CHAPTER 10

"At long last, you have returned..."

Sela stumbled as his hauntingly ethereal voice echoed around her. Her back hit the door that had closed on its own behind her. Her mind was still in overdrive, her entire body gripped by terror. Yet, she didn’t know why, but the sight of the man before her made her feel like she could breathe again. It was as if she had finally seen a light at the end of a horrifying tunnel.

He was gracefully lying there, so breathtakingly handsome as she remembered. His red eyes, which were like a pair of blood moons framed with thick white lashes, seemed more intense than she remembered. But right now, he looked as if something had angered him, and it was crazy, but he still looked so bloody hot, even with such a dangerous look in his eyes.

Sela had never expected to actually see him like this again. Was he real this time? Or was this just another nightmare? Had she even managed to actually make it out alive? Or was she seeing him right now because she had fallen and hit her head somewhere during her escape, and now, she was… dead?

She could feel her body losing strength. It was like the adrenaline or the survival instinct was suddenly evaporating, leaving nothing in her body but utter weakness. Oh no… she was going to fall now…

Her eyes shut closed as she prepared herself for a hard fall to the ground. But the fall didn’t happen. A strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

The handsome vampire was holding her again in his ice-cold arms. Lord… the sheer feel of him was just… surreal!

She opened her eyes, and their eyes met. Her heavy pants and the still loud beating of her heart were all that she could hear. But damn… those eyes up close were truly nothing but… damnation.

Suddenly, he took a long, deep breath. No, he looked like he was taking in something that smelled divine. And then the blood moon-like eyes of his turned into a bloody inferno. That look alone should terrify her to her bones. But the fear wasn’t there. She didn’t know if it was because, right now, her body recognized him as her one and only safe haven after the terrorizing and traumatizing experience she had just gone through.

"Who has caused these tears?" he asked, as his cold finger brushed the tears on her face. Lord… why was he asking her with that gentle voice?

"Who has had the audacity to injure what belongs to me?" he added, and she felt like she was really going to faint. What in the world did he just say? Had she actually died and luckily got isekai'd into a romance book this time?

He lifted her, princess-like. She heard a sound of something that had been shut closed before he gently settled her down. When he dropped to one knee right before her, she nearly forgot to breathe.

His gaze shifted from her face and stared at her bloodied knees. Sela realized then that she was sitting on top of the now closed coffin. But that didn’t even matter at all because all her attention now was on him. She couldn’t believe a hot, beautiful vampire was now kneeling on one knee before her!!! Lord… this was truly getting more and more… fictional!

Before she could even recover from his shocking actions, he bent, his glorious face now right before her knees. When he stuck out his tongue, her hands flew to his face, stopping him.

“W-w-what are you doing?” she stammered, and she finally realized that her hands were still trembling.

His cold hand grasped both her wrists.

“You can’t –” she broke off when he suddenly gave her palm a long, wet lick. Oh my goodness!!!

"I cannot? Why?" His gaze was smoldering, compelling, but damn, she shouldn’t…

Without waiting for her response, he proceeded to lick the wound on her knee. It made her wince. She was only starting to feel the pain now. She didn’t even know she had hurt herself.

Before she realized it, she gripped his hair.

“W-wait… stop. You can’t lick… That’s so dirty –“ She broke off once again at the sight of him shutting his eyes closed as if he was suddenly in ecstasy, as if he was tasting heaven in that moment.

Sela fell speechless. Was her blood truly that…

Her eyes suddenly felt heavy.

Huh? I’m falling asleep again? But aren’t I already inside a dream?