Xiran stared at her in astonishment, it was difficult to deny her anything especially when she put it that way and spoke so softly with him, he couldn’t say no anymore. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Ok, Aselia. Firstly, I am putting all my faith in you and letting you stay here. I want you to talk to me every day, if you ever miss a day and I hadn’t heard from you, I will come here and take you away. Secondly, although I will not help you in pursuing my father, in the hopes that you may never find him. But if you do, call me Aselia and I will come in the blink of an eye. I won’t let you face him alone." He cupped her face and tilted her head so she would stare directly into his eyes and understand the gravity of the situation.

"Thank you, I understand your terms, but my battle with your father is mine alone. I wouldn’t burden you with it. We should go now." She announced trying to escape his relentless gaze which was smouldering her like the flame of a candle does to the wax.

Xiran wanted to chew on those strawberry lips, he was ravenous for them but knew he wouldn’t be able to stop if he trodded on this path. With all his sheer power and bare chest heaving, he released her face from his iron grip and seizing her wrist hauled her along him and Aselia followed without making a sound.

Opening the door they entered the corridor and every footstep became heavy for Aselia. She felt like trudging through the marsh, her heart was slumping and her breathing was raspy, for she understood what he was about to do.

"Which way?" Xiran inquired, stopping outside in the empty corridor.

"Left," Aselia croaked and he turned left on his bare feet. The only sound that could be heard was off Aselia’s shoes as she scurried behind him to keep up with his pace.

Up ahead Aselia could see Markius’ lab, where he prepared serums and experimented on vampires. She gulped hard and said in a small voice:

"That’s his lab," A growl escaped Xiran’s throat as he picked up the pace and so did Aselia.

Reaching the door he kicked it so hard that more than half of it was dented and flew off its hinges before landing at a distance of a few meters.

A commotion could be heard inside the lab where several people were busy working on different serums and experiments. Seeing half-naked beastly Xiran enter followed by Aselia caused a ruckus. One of the men seized his gun and tried to shoot at Xiran but his gun was snatched and broken into two in the blink of an eye by the raging beast they had awoken.

Xiran picked him up and tossed him aside, he then thundered: "OUT, except the man named Markius." People who were mainly doctors and lab assistants panicked beyond anything to see a rampaging vampire. They fled for their lives and soon the lab was empty, except for hundred of serums, vials, and other equipment that lined the counters and tables.

Aselia was rooted to her spot as she watched the scene with bewildered eyes, dilemmas birthing in her heart and mind as the man she loved was wreaking havoc in the place she called home, just like she had done to his, karma much.

Xiran’s sharp eyes scanned the lab for the man and he finally spotted him behind a counter with a gun aimed at Xiran, seeing him the vampire growled:

"Your guns are useless against me for I am faster than them and they won’t work on me without your serums, so come out."

A round was fired but Xiran swiftly dodged them, without wasting any more seconds Xiran shifted from his spot and moved behind the cowering man who was trembling like a wet dog in winter.

The eyes blazed, heat surged and screams of the man filled the entirety of the lab as Xiran yanked Markius up from his hair. The merciless vampire placed his hand on Markius’ face and pulled it while his fisted hand pulled in the opposite direction, leaving a handful of black hair in Xiran’s hand.

"You shouldn’t have touched my hair, now I am going to pluck every last hair on your head and then break all 54 bones in your hands before mercilessly killing you." Xiran spat at him with revulsion and disgust as if he was holding something dirty, something despicable.

The man’s body convulsed and writhed in pain as he turned to Aselia and shouted: "White Falcon, please help. How did he even escape?" But all she could do was watch with teary eyes, for Markius’ blood was on her hands. He was not an innocent man but his research, serums and torture techniques were vital to their organization, his death will hurt them.

Markius’ tormented shrieks echoed loud and clear as Xiran did exactly as he had said, he tore him apart limb by limb and Aselia obeyed him with a wounded heart and shaking body. Streams of her tears lined her face down to her slender neck. For this was her punishment and she had accepted it no matter how much it hurt.

Xiran’s naked torso was painted vermilion with Markius’s blood, giving the perception of a warrior who had just returned from a battlefield. This was indeed a battlefield, a battlefield of revenge, and lines had been drawn.

Throwing away the remains of the man Xiran had just killed, and his decapitated head, which he placed on a counter facing Aselia, he strode toward her sobbing figure.

"I told you I have a cold heart, there is too much of my father inside me. Now you know, now you have seen me at my worst. I hope you can understand for your own heart is not very different when it comes to killing vampires. But if you have any doubts, you can still say no to me and I will walk away without plaguing you with further guilt." Xiran spoke calmly as he gently wiped her tears with his blood-stained fingers, streaking her cheeks with the blood of her comrade.