Chapter 90: Between the Trees.

Clay was in his usual place in the garden, crouched low near the edge where the flower bushes curved neatly around the fountain. It was where he was expected to be, where he was supposed to blend in. As a zygone, the last thing he wanted was attention—especially inside the castle walls. Drawing eyes, even accidentally, could unravel everything.

Inside the castle, he was weaker than usual. He couldn’t feed like he normally would. His strength was limited, and the energy inside him was thinning more than he liked to admit. The main reason he had been chosen for this role in the first place was because of his control—how long he could go without feeding. That kind of restraint wasn’t common in his kind.

Clay even went ahead to hum a tune under his breath as he continued clipping at the flower bush ensuring that the shrubs in its entirety was completely even.

A soft smile was on his face and his blue eyes glittered with excitement as he stared at the flowers like they were the only thing that mattered even though he wanted nothing more than to rip every single petal to complete and utter shreds.

He continued to work in the garden like he was supposed to when he suddenly heard footsteps. Footsteps no human would have been able to hear which meant that he pretended not to have heard it.

Not until the person passed behind him dropping a letter right beside him as they left.

Clay didn’t look down at the letter as he continued doing what he was supposed to with a sly smile on his face. It wasn’t until after a while longer that he finally looked down at the letter knowing who it was from even without opening.

Who else but the woman he had bedded and planted a desire seed inside of her. It had drained a lot of his energy but he was more than willing to do so if it meant that he would have an extra pawn to add to his plans.

He not only needed to know what was going on in the castle, he needed to know most things even before they had been finalized. How else would he have enough time to report back and make plans that would favor his race.

Slowly he dropped the shears in his hand and picked up the letter opening it and reading the contents inside of it.

’Come to my Villa tonight!’ But he had barely read it when he instantly scoffed with a roll of his eyes as she stashed the letter into his coat picking up the flower shears back even as he continued to hum under his breaths

He would indeed be leaving the castle that night but he had another destination in mine. Moreover why would he go as far as to satisfy her when he had been the one to create the need in the first instance.

A frown flashing on his face as he recalled the main reason he had done so in the first place.

It has been to ensure that Lady Vivian would sleep with King Zyren which would give him a way to affect the king.

’The power the race would have if somehow he managed to gain control over the king of Vampires’

’The power he would have!’ The more he thought about it the more annoyed he was that all his plants were going downhill and not at all in the way he wanted them to go.

For a moment he froze no longer concentrating on whatever he had been doing with his hands even as his thoughts strayed to the woman he had spoken to and who he had confirmed to be Zyren’s pet.

’Maybe I should plant one inside of her too!’ He thought to himself confident that sleeping with her wouldn’t be too hard to do.

He wasn’t stupid and his senses had been good enough for him to hear her racing heart simply from how close he stood beside her.

’I’ll plant one in her just in case!’ He decided especially since he didn’t think there was no one that could dive away from his charms.

A smile blossomed across his face even as he went ahead doing what he was supposed to and watering the flowers he wanted nothing more than to destroy. Using them as a way to build up his self discipline.

It was my until his shift was over that he finally left the garden greeting each and every one of the servants he passed with a soft and gentle smile especially the men since women were easier to deal with.

With a huge coat on his back he headed right to the gate with a smile on his face and a polite bow as he greeted the guards with a low bow a gesture they pretended not to enjoy and always refuted that he stop but was clearly something that they liked to see.

It didn’t take long before he walked out of the gate entering a servants carriage that led to the main city.

He was quiet mostly after greeting the others keeping to himself until he had to say goodbye getting off first at the outskirts even as he waved at the others.

"Isn’t this place a bit deserted? What could you possibly want to get from such a village?" A nosy servant asked with an upturned expression on his face coupled with a frown which drew everyone else’ attention to the fact that it was dark and where Clay had gotten off was mostly deserted.

"Clay! This place..." another began to speak a much older human woman who worked in the kitchen and whom he was a bit closer to.

"...doesn’t look safe! If it’s new plants I’m sure you can get it at the center of the city!" She said even as the man beside her also nodded his head and began to speak.

"You might be a man but you should be aware of your limitations!" He was much older than the woman which meant that he could also be blunt in the way he spoke to Clay.

"One look at you and robbers and thief’s would come running to you!" He said with a face full of concern but that was the least emotion Clay felt as he smiled gently at them even as anger bubbled up within him as he wondered who they though he was for them to speak to him in such a manner.

"Thank you!" He said with a bow of his head even as he smiled softly back at them and backed away from the carriage to show that he had made up his mind.

"I’ve been here a lot and I’ll only be here for a few moments just to get the plants I need!" Bowing again befor turning around and walking away. His hearing good enough to hear when exactly the carriage again began to move ignoring him completely.

With his back to them and his face hidden by the darkness around him even if someone stood right beside him they wouldn’t have been able to clearly see the look of fierce anger that was clearly etched onto his face as he walked faster.

Instead of heading into the village like he was supposed to, Clay headed to the trees that surrounded it instead away from the path that carriages took when going back and forth.

Heading inside quickly with no traces of fear in his face instead the anger had melted away the faster he walked and deeper he headed even as his human form slowly began to tear away to reveal a huge bulky and ugly form that didn’t in the slightest look charming.

The horns on his head were huge and ugly but looked extremely sharp and domineering.

His size was four time his human ones and his hands were no longer delicate.

He looked like one of his hands would be more than enough to crush a human head with one gentle squeeze.

On his back was a square section that melded with his skin almost like they kept something but something that had been buried under his skin. It looked almost painful.

He had just taken one more step forward when he froze a grin spreading across his face to reveal brown but razor sharp teeth that would have sent even grown humans screaming and dashing in the other direction.

Clay turned around beaming as his eyes focused on four others who looked just like him with black inky eyes as the one who looked the biggest spoke to him.

"Welcome brother!" Gesturing a hand sign right on his heard even as Clay bowed his head and stretched his hands out to touch the hand that was offered to him.

"To the glory of the Zygone race!" He responded under his breath even as those around him instantly mumbled the exact same thing out loud one after the other.