Chapter 38: Venting

Noah was familiar with this “telepathic voice.”

It was an ancient vampire method of communication.

Mind-to-mind messaging.

Within a certain range, vampires could share information.

Often just fragments, but the meaning always came through.

Only one person called Noah “Senior”—

Anna.

The vampire who’d never tasted human blood.

Living off the blood vault’s stock.

Just now, Anna had clearly said, “Save me.”

She was in danger.

And Noah was the only one she could reach.

“Sorry, Luoyao, I’ve got an urgent matter to handle.”

Noah had to cut their evening short.

She needed to find out what danger Anna was in.

Luoyao nodded understandingly. “Okay.”

She rarely saw Noah so tense—

No, not tense, just… urgent.

Whatever it was, it mattered more than their bedroom moments.

Luoyao didn’t pry.

If Noah wanted to share, she would.

She wasn’t worried about Noah having another woman.

That trust came naturally.

She could see Noah’s loyalty to their bond.

Noah patted Luoyao’s head.

She got out of bed, hurriedly dressing.

Then headed to the door.

As she changed shoes, Luoyao, bare, held her nightdress over her private areas.

She stood at the bedroom door, watching Noah at the entrance. “Be safe.”

“Will do,” Noah said, slipping on her shoes.

She looked up at Luoyao. “I’ll be back before dawn.”

“Okay. I’m off.”

“Mhm, be careful.”

Noah nodded, heading to the kitchen balcony.

She leaped out the window.

Well… vampires never took the normal route.

***

A silver dagger was embedded in the girl’s calf.

Blood poured from the wound.

The pain was excruciating.

Silver, like UV rays, could harm vampires.

Not as deadly as sunlight, but the Blood Hunt Church used it.

They crafted cold and hot weapons from it.

Like the dagger in Anna’s leg now.

Or the bone-titanium silver bullet that nearly killed Noah long ago.

Anna curled up in a corner.

Her small frame trembled from pain and fear.

She looked up, pleading with the woman before her. “Please… don’t do this…”

Her clothes were soaked with blood.

Countless wounds littered her body.

All from the woman’s silver dagger.

These wounds wouldn’t heal quickly.

Most defenseless vampires died to such weapons.

“I-I’ve never hurt a human… please, let me go…”

The woman crouched before Anna.

A red cross tattoo marked her neck.

She smirked, grabbing Anna’s chin coldly. “Never hurt a human?”

“Then why were you following that young girl tonight?”

“I… I just wanted to be her frien—ahh!!”

Before Anna could finish, the woman twisted the dagger’s handle.

It churned in her leg muscles.

“You think I’d believe a vampire? If I hadn’t caught you, would that girl be your meal now?”

Anna shook her head, tears streaming. “No, no… I really don’t hurt humans…”

“Still denying it? Fine.”

The woman stood, towering over Anna.

Anna huddled, shivering, eyes locked on her.

She choked, trying to explain.

But before she could, the woman stomped hard on her stomach.

Her organs felt like they twisted together.

Anna spat blood.

She tried to push the foot off, but her arms had no strength.

She wasn’t a fighter like Noah.

That’s why Huangwei made her a blood vault keeper.

She came to the city to gather intel on the Church’s sweep.

Since she’d never attacked humans, her face was unknown to them.

She shouldn’t have been spotted.

But this woman saw through her vampire identity.

And tortured her in this alley for over twenty minutes.

Anna didn’t know why she hated vampires so much.

She’d done nothing wrong, yet endured this inhumane abuse.

It was like the woman was venting her rage through Anna.

Even her teammates seemed uneasy.

“Captain, enough,” one said. “She can’t fight back.”

But another teammate yanked her arm.

A warning: “Stay out of it, or the captain will turn on you.”

They could tell the captain was in a bad mood.

Lacking an outlet, she’d spotted the slightly airheaded vampire.

The result… was obvious.

“You seduce humans, make them addicted to you. Then you drain their bodies. You call it comforting their souls, but they’re just slaves, food, right?

I don’t get why some humans fall for disgusting creatures like you. Clinging to you like idiots. What a shame for our kind.”

Anna bit her lip, blood trickling from her mouth.

She looked into the woman’s eyes, weakly saying, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have come here… Let me go, please… I won’t come back…”

“Ha, begging now? Too late.”

The woman slowly drew a gun from her thigh holster.

She raised it, aiming the barrel at Anna’s forehead.

“Know what’s in here?”

Anna had no strength to answer.

“Bone-titanium silver,” the woman said.

“One shot will kill you. But don’t worry, it won’t be instant. It’ll burrow into your brain, erode your flesh, burn your nerves. Slowly… killing you.”

Bone-titanium silver…

Anna’s fading mind recalled Noah.

A month ago, she’d been hit by one.

Even after surviving, it took over a week to recover.

Heh.

Anna, who’d never tasted human blood, getting this treatment?

What an… honor.

She lowered her head, accepting her fate.

“Boring thing,” the woman sneered.

Then she pulled the trigger…