Xiran’s POV

My head felt like it had been filled with lead and every nerve fiber in my body screamed as I experienced my energy completely depleted. Someone had bound me and no matter how much I tried, my body wouldn’t move. I groaned.

Slowly opening my eyes I glanced around and found her staring back at me from up ahead. What has she done to me? We weren’t alone and there were few men with her but she didn’t appear to be in distress or danger. Who were they and where were they taking me? Seemed like we were on a plane as I averted my gaze and scanned my surroundings and asked with a growl:

"Where are you taking me?" This was pissing me off without exaggeration.

"Shut up and sit quietly or I will seal your lips." A man with black hair and brown eyes who was seated opposite me replied in a threatening tone. I shot him a deadly look and before I could speak up I heard her voice.

"Agent 27, I will handle him. Exchange seats with me." She spoke calmly, getting up from her seat.

"Yes, White Falcon." The man replied as she pranced toward him and he got up giving me a menacing look. Her intoxicating smell hit me as she settled down, opposite me.

The blank expression she wore told me she meant business. ’White Falcon’ was that a code name? Who was she and what did she want from me? I thought to myself.

Her turquoise eyes bore into mine and I couldn’t pinpoint the emotions she held in them, but they weren’t warm like they used to be.

"You are Phantom Vampire’s son and we have been looking for him. Now you are going to lead us to him and are going to tell us everything we need to know. His whereabouts, all his hiding places, his plans and his unique powers. We are taking you to our headquarters. I hope this answers your questions and for who we are, you are smart enough to have figured out that by now." She told me in a monotonous almost robotic tone. Her elbows resting on her legs and her hands very clasped in front of her.

She was a hunter, that word took my breath away and I forgot to breathe, the reality unraveled over me like wildfire engulfing forests. I blinked several times trying to let that sink in, not understanding if to feel angry at her or my own stupidity. How did I not see this? Did she only use me for her benefit to fish out information? No that couldn’t be, I had seen her crave me. She was bonded to me then how could she do that to me? Didn’t she feel the pull of her bond or was her mission above everything she felt?

"Aselia let’s not go down this road. You have no idea what my father is capable of. Take me back and we can figure everything out. You are endangering lots of lives by taking me along." I tried to put some sense into her, she wasn’t aware of what she was landing herself into. I cared too much to let her get killed going down this evil path.

"I don’t need your lecture, just your answers. It would be in your greatest interest if you give them to me willingly because you won’t like the methods they will use to extract answers unwillingly from you." Her voice was unwavering and there was no hint of reluctance in what she wanted from me. The geniality and sass she carried seemed to have evaporated and were replaced by iciness, both in her words and her manners. It was butchering me inside, and my heart screamed.

"Aselia..." I began but was cut off by her sharp words.

"Stop calling me that, it’s not my name." Her words were razor-sharp and cut deep. Of course, she used an alias and I fell in love with a female even whose name was alien to me. I knew nothing about this woman in front of me. Was everything fake just like her name? But what else was I to call her? That was the only name she had told me.

"Sorry, but I won’t be able to help you. I can’t give you the information you desire, Ma’am." Emphasizing the last word on purpose. I felt a hint of annoyance on her face but that passed and disappeared as soon as it came.

"Don’t make the situation difficult for yourself. It won’t end well for you." She snarled at me clutching her hands tighter as if withholding herself. She was agitated and was trying her utmost to hide it but she was never really that efficient at hiding her emotions.

"You can try ma’am, I am at your mercy," I replied in a sarcastic tone and she fisted her hands and gritted her teeth in annoyance. I wanted to see how far she could go to acquire the answers she sought.

"If you think I will show you mercy, you are highly mistaken. One way or the other I will find your wretched father and kill him, riding this world of a monster so no other child will become orphan like....." she was interrupted by a young boy who had been intently watching our conversation, strangely he had no scent.

"Partner, I wanted to show you something. Let’s interrogate him after we land. Besides you need rest so come take a nap for a while." She averted her gaze from me to him and he put forward a warm smile aimed at her, his face showed intelligence, something told me he was smart and knew how to handle her. Didn’t he just call her partner? And what was it she was about to tell me?

"This conversation is not over. Gag and blindfold him and no one is to go near him." She commanded, her words held authority and I knew she was no ordinary hunter. Without giving me another glance, she got up and walked past me as if I meant nothing to her, my hand itched to reach out to her. She headed towards the boy who had called her partner and slouched next to him.

Agent 27 gagged and blindfolded me soon after but I could still feel her heart thudding nearby, it was restless just like her. I could feel her heart calling me, only I could soothe it and I knew that in my soul.

"Reel in your emotions and it would be better if you don’t interrogate him, you are in a vulnerable state and seem too attached." He whispered to her.

"Shut up, he can hear you. And I am in full control of my emotions. We will talk later." She was as authoritative with him as she was with me and I wondered what their relationship was like.

"Go to sleep, and I hope you will be a bit more benevolent after waking up." I could feel a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Benevolence won’t get me the results I sought." She snarked back at him.

"Ok ok, sleep for a while." I could sense they were close by the way he carried out the conversation with her.

"Feed him first," I heard her whisper to him.

"They didn’t bring any blood. We will feed him when we will reach headquarters."

"You people can’t be serious right now. I explicitly gave instructions to bring blood." She was annoyed at her team.

"I am sure he won’t die in one night. Relax."

"That’s not the point. I have no intention of making him starve, he is my prisoner and he is my responsibility." She was speaking so quietly but I could hear her crystal clear and could feel the concerns she held for me. That made me smile a little.

"Get me a glass." She growled at them.

"Be rational, partner." I could hear the pleading in the young boy’s voice.

"I would have remained rational if you people had heeded my instructions. Get me a glass, now."

No one spoke after that and then I heard a ’swish’ sound of something sharp cutting through the skin and the scent of her blood overwhelmed me, driving me crazy. I stopped breathing for all my senses stopped working and I sought her and her blood.

But then the thought of her hurting herself to feed me hijacked my brain and my thoughts went to the first time I had met her. And it made sense how she was so relentless, seeing and offering blood didn’t make her squeamish.

She was braver and smarter than I had anticipated her to be. She had outsmarted me and she had outplayed me on all fronts, I couldn’t help but acknowledge her as a hunter and I wondered how she had pulled everything off and were recent hunter attacks associated with her. There were so many questions swirling in my mind.

I was lost in my stream of thoughts when the blindfold was ripped off my eyes and there she stood, inches away from me holding a glass three quarter-filled with her blood. She lowered the gag, her cold fingertips brushed my lips, sending shivers all through my body, and then I looked up at her as she pressed the brim of the glass to my lips. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Drink," She ordered.