when she wanted to challenge me or remind me that I wore a crown burdened with too many sins.
My pulse thundered in my ears, and the streets around me twisted into a mirage of hell. My stomach turned. I struggled to keep myself from collapsing in shame.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Are you alright?” Rosalyn asked with worry in her voice.
“Just a regular migraine.”
“W–what? Why didn’t you say anything?! Come on, we have a healer in the pack. You could-”
“Thank you, Lady Torrance. But a migraine won’t kill me,” I replied.
I pressed my fingers to the right side of my temple, blinking repeatedly. Slowly, the pain began to fade. I looked around and saw that ash was still drifting from the alley like black snow. The metallic scent of blood clung to the air. Remnants of the vampire were still there burnt fragments on the concrete, and the death it left behind in its scream.
I had killed it without mercy.
And yet, what shook me the most was that I couldn’t save a single human. I didn’t particularly care, really. It was simply because, once they were fed on by a vampire, their body would become poisoned, and there was a chance they might turn into a new vampire. That’s why it had to be destroyed too.
Rosalyn looked around, horror surfacing on her face as she took in the massacre. She knew very well that I was the one who had carried out the final cleanup.
“Your Majesty, may I ask–what happened here?” she asked, holding her daughter even tighter.
Her voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I cleared my throat, locking the memory back into its proper place.
“Vampire,” I said flatly. “Feeding on a human out in the open. I saw it while walking through this area, and that’s why everything you now see happened.”
Her face lost all color. “In broad daylight?”
I gave a stiff nod. “Brazen. Or stupid. Maybe both.”
The little girl beside her, still hugging her doll, tilted her head toward me. Her gaze once again showed no fear. Only curiosity. And I could see Anna nudging her mother to explain what the adults were talking about.
“I’m sorry she had to see that,” I added, nodding softly toward the child.
Rosalyn shifted her weight. “It’s not your fault. You saved someone.”
“I’ve done worse,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “And I didn’t save anyone. That human was already dead.”
“I still believe it was a noble act. Just imagine what would’ve happened if that vampire hadn’t been taken down right away.”
A smile perched on the woman’s lips. For a moment, I was captivated by that simplicity. Quite beautiful. Until I realized I
Chapter 124: Deja Vu
hadn’t responded at all to that little compliment.
That was when the girl spoke, her voice full of defiance. “I’m not afraid of vampires.”
I blinked in her direction. Meanwhile, her mother looked horrified. She then scolded her little daughter firmly.
“Anna. Remember what I taught you.”
“Yes, Mom. But I don’t think they’re scary,” Anna said, hugging her doll. “That one looked like a melted raisin.” Despite all the past and the tightness in my chest, this child amused me a little. A small laugh escaped my lips.
“A melted raisin?”
Anna nodded proudly. “Uh–huh.”
“I have to agree,” I said, crouching slightly to meet her eye level. “He was very ugly.”
Rosalyn sighed, rubbing her temples as if silently apologizing again.
“I swear, this child is terrifying sometimes.”
“She’s brave, Lady Torrance,” I said, standing back up.
“But bravery isn’t the same as recklessness. You both need to get out of here before the authorities show up with too many questions.”
Rosalyn immediately agreed. We walked toward the car parked near the edge of the road. I could feel her glancing at me from the corner of her eye, as if she wanted to ask a hundred things but didn’t know where to start. This wasn’t the right time. Not with her daughter watching, and not with police sirens about to echo through the air.
At the car, I stepped back. “You’ll be safe now. I’ll keep patrolling the area before heading back to my estate.”
“Thank you,” Rosalyn said softly.
Then, just as I turned to leave, a small hand tugged at the edge of my coat.
“Why don’t you come with us?” Anna asked, her eyelids drooping with concern. “Where did your uncle go? Are you going to be alone now?”
Rosalyn flushed. “Anna, sweetheart. Don’t say things like that.”
“It’s all right,” I said, crouching down again to meet her eyes. “I’m used to being alone.”
at’s sa
She frowned. “That’s sad.”
I smiled gently. “Not as sad as it sounds. There’s work I need to do.”
“Boring grown–up work?”
“The worst kind.”
The little girl made an adorable face. “Yuck.”
I ruffled her hair softly. “You’ll understand someday.”
Rosalyn apologized again. I just shook my head. It was fine. I stepped away and watched them get into the car before pulling my phone from the coat pocket.
A few months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of carrying a phone. Now, I was grateful for the convenience. I tapped on Leonidas’s name and brought it to my ear.
He picked up on the second ring.
“Well, well. Is that you, King Killian, the Technophobe Challenger?”
“Don’t start.”
Beta’s familiar, booming laugh echoed through the call. “I’m honored you finally figured out what a phone is.”
“I’ve used it before.”
“Yeah, once. And then you hung up because you thought the ‘end call‘ button was a self–destruct feature,” he scoffed.
“I didn’t call for your stand–up routine.”
“Then what’s up?”
I exhaled, my tone shifting. “There’s a vampire. In the city.”
The sarcasm dropped from his voice. “You’re serious?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Bold. Even for their kind. I assume you know what needs to be done,” he said.
“I do. I want the Council briefed. We need to revisit the boundaries.”
“You going in yourself?”
Chapter 124: Deja Vu
“Tomorrow.”
There was a long pause as I walked along the sidewalk of the modern city.
“I get the feeling there’s something else you’re not saying.”
I sighed. “I saw her.”
“Who?”
“No. I mean, yes. Call it déjà vu,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “This woman called me ‘Your Majesty‘ And for a second…”
“I get it. Déjà vu can hit hard. Did she look like her?”
“Yeah.”
“You holding up okay?”
I looked out at the fading sun over Aberdeen, the wind carrying the scent of ash and coffee.
“Not right now. Anyway, I’ll be home later than expected,” I said.
He grunted, followed by the rustle of parchment. “Alright. Let me know if you need anything. Also, proud of you for finally using a phone.”
“I’m going to throw it off a bridge.”
“Fair. Just wait until after the Council meeting, Your Majesty.”
I rolled my eyes. “Leonidas.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Your Highness,” he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “You still owe me a drink. And a woman.”
I hung up immediately. I wasn’t about to entertain that. It would only give me a headache.
The screen went dark, and I saw my reflection in the black glass. Maybe the psychiatrist had been right. Maybe I’d thought about her for so long that every woman with even a faint resemblance triggered the same déjà vu.
Strangely, among all those who looked like her, Rosalyn wasn’t one of them. And yet, why did I react so strongly to her presence?
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