All Chapters of Annesa, Vampire King's Mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The royal court gathered in the Grand Hall.The chamber was enormous, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into darkness high above. Tall pillars lined both sides of the hall, while black-and-silver banners bearing the royal crest hung between them.Hundreds of vampires filled the chamber.Nobles.Officials.Royal guards.Members of the ancient vampire families.All had come to witness the trial of the vampire who had become a nightmare to their kind.Eryx of Ebonbrige.At the center of the hall, Eryx stood with his wrists apparently bound by thick iron chains.His head was lowered.His silver hair fell over part of his face.His black clothes were stained with dirt from the journey.The chains around his wrists appeared heavy enough to restrain even a powerful vampire.But no one in the hall knew the truth.The chains had been released long ago.

Gareth’s medical examination of Annesa had actually concluded days ago.Yet, for reasons unsaid, he began haunting the grand archives of the royal library with unspoken frequency. At first, Annesa dismissed it as a mere coincidence. But soon, she realized that whenever she wandered down the labyrinthine aisles of ancient books, Gareth was almost always there, lingering among the dust motes and velvet shadows.That afternoon, Annesa sat tucked away between towering shelves, lost in the dramatic pages of a newly acquired romance novel.Gareth materialized silently from behind a row of leather-bound folios, an old tome cradled in his hands."Reading that one again?" he asked softly.Annesa looked up, her lips parting in surprise. "Why? Do you dislike romance?""I never said that." Gareth took a quiet seat beside her, the scent of crushed herbs and old parchment clinging to his soft wool coat. "I'm just beginning to wonder why a woma

Lilith gazed at the parchment in her hand, her eyes darkening with every line written by her informant. She had finally uncovered the location of Eryx’s hidden domain. She never expected his fortress to be tucked so deep within the remote, snow-draped wilderness—nor did she expect it to be surrounded by an endless sea of crimson roses. Even in the dead of winter, beneath a relentless blanket of ice and frost, every single rose blooming across his estate remained impossibly vibrant and alive. A bitter wave of nostalgia washed over her chest. How vividly she remembered those sweet, distant years with Eryx. How blissfully happy they had been before fate tore them apart. She still remembered his deep, velvet voice whispering promises into the night—promising her that if they spent their lives together, he would fill her world with endless, everlasting roses. Lilith closed her eyes, letting out a sharp, aching sigh.

Elira's reports were sent every two or three days. They were never too long. Never too conspicuous. She carefully recorded Annesa's routine—the times Annesa spent in the garden, how long she read in the library, her trips into town, the books she purchased, her sword training with Eryx, and even the people who were usually around her. As time passed, the reports began to reveal a pattern. Annesa and Eryx were almost always together. In the mornings, they trained. In the afternoons, Annesa read or walked through the gardens. In the evenings, they sometimes went horseback riding. And at night, Eryx almost always made sure Annesa returned safely to her room. But one evening, Elira saw something that made her hesitate to write it d

The scent of spilled blood and fresh iron hung heavy in the midnight air, igniting the primal instinct of the hunt. Eryx stood at the edge of the massacre site, his crimson eyes gleaming with a lethal, terrifying brilliance under the full moon. Beside him, Gareth—his face grim and covered in snow—crouched low, sweeping his gloved hand over the deep, jagged hoofprints cut violently into the frozen mud. "The tracks are fresh," Gareth gritted out, his voice sharp against the howling wind. "They lead straight toward the eastern pass. But it’s too obvious, Eryx. A strike force this organized wouldn't leave a trail this clean. It’s a decoy—a trap to draw you away!" "I don't care if it's a trap or the gates of Hell itself," Eryx thundered, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, ancient power that sent a shudder through the surrounding pines. "Her scent is on this trail. I will tear apart every soul that stands between me and Annesa!" "Listen to reason!" Gareth shouted, grabbing his horse