Chapter 26
Xie Rin looked quite pleased, his swinging legs glowing white in the darkness. He didn’t look like he had come to save her out of concern.
Ah, right.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse. Only when the mouse was cornered with nowhere to run would the cat make its leisurely entrance. Clearly, Xie Rin was just that kind of cruel little girl.
Fu Xia thought, clutching the blood bags.
There was a large crater in the wall. Pei Wang was leaning against it, the ropes on his body somewhat loose, but his wrists were still tightly bound behind him. His head was bowed, blood trickled slowly from his forehead, and his breathing was shallow.
Fu Xia considered for a few seconds and took two steps toward him.
“Sweetie?”
Xie Rin leaped lightly from the windowsill and landed gracefully beside her.
“Where are you going, sweetie?”
He blocked her path, his gaze first falling on her knee. “Are those blood bags for Pei Wang?”
Fu Xia smelled a hint of danger in his smile. Alarm bells blared in her mind.
“Yes,” she said, taking a step to the side to put a little more distance between them. “Pei Wang got me out of the theater. I promised I would help him.”
Xie Rin locked onto her movements like a cat. The smile on his lips didn’t change. He tilted his head, his tied-up black hair swaying slightly with the motion.
“So,” Fu Xia said, “I want to give this to him first.”
“No, you can’t, sweetie.”
“Wouldn’t it be for the best if he died here? That way, you wouldn’t have to pay back that astronomical debt, and you wouldn’t have to live in fear.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie. No one will ever trace it back to you, because I’ll protect you from now on.”
But it’s not just Pei Wang I have to be afraid of!
Fu Xia hugged the blood bags tighter. Xie Rin’s gaze was fixed on her, and sensing her resistance, his smile faded.
“…Sweetie, I don’t want to say it again.”
Just as he stepped forward to grab her wrist, Yan Zhu’s voice came from the doorway. His tone was unreadable. “Xie Rin, they’re here.”
It was the half-breeds from the theater. After Pei Wang had passed out and his ability had failed, the dominated creatures had regained their autonomy.
Xie Rin paused.
Taking advantage of the moment he was looking at Yan Zhu, Fu Xia ducked past him and rushed to Pei Wang’s side.
The smile on Xie Rin’s face vanished completely. Any vampire who had ever dealt with him could see the displeasure in his expression.
“You can’t clean up a bunch of trash?” Xie Rin’s voice was sinister.
Yan Zhu coughed.
Ignoring why a bodyguard could speak to Xie Rin in such a way, Fu Xia used the distraction to tear open the blood bags and shove them into Pei Wang’s mouth.
She muttered under her breath, “…Untying the ropes will take too long. Just drink the blood first. Whether you recover is up to you.”
Pei Wang’s consciousness was fading, but he instinctively drank the blood that was brought to his lips. One bag was quickly emptied. He unconsciously licked his way up the bag, his tongue brushing against her fingertips. His fangs were bared, ready to bite down.
“Hey, hey, hey…”
She quickly pulled her hand back and tore open another bag, stuffing it in his mouth. Her actions were a bit rough, but these were special circumstances. He should be able to understand, right…?
This was no longer a matter of a few million. Whether it was Xie Rin, Pei Wang, or Yan Zhu behind her, she felt she couldn’t trust any of them. If they were really the fantastical creatures from stories, then being taken away would mean being drained dry.
Three of them… regardless of whether they were human, having a few to balance each other out would make her a little safer.
Uh… probably?
While Xie Rin and Yan Zhu were out dealing with the trouble, Fu Xia quickly fed him the blood bags and watched as his breathing eased slightly. He was seriously injured and probably wouldn’t recover quickly.
She braced one hand on the floor and leaned close to his ear.
“Please, don’t you dare die.”
As she worked on the ropes, she continued to mumble, “When you get better, come find me… or maybe you’ll have to save me.” Their relationship clearly wasn’t going to be repaired anytime soon. She was counting on him to keep Xie Rin in check.
Pei Wang didn’t speak. As she untied the ropes, she felt his fingers hook around her palm and then gently trace a line across it. It felt like he was making a checkmark.
“Then you get some rest,” she said.
She stared at his face for a few seconds, then stood up and walked to the window.
Under the moonlight, Xie Rin and Yan Zhu moved nimbly through the crowd of zombie-like, irrational people. She couldn’t see their movements clearly, but their opponents fell like dominoes.
Could tonight get any more absurd?
Fu Xia was lost in thought.
Xie Rin sensed her gaze. He seemed to say something to Yan Zhu, then turned back, scaling the wall to appear in front of her. He placed one foot on the windowsill, glanced at Pei Wang out of the corner of his eye, and then grabbed her hand, pulling her out the window.
Fu Xia was used to it by now. Before the weightless feeling of falling could set in, she wrapped her arms and legs around his neck like an octopus.
A few seconds later, Xie Rin landed steadily on the ground.
Yan Zhu shook the blood from his hands and walked calmly over, looking at Fu Xia, who was being held in a princess carry.
Even with the mask, Xie Rin sensed his gaze. A wave of possessiveness washed over him, and he forcefully pressed her face into his chest. Fu Xia was caught off guard and had an intimate encounter with his stealth suit.
The position was a little awkward.
…It was completely hard.
Recalling her earlier dream, she suddenly felt a sense of surrealism. If their species could be fake, then their gender…?
“Sweetie, we’re going home now.”
Xie Rin lowered his head, interrupting her thoughts, and nuzzled her neck. “I didn’t perform well last time. This time, I’ll definitely make you happy.”
He didn’t need her answer.
Fu Xia wasn’t mentally prepared. She could feel the wind rushing past her ears. Xie Rin’s frame was thinner than Pei Wang’s, but he ran just as steadily. She was about to lift her head to see where they were going when she heard his smiling, yet sinister, voice.
“Sweetie,” he said, “you can only move when I tell you to lift your head.”
Fu Xia silently buried her face again.
Satisfied, Xie Rin squeezed the back of her neck. “Good girl. Just take a little nap now, sweetie.”
Fu Xia hadn’t been sleepy, but after he spoke, her consciousness inexplicably began to fade.
He’s not going to drain me dry and dump my body in the wilderness, is he?
Probably not. If he wanted to do that, he could have done it at school.
Whatever. I’ll just have to endure it for now.
…
When she opened her eyes, she was startled by the scene before her.
A massive, ancient castle stood amidst a dense forest. Fu Xia had never seen such a building in person. Vines clung to its edges, and in the faint moonlight, it looked eerie and terrifying, the sight of it sending a chill down her spine.
Xie Rin was holding her, with Yan Zhu half a step behind.
Fu Xia found her voice. “…Your home?”
“I only come here occasionally, but very few people know about this place. I’ll feel more at ease with you here, sweetie.”
“…Then when can I go home?”
Xie Rin didn’t answer, just lowered his head.
Meeting his blood-red eyes, Fu Xia had a bad feeling. “Are you going to imprison me?”
A faint blush appeared on his face. “This is to protect you, sweetie.”
He finally set her down. Yan Zhu, who had been following closely, gently supported her lower back and guided her through the door.
“…It’s okay,” he said softly as the massive door swung shut. “Just get some rest tonight.”