Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 302: Checkmate

Chapter 302: Checkmate

"WHAT?!"

Roderick felt about a thousand emotions at once—none of them pleasant.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his heart was about to exit through the mouth, and his blood boiled so hard he was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of his ears. His lips trembled, caught somewhere between disgust, shock, and disbelief twisting together in a volatile storm.

"Your Majesty, are you serious?"

Kaan had left out the juiciest part of his plan. Oh sure, he had casually mentioned wanting to bring a demon to his side. Totally normal. No big deal.

What he didn’t mention was the part where he intended to use said demon to take over the entire world, forcing every living being to grovel at his feet.

And yet, Roderick was already on the verge of a stroke. If this was his reaction to the appetizer, what was going to happen when the main course was served? Would he faint? Just spontaneously combust? Honestly, all were viable options at this point.

Kaan, meanwhile, remained as unbothered as ever. "I thought you agreed Asvaldur was too small for me."

Now Kaan was acting like Roderick was the unreasonable one. As if he was betraying him by not immediately jumping on board the ’Let’s Befriend a Demon and Take Over the World’ train.

Roderick bit his lower lip, forcing himself to stay composed. Inside, he was screaming.

Oh, I don’t know, maybe because summoning a demon is INSANE? Maybe because it’s, I don’t know, ILLEGAL? Or—crazy thought—maybe because vampires actually have some dignity? We don’t need dark magic to prove we’re superior—we do just fine with our terrifying, bloodsucking charm, thank you very much.

But, of course, saying any of that out loud would likely get him turned into a very dead ex-vampire. So instead, he forced a diplomatic smile and took the safest route possible.

"Of course. It’s just... I thought you meant to unify the vampire kingdoms, to secure our prosperity. We’re still brothers and sisters, after all. Same blood, same roots. I assumed you sought to remind us of that—that together, we would be strong."

There. Nice. Safe. Not at all implying that his king had lost his damn mind.

"Pfft!" Kaan pressed a finger to his lips, trying—and failing—to stifle a laugh.

Did... did he just snort at me?

Roderick cleared his throat, forcing himself back to reality. Right. He had always known Kaan was insane—sometimes borderline unhinged, sometimes completely unhinged.

Unfortunately, leaving Kaan to his own devices wasn’t an option. The last time Roderick ignored one of his wild ideas, an entire village mysteriously caught on fire.

So, yeah—if he didn’t want to wake up one day to find the world in ruins, he had to stay close. Very close. Like a full-time babysitter—if the baby was a power-hungry vampire emperor with a taste for world-ending schemes.

Roderick would whisper bits of common sense into his ear like a full-time crisis manager. Maybe he could stop him from doing something catastrophic.

With that in mind, he schooled his expression, carefully masking just how much he opposed Kaan’s whole ’Let’s-expand-my-empire-with-the-help-of-a-demon’ plan.

Roderick adjusted his posture, straightened his clothes, and mentally prepared himself for whatever fresh nonsense was about to unfold. "So, you’re telling me there’s a way to summon the demon?"

Kaan nodded. "That’s what the scholars discovered. There’s a spell—one that can summon Ol’gaz with varying degrees of force. Used lightly, it acts as an invitation—one the demon has the right to refuse. Used with more power, it becomes a firm request. But if cast with enough strength by a skilled magic wielder... it can force the demon to appear."

A chill crept down Roderick’s spine. He wasn’t easily rattled, but this was treading into dangerous waters. Not that he feared the demon—okay, maybe he did, but any sane vampire would.

Demons weren’t just powerful; they were malevolent by nature. They thrived on destruction, took pleasure in suffering.

And yet, Kaan wasn’t merely summoning Ol’gaz—he was attempting to enslave him. He wasn’t looking for an ally; he was looking for a weapon.

This was no longer just reckless. It was madness.

"And how exactly do you plan to bring the spellcasters into Eira? King Valentin would never allow it."

"Does he need to know?" Kaan replied smoothly, a suspicious glint in his eye.

Roderick sucked in a breath. "Don’t tell me—you’re bring them in with the Imperial Knights, regardless of King Valentin’s permissions? Is that why you sent them ahead?"

Kaan sighed dramatically and turned to the window, his expression practically screaming: I expected better from you, Roderick. You disappoint me.

"Perhaps not all brains function as they should," he said, shaking his head. "Yours, for example. If I were using brute force, why would I bother with stealth?"

Roderick scowled. That was not the answer he was hoping for. He had expected a direct explanation—maybe even a step-by-step rundown of Kaan’s grand scheme. Because he needed to know.

"Then what exactly did you order the knights to do?" he asked.

Kaan let out another exaggerated sigh, like this conversation was physically draining him. "Protect Eira. That’s all." Then, with a smirk, he added, "The most important thing was getting them inside."

And there it was—the missing piece.

Among the knights, Kaan had planted spellcasters—hidden in plain sight. He had split his underground network into smaller groups, slipping them into his entourage while the rest infiltrated alongside the Imperial Army.

Roderick had to admit, it was impressive. Witches and wizards, masters of secrecy, slipping into their roles as knights so effortlessly that no one had noticed.

Still, the whole thing made him uneasy. If Kaan was this good at sneaking magic-wielders into enemy territory... what else was he getting away with?

"Wait—you’re telling me the spellcasters are already inside Eira as we speak?"

Kaan gave a slow, knowing nod. "Did you know there’s magic that allows instant communication? No messengers, no letters, no enchanted carrier pigeons—just pure magic. I don’t need to be anywhere near them to get updates or give orders."

Of course, there was a minor downside—this kind of magic was ridiculously difficult to wield, and one tiny mistake could quite literally blow up in the caster’s face. Not that Kaan particularly cared about their well-being, but exploding employees were inconvenient.

So, to avoid unnecessary casualties (and the hassle of replacing them), only important information was transmitted.

Kaan smirked. "King Valentin thought he was clever. He split up the troops, fed each group different intel, probably hoping to confuse and dismantle them."

He let out a short, amused sigh. "Too bad for him, my spellcasters could communicate in real-time. His little trick failed before it even had a chance to work."

This magic wasn’t just for convenience—it was critical to ensuring a smooth summoning of Ol’gaz. In the process, they had uncovered King Valentin’s strategy and countered it effortlessly.

Checkmate.

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