CHAPTER 175: THE UNDERGROUND CLUB

Andria’s POV

The moment Kaelric and I moved closer to the door, I felt my pulse spike. We were really doing this, this place looked horrifying, with so many hidden doors and tunnels that made a crippling feeling of anxiety overwhelm me.

Kaelric’s hand brushed against mine, a touch that sent a delicious mix of anxiety and excitement. Doing this with Sir Kaelric felt different.

"You don’t have to be scared now, Ari. I told you so, but you insisted on joining me. Now you just have to finish what you have started," Sir Kaelric said, a huge smirk on his face, wasn’t he scared at all?.

"Ready?" he asked. His voice was calm, but there was something about the way his eyes flicked over the shadows that told me he wasn’t really at ease as I had thought.

"Ready as I’ll ever be," I replied, even though my palms were slick with sweat.

We drew closer to the door, and we could hear faint music echoing from the other side of the door.

"Tell me that’s not what I think it is."

"Maybe, it is exactly what you think it is, so just brace up," he replied, bushing the door open.

And behold, it was a club, how weird, a full-blown, secret, underground club. I looked towards him, and as if he noticed, he looked to me and nodded.

"Has this always been under the museum?" I asked him, my face contorting into a shocked face.

"First off, you don’t have to look shocked, because it paints you like you don’t belong here, and you would be spotted, and we don’t want that.

Secondly, these places used to be a reading club under the museum. So the place has been here, just that it wasn’t a party club, it was a book club, that’s why a bookshelf happened to be the door to the entrance." Sir Kaelric said, not sparing me a glance.

My eyes adjusted quickly, and I noticed creatures that shouldn’t even exist in this kingdom; they belonged to the underground, as I had always read in books.

Pale figures with slit eyes, scales glinting faintly beneath their robes. Two fae-like beings were dancing near the back—a demon sitting casually by the bar, I could sense that everything was wrong with this place.

I looked towards Sir Kaelric, "Can you feel what I’m feeling? This place is suspicious. I can see it."

I leaned close to him. "I mean, look at them..." I gestured around, exasperated, " They aren’t just normal wolves, they are other creatures from the underworld, and they are so free to party here with wolves, doesn’t that ring a bell?’

He didn’t look at me. His gaze was locked on the far end of the club. "Just watch," he said, his voice low but commanding. "And stay close."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, I totally forgot, you probably must have seen it before I did."

I was nervous at this time, and talking was a way of relieving the anxiety I felt.

He looked at me and ignored the jab, lifting his phone slightly. "We are in," he said into it.

A faint voice came through the receiver. It was the same unknown contact.

"Good, now that you are here, keep moving, you will see another secret door, behind the bar, there’s something in it, that could answer the questions in your mind right now. But be careful not to draw unnecessary attention; these creatures are very attentive."

I rolled my eyes.

Kaelric’s brows knit together. "Understood."

He put his phone away and gestured for me to follow. We moved quietly, almost on tiptoes, passing drunk demons, magicians, black witches and sorcerers.

"Stay attentive, and behind me, Aria. Any mistake could cost your life. This isn’t some student’s joke, we are dealing with very harmful creatures here," Sir Kaelric reprimanded me.

We were halfway there when two figures stepped out of nowhere, blocking our path. They were sorcerers, from the look in their eyes.

"Not another step," one hissed. His voice was tight and hoarse.

I tensed instantly, my claws itching to surface. My instinct screamed ’fight’. My vampire side stirred; it was on edge since that taste of blood.

But before I could move, Kaelric’s hand caught my wrist. "Don’t," he murmured, eyes sharp.

"Are you kidding me? They’re sorcerers!" I hissed back. "I saw that they would kill us, but before they do that, I’ll end them first."

His grip tightened slightly, not painful, but firm enough to silence me. "This isn’t the best place for a fight. Let them do what they want; they can’t kill us. They will only save us time."

I stared at him like he had lost his mind, but something in his eyes, steady and unflinching, made me pause.

The sorcerers exchanged glances and motioned for us to move. Kaelric nodded once, and I followed, keeping my expression blank even as my heart pounded hard enough to echo in my ears.

We walked down another corridor, this one darker and lined with cold, stone-carved walls inscribed with unfamiliar runes. Every breath felt heavy.

Then, quietly, I felt his breath near my ear. His voice was low enough to reach me barely. "Good," Kaelric whispered. "That’s what fighting as partners entails. Trust."

Something about the way he said it —steady, confident, and close enough for me to feel the heat of his breath against my neck —my chest tightened.

The tunnel ended abruptly, opening into another vast chamber.

And that’s when I saw him. Jackson.

I looked around, trying to see if Liara was somewhere, but she wasn’t here. I panicked.

What was going on here? And where is Liara? Liara isn’t in school or this place either.

There were demons, two black witches and sorcerers, and four wolves who were probably rogues. Jackson sat at the far end of the chamber table, obviously presiding over the meeting.

"Well, well," Jackson said, his voice smooth and smug. "If it isn’t Sir Kaelric, the king’s obedient shadow." His eyes shifted to me, and a smirk curled on his lips. "And Aria. The feisty one."