Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 597: Temporary and Permanent Fix

”And you’re very busy, I’m sure,” Caius said with a sarcastic laugh.

”Hey, it’s always good to leave your options open and not get locked into a role you’ll most likely end up getting sick of,” Athenodora said half joking and half serious,

”Sitting in one place running people’s lives... such a boring life that would be.”

”Some people like it,” Caius said.

”Do they? Good for them, I suppose,” Athenodora said, ”I think freedom is far superior.”

Caius sat up now and turned around to look into Athenodora’s face.

”So what now?” He asked.

”What else?” Athenodora laughed, ”You’ll keep me going with that delicious blood of yours. Maybe I’ll finally be able to leave this room and roam a bit more. I’ve been feeling cooped up.”

”Ah, you want me to stay,” Caius noted.

”I need you to stay,” Athenodora said with a grin that suggested Caius wouldn’t be able to say no anyway as she was his creator and could command him to do her bidding.

”I have a life, Athenodora,” Caius reminded calmly.

”Surely that life can afford to miss you for a while,” Athenodora said.

”How long is a ’while’?” Caius asked.

”Hmm,” Athenodora mused and then shrugged, ”A decade? Give or take a few years.”

”A decade?” Caius repeated.

”Well, Caius, I already said your blood was only a temporary fix. After a decade, there won’t be enough blood left in me to supplement with yours and I’ll just... die.”

Caius paused and said nothing.

”Or you leave now and I die in a few weeks at most,” Athenodora said and her finger trailed across Caius’s face in a light touch that sent thrills down his spine.

”Is that what you want, son?” She asked with her eyes lingering on his lips before returning to his purple eyes.

Caius sighed.

”No, it’s not what I want and I never said anything that suggested such,” he said, ”But if my blood is only a temporary fix and at best can only help to sustain a decade-long arrangement that is destined to end tragically anyway, how about finding a permanent solution?”

”Great idea, Caius,” Athenodora said sarcastically while rolling her eyes, ”How didn’t I think of that?”

”So you’ve thought of it, then,” Caius said, ”What’s the fix?”

”There isn’t one,” Athenodora shrugged, ”Venuzzian Blood Alchemists have been hard at work and nothing has worked so far. Because what I was struck with is beyond their understanding. It’s also beyond mine.

There is no cure.”

”Yet,” Caius amended.

Athenodora smiled and it looked so genuine.

”Yet,” she accepted, and then she shivered and her body slumped slightly.

”What’s wrong?” Caius asked.

”I must rest and give your blood time to temper my symptoms,” Athenodora said, ”You should go. Get settled in and rest yourself ’cause I’ll be needing another fix in a few hours.”

”Hold on, I have questions,” Caius said hurriedly, ”I was attacked on my way here—”

”We’ll talk of it later,” Athenodora said and she was already slumping down onto the floor.

”But—”

”Later,” Athenodora said in a low voice before going silent.

The Arcane symbols of the Formation etched all over the inside of the room began to pulse and Caius was sure he could see Athenodora’s tattoos glowing as well.

Caius almost considered staying as he was and waiting until she woke up so they could have that talk but then he turned and walked toward the door.

The door opened to allow him out and he saw the lady who led him here had been waiting.

”I’ll lead you to your chambers, honored one,” she said with a bow.

”Call me Caius.”

”I— Alright, Caius,” she said and began to lead him up the stairs to the Palace’s ground floor.

”And you are...?” Caius prompted.

”Elena,” she answered.

”Nice to meet you Elena,” Caius said.

”The feeling is mutual,” Elena said, ”Especially for helping her Ladyship.

You are helping her, aren’t you?”

”Seems like it,” Caius said with a sigh as he followed Elena up the grand staircase leading to a higher floor of the Palace.

”Then allow me to offer you my most sincere thanks,” Elena said, ”Losing her Ladyship would be a terrible loss.”

”Who is she to you?” Caius asked.

”Who isn’t she to me?” Elena said in response.

”Hmm,” Caius intoned and said no more as he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be getting a lot of straight answers from her.

Also, he was a lot more tired than he had been a few minutes ago. Getting fed on by Athenodora had taken a toll on him. And the fact that he was feeling that way didn’t bode well for what she was asking him for.

A decade of feeling drained. And not in the good way.

A decade of feeling weakened. Also not in a good way.

”Here we are,” Elena said a good while later.

The door opened and the room was massive with signs of affluence and extravagance all over.

”Clothes have been prepared for you. A bath has also been prepared if you wish to relax after your long journey.”

”Thank you,” Caius said as he entered the room.

”Are you thirsty?” Elena asked then.

”Hmm?” Caius answered.

”Thirsty. Are you thirsty?” Elena asked again.

Caius turned to look at her and he could tell she wasn’t asking about juice. Should it have been expected that she knew what he was?

”No. But thank you,” Caius said.

”Are you sure?” Elena asked with a blink, ”We’re here to serve.”

”Yeah, I’m sure,” Caius said.

”Well, if that changes, you can use that to let us know,” Elena said with a gesture at a bedside desk. There was a Loqui-Link on it and Caius had a feeling it acted like an intercom to relay requests and information throughout the Palace.

”I’ll keep that in mind,” Caius assured her, and with another bow, Elena stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Caius looked around the room and let out a sigh. He stripped out of the clothes he had on, stowing his Gold-black cloak in his Storage ring. He wasn’t particularly dirty but he did welcome a relaxing bath.

Donning a bathrobe, he went to the bath and soaked himself in water that got rid of every bit of dirt on his body at once so he just remained there to relax.

Soon, he heard knocks on his door. With narrowed eyes, Caius stepped out of the bath, donning his robe again, he ran a hand through his wet hair, brushing it back before he reached the door and pulled it open.

At the door stood Roxanne and Meline. Like Caius, they had taken off their travel clothes and their Gold-black cloaks and were dressed in fine clothes;

Roxanne wore a gown that clung to her perfect body with a parting down the side for her to let her leg through, emphasizing the seductive air she always carried.

Meline was modest in comparison but that was only because she was standing beside Roxanne. Every bit as beautiful as Roxanne but with less of a frontal seductive energy, Meline was dressed in a shirt and leggings combo;

The leggings were form-fitting, highlighting her curves. She wore heels that made her ass look even more perfect than it already did. Her shirt buttons struggled to hold her breasts in place and keep them covered. A task made slightly more difficult by how she folded her arms beneath her breasts, propping them even more and placing more strain on her buttons.

”Ladies,” Caius greeted.

”May we come in?” Meline asked politely.

”Of course,” Caius said and stepped aside to let them in while looking out into the corridor like he was hoping to see others,

”No one else is coming?”

”Why would anyone else be here?” Roxanne asked.

Caius chuckled.

”Yeah, my bad for thinking this was a meeting and the others might want to attend,” he said sarcastically.

He had been expecting a conversation to be due. While he was their Lord and didn’t have to explain himself, he wasn’t particularly interested in imposing his authority in that way so he often welcomed the questions they had.

So yes, a meeting was due, that much was obvious. The fact that his room was going to be the venue for it was a lot less so.

”This isn’t a meeting,” Meline said.

”That can come later,” Roxanne added.

”Ah, of course,” Caius said and sat at the edge of the bed.

”So what’s going on?” Roxanne asked as she and Meline turned to look at Caius.

”I thought this wasn’t a meeting,” Caius said with a smile.

”It’s not,” Meline said.

”But you’re bringing up meeting-specific topics,” Caius said.

”There is no such thing as meeting-specific topics,” Roxanne scoffed, ”What’ll happen if we discuss this before an ’official’ meeting? Do we explode?”

Caius chuckled.

”We just thought that maybe now that we’re here, your lips might not be so sealed and we can finally stop relying on piecing together context clues to make sense of things,” Meline said.

”Hmm,” Caius mused and moved his mouth to produce sounds and when he found that he could, he decided Meline was right. Him arriving here had accomplished his objective and he was now free of Athenodora’s bounds. His lips were unsealed.

”Very well,” Caius said then in a serious tone,

”Let’s talk.”