Chapter 28
He hadn’t been injured when he came in; the blood on his clothes was all from other people. Even though she had just stabbed him in the chest, the wound had already mostly healed after she’d been forced to smear his blood on her face. There wasn’t even a tiny flaw left on his skin.
Porcelain couldn’t do any real damage to a vampire.
Fu Xia reached out a hand and checked for a breath. There was none.
But for a vampire, was breathing even important?
She wiped her face, smearing the blood onto the back of her hand. She scrambled up, quickly washed her face, and rinsed her mouth out repeatedly until the metallic taste was gone.
…She didn’t know if she had swallowed any.
But she remembered a similar situation last time, when Xie Rin had suddenly gotten a nosebleed right at the critical moment. Could it be that he cross-dressed because he was impotent?
It was useless to think about that now. Whether he was impotent or not didn’t change the fact that he was a volatile lunatic. Regardless of whether his self-identity was male or female, he had ways to devour her completely.
Fu Xia braced herself against the wall and went to the washroom, turning her head to look at herself in the mirror.
Her neck didn’t have the four horrifying puncture wounds she’d imagined. The wounds were small and had already stopped bleeding. She felt a little dizzy; her reflection even seemed to have a faint afterimage. The light, floating feeling of walking on clouds hadn’t faded yet. She took two steps and had to steady herself against the wall.
A strange restlessness was stirring within her. She soon felt an uncontrollable heat rising in her face.
…Was there poison in his fangs?
I’m just a normal high school girl, why do I have to deal with this?!
She glanced at Xie Rin on the bed, fighting back the urge to pounce on him and use him as a tool. She quickly rummaged through the cabinet again, found the first-aid kit, and applied medicine to the wounds. She used iodine, which had a rather pungent smell. If there were other vampires in this castle, she hoped they wouldn’t come gnawing on her because they smelled her blood.
After doing all that, the restlessness within her still hadn’t dissipated. Fu Xia took two deep breaths, her mind flashing with images of his face and his abs.
No, if I stay in this room, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself.
The lights in the room were dim, and it was still three hours until dawn. Fu Xia shuffled to the door and tried to pull it open a crack—
—and came face-to-face with a grotesque fox mask.
There were no lights in the hallway. The darkness was like a swamp, ready to swallow a person whole. The fox’s eyes were a dark red, like a monster that reaped souls.
Fu Xia’s heart gave two heavy thuds.
As she took a step back, the person outside instinctively took a step forward and grabbed her wrist.
“Careful!”
Yan Zhu hadn’t expected anyone to open the door. He had just returned with Xie Rin after they had cleaned up a batch of half-breeds. He had been standing at the door, covered in the scent of blood, wondering how he could get in and take her away—without hurting her.
In terms of combat ability, Yan Zhu was a Prince-level vampire, on par with Xie Rin. Their abilities—invading dreams and altering perception—weren’t particularly useful in a fight. He preferred to just snap his enemies’ necks with his bare hands.
And then, the person he had been thinking of appeared right in front of him.
Her hair was a mess, her flushed face showing a flash of panic and fear. Just as she was about to lose her balance and fall, he quickly reached out and caught her.
The warmth of the girl’s body spread through his palm. The night wind had been blowing, and her temperature was a little low, but it was still different from a vampire’s icy coldness.
Yan Zhu instinctively didn’t want to let go.
Until the person in front of him spoke. “…That hurts.”
He let go as if he’d been electrocuted.
Because of their movements, the door, which had only been open a crack, swung wide open. Yan Zhu saw the obvious wound on her shoulder. He raised a hand to touch it, then realized he was covered in blood and it wasn’t appropriate. His hovering hand curled into a fist.
Fu Xia didn’t notice his small movements; all she felt was a burning sensation where his hand had touched her wrist.
She forced herself to remain calm and threw the problem at him. “He’s passed out. What are you going to do?”
Only then did Yan Zhu see the unconscious Xie Rin. Fu Xia had even thoughtfully covered him with a bedsheet.
Yan Zhu: “…”
An idea began to stir within him.
This was Xie Rin’s territory. He didn’t like having too many outsiders around; this villa was only staffed by a few vampires for daily maintenance.
…Should I elope with her now?
Yan Zhu didn’t have his own faction, but as a vampire who rarely participated in disputes and enjoyed traveling and occasionally passing on messages, he had many safe houses. He was completely confident he could run away with her.
Would she refuse?
Under the effect of his ability, their relationship was secret and intimate. But he couldn’t be sure of her answer, especially now that she knew they weren’t human. Most humans were wary of non-humans, and vampires were, in a way… at the top of the food chain. Under these circumstances, would their relationship still be effective?
Though he was still uncertain, he led her out of the room. He had originally planned to carry her outside, but he noticed she seemed uncomfortable, constantly shifting against him, her breathing growing more and more ragged.
Her temperature was rising.
Fu Xia felt like her face was about to explode. She had never experienced anything like this. Her body felt like a burning fireball, desperately needing ice water or something else to cool down and release the heat.
—Yan Zhu’s cold body temperature could slightly soothe her feverish state.
“…Is there poison in your fangs?”
Yan Zhu froze for a second, the expression behind his mask instantly changing. He carried her into an empty room, gently set her down, and began to examine her wounds. The not-yet-healed wounds and the surrounding skin were flushed red, and her temperature was abnormally, almost searingly, hot.
He understood immediately.
…That bastard Xie Rin injected a massive amount of toxin that makes prey attached to their predator, even with such a shallow bite!
What was he planning on doing, and for how long??
Fu Xia couldn’t see his expression. With what little rationality she had left, she asked, “So what do we do?”
It wasn’t hard to alleviate the symptoms—the effect was similar to a certain human drug, but there were other methods. This wasn’t a suitable place. Xie Rin could wake up at any moment, and if he found out… he would 100% scream his head off and try to kill them both.
It wasn’t safe.
Yan Zhu’s eyes trembled, his hands shaking slightly, and he spoke quickly. “It’s okay, we’ll just suck the poison out first… I’ll take you to get the antidote…”
Fu Xia couldn’t take it anymore.
She raised her hands. She had no strength, but he was still stunned as she pushed him onto the bed. She hooked the edge of his mask and, like prying open a stubborn clam, easily removed the mask he always wore.
Even in complete darkness, vampires could see clearly, so there was no light in the room besides the moonlight. But Fu Xia’s eyes had adjusted to the dark.
She noticed his flinch. The moment the mask was off, he turned his face away, as if that could hide him from her sight. He didn’t want anyone… especially her, to see his strange, flawed eyes.
But Fu Xia caught his insecurity and self-consciousness.
Her heart was beating fast. A thought surfaced in her mind, growing clearer and clearer.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Fu Xia cupped his cheek, her gaze gentle as she looked at him. A kiss landed on his blind eye.
She whispered, “…Look at me.”