Chapter 146: Chasing Her Where Trust Begins 

Chapter 146: Chasing Her – Where Trust Begins 

Killian’s POV 

“Killy! It’s been ages,” he jeered. 

“What do you want?” 

After vanishing for so long, that bastard had the nerve to show up again. He gave a careless shrug and sauntered closer with that insufferable, predatory grace only vampires seemed to possess. 

“Maybe I missed you.” 

Darius twirled a foot lazily, almost like he was dancing as he approached. 

“Or maybe,” he went on with a fake, chipper tone, “I heard a rumor about a king who’s gone soft. Hm, though you were still ruthless enough when you slaughtered my kind last year!” 

My blood turned to ice. Anger boiled under my skin. 

I clenched my jaw. “Touch them, and I’ll rip your heart out before you even blink.” 

Darius laughed, light and easy. “Relax, old friend. I’m not here to harm your precious little humans.” 

I flexed my fingers, resisting the urge to shift and tear him apart on the spot. 

He tilted his head, studying me like I was some fascinating new puzzle. After a beat, that dark, familiar grin of his flickered back to life. 

“It’s been too long since we hung out. How about a little chat, my king?” 

I stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Have you completely lost it? Get out of my sight.” 

“Always so serious.” 

Darius trailed behind me. My temples throbbed with irritation. All I wanted was to visit Mikael’s grave and get back to the palace. Damn it. 

“You’re a filthy parasite. Go leech off someone else.” 

Darius laughed again, a low, mocking sound. “Oh, come now. You and me, we’re practically family.” 

I bared my teeth in a snarl. “Changing history now, Darius? Lycans and werewolves don’t spawn the undead.” 

Not that Darius seemed offended. Strangely enough, he hadn’t changed, not like the rest of his kind, who hated lycans and werewolves. I deeply regretted ever sparing his life back then. 

Darius gave a dramatic sigh, pressing a hand over his heart. “Ancient history. Come on. It’s been a whole year since you butchered my kin. I thought maybe you’d even miss me.” 

“Not 

even close. Crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out of,” I said coldly. 

Instead of backing off, Darius kept pace with me, casually inspecting his nails like we weren’t just a hair away from violence. 

“You know,” he drawled, “I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to. No wars. No crusades. Not even a decent massacre.” 

“Maybe I’m learning a little self–control,” I said sharply. 

“Or maybe,” he said, his voice dropping low, “you’re just tired of being a god among insects.” 

I shook my head. I had no idea what twisted metaphors that bastard was trying to spin. I racked my brain for a way to get rid of him. Seeing my lack of response, Darius started rambling again. 

“Ah. Struck a nerve, did I?” 

I ignored him completely. And then in a blink, Darius was right in front of me, his boots cracking against the frozen ground. His long hair hung loose around his face, and his dark red eyes, the same shade as mine, but so much colder locked onto 

1. me. 

“I’m not here to fight you, Killian,” he said, deadly serious. “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t waste time with insults.” 

“Then what do you want?” I snarled. 

He shrugged, a casual, annoying motion. “I’m bored.” 

“Great. Step’up, then. I’ll wipe that boredom off the face of the earth,” I snapped. 

Successfully unlocked! 

Immortality’s a drag, you know. Same blood. . disappeared.” 

“Not exactly what I had in mind,” Darius said, sig Same faces. Same empty nights. I’m sick of it. 

I stared him down, waiting for a real answer. 

He only smiled wider. “I’m serious. I’m sick of what I am.” 

“You think joking about extinction is going to make me pity you?” I asked coldly. 

1/3 

Chapter 146: Chasing Her Where Trust Begins 

“Pity? No.” His smirk faded, and for a heartbeat, I glimpsed the centuries of weariness behind his mask. “I just figured you, of all creatures, might understand.” 

“Say I’m tired of blood,” Darius said, flashing a crooked grin, fangs glinting. “Maybe I want to eat human food instead.” “And aren’t you tired of immortality?” he asked. 

“No.” 

It was the truth. I had always longed for immortality so much that boredom had never touched me. The thought of going through endless cycles of reincarnation, losing all the progress I had fought so hard to achieve, was far worse. 

Darius clapped his hands once, breaking the heavy silence. 

“Well then! Therapy session over. You look like you’re two seconds away from punching me.” 

“Tempting.” 

He let out a soft laugh. “Until next time, old friend.” 

And just like that, he was gone, swallowed by the swirling mist. I let out a slow breath, feeling the tension bleed from my shoulders. Damn him. He always knew exactly where to cut deepest. 

I wasn’t surprised he had shown up not even here, in the middle of a human city. Darius usually preferred hiding behind the barriers of magical lands. Judging by the way he acted, it seemed he was ready to die. If that was the case, it was only a matter of time. 

I hated vampires. Especially because of everything we shared in our past. 

But maybewith him, it was just a little different. 

I no longer felt any urge to visit Mikael’s grave. Maybe it would be better to find Rosalyn instead. Getting a little closer to her didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all. 

When I returned to the palace, I found the training grounds alive with the movements of soldiers and junior officers, drilling in tight, precise formations. Their skin gleamed under the torchlight, casting flickers of gold across the yard. 

Not far off, Leonidas leaned against the fence, arms folded, watching the recruits with the same pride a big brother might have at a school play. 

“Back so soon? I thought you’d be staying at Rosalyn’s,” he said, without looking at me. 

I snorted. “Kill that crazy idea.” 

He gave me a sidelong glance. His sharp eyes immediately caught the leftover tension radiating off me. 

“You look like you just fought a mountain and lost.” 

“A lot happened. I ran into Darius.” 

Leonidas‘ face darkened immediately. “That bastard leech’s still breathing?” 

“Unfortunately.” 

He grunted. “What’s he after this time? Your blood? Your throne?” 

“My company. Looks like he’s having some kind of existential meltdown,” I said dryly. 

Leonidas barked out a short, rough laugh. “About damn time. Bastard’s only a few centuries late.” 

I leaned against the fence next to him, my eyes following the soldiers as they marched with determined steps. They were still so young. 

Eager. Naïve enough to believe that loyalty alone could shield them from the horrors of war. 

I envied them for it. 

“Seems like this new batch is coming along nicely,” I said, steering the conversation elsewhere. 

Leonidas nodded. “Tougher than last year’s recruits. Smarter too. Looks like we’re actually going to have a few field healers embedded this time.” 

“Good. They’ll need them.” 

We stood there in silence for a while, the cool night air brushing against us. 

“You know,” Leonidas said eventually, “you could just tell me what’s really bothering you.” 

I smirked faintly. “Wasn’t the therapy session enough?” 

“Therapy was just the appetizer. I’m the main course.” 

“My relationship with Rosalyn is fine. That’s what you want to hear, right?” I teased. 

Leonidas snapped his fingers with a grin. 

“Bingo! So… any progress?” he asked. 

2/3 

Chapter 146: Chasing Her Where Trust Begins 

I thought about it for a moment, replaying our earlier interactions. 

“She doesn’t hate me. I haven’t gained her trust the way I want to, but it’s something. For now, it’s enough, 

“Better than getting thrown out again, right?” 

Leonidas tilted his head thoughtfully. “You can’t force it, Killian. You just must be there. Someone she can lean on when she’s ready.” 

I let out a long, weary breath. “I intend to, Leonidas. For as long as it takes. It doesn’t bother me.” 

“Killian,” he said, voice softer now, “I know you’re desperate to have her back. But don’t lose yourself in the process.” 

I shot him a look. “What, are you my therapist now?” 

He grinned, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh, my king. You know your cousin’s a master of heart–to–hearts.” Leonidas grew a little more serious. “Bottom line I worry about you. Take care of yourself too, alright?” 

I stayed there a while longer, watching the recruits drill under a sky thick with stars, the cold slowly sinking into my bones. “I’ll try to remember.” 

And then it hit me, fragments of old conversations with Rosalyn, little things she’d said that I hadn’t paid enough attention 

1. to. 

The realization slammed into me so hard I went cold, my skin draining of color. 

“Shit.” 

Leonidas arched a brow at me. “What now?” 

“Rosalyn,” I said, struggling to find the words, “she was hinting that she was planning to come here.” 

“WHAT?!”