Chapter 7: Blood Cross

Noah’s tone was as gentle as ever, carrying no hint of blame.

Even her embrace from behind was indulgent and intimate.

Yet Luoyao still felt a chill run through her.

She hadn’t forgotten Huangwei’s lesson to the blood slaves.

Human resistance and escape attempts were mere amusement for vampires.

But if resistance went too far, vampires would lose patience.

And then… they’d ensure their blood s*ave could never leave.

That didn’t mean a vampire would only kill after repeated escapes.

If a vampire was in a bad mood, one attempt could be enough to end you.

To a vampire, a blood s*ave’s life was no different from an insect’s.

“I-I wasn’t trying to escape…” Luoyao said, her voice tinged with guilt.

She knew lying was futile—Noah could easily see through her thoughts.

Sure enough, Noah let out a soft chuckle, teasing Luoyao’s earlobe with her tongue. “Lying adds to your punishment. I’ll have to discipline you properly~”

“I’m sorry, Noah. I’ll be good from now on, I-I won’t think about escaping—”

“Too late, darling.”

Noah smiled, her expression warm and kind.

But to Luoyao, it was the smile of a devil.

“I haven’t fed all day. Tonight, we’ll… have some real fun.”

Luoyao gripped her clothes tightly, tears welling in her eyes.

She cast desperate glances at passing strangers, but not one stopped to help.

Her and Noah’s pose was too intimate, too close.

Many assumed they were just close friends or something more.

No one would think this was a girl yearning for freedom being tamed by a vampire.

And even if someone did, what could they do?

Interfering would only bring trouble upon themselves.

In this restricted game world, vampires were the unchallenged apex predators.

Noah was still savoring the scent of Luoyao’s neck.

But her sharp instincts made her lift her head, her gaze locking onto a passing girl.

The girl wore a riding outfit, her curves striking and bold.

Sunglasses hid her eyes, and a red cross tattoo marked one side of her neck.

As she passed Noah and Luoyao, she glanced their way briefly.

Noah’s eyes lingered on her for a moment before returning to Luoyao’s ear. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?”

Noah released her, turning Luoyao to face her, hands on her shoulders. “You want to escape, right? Fine, I’ll give you that chance.”

She glanced at the clock on the supermarket wall. “It’s eight o’clock now. You have half an hour to run. At eight-thirty, I’ll come find you. If I don’t catch you by nine, you’re free. Got it?”

Luoyao understood perfectly, but…

“Why…”

“Why? Does a vampire need a reason? For fun—good enough?”

For fun.

Hah, that was indeed a vampire’s style.

Luoyao didn’t hesitate and agreed.

Since Noah wanted to play this cat-and-mouse game, she’d play along.

Whether she escaped or not, she’d end up being fed on.

So why not take a bold shot?

But first, Luoyao needed to confirm one thing.

“If you catch me… will you… kill me?”

“Pfft—”

Noah burst into laughter, as if she’d heard the funniest joke.

Her laughter grew unrestrained, drawing stares from passersby.

Luoyao felt embarrassed.

“Hey, what’s so funny? Are you going to kill me or not?”

“No, no, no, relax. I’ll only tease you, not kill you.”

“Then… I’m going.”

Noah restrained her laughter, crossed her arms, and nodded.

Luoyao pursed her lips, took half a step back, then turned and jogged toward the supermarket exit.

But before she’d gone a few steps, Noah called out, “Wait, come back. One more thing.”

Luoyao frowned slightly.

She knew this infuriating vampire wouldn’t let her off so easily!

Reluctantly, she shuffled back. “What?”

“Give me a goodbye kiss.” Noah’s tone was casual. “If I really can’t find you again, I’ll remember this kiss.”

“Is it that important?” Luoyao tilted her head.

Noah’s gaze flickered, briefly glancing at the sunglasses-wearing girl standing nearby, silently watching them.

Noah looked back into Luoyao’s eyes, saying earnestly, “Yeah, it’s important.”

Without waiting for permission, she stepped forward, hands on Luoyao’s arms, and pressed a light kiss to her lips.

It was the gentlest kiss Luoyao had ever received from Noah.

No fangs, no biting, no suggestive teasing.

Just a deep, fleeting, dragonfly-like kiss.

Luoyao, for once, relaxed and closed her eyes, savoring the brief moment.

“Alright, go.”

Luoyao didn’t reply.

She gazed into Noah’s crimson eyes, slowly backing away.

Then she turned, blending into the bustling crowd.

Watching Luoyao’s figure vanish, Noah let out a relieved sigh.

“You let go of the only hostage who could save your life.”

A cool voice came from Noah’s side.

Noah turned to see the girl with the red cross tattoo on her neck.

“I’d rather not see you, Suyue.”

“Why let your blood s*ave go? With her, you could’ve held her hostage and escaped, no?” The girl named Suyue seemed intrigued by Noah’s decision.

In her experience, no vampire would release their blood s*ave when facing capture.

As long as they had a hostage to threaten the Blood Hunt Church, they’d use it to the fullest.

This meant the Blood Hunt Church, when capturing vampires, often harmed or even killed the blood slaves in their grasp.

To Suyue’s question, Noah only shrugged. “Everyone knows the Blood Hunt Church is ruthless, especially Suyue, captain of the Blood Cross squad, who’d kill innocent humans without hesitation to take down a vampire.”

“Oh~ So you were afraid I’d accidentally kill your precious blood s*ave?”

Her tone dripped with provocation.

Noah leisurely shed her jacket, hopping lightly in place as a warm-up.

“Let’s make this quick. I’ve got to find my human miss after I deal with you.”