CHAPTER FOUR

DIANA KNEW SOMETHING was off the moment she woke up. She could cut the tension in the palace with her claws. She listened for any suspicious sounds besides Rudolph's snoring. 

He slept soundly beside her with his small lips scrunched up in a tiny pout. She couldn't believe she let herself fall asleep, leaving them unprotected. 

Not like Rudolph would have let her go another day without sleeping. She couldn't find it in herself to be mad at him for what he did, knowing that he did it because he was worried. Besides, she felt a lot better than she did the day before. 

Standing to her feet, she stepped out of bed and sauntered to the window. From what she could see, it was already morning.

Why then didn't the King's guards come to get them? Or maybe they didn't. 

No. 

She hadn't known the King for long, but she saw him as the kind of person who ensures everything went according to his plan. Diana was rarely wrong about her perceptions of people. 

Something was terribly wrong. Something that made the King temporarily forget about them. She didn't know what it was but she wasn't going to hang around to find out. 

"Rudolph, wake up! We have to leave!" She called out while grabbing her boots from where she kept them and putting them on. 

"Why?" His hoarse voice replied as he rose from the bed, confused. 

"Do it and ask questions later." 

He frowned but did as she said. Diana almost smiled at his compliance. She couldn't believe how much he trusted her. 

Diana held his hand and led him out of the room and into the long hallway after scanning the area. She let her wolf come forward and longer in her subconscious mind. Her wolf watched through Diana's eyes for things Diana could not see. 

Stealthily, she pulled Rudolph through the hallway, moving towards the back exit or rather, what she suspected was the back exit. 

"Going somewhere?" A voice called out from behind them, causing Rudolph to stiffen. 

Diana swore under her breath before turning to the person with her resting blank face on. "Your Highness, we were just leaving." 

King Aiden raised a brow. "Without letting me know?" 

"The King has better things to do, and I hate being a bother," she stared blankly. 

"Join me for breakfast Lady Diana," he offered plainly, and Diana moved to decline, but King Aiden saw it coming. 

"You want to refuse a royal order?" 

Diana clicked her tongue in annoyance but went with him nonetheless. She and Rudolph trailed behind the King, who she watched with cautious yet intrigued eyes. 

Why was a king walking without guards? 

That was not what surprised her the most. Why was the King walking with his back turned to them? 

Minutes later, they were seated in a big dining room with a large feast in front of them. Diana swept through the room. 

"Why are there more guards than normal?" She asked before she could help herself. 

King Aiden spared her a short glance before turning back to his food but responded nevertheless. 

"Word went out to the Fay people that I somehow managed to possess the Crown of Omnipotence. Wherever the hell they got that idea from, I do not know." 

Diana kept her blank face on while shoving a piece of meat into her mouth. A few years ago, she discovered that vampires could ingest food like other species but needed blood for their special abilities. 

She eyed the goblet containing the red liquid warily. She felt a flashback threatening to come forth but pushed it back. The last thing she wanted was to break down in front of the King of Vampires.   

Diana, who sat closest to the King, managed to give nothing away, but Rudolph, on the other hand, trembled noticeably, and Diana put down her fork and grabbed his hand from under the table with her left hand. Rudolph visibly relaxed at the contact. 

She watched the guards again, tilting her head to the side. "I guess there was an attempt to raid your castle last night." 

The corners of the King's lips quirked up slightly. "You are smart. So, tell me, Lady Diana, do you think the crown is in my possession at the moment?" 

She hesitated for a second before letting a scoff leave her lips which made Rudolph stop breathing for a second. "The question, Your Highness, is, do you think the crown is in your possession?" 

Placing her hand over Rudolph's hand again, she wordlessly reminded him to keep breathing. 

"That is a question we both want the answer to. Don't you think so?" The King asked with a glint in his eyes that Diana recognised. 

He knew. 

Or he was close to knowing, and if he didn't yet, Diana was going to make sure he never did. For that, she had to play the right cards. What card was better than diplomacy? 

"What do you want, King Aiden?" She asked, her tone and expression not wavering for a second. 

The King leaned back, dropping the fork in his hand. His silver eyes turned stormy grey. Diana frowned, knowing how close Rudolph was to having an anxiety attack. 

"Dolphy, can you go to the room real quick? I will come to get you in a short time." 

Rudolph stared at her nervously. "Sure?" 

"No one will hurt you," Diana said to Rudolph, but her eyes were the King. 

King Aiden nodded curtly, and Diana turned back to Rudolph and told him to go, which he did reluctantly. Diana forced herself to peel her eyes off Rudolph's retreating back. Somehow, she knew he would be fine. She would burn down the world if he wasn't. 

"Send your people out," Diana demanded as she pushed her food away, having no appetite to finish the rest of the food. 

With a wave of the King's hand, the room was cleared out except for Diana and him. 

The King gave her a hard stare. "You have my undivided attention." 

"All the species of the supernatural world have a common enemy now; the zombies. Even with our unique abilities, we are at a disadvantage due to our... uh differences. We were bred to despise each other, and that, your Highness, will be our destruction," Diana began with her eyes not straying away from the king. 

"Where are you driving at?" The King asked. 

"I have a proposition."