Chapter 11 Eyes flickered red

An ugly black creature emerged from the distance, visible from inside the carriage. Its body was sleek and wet, and its eyes were red. Its hand was holding half of someone's body, freshly devoured.

Groan groan!

It groaned louder. The rain was still pouring onto the ground in the same place as before. Evan clung to Ezekiel's chest. He kept patting her head, but it wasn't enough to calm the girl down. Her heart screamed for rescue. She thought of Mrs. Caviar, how the woman had loved her and never exposed her to any of this. Now she knew how dirty and unsafe the world was.

If you don't have money to build a safe place, then you are done for. In this world, there are lots of different creatures killing every single day. It was terrifying for humans, as they were usually the ones who faced the most attacks, especially from a reaper vampire. A reaper vampire wasn't supposed to exist. All vampires can turn into a reaper, and a pureblooded vampire is no exception. When a human is to be transformed into a vampire, a pureblooded vampire will bite them on the left side of their neck. They will then start transforming. The process is painful and stressful. It's 50/50 whether you'll transform successfully or die.

Those who fully transform into vampires are called the half-vampires.

“Duke, what will we do with him?” the coachman asked the duke. He wasn't scared because he knew well that the creature wouldn't dare harm them with the duke present. He had seen many scenarios where Duke Ezekiel killed creatures greater than the one before them. He had been Ezekiel's coachman for years. It was Lord Raphael who found him and handed him to Ezekiel. Zeke is very picky about things like this, and so far, he found his coachman humble. He liked riding with him and had even planned on turning him into a vampire so he could last longer.

The carriage had been stopped for the past few seconds now, and Ezekiel was already sick of staying inside.

“Tell him to move aside,”was Ezekiel's reply, making Evan raise her head in awe. Was he even serious? she thought. Her mind was still trying to wrap around the reality that a deadly creature stood before the carriage.

Her eyes fixed on the creature,goosebumps popped up all over her skin, and she quickly put her head down on Ezekiel's massive chest.

“Please, please,” she mumbled against Ezekiel's chest. Ezekiel could hear her heart shivering in fright.

“It's okay,nothing will happen to you,” his voice was dangerously low.

Instead of calming the girl down,it frightened her more.

He tried pulling the girl away so he could go and get rid of the creature,but sadly, the girl didn't let go of him. She gripped harder, as if he were her only source of survival—as if letting go would mean dying on the spot.

Ezekiel sighed; this girl was too stubborn. He wondered where she had picked up this attitude. Other maids were humble, at least in front of him, and they were also scared of him. He carried a dark, intimidating aura, and his beauty alone could leave someone frightened. So why was this girl so stubborn? His mind went back to when he first saw her. She was a little child, and he didn't think she could still recall that. She hadn't been scared of him that day, either. Meanwhile, at that time, many little children feared him dearly. He was the scary vampire with gray eyes. To think that someone existed who had no fear?

This girl wouldn't let go of him anytime soon.He had to think of a better plan.

Should he command her?He thought. But another part of his mind said no. He wouldn't want to scare the girl away.

“I'm going outside. If you don't want to let go, come along.”

“Y-yes,I'll come along. Don't leave me!”

Evan replied.The fabric was wet by now from Evan's tears.

“If so, let go of me so I can get down from the carriage,” he said, hoping the girl would listen.

Evan hesitated little by little before letting go.Ezekiel immediately stepped down from the carriage, and Evan followed behind him, making sure the duke wasn't too far.

When he got down,he helped Evan from the carriage. She gathered her green dress in her hands to keep it from sweeping the ground. She held Ezekiel's hand tightly as she followed his trail.

Seeing how frightened the girl was,Ezekiel bent down and whispered in her ear.

“I can't fight him holding you this way,you know, unless we fight alongside each other.” That alone was enough for Evan to let go quickly. The rain falling on Evan's skin went unnoticed, the fear far more overwhelming. Before Ezekiel could make any attempt to fight the creature, an arrow pierced its chest. Evan was terrified by what happened. With a loud groan, the creature dropped to the ground. To Evan, it felt as if this were her last day living. Though the creature fell, she wasn't certain if it was dead.

“Get inside immediately!” Ezekiel's voice was loud, and something in it sounded slightly scared. Evan immediately got in obediently. A carriage came from the other end. It was a beautiful forest green and looked extremely expensive. It was they who had killed the creature. It stopped steps away from Ezekiel's carriage, and Evan spotted a man emerging from it. He had long black hair, beautiful enchanting features, red eyes, and thin pink lips. He was undeniably handsome and attractive. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before she put her head back in.

“Zeke,”the man's voice was melodic, the kind used to deceive women and bring them to his bed effortlessly.

“Are you hurt?”he asked. It was none other than Lord Raphael, the Duke of Greenwave land. His eyes lingered on Ezekiel's carriage as if checking for any scratches. He had gotten this carriage for Ezekiel and wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who dared ruin it.

“I am okay, Raphael. Where are you going in the middle of the night?” Zeke asked, surprised by the Lord's sudden appearance.

“I heard some black witches are tormenting a village near Spiritlake.And it wasn't only that village. They've already destroyed many villages.”

“Hmm,”was Ezekiel's reply.

“The information came late,so I haven't told the council. I just did a personal investigation,” Lord Raphael continued.

“Then?”asked Ezekiel.

“I was on my way to invite you to join me.We can just take a little stroll to the village.”

“I can't,” Ezekiel replied quickly.

“Why?” Lord Raphael knew this boy was extremely stubborn. He didn't usually reject his offers. If he did, there was something behind it. And Zeke hadn't come to the meeting he'd set up. Lord Raphael wondered what was absorbing his time.

“I have something more important to deal with,”Zeke replied. He placed his hands inside his trouser pockets as he stared at the lord.

“What could be more important than this?” Lord Raphael asked. Ezekiel shot him a fierce glare. The lord chuckled it off; he was used to this boy's attitude.

“I won't be coming,”he declared firmly. The lord threw his head back and cursed under his breath. When Ezekiel said he wouldn't do something, he wouldn't, no matter who you were.

“I came all the way here hoping you'd join me.Since you said you're not coming, I'll just follow you to where you're headed,” Lord Raphael said in a slow tone that sounded slightly begging, wondering if Zeke would allow him to come along.

Zeke's eyes flickered red as he smiled at Lord Raphael.

“As you wish.”Raphael knew what that meant. It meant danger. Ezekiel got into his carriage as his coachman started riding past Lord Raphael's carriage. Lord Raphael was curious where Zeke was going at this time of night. He got into his own carriage and followed.

…

It wasn't even fifteen minutes later when both carriages stopped in front of a massive building.It was painted a milky white. Evan and the duke entered the mansion, a place seemingly meant for the highest-ranked citizens. Evan had never seen such a place. The walls were extremely tall, and beautiful flowers of different types were planted in front, adding to its warmth. It was candlelit. They walked inside and were welcomed by guards bowing at the waist. Evan was treated with respect. The interior was as beautiful as expected. A group of girls dressed in balay gowns performed in one hall. The first hall was made of glass walls separating it from the other.

“Oh, Lord Raphael. It has been a long while since you last visited. Come, please, I'll pour you some blood tea,” the balay teacher, Mrs. Park, said. She was a normal vampire. Her red eyes brightened at the sight of Lord Raphael.

“Hi,” one of the balay dancers stepped forward, welcoming Evan.

“I'm Isabella.”