Conquering His Cold Heart

‘Ruby’s parents!’

Without wasting a second more, Zenon rushed out of the doctor’s clinic and headed towards the edge of the town. By the time he reached there, the house had already been engulfed by the flames.

A lot of people had gathered in front of the house. But barely a few of them were actually helping in putting out the fire.

He looked at a young man who was standing in front of the burning house and asked him, “Where are the Thompsons?”

That man was too scared to speak when he noticed the red eyes. But he did point towards the house with his shaky hand.

Zenon didn’t wait for a second more. Although he was extremely vulnerable to fire, he swooshed inside the burning house hoping to save the lives of the runaway wolf’s parents.

The spectators were confused as well as amazed to see a vampire putting his own life on the line for the sake of the humans.

Zenon was shouting and searching each and every room of the house in search of the couple. He was extremely cautious not to let the flames touch him. At last, he found the couple in the kitchen.

.....

The two of them were in sitting down on the kitchen floor while embracing each other. The fire hadn’t touched them yet. But the kitchen was filled with thick black smoke.

“Are you okay?” Zenon jumped inside the kitchen and asked the couple.

But the two of them didn’t respond to him at all.

Zenon was already starting to get affected by the extreme heat coming off from around him. He was sweating profusely and was hoping that he wouldn’t accidentally catch fire.

Now that he found the couple, he didn’t waste any time checking their breath or waiting for their response. He swiftly picked both of them and carried them on his shoulders. And he rushed out of the house.

Upon reaching outside, he put both of them on the ground. And he instantly shouted even though he was breathless, “Check if they are alive!”

A few people gathered around the couple to check for their pulse.

Zenon was gasping and darting his eyes around the area. He located a well nearby and immediately ran in that direction. Without thinking for a second, he jumped inside the well.

His body made a sizzling noise upon coming into contact with cold water. And he heaved a deep sigh of relief when his body cooled down.

‘Ahhhh... Taking a dip in the water never felt so good.’

After his body cooled down for a bit more, Zenon climbed out of the well and went back to see the couple who he had taken out of the burning house.

A woman came up to him and then said, “I’m sorry, sir. You tried to save them but... it seems like they had already died from suffocation.”

Zenon took a good look at that middle-aged woman’s face. And he asked her, “Are you sure? That they are dead?”

“Yes, sir. I am a doctor. I am pretty confident of my skills,” the woman humbly replied.

Zenon gave a nod and then said, “Thank you. I will leave the Thompsons in the care of the townspeople then.”

He turned on his heels and was about to run from there.

But the young man who he had talked to earlier stood in front of him and asked aggressively, “I heard that Ruby was taken away by the vampires. What did you do to her? What did you do to her parents? Were you the one who started the fire?”

Zenon felt enraged by all the accusations that he was getting today.

He instantly grabbed that man by the collar and then snarled at him, “We did nothing to her. She abandoned her parents and this Kingdom and ran away to live her life somewhere else. And I don’t know who started the fire. Maybe you do? Were you the one to do so? Shall I take you into custody and show you how the real interrogation works?”

That young man was terrified to see Zenon’s rage. He looked down and apologized, “I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have made an accusation. Please forgive me.”

Zenon pushed the man away and shouted at him loudly so that everyone could hear him, “If you weren’t so busy watching the house burn and had instead done something to save those poor souls then maybe, they both would still be alive. It’s easy to blame others for your incompetence. Now go and try to put the fire out before the whole town burns.”

After lecturing the man, Zenon headed for the castle so that he could send some vampires to do an in-depth investigation of both cases.

While on his way back, only one thing was in his mind.

‘How are all three of them dead? The doctor committed suicide and the Thompsons were caught in an accident? I don’t think those two are open and shut cases. There’s definitely more to it. I need to find the real culprit.’

—

“What did you say? All three of them are now dead? Just like that?” Caspian was shocked to hear the news.

Zenon looked down and nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty. I thought there was more to it than the eyes meet. So, I have sent an investigation team to look into both cases.”

“I feel the same way.” Caspian nodded and narrowed his eyes. “Something doesn’t add up. Especially because of how those very three are linked to that werewolf case. I don’t think these deaths are random and can be treated as separate cases. My gut says that both are linked.”

Zenon agreed with what the King said and made speculation, “Someone definitely knows something. This might have been a planned murder. We need to think who could benefit from their deaths.”

Caspian looked at Zenon and asked, “Ruby? Could she be the one? She was the one who was close to all three of them. Often, it’s the close ones that stab on your back.”

“It could be her. We cannot rule out that possibility.” Zenon frowned and further mumbled, “Or... maybe we are missing to see something. Something that is in plain sight. But I don’t know what it is or who it is. And it has been bugging me ever since I came back.”

Zenon pressed his palm over his forehead and then uttered to himself, “Maybe that intruder is still inside our territory. We could have missed spotting it. Could it have something to do with those deaths?”

“Only time will tell,” Caspian said in a heavy voice. “I hope the truth surfaces soon.”

He patted Zenon’s shoulder and said, “And I am sorry that you had to face all the hatred and accusations from the humans. I will make sure to let them know that they are in no position to raise their voices at us or against us.”