Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 489: Chapter 489

As Jayran remained rigid by the door, his earlier shock and disbelief slowly melted and hardened into anger.

"What the fuck did you just do?!" he demanded.

Elka didn’t flinch. She held his gaze for a moment, her breathing controlled despite the way her hands had gone cold at her sides. She had not planned for someone to walk in at that exact moment. She did not look away even when Jayran’s glare threatened to incinerate her on the spot.

"I— I" She stuttered, lost for words.

"Answer me!" Jayran snapped, stepping forward. "You just threw my brother off the balcony! Have you lost your mind?"

She pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to cower in the face of his rage. There was no way to explain this quickly. No version of the truth that would appeal to him at this very moment. She stood her ground and kept her head up, even as her pulse hammered in her throat.

In the corner, Olena had shrunk back until she was pressed against the railing, her entire body visibly shaking. She kept her head down, eyes fixed on the floor, too terrified to even look at Jayran. As a maid standing in the middle of two royals, she knew if anything went wrong, she would be the first one blamed, the first one to die. She was dispensable.

Elka caught sight of her from the corner of her eye and guilt washed over her for dragging her into this.

Jayran’s hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his face filled with fury.

"Speak!" he demanded, voice harsh. "What the hell is going on?!"

He grabbed her roughly by the arm, fingers digging painfully into her flesh, and yanked her forward into Azul’s bedchamber. Elka hissed through her teeth at the pain but did not cry out. She let him pull her, meeting his eyes briefly as he shoved her further into the room.

"Stay here!" he snarled. "Don’t you dare move!"

He turned and pointed at Olena, who was trembling violently in the corner, too scared to look up.

"You too! Stay right there!"

Jayran slammed the bedroom door shut behind him and locked it from the outside, trapping both women inside. His heart was hammering violently in his chest.

This couldn’t be real, Jayran thought, wishing that he had imagined the whole ordeal. But it was real and he couldn’t change the fact that he had just watched his own twin get pushed to his death.

Jayran had only come here to question Azul if he had anything to do with the recent destruction of one of lord Tomar’s properties but as it stands, nothing could have prepared him for what he witnessed.

His long strides ate up the distance to the front entrance and he rushed outside, breathing hard as the cold night air hit his skin. His mind was racing, panic and anger mixing into something ugly.

But when he reached the spot beneath the balcony, he found no body.

Jayran stopped dead, chest heaving. "Where... where is he?"

He looked around frantically. There was no sign of Azul on the ground. Then his eyes caught something. Dark droplets of blood hitting the ground.

Drip... drip... drip...

Confused, he slowly looked up.

His breath caught violently in his throat.

Azul’s body was impaled on the long lance held by a tall stone statue that stood in front of the building. The spear had gone straight through his abdomen, pinning him in place like a gruesome trophy. Blood ran down the length of the lance, dripping steadily onto the ground below.

Azul was still alive, barely.

His body twitched weakly, one hand feebly gripping the lance that had torn through him. His head hung forward, blood dripping from his mouth.

Jayran stared up at his twin brother, completely frozen in horror.

"Azul..." he whispered hoarsely.

Azul’s body twitched again. A weak, wet gurgle escaped his throat as blood bubbled from his mouth. His eyes were half-open, unfocused, but he was still conscious. Still suffering.

The sight was so grotesque, Jayran felt bile rise in his throat. This was his twin. The brother he had grown up with, fought with countless times. No one knew him like Azul. And even though Jayran abhorred the person his brother had become, he had never wanted this to happen. Never imagined seeing him like this.

"Get him down!" Jayran yelled to anyone that would hear. "Now! Bring ladders, ropes, anything! Call a physician immediately!"

Guards began pouring into the area, their faces filled with disbelief at the horrific sight.

Jayran stood frozen, staring up at Azul. His hands were shaking at his sides. This only further stoked the rage he felt towards Elka.

He looked back toward the balcony high above. The same balcony where Elka and Olena had been at only minutes ago.

The chaos around him grew louder as even more guards arrived, their voices overlapping in panic. Ladders were propped against the tall statue and guards climbed up in an attempt to rescue Azul.

Jayran couldn’t tear his eyes away from his brother’s impaled body.

Azul’s head lifted slightly. Their eyes met for a brief second.

Even through the agony, Azul knew who was standing there watching him bleed.

That single look hit Jayran harder than anything. His chest tightened painfully. No matter how flawed Azul was, no matter how much they had clashed, this was still his brother. His twin.

Jayran’s hands clenched into fists so tight his nails dug into his palms.

He turned sharply on his heel and stormed back into the building, taking the stairs two at a time.

When he reached Azul’s chambers, he unlocked the door with aggressive force and shoved it open.

Olena flinched violently at the sound and shrank further into the corner. Elka stood in the center of the room with her arms wrapped around her middle, face pale. She had not moved from where he’d left her and now she watched him cross the threshold without backing away.

Jayran’s eyes locked onto her with pure malice. freёwebnovel.com

"You..." His voice was low and dangerous, shaking with emotion. "You did this to him. My brother is dying up there, pinned on a fucking statue like an animal. Because of you."

Elka didn’t retreat. Instead, she held his gaze steadily.

"He was going to ruin me tonight. He lured me here. He cornered me, then he made it very clear what he intended to do to me. I had no weapon, no guard to protect me, no one who would have listened even if I screamed." A single tear broke free and traced down her cheek but she didn’t move to wipe it away. "What else should I have done when faced with this situation? Should I have done nothing and simply allowed him to have his way with me? Violate me as he pleased? Or should I have let him turn me into his little plaything like he said he would?"

Another tear followed, as silent as the first.

"I know what this looks like. I know what you want to do right now." She said, trying to reason with him. "But if you go to the queen with this, she will have me executed. And you will be burying the truth of your brother’s sins along with me." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Olena still refused to make a sound.

Elka took a small step toward him. "I am asking you not to report what you saw. Not for my sake alone but because you know exactly the kind of man your brother is."

Jayran’s face twisted at her words.

"You dare lecture me about the kind of man my brother is?" he snarled, moving closer until he was towering over her. "I just saw him impaled on a lance because of you! He is still alive up there, suffering, and you stand here trying to justify what you did?"

Elka didn’t flinch or step back. She kept her chin raised, even as another silent tear slipped down her cheek. She looked like someone that had been pushed to the edge.