《A Heart For The Heartless》


 Chapter 1: The Scent of Blood

    In the streets of New Avenue, a man was running through the crowd of people on a snowy day with no sunlight, his face a mask of worry and panic. He pushed through numerous bodies at a rapid pace, seeming like he was rushing towards something important.


    Or perhaps even running away from someone.


    His body was soaked with cold sweat, and his hands were trembling so badly despite how hard he was clenching them into fists. He shook his head vehemently as though trying to shake off his anxiety and continued to run as fast as he could, bumping into several people along the way.


    ¡®I found it. I found it!¡¯ he thought to himself frantically, quickly shoving away a man who was blocking his path. ¡®I found it, Josie. We can expose them now. We have the evidence we need. We can go to the Ivanovs and tell them the truth. Tomorrow is-¡®


    Suddenly, the man bumped into someone while he was running. He tried to push his way through, but the person surprisingly wouldn¡¯t budge.


    When he looked up, he saw a woman. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair that fell in waves below her shoulders, and clear, lime-green eyes that seemed to pierce right through him.


    For some reason, her eyes gave him a sudden sense of unease.


    He stiffened immediately. Could it be, that she was¡­?


    No, it couldn¡¯t be. He couldn¡¯t sense anything unusual about her¡­


    Pursing his lips, the man narrowed his eyes at her, as though trying to intimidate her with his gaze. ¡°Please get out of my way. I have somewhere urgent to go to,¡± he said icily.


    The woman, however, remained unfazed. She just stood there, staring at him, with those piercing green eyes that seemed to probe into his soul.


    The man was growing anxious by the minute. He tried to sideline her, but to his surprise, she blocked his way.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said, and her voice was surprisingly soft and gentle, flowing like honey. ¡°Would you please guide me to the Town Square? I am a foreigner to this country, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve gotten a little lost around here.¡±


    The man gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to. I apologize again, youngdy, but you have to ask someone else for help.¡±


    He walked past her briskly.


    However, just a few secondster, her voice, still sticky and sweet, drifted into his ears again.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, Mr. Lambert?¡±


    The man¡¯s blood instantly turned into ice.


    How did she know his-?!


    Suddenly, he felt hands grip each side of his head from behind. No matter how much he tried to get away, those hands kept him firmly in ce, with a surprisingly strong grip. Panic immediately filled the man¡¯s heart, and his mind started racing.


    Vampire.


    She was a vampire.


    The man¡¯s mouth opened to let out a shrill scream.


    ¡®Wait. No, not a vampire.¡¯


    ¡®A halfblo-!¡¯


    However, the scream never went past his lips.


    The hands moved swiftly, and in just one quick, strong motion, the man felt his neck break.


    When darkness fell, that was thest thing he ever saw again.


    Meanwhile, in the middle of the streets on this cloudy, snowy day, Lambert¡¯s head was rolling across the ground, his headless body spilling blood on the snow-covered ground.


    ***


    ¡°It happened again, my lord.¡±


    Mikhail Ivanov lifted his head from the newspaper he was reading, raising an eyebrow at the man who had just spoken.


    ¡°There¡¯s been another human killing,¡± the man said solemnly. ¡°This time, it was one of the Guards who did it.¡±


    ¡°How many humans have died these past few months from a vampire attack on our side?¡±


    ¡°Exactly 16 of them, sire.¡±


    Mikhail fell silent, but his expression remained stony, expressionless. He leaned back against his seat, folding his arms across his chest.


    ¡°Erik,¡± he suddenly said.


    ¡°Yes, my lord?¡± the man, Erik, responded.


    ¡°You still think you aren¡¯t responsible for this?¡±


    Erik was stunned for a moment. ¡°Sire, that¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve been training those vampires myself for months. A thorough background check was-¡±


    ¡°New members are the most likely to betray apany, Erik. Don¡¯t tell me you are too naive to admit that?¡± Mikhail arched an elegant eyebrow at him. ¡°Yourst chance has been used up. Question them. If they refuse to confess, then eliminate them.¡±


    Erik looked rmed. ¡°Sire! They¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°I have been gracious enough to give your trainees the benefit of the doubt, but I¡¯m afraid my generous side ends here today.¡± Mikhail¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°Interrogate them and give me satisfactory information, or I will kill them myself. Including you.¡±


    At that moment, the limousine stopped at a familiar street.


    New Avenue.


    Mikhail waited until the chauffeur opened the door for him, and then he exited the car gracefully.


    Erik remained in his seat, frozen in ce.


    Two vampires ¨C rather, Mikhail¡¯s two personal Guards, Josef and Sarim ¨C went to his sides, escorting Mikhail towards their destination.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Josef remarked. He was a big, burly man with silver-white hair and small green eyes. He was dressed in ck, formal clothing alongside his partner, Sarim.


    Sarim, on the other hand, was a slim man that resembled a snake in appearance. He had dark-gray hair that was cleanlybed to the side, and yellow, predatory eyes that seemed to shine brightly in the darkness.


    Mikhail, on the other hand, was silent.


    The three of them strode through the night, not fearing anybody, and not caring about how conspicuous or inconspicuous they might seem.


    There was no one in the city of Azallea that didn¡¯t know Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s name. Rather, no one in the entire country of Dekraine dared to go against him.


    After all, Mikhail Ivanov was one of the three most powerful vampires in the world, known as the Elites.


    He had bright silver hair that had streaks of ck and was slightly tousled, giving him a bit of a younger appearance. His eyes were a clear shade of red, a testament to his power. Normal vampires had different eye colors, but whenever they used their powers, their eyes would turn red.


    The elite vampires were a different story. From the moment they unlocked the full extent of their powers, their eyes would turn permanently red.


    Although Mikhail hadn¡¯t been a vampire for that longpared to the Ancients, he was one of the most feared vampires in the world. He was turned at age 28, and since then, his youthful appearance stayed the same for a hundred more years.


    It was rumored among the people that he had volunteered to be turned, and that the vampire who turned him was his long-time lover. There was also a rumor that he had been forcibly turned and now held a grudge against the world, especially those whom he didn¡¯t trust.


    Mikhail was prominently known for his ruthless streak when it came to dealing with the supernaturals. He would eliminate those who failed orders or disobeyed him in cruel or gruesome ways. He was also notorious for not caring about the human race and their problems or issues, only treating them as sources of blood whenever he needed them.


    He did his job of protecting the humans from other vampires and supernaturals, but that was all.


    Some admired him for his cruelty and power. Some were disgusted at his way of doing things.


    Some also said that he waspletely heartless.


    A vampire did not have a heart, but their race wasn¡¯t all ck and white. Some vampires retained their humanity, even just bits of it, but somepletely lost it.


    Like Mikhail Ivanov.


    With the number of rogue vampires increasing each month, both the Human and Supernatural Councils were on edge. The humans were terrified about the recent killings while more and more vampires were being resented and hunted down. The Vampire Hunters Association was also starting to make its move by taking over the protection of the entire city.


    The city was currently in chaos, and everyone was filled with distrust.


    ¡°Have you gotten in contact with Sye?¡± Mikhail asked quietly.


    Josef shook his head. ¡°We have been trying to contact her for days now. It¡¯s like she¡¯s gone off the grid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either she betrayed us, or she has been burned to a crisp,¡± Sarim remarked.


    Josef frowned. ¡°I doubt someone as strong as Sye would be beaten that easily. She would not betray us like that, either.¡±


    ¡°Sye is a walking time bomb,¡± Sarim said calmly. ¡°She is unpredictable, and-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Josef and Sarim stopped in their tracks at Mikhail¡¯smand. Suddenly, Mikhail¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he looked at his surroundings with careful inspection. His red eyes shone brightly for a brief moment in the darkness.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ¡°Do you smell that?¡± Mikhail asked.


    ¡°Smell what?¡± Josef closed his eyes and sniffed the air. ¡°I smell alcohol and perfume. Nothing else.¡±


    ¡°I cannot smell anything else as well,¡± Sarim said.


    It wasn¡¯t snowing currently, and the winter season was starting to end. Some parts of the ground were covered with snow, and the temperature was below normal levels.


    It was a good thing that vampires couldn¡¯t feel the heat or the cold.


    But there was something different hanging in the air. Something thick and familiar.


    Mikhail sent them both a nce. ¡°You two cannot smell the blood?¡±

 Chapter 2: His Human Mate

    Josef and Sarim looked at each other, confused. ¡°My lord, there¡¯s no scent of blood anywhere,¡± Josef said, puzzled.


    Mikhail¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    Josef and Sarim were two of his most trusted warriors. They were always frank with him and would sense things quickly, sometimes just as fast as he did.


    However, the expressions on their faces seemed genuine.


    There was something odd about this blood scent.


    And Mikhail was determined to find out.


    ¡°Move forward,¡± hemanded, and Josef and Sarim nodded, immediately going into a defensive stance.


    As they walked on, Mikhail noticed that the scent of blood grew stronger. It drifted into his nostrils like an enticing mist, clouding his mind and spreading towards every part of his body. It was an irresistible smell, something that made his breath catch in his throat.


    It was as though the scent was seducing him, prompting him toe closer, and closer.


    It might be a trap.


    Mikhail¡¯s eyes narrowed as he walked faster, causing Josef and Sarim to follow him quickly from behind. Their eyes glowed a bright red as ws slowly protruded from their fingers.


    When Mikhail rounded the corner where the smell was getting stronger, Josef and Sarim paused in their tracks, their eyes turning wide. Their fangs started to elongate.


    ¡°Human blood,¡± Josef said.


    ¡°A human is bleeding out,¡± Sarim said quietly. ¡°The cold might be slowing down the blood, but it¡¯s unmistakable at this point. It¡¯s a bit fresh, too.¡±


    The smell of human blood was irresistible to vampires, especially when they were hungry.


    Suddenly, Mikhail stopped in his tracks to turn towards them, his red eyes gleaming dangerously.


    ¡°Do not touch this one,¡± he warned. ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡±


    At their lord¡¯s order, Josef and Sarim calmed down, letting their fangs shrink back until their teeth returned to normal size.


    If there was anything that they valued the most, it was their lives. Second to that was their stubborn loyalty to Mikhail.


    A century ago, Josef had been an orphan who was forcefully turned into a vampire. Sarim, on the other hand, was someone who voluntarily became a vampire in order to save himself from danger.


    If it weren¡¯t for Mikhail who saved them from the verge of death, they would¡¯ve never lived to this day.


    Hunger was trivial; after all, there were several other blood sources they could use. They could afford to wait a little longer.


    If Mikhail told them that he would im this human, then they would obey.


    With a nod, Josef and Sarim followed behind Mikhail as thetter walked towards the direction of the delicious smell.


    A minute or twoter, Mikhail finally came to the end of the furthest alley.


    And saw a woman.


    She was beautiful, with long, silky brown hair and a slim frame. She was panting heavily, and blood sttered all over her hands. She was clutching at her shoulder which was the part of her body that was bleeding out. She was also trembling, presumably from the cold.


    Her white shirt was drenched red, and she was barefoot, with wounds all over her ankles and feet.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It seemed that she had been stabbed, and before that, she fought back, which was probably the reason for the bruises along her arm and on the side of her face.


    He wondered, even though she looked messy and battered right now, why she still looked so breathtaking.


    Mikhail stood before her, feeling foreign emotions rise in his chest. He had never felt this way before.


    And he had never smelled blood this delicious.


    He imagined reaching out with his fingers to cradle the side of her face, letting her head tilt sideways so he could lower his lips towards the skin of her neck. He would let his fangs grow, and then he¡¯d pierce through, causing her blood to seep into his mouth. He would drink from her continuously, the pleasure spreading through his body as her blood flowed through his veins.


    He had no heart; it was just a lifeless organ, yet at this moment it was as if he could feel it beating hard against his ribcage from the excitement.


    The irresistible scent of her blood. This unnatural heat. This dizziness. These unexpected fantasies dancing around in his head.


    This woman was special. There was no doubt about it.


    Was she possibly what they called his ¡®mate¡¯?


    A human?


    Mikhail¡¯s lips curved into a smirk.


    After more than a century, he finally found her.


    Mikhail crouched down to get a better look at the woman. She had not said a word ever since he arrived, but he knew that she sensed him. After all, he didn¡¯t bother to conceal the sound of his footsteps. Even though he had no shadow, he was near enough for her to register his proximity.


    She did not look at him and simply closed her eyes, seemingly resigned to her fate. After all, it was no secret that the humans both feared and resented the vampires. Normal humans who were not hunters were helpless in front of vampires, and even the vampire hunters would not stand a chance against Mikhail, who was one of the most powerful there was in the entire world.


    ¡°She¡¯s bleeding out, sire,¡± Sarim remarked tonelessly. ¡°It¡¯s better to drink from her blood while she¡¯s still alive.¡±


    Josef nodded in agreement. ¡°Blood tastes better when it¡¯s fresh.¡±


    Mikhail smiled. It was not a kind smile. Rather, a malicious one.


    ¡°I will do nothing of the sort,¡± he said.


    ¡°Sire?¡± Josef and Sarim turned to Mikhail with a hint of astonishment on their faces.


    Mikhail didn¡¯t answer their puzzled inquiries and instead knelt down before the human, reaching out to grasp her chin. He lifted up her head, but she still refused to open her eyes.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Mikhailmanded.


    The woman¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line, but she stubbornly kept her eyes closed.


    ¡°I will not ask you again,¡± Mikhail said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Look at me, human. Or you will face the consequences of disobeying me.¡±


    After a few moments, the woman seemingly gave up and opened her eyes, making Mikhail fascinated at the sight.


    The woman¡¯s beauty was highlighted even more as she stared at him almost defiantly. With her brown hair, heart-shaped face, and stunning hazel eyes, she looked so out of ce in this dark, dirty alley, with blood on her face and body. Her lips were plump and red, and her skin was fair and smooth, so tempting that Mikhail had to repress the urge to sink his fangs into her.


    Mikhail had never had a problem with controlling his lust for blood. Being an elite vampire, he was much more self-disciplined and was capable of controlling himself whenever blood was involved. Not like the rogue vampires that would salivate and go crazy over the mere scent of blood. Those vampires were either cold-blooded serial killers with no care for the supernatural rules, or they were untamed by their own thirst.


    Yet for Mikhail, this was quite possibly the first time that he could barely control himself in front of a human. Despite his calm voice and threatening gaze, his fingers were slightly trembling, and his fangs were starting to elongate ever so slowly.


    It took every bit of self-control inside Mikhail to prevent himself from doing something that he might regret.

 Chapter 3: Take You Home

    If this woman¡¯s blood was so delicious that it made him feel overwhelmed, it meant that she was indeed his human mate, one that he had been curious about for more than a century. The idea of it took form in his head, and every second he spent with her right now only helped solidify it further.


    She was the first human to ever make him feel this way. His instincts were practically telling him to im her and take everything he wanted.


    No doubt that it would be foolish of him to drain her of her tasty blood and kill her right here. The mate bond would punish him if he ever did that.


    He had never kept a human before, but this one might prove its worth.


    It would also be interesting to explore this unusual mate bond. If his enemies ever found out that he had a mate, they would surely use her against him.


    There was no doubt in his mind. His decision was now made.


    Mikhail slowly let go of her chin and ran a finger through his wrist with a sharp nail, drawing blood in the process.


    Josef and Sarim¡¯s eyes widened in realization.


    ¡°S-Sire!¡± Josef eximed.


    ¡°Sire, your blood¡­ you can¡¯t¡­¡± Sarim began, rmed.


    As an elite vampire, Mikhail¡¯s blood was naturally what they called priceless. Unlike normal vampires, his blood had the special ability to heal whoever drank it.


    In the turning process, vampires needed to drain as much blood as they could from the human to weaken their state. After that, they needed to make the human drink their vampire blood. The human would turn into a vampire within three days, and after that, those turned humans needed to drink human blood or else they would die in 24 hours.


    By doing this, it meant that Mikhail should not bite and then drink from this beautiful woman for at least three days, or else she would turn into a vampire against her own will.


    Vampires could drink other vampire¡¯s blood, but that was considered taboo and disgusting, so Mikhail did not intend on turning her.


    He would have to find some other human to feed on after this. It was a small price to pay for having this woman by his side for the rest of her mortal life.


    ¡°Drink,¡± Mikhailmanded, offering his wrist towards the woman.


    The woman only stared at him. She looked dazed, but there was still a sh of defiance in her eyes, one that intrigued Mikhail even more.


    ¡®What an interesting human,¡¯ he thought to himself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t turn you into a vampire,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°My blood will help you heal from your wounds. In exchange for your life, you will be mine. And mine only.¡±


    The woman¡¯s gaze narrowed. ¡°¡­I would rather die,¡± she snarled.


    Even her voice was charming, albeit her quiet fury.


    Mikhail was starting to like this human. She would make a good and interesting blood source.


    Possibly a worthy mate as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, human?¡± he asked.


    The woman¡¯s eyes shed with surprise for a fraction of a second. Then, she red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m aware of what happens when we give our names to vampires.¡±


    ¡°How awfully brave of you despite being on the verge of dying,¡± Mikhail remarked in amusement. ¡°This is quite admirable.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯d rather die than be indebted to a vampire!¡±


    There was pure venom in her voice that only made exhration run through Mikhail¡¯s veins. Even though she tried her best to hide it, there was a hint of underlying fear in her tone, something that Mikhail¡¯s sharp ears didn¡¯t miss.


    She was trying to be brave, the poor thing. She was even ring defiantly into his eyes.


    It only made him want her more.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re mistaken about something, human,¡± he said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t need your name in order to control you.¡±


    His smooth voice seemed to trigger a change in her. Her eyes suddenly zed over a little, and her features started to soften ever so slightly.


    He smiled.


    Vampires could do mind control if their abilities were strong enough. However, they needed the human¡¯s name ¨C their real name, not a fake one, and not an alias ¨C in order to control their minds. Some vampires were crafty enough to trick it out of the humans¡¯ lips, while some managed to thanks to their deep persuasion.


    After all, vampires were natural charmers. It usually did not take them long to wrap a human around their little finger.


    But elite vampires like Mikhail didn¡¯t need to do that. They could control humans with only their voice, which was much easier and faster.


    He only asked for her name because he found her interesting.


    ¡°Now drink from my blood and heal up.¡±


    He pressed his wrist against her lips. She still refused to drink it, so he spoke to her again in his gentle voice to make her obey his order.


    ¡°Drink up,¡± he repeated softly.


    Josef and Sarim just watched the entire scene, unable to stop their master. Mikhail was much more powerful than even the two of thembined, so they had no chance.


    Of course, they were loyal to Mikhail. They just couldn¡¯t understand why Mikhail wanted to keep this human in particr.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drinking?¡± Mikhail suddenly asked, and for the first time, there was a hint of emotion in his voice. An emotion that was akin to genuine confusion.


    Because even though he used his persuasive voice on her, the woman still didn¡¯t obey him. She was still ring at him defiantly, breathing heavily through her nose instead. Beads of sweat were pouring down her face, a testament to how much she was enduring the pain. The cold was helping in slowing down the bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t enough to buy her more time.


    She was clearly suffering and in urgent need of medical help, but she refused to be helped out by a vampire.


    ¡°How can this be?¡± Mikhail wondered aloud, puzzled and slightly fascinated at the same time. ¡°Are you immune to my mind control?¡±


    It quickly made sense in his head, though.


    How could he have forgotten? She was, after all, his human mate.


    Josef and Sarim stared in shock, unable to believe what they had just heard. A human, being immune to mind control? It was unheard of!


    And Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s mind control had always been wless!


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Josef said, his voice filled with uncertainty. ¡°That she¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s merely a myth!¡± Sarim argued.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s called a myth by most people, but it¡¯s not unheard of,¡± Mikhail suddenly interjected, gazing at this woman with newfound interest, one that grew stronger as the seconds passed. ¡°Wyonne and Quintus had human mates before, many decades ago. Those humans had also been immune to their mind control, and they even imed that those humans¡¯ blood tasted the most delicious of all.¡±


    Mikhail suddenly grasped the woman¡¯s chin and tilted it upwards, making the blood from his wrist drip down to her lips. When she still refused to open her mouth, Mikhail effortlessly parted it open, forcing her to drink his blood.


    ¡°Your strength cannotpare to mine,¡± Mikhail told her with a smile. ¡°A mere human cannot contest a vampire¡¯s strength. Resistance is futile.¡±


    The woman red at him, but couldn¡¯t do anything at all.


    She wasn¡¯t stupid. If she struck back, Mikhail would apprehend her like it was nothing. Not only that, but he had two strong bodyguards with him.


    She would never stand a chance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you with me,¡± Mikhail said in a smooth tone of voice. ¡°To my home, my darling.¡±

 Chapter 4: Be My Woman

    It was the same nightmare every time.


    The pale, veiny hand. The bloody fangs. The eyes that looked like bright red blood.


    And the scream. That bone-chilling scream that sent shivers down her spine every time she heard it.


    And then she woke up.


    ***


    Cassy Lenoir opened her eyes and instantly saw darkness.


    Her muscles felt tense, and it felt like all the energy was sapped out from her limbs. She could, however, feel a mattress underneath her body, a softness that spread from her backside to her arms and legs.


    She had neverid down on such afortable bed before. Just being here made her want to close her eyes again and drift back to sleep¡­


    No. No, she shouldn¡¯t.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Cassy¡¯s lips stretched into a thin line as she tried to remember what happened before she passed out.


    Blood on the snow-covered ground. Blood gushing out from her shoulder.


    The cold freezing her limbs. Her breathing growingbored. ck spots appearing in her vision as she waited.


    Waited desperately for a miracle.


    And then that miracle came.


    But in the form of a bloodsucking creature.


    A hideous vampire.


    Mikhail Ivanov.


    Cassy gritted her teeth. She knew very well who Mikhail Ivanov was.


    He was one of the elite vampires in the country, the powerful vampire who had several lower-ss vampires under his elegant thumb, even the ones that were more skilled than average. He also owned the biggest and one of the only two securitypanies in the city, which in turn made him in charge of the city¡¯s protection during nighttime.


    It was a known rule in the country that no one should dare cross him, whether you were a human, a vampire, a werewolf, or any other supernatural creature.


    Vampires. They were the bane of Cassy¡¯s existence. For as long as she could remember, vampires roamed the world, and they were so proud of their abilities that overpowered the humans.


    The vampires were all maniptive and greedy for power. A good vampire didn¡¯t exist. Only the bad ones did, which spelled doom for the human world.


    It was why the Supernatural Council, the Human Council, and the Vampire Hunters Association existed. They were made to keep the vampires and the other supernaturals in line. The hunters also had a creed of their own, and that was not to engage in conflict with any vampire unless the vampire attacked them first or attacked a human.


    A peace treaty existed between the humans and the vampires. This also applied to the other supernatural species, but they were usually an isted bunch, especially the werewolves.


    The peace treaty was also established in the first ce because the vampires needed humans to survive, so this was a way to resolve the issues and tension between them in a cordial manner.


    How ironic that the humans also needed the vampires so that they would be protected.


    In a world where humans and vampires coexisted, there were bound to be conflicts of any kind, whether it be out of greed for power or hunger. The city of Azallea was the biggest one in the country of Dekraine, which meant that it was also the city with thergest human poption. It consisted of about 70% humans and 30% vampires.


    Because of this, the wicked vampires from other countries had their eyes on Azallea. In truth, the world was roaming with different kinds of supernaturals. Wicked vampires existed, and they created various factions or organizations in order to build their reputation and power.


    Outside of Azallea, an ongoing conflict was going on, like a war of sorts. Vampires kept attacking the humans, and the humansunched a counterattack by training vampire hunters. The Human Council also had its hands full with this concerning issue.


    As a result, even the werewolves and witches got involved in the conflict. The werewolves were the vampires¡¯ mortal enemies while the witches would defend their own kind if needed, so most of them were in alliance with the humans.


    It was why the vampires here in Azallea, where Mikhail¡¯s influence spread throughout,mitted to protecting the city. The Councils gave this important task to him since they trusted that he could protect the humans because of his power.


    And, since he was an Elite, he transcended most of the authority. The Council was afraid of offending him while the Vampire Hunters Association wished for the day that they could take him down toe sooner.


    With someone as powerful as Mikhail, the power bnce was tipped towards his favor, causing turbulence throughout the country. The humans were concerned that the vampires were bing too powerful and were also angry that they were being used as pawns for the vampires¡¯ games. However, they didn¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter.


    Thousands of humans ¨C including the supernaturals ¨C loathed him, but at the same time, many admired him for his ruthlessness and the way he handled things. The entire city was like his empire, so to speak, and he reveled in his absolute power.


    ¡®I hate that we¡¯re too powerless against them right now,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself bitterly.


    Slowly, she sat up in bed and stared at her hands. Justst night, they were stained with blood as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. She thought that she was going to die right there after waiting too long for help.


    In the end, she had been forced to drink a vampire¡¯s blood in order to live¡­


    Cassy bit her lower lip and shut her eyes. Be that as it may, he did save her life. She didn¡¯t want to die, not yet at least, so she was indebted to him.


    She needed to pay him back.


    She hated the fact that she owed her life to a vampire, but that was just how it was.


    She sat up in bed and reached out towards thempshade on the nightstand. When the small, orange glow gave a bit of illumination to the surroundings, Cassy stood up. She reached out towards the light switch and flipped it on, bathing the room in brightness.


    The room wasvishly furnished. The bed, she found, was a dark-red canopy, with silky ck curtains hanging at each side. There was arge dresser, a giant wardrobe, two bookshelves, a red couch, and a desk. It seemed like the typical rich bedroom style with a clear Victorian touch.


    As expected of an elite vampire who held the safety of the entire city in the palm of his hands.


    Cassy felt ufortable and exited the room, wanting to get away from the unfamiliarity of it all.


    When she got through the door though, she saw a wide living room with a firece.


    And there, sitting on one of therge sofas, was a tall, imposing figure.


    Mikhail Ivanov.


    The infamous, fearsome elite vampire.


    As expected of his species, he was elegantly handsome, with silver hair neatly slicked back. A few strands fell across his forehead, giving him an alluring look. He had intense red eyes that seemed to probe into one¡¯s soul.


    His features were smooth and refined, though he seemed a bit more intimidating due to his pale skin. He wasn¡¯t white like chalk, however. Otherwise, it would look too disturbing. It seemed more like the kind ofplexion that resulted from not going outside for months.


    His red eyes, admittedly, made Cassy feel a bit hesitant. After all, a vampire¡¯s eyes only turned red whenever they were about to attack or bite someone¡¯s neck.


    That wasn¡¯t the case with elite vampires, though. Their shade of red was permanent and was close to the color of dark wine. With normal vampires, on the other hand, theirs looked like a red shlight that was too bright a shade.


    Those red eyes made her feel wary, as though he nned on attacking her any second now.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Mikhail said with a smile. It was an icy smile, one that brought chills down Cassy¡¯s spine and made her put up her guard. There was no rxing around a vampire; they had great instincts and were too fast for humans toprehend. She was weakened right now, so he did have every opportunity to pounce on her.


    Though she doubted he could do that to his-


    ¡°Mate,¡± Mikhail suddenly said as he stood up and approached her. He was tall, but his presence was so overwhelming that it seemed like he towered over her as he neared. The top of her head only came level with his shoulder, and she suddenly felt quite small inparison.


    ¡°You already know of this, don¡¯t you?¡± he said with that lopsided smile as he reached out and pointed a slender finger at her chest. ¡°You can feel it in that beating heart of yours.¡±


    Cassy¡¯s breath hitched in her throat.


    Even with that finger alone, he could very well pierce it into her chest and plunge a long, sharp nail into her heart.


    But he was right. She indeed knew that she was his human mate. She had felt it so strongly, especially with their meetingst night.


    She knew that he couldn¡¯t possibly hurt her, but he was a feared vampire throughout the city. There was no telling how he might act. These creatures were unpredictable, after all.


    ¡°So you understand.¡± Mikhail¡¯s smirk grew wider. ¡°With that settled, you will be my woman from now on.¡±


    Cassy¡¯s heart instantly skipped a beat.

 Chapter 5: Three Months

    The concept of vampires and humans as mates was known since the beginning of time. However, it was a rare urrence, not like the werewolves who were almost always blessed with a fated mate after they came of age.


    Based on testimonies and history textbooks, vampires were rarely blessed with a mate, which was why they were much colder and more bloodthirsty. They did not usually get along with humans, not like the werewolves who were capable of coexisting with them.


    One of the major reasons for that was ¨C obviously ¨C the source of food for vampires. Human blood.


    Needless to say, almost all vampires were not fated to be with their food.


    But apparently, the gods and goddesses took pity upon their heartless souls and blessed a few special ones with mates of their own, ones that would bring life to their dull worlds.


    And Cassy was one of the unfortunate people who was mated to these bloodsucking creatures.


    She discovered that she was mated to Mikhail Ivanov when she turned 21 years old. It had been at the grand banquet five years ago in which everyone in the city was invited, and Mikhail was one of the special VIP guests. Azallea would holdvish parties from time to time during special asions, opportunities for vampires and humans to mingle with each other. Humans usually found vampires fearsome yet incredibly charming,  so there were often mixed feelings involved when attending parties.


    This grand banquet was quite special, though. The Human Council appointed a new representative named Samuel Alderman.


    Alderman was a kind-looking man in histe thirties, with graying hair and wise green eyes. He was an altruistic person from a wealthy background who donated to causes and helped out many people without expecting anything in return.


    So, almost everyone came to support him in his achievements. With someone like him being a part of the Human Council, the people were relieved.


    Cassy was one of those people.


    When she attended the banquet and started enjoying the buffet, pointedly staying away from the vampires, the doors suddenly opened, and the room fell into hushed silence.


    The people, including the vampires and other supernaturals, made way for the person to pass through.


    It was Mikhail Ivanov.


    Cassy couldn¡¯t figure out why she froze right then and there, feeling like her entire world had stopped.


    It was this special, intoxicating scent that drifted into her nostrils, the unusual eleration of her heartbeat, and the sudden warmth flooding her face. It was like an involuntary reaction, one that she hadn¡¯t understood yet at that time.


    She was a human, so she experienced the revtion differently from a vampire. When she read the textbooks and past testimonies, she learned that vampires could only recognize their mates if they bled, because apparently, the human blood would hold a special, captivating scent.


    Mikhail hadn¡¯t recognized her as his mate at that time. She was the only one who felt that extraordinary sensation.


    She felt revulsion and overwhelming attraction at the same time, and it made her nauseous just thinking about it.


    In the end, she left the party early, unable to stand being in the same room with him any longer.


    To think that her being Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s human mate would save her life in the end¡­


    ¡°What if I refuse?¡± Cassy couldn¡¯t help but challenge, narrowing her eyes. Indebted or not, she wasn¡¯t the type of woman who would back down against a supernatural, of all creatures.


    These supernaturals had already wreaked havoc on the life of humans. It didn¡¯t really matter whether one of them was her mate or not.


    Or at least, that was what she tried to convince herself.


    Mikhail looked amused at her response, almost as if he had already expected it. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have no choice,¡± he said in a smooth tone, his hand lifting to grasp her chin. ¡°I always get what¡¯s mine.¡±


    Cassy scowled, but she tried not to show how much hostility she held for his kind. After all, she was in enemy territory. It was a bad idea to be reckless in a situation like this.


    Not to mention that he saved her life¡­


    ¡°For how long?¡± she asked quietly.


    She wanted to know if he was ying with her or not.


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. He looked so handsome even this close, something that made Cassy¡¯s pulse elerate slightly. She knew that he could hear her heartbeat though; vampires had heightened senses, especially their smell and hearing, so almost nothing went past them.


    It made Cassy feel deeply annoyed and powerless at the same time.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°You are my mate, are you not?¡± Mikhail said. ¡°You will stay with me for the rest of your lifetime.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d still want me even if I grow old? Sounds hard to believe,¡± Cassy muttered, unable to help herself.


    Mikhail, however, looked slightly amused by her words. ¡°Would you believe it if I say that someone like me does not care for appearances like you fickle humans often do?¡± He cupped her cheek with his cold hand, the gesture sending a strange chill down her spine. ¡°You are my mate. I will have you for myself for the rest of your life. We are bound together by fate.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, I am notfortable with the idea of staying with you that long,¡± Cassy said, narrowing her eyes. She tried her best not to show how unnerved she was by his cold touch against her cheek. ¡°I admit that I owe you my life after you saved mest night. However, I am a human. I cannot stay with you, who is a vampire.¡±


    Mikhail shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Thews forbid it if I force a human to stay by my side longer than a week. But it is different when the human is not under my control and is not being coerced against their will.¡± He moved his face closer to her, and the look in his eyes was so intense that Cassy felt like she was drowning in those dark-red irises. ¡°You said that you owe me your life for saving you from deathst night. I cannot possibly force my mate, so might I propose you pay me back by staying with me for at least three months?¡±


    Cassy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Three months? That¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°It is a better repayment for saving your life, is it not?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t find any reason to refute that. Defeated, she averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks warm. She was certain that he could still hear her racing heartbeat thanks to his sharp ears.


    This smug vampire!


    ¡°All right,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ stay with you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Suddenly, Mikhail leaned in.


    It wasn¡¯t a swift movement. Rather, he moved in slowly, purposefully.


    He tilted his head and sniffed the base of Cassy¡¯s neck, causing her to instantly freeze in ce.


    ¡°What¡­ What are you doing?¡± she managed to breathe out.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mikhail closed his eyes, savoring her natural scent as well as the smoothness of her skin. ¡°¡­smell wonderful.¡±


    Cassy shut her eyes reflexively. ¡°So being your food source for three months is also part of the repayment?¡± she asked dryly.


    ¡°You are my mate,¡± Mikhail repeated smoothly. ¡°Your blood smells the most delicious to me. It is only natural that I want to taste it as much as I can.¡±


    Cassy opened her mouth to respond, but Mikhail had more things to say.


    ¡°However,¡± he added. ¡°I will not drink from you. Not yet.¡±


    Cassy blinked. ¡°¡­Why not?¡± she asked warily.


    She had never known of a vampire that declined or avoided drinking from a human before. She was right here in front of him, and they were in close proximity, too. He was practically smelling the side of her neck!


    What was stopping him from piercing his fangs through her skin and drinking her blood?


    To her surprise, Mikhail slowly pulled back. A cold smile curved his lips as he retracted his hand from her face.


    ¡°You are still weak from blood lossst night,¡± he said. ¡°You need to rest.¡±


    Cassy stared at him, clearly astonished.


    ¡°Until you fully recover, I will not drink from you,¡± Mikhail continued on. ¡°So go and get some rest, my dear.¡±

 Chapter 6: Conflicted Emotions

    In the end, Cassy was forced to go back to the bedroom and get some rest.


    After Mikhail told her that he would send a servant to bring her dinner in bedter ¨C which meant that she had slept for almost 24 hours already, holy cow ¨C she sat there on the edge of the canopy, in a daze.


    ¡®My dear¡¯? In what century was he born to call her a cheesybel like that?


    Ah, right. Vampires were ancient creatures. She almost forgot.


    ¡®Just my luck,¡¯ Cassy grumbled in her heart as shey down on the soft bed, trying not to think too much about the situation.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Even just being in a vampire¡¯s home felt like she was betraying the human race.


    But she had no other choice.


    ¡®I wonder if he has something to do with the recent increase of rogue vampires,¡¯ she thought.


    They say curiosity killed the cat though, so Cassy tried not to ponder over it too much.


    For now, she just needed to be Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s woman.


    For three whole months.


    Cassy restrained the urge to groan out loud. This was possibly the worst development in her life.


    When it came to Mikhail Ivanov, the news and gossip were mixed. Most people feared him, naturally, but some regarded him with admiration.


    The women, especially.


    Mikhail was, after all, very handsome, in an ethereal way. His beauty was something that transcended ordinary people¡¯s appearances, which was why he easily caught the attention of women. Even at that banquet five years ago, he was always surrounded by women, both humans and vampires alike.


    Cassy sighed. Since she agreed to this, she had no choice but to stay by his side.


    It was no secret that Mikhail had many enemies, ranging from humans to vampires to werewolves and other supernatural beings. He had killed a lot of them as a result of protecting Azallea. He also showed no mercy to those vampires who betrayed him.


    He was one of the most powerful vampires in the world. Nobody dared cross him, especially not alone. Which was why most of them gathered in groups and tried attacking with numbers.


    But Mikhail¡¯s Warriors and Guards were quite skilled. Azallea was under heavy protection and remained undefeated thanks to Mikhail. The ones he killed had belonged to ns and organizations that now wanted to seek revenge. Some ambitious ones even wanted to defeat Mikhail just so they could get the title of ¡®Elite¡¯.


    It was also why a lot of them wanted to know Mikhail¡¯s weakness and exploit it for their own gains.


    ¡®If they find out about me, I¡¯m going to be in the most danger,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself, taking in a deep breath. ¡®Everyone knows how a mating bond works.¡¯


    Then again, it wasn¡¯t like Mikhail would treasure her from now on. Even though they were fated mates, a vampire did not have a heart. They were heartless, bloodsucking creatures.


    Cassy vowed in her heart that she would not allow herself to get attached no matter what the mate bond was telling her.


    The concept of mates was a tricky one. It varied with every pair. With werewolves, they could recognize their mate once they came of age through scent and intuition. With humans, it was the elerated heartbeat, the incessant tugging, and the ability to sense if one was in close proximity or not.


    It was kind of like a soulmate bond. If the two acknowledged the fact that they were mates, then it would bring a myriad of emotions. They would be connected to each other until death, or until one¡¯s rejection.


    Rejection was one of the most painful things in the world for those with mates. If one ever rejected the other, or if one of the mates passed away, it would bring excruciating pain, one so strong that it felt like they died a hundred times over. It would take them a long time to recover afterwards.


    Sometimes they might never recover at all.


    ¡®So rejection is out of the question,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself. It was better to endure being mates rather than being in pain for the rest of her life.


    To be honest, she had no clue what the mate bond felt like for a vampire. Was it as devoted as a human¡¯s? As passionate as a werewolf¡¯s?


    For now, her feelings were mixed. Happiness, disgust, sadness, and anger churned in her gut, all of them shing against each other in her heart. It was such a strange feeling, like a tug-of-war of sorts.


    It was also something that she didn¡¯t want to dwell on for now.


    ***


    When dinner was brought up to her room an hourter, it was surprising, to say the least.


    Dinner was extravagant. It had dishes that looked exotic, ones that she hadn¡¯t seen before or even knew existed. They smelled heavenly though, which made Cassy¡¯s stomach react in hunger.


    Though honestly, it was more shocking that a vampire¡¯s home didn¡¯t only have packets of blood in the fridge. Did vampires ever eat solid food daily, or only when necessary? She always thought that most of them preferred blood for the rest of their immortal lives.


    As far as she knew, they were capable of eating food that humans usually ate, only that it was entirely optional. Anything other than blood tasted nd, probably like paper. It did help keep vampires alive if ever they had no blood sources nearby during an emergency, but only barely.


    It was why vampires rarely ever came to restaurants. They would frequent bars, sure, but only because they were either looking for human blood or nning on having a fun night. Some odd vampires did love to party.


    Then again, with Mikhail¡¯s wealth and power, he could just easily hire a human chef to make her some food like this. Though he didn¡¯t have to, really.


    It was almost as if he did genuinely care about her.


    Cassy grumbled as she started eating dinner. She would have to start getting used to this ce¡­


    ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    Cassy instantly jolted in ce, and she almost choked on her food. When she whipped her head towards the source of the voice, she was startled at the sight of Mikhail standing there, staring at her with no emotion on his face.


    Since when had he been standing there?!


    Sure, vampires were silent creatures of the night, but still!


    She never even heard the door open!


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she choked out. It was so awkward trying to eat with this man in the same room, just staring at her!


    ¡°I¡¯m here to check on my mate,¡± Mikhail said without missing a beat. ¡°You are my woman now, are you not?¡±


    Cassy red at him in disbelief.


    Did the infamous Mikhail Ivanov really have this kind of strange personality?


    Though why did it feel like she was a prisoner that was constantly being observed?

 Chapter 7: A Wretched Feeling

    ¡°I agreed to stay by your side for three months, yes,¡± she acknowledged.


    Mikhail raised an elegant eyebrow, and a trace of amusement appeared on his features yet again. ¡°You¡­ are interesting to me,¡± he said, his tone not giving anything away. ¡°Is this truly how the mate bond works?¡±


    Cassy really didn¡¯t want to prod further into the mate thing, but she was admittedly curious to know how vampires experienced the bond.


    ¡®Curiosity killed the cat,¡¯ she reminded herself.


    Cassy turned away and forced herself to continue eating.


    She didn¡¯t have to ask anything, though. Mikhail continued with the conversation even though she hadn¡¯t given a verbal response.


    ¡°I wanted you to be my woman because of the mate bond. However, I find such¡­ ¡®bonds¡¯ a hindrance to one¡¯s goals and needs in life,¡± Mikhail said, his expression turning cold once again. ¡°If I am correct based on my findings, I will be in excruciating pain if something ever happened to you. We have acknowledged each other as mates, so now we are connected to each other for a lifetime. If you get hurt from now on, or if you die, I will be in constant pain. This is something that I do not wish to happen, especially during this critical period.¡±


    Cassy stopped eating.


    ¡°Hence, it would not do me any good if you leave this house,¡± Mikhail continued on. ¡°You are to stay here at all times. Here, you are safe and away from any danger. If the publices to know of the fact that you are my mate, they will resort to any method in order to hurt me, while also using you. I presume that you also do not wish to be harmed in any way?¡±


    Cassy¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    Oh, so that was how it was. She figured as much, anyway.


    Basically, he didn¡¯t want to suffer from the effects of rejecting the bond or the results of something happening to her, like serious injuries or death. The consequences of such things were somethingpletely known to everyone.


    Pain from breaking a mate bond or from losing a mate did not discriminate. No matter if you were a human or a supernatural, the highest level of pain was felt equally.


    There were even statistics about humans and supernaturals plunging into depression or killing themselves because of the mate bond. No matter how powerful Mikhail was, he could never withstand the pain of a mate bond.


    This was why he insisted on keeping her.


    However, he also couldn¡¯t force her to do anything, thanks to thews put in ce by the Human Council and the Supernatural Council as well. A human was not allowed to stay at a vampire¡¯s abode for more than a week unless there was genuine consent involved between the two parties.


    And Cassy most definitely did not want to stay here any longer than the agreed three months, but¡­


    She restrained the urge to groan. Mikhail was right. This mate bond was such a pain.


    Yet it was also this same bond that saved herst night.


    Such an intense conflict of feelings¡­


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying,¡± Cassy said tly.


    Mikhail nodded. ¡°Good. Although the physical attraction is there, I do not feel any other particr emotion towards you. Emotions are a waste of space. Attachment to a human more so.¡±


    Cassy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Indeed, vampires were heartless.


    ¡°However, I do not go back on my word. Whatever you need or desire, just say the word. I can give you anything you want.¡± Mikhail turned around, his back facing her. ¡°Except for the worthless thing that humans call ¡®love¡¯.¡±


    When Mikhail disappeared out the door without even making a sound, Cassy was left alone in the bedroom, mulling over her thoughts.


    Love, huh?


    A wry smile curved her lips.


    Indeed, love was a wretched feeling.


    ***


    One week had passed ever since Cassy made that agreement with Mikhail, regarding it as her repayment to him for saving her life. Mikhail had told her that she was to stay in this house at all times, which meant that she was practically forbidden to go outside and hang out or something.


    Not that it mattered to her. She was an introvert by nature, and she liked being home more often. She didn¡¯t have many friends, she didn¡¯t have a family, and she even quit her job that day. There was nothing waiting for her outside.


    This was her new life now.


    For three months, that is.


    Cassy wondered if it would ever extend to more than that. It was possible since they were mates, and Mikhail did not want her harmed in any way, too.


    But she didn¡¯t know if she could handle staying with a vampire for more than three months. She would probably go insane long enough.


    It wasughable. Her, a human, living together with a vampire, the bane of her existence?


    Vampires were cold-blooded killers. They killed humans and even fed on them. Vampires were disgusting and no longer had an ounce of humanity inside of them.


    They were too different from each other.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    The gods and goddesses were cruel to decide that humans and vampires could be mated to each other. The concept itself was ludicrous.


    ¡°Wee home, Master,¡± one of the servants greeted from outside her bedroom door, causing Cassy to break out of her thoughts.


    Oh. He was back.


    She was currently sitting at the desk in her room, reading a book. It was boring here with nothing to do, and she had left herptop back at home. She meant to ask Mikhail before about getting her things, but he was barely ever home. He must be too busy ordering his people around and gathering more vampires for his unknown cause or whatever.


    Cassy sighed. This was going to be the longest three months of her life.


    She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when her bedroom door opened, revealing Mikhail at the doorway. He didn¡¯t bother to be quiet this time, which meant that he wanted her to be aware of his presence.


    Cassy stared at him as he approached her purposefully. He strode over, cool and elegant as always, with barely any emotion on his face. When he stopped beside her, he looked at her impassively, but said nothing, as though he expected her to be the one to say something.


    ¡®Fine, let¡¯s humor him,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself begrudgingly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.

 Chapter 8: First Drink

    Mikhail didn¡¯t say anything, but he did something that caught herpletely off-guard.


    Reaching out, he cupped her cheek with his hand. His palm was big enough to cover most of the skin at her side, but what was most unnerving of all was how cold he felt. Like an undead.


    ¡°Are you feeling well?¡± he asked.


    Cassy blinked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ good¡­¡± she said uneasily. Why was he asking her this?


    Ah. Was he asking because of her injuries fromst week?


    She was a human, so she didn¡¯t have any special regenerative powers. If she had been left alone in the alley that night, she would¡¯ve bled to death much sooner and died.


    But when Mikhail forced her to drink his blood, the wound closed up quicker than normal. Sure, she lost some blood, but with the healing powers and some food and rest, she was up and about in no time.


    Such was the power of an elite vampire¡¯s healing blood.


    ¡°Then you are well enough to allow me to drink your blood,¡± Mikhail said.


    Cassy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°My¡­ what?¡±


    The corner of Mikhail¡¯s lips tugged upwards. ¡°Do you not know what it entails to be exclusively my woman? By giving yourself to me and with me dedicating my free time to you, you are the only one I will drink from starting now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re telling me¡­¡± she said slowly. ¡°¡­that I have also be your sole food source? Just me?¡±


    ¡°Poor choice of words, but basically, that is correct.¡±


    Cassy wanted to scream in frustration. Great! Now she was also someone else¡¯s exclusive meal for three months!


    What in the world had she gotten herself into?


    When Cassy didn¡¯t say anything, Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you refusing me?¡± he asked. ¡°If you do not wish to repay me, then I can do nothing about it. I will not force my mate to submit to my requests.¡±


    ¡°Yet you forced me to drink your blood that night,¡± Cassy couldn¡¯t help but remark.


    There was a hint of amusement on Mikhail¡¯s face. ¡°That situation was an exception, my dear. You were on the verge of death. I did what I did in order to save your life.¡±


    ¡°Because you have use for me.¡±


    ¡°That, and because you are my mate.¡±


    Cassy could tell when she was fighting against a losing battle. Reluctantly, she said, ¡°¡­Fine. I did agree to be your woman, after all.¡±


    She did want to repay him for saving her life. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he was going to drain her of her blood¡­ right?


    No. That would get him into deep trouble with the Council. Mikhail Ivanov wasn¡¯t the kind of vampire who would throw everything away just to kill a mere human, especially his own mate.


    She had to remind herself over and over that maybe he might still have a tiny piece of his heart left to bepassionate towards her, even just a little bit.


    Cassy shut her eyes as she felt him approaching. Right now, all she could see was darkness, but she could feel Mikhail¡¯s calm breathing as he neared her face. Her heart started pounding traitorously in her chest, and it was so loud that it was practically hammering in her ears.


    ¡°¡­I can hear your heartbeat,¡± Mikhail said, and she could detect a hint of mirth in his tone. Damn him and his smugness! ¡°Is this what humans call ¡®excitement¡¯?¡±


    Cassy opened her eyes and red at him indignantly. ¡°Just-Just get on with it!¡± she snapped, feeling her cheeks heat up from humiliation. She was already throwing away her pride as a woman and a human by letting him do this. The least he could do was not rub it in her face!


    And did he not realize that she was only feeling this way because he was her mate? If it were any other vampire, this sensation would only be described as ¡®anger¡¯ and ¡®horror¡¯!


    Mikhail didn¡¯t say anything more ¨C thankfully ¨C and buried his face in her neck. The sudden intimate touch made the hairs on Cassy¡¯s skin stand up on their ends, sending a sharp, tingly feeling throughout her limbs. Anticipation mixed with fear churned in her stomach, and her mind was beginning to feel dizzy.


    She had heard about humans describing the sensation of being bitten.


    They usually said that the experience was surprisingly euphoric. Almost everyone felt pleasure and exhration. This was because a vampire¡¯s bite released endorphins and other feel-good chemicals into the bloodstream.


    However, the act of drinking blood could also be painful and traumatizing, especially if the human wasn¡¯t a willing participant.


    Even though Cassy knew this and gave her consent, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit afraid. After all, this was her first time being bitten by a vampire. She had always been careful to avoid such situations before.


    But now¡­


    Cassy closed her eyes once again, wishing that Mikhail would just get it over with quickly.


    Suddenly, she could feel a wet sensation against the skin of her neck. She jolted in shock, unable to believe that this was really happening.


    Was he¡­ licking her neck?


    Cassy felt her throat go dry. Mikhail was still lingering at the side of her neck, licking it and pressing small kisses along the way.


    Why was he dying it?!Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She could feel her heartbeat growing louder in her ears, much to her humiliation. She knew that Mikhail was aware of it, thanks to his sharp sense of hearing. It only made this feel all the more embarrassing.


    ¡°Rx,¡± Mikhail said softly, making Cassy stiffen in ce once again.


    Suddenly, his hands were at each side of her waist, and she felt herself being lifted up from her seat. Mikhail led her slowly towards the center of the room, not even raising his head from her neck. Cassy drew a sharp intake of breath, feeling instantly powerless to resist.


    She could feel her body heating up slowly. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted him toe closer, to press against her so tightly that there wouldn¡¯t be any gap left between their bodies.


    ¡®This is so humiliating!¡¯ Cassy wailed in her heart. To think that she was attracted to a vampire, of all species!


    She would much rather prefer a werewolf to be her mate! Why did the gods loathe her so?


    ¡°I said, rx,¡± Mikhail¡¯s voice drifted into her ears like warm honey, making Cassy blush once again. How on earth could someone have such a nice voice?


    Before she knew it, she was overwhelmed with emotions and a strange kind of anticipation.


    Then Mikhail made a noise at the back of his throat, causing goosebumps to break out on her arms. She could feel his fangs pressing against her skin, and suddenly her mind turned nk.


    She was really doing this, wasn¡¯t she?


    She was offering herself as a vampire¡¯s food source.


    Before she could regret all her life choices, however, Mikhail¡¯s fangs plunged into her neck, and then everything went nk.

 Chapter 9: Destiny, Perhaps

    She didn¡¯t faint or anything like that. But the burst of emotions inside of her was so strong that she felt like her mind went into unconsciousness despite being physically awake. Her arms reflexively came up to grip the material of his shirt, and she let out what seemed to be a throaty moan.


    Those testimonies from the humans who had chosen to get willingly bit by a vampire were right, after all.


    This feeling¡­ It was intoxicating.


    It was like a magnified kind of pleasure, a deep satisfaction that made her knees grow weak. There was no resistance left in her heart and body, and she simply leaned against Mikhail, letting him drink from her as much as he could. His lips were pressed against the skin of her neck, and she could clearly hear him gulping down her blood greedily.


    It was morbid, the way her life was being sucked by this vampire, yet she was genuinely enjoying it.


    Then, before she knew it, Mikhail pulled away, and then the magic disappeared.


    Exhaustion slowly seeped into her body, making her more and more aware that she just got her blood sucked out of her.


    ¡°Get some rest,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°I¡¯ll have the servant bring you food up here so you can gain nourishment.¡±


    And then he was gone.


    Cassy red at the closed door with intense venom. Gain nourishment?! What was she, a pig to be fattened up before a buffet?!


    Then again, that was technically what she was. A pig to be bitten over and over for the sake of someone else¡¯s hunger.


    ¡®Great. Now I¡¯mparing myself to an animal¡­¡¯ Cassy thought to herself as she begrudginglyy on the bed, feeling too tired to get mad.


    ¡®Stay sharp, Cassy. This is going to be your life from now on¡­¡¯


    ***


    When Mikhail went into his study and closed the door, he let out a breath that he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding.


    He never thought that a human could taste so¡­ delicious.


    She was absolutely divine. He could barely keep his cool earlier as he sucked her blood, feeling the euphoria settle in his chest and spread to every part of his body. It was unlike any sensation he had ever felt before.


    Nobody had ever made him feel this way. It was both interesting and disconcerting at the same time.


    He had been so enthralled that he almost forgot to stop. Using everyst bit of willpower inside him, he pulled away from her neck and told her to rest.


    He reminded himself, over and over, that this was a human. His mate. A woman that he wanted to keep with him for the rest of her mortal life.


    He would not be able to forgive himself if he ever identally drained her of her blood. That was reckless and idiotic.


    ¡°Sire,¡± a voice suddenly called out from outside.


    Mikhailposed himself quickly and settled on the nearby couch. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Sarim entered the room, holding a folder in his hand. He respectfully handed it to Mikhail, who took it from him and opened it to read the contents.


    ¡°We did a thorough background check on the human. I personally reviewed it and had them check over and over in order to be certain that the facts are urate,¡± Sarim said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Mikhail nodded. ¡°Give me all the details.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Her full name is Cassandra Lenoir, aged 26. Based on our findings, she is just an average human who worked as an office employee at Higgins, Co.,¡± Sarim reported. ¡°That day, hours before you found her, she quit her job because of the low sry and was nning on looking for a new one. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t so lucky because she got mugged on the way to a bar.¡±


    Some humans were quite fearless, it seemed. Even though the threat of rogue vampires was prevalent during nighttime, they still went to bars and evenmitted crimes here and there.


    Then again, vampire hunters were always on patrol, so they were probably content with that meager kind of protection.


    ¡°So that area in the alley was unguarded?¡± Mikhail asked.


    Sarim nodded. ¡°Apparently, there aren¡¯t enough hunters to cover that neighborhoodpletely.¡±


    ¡°So much for the humans¡¯ idea of protection,¡± Mikhail said mockingly. ¡°Well, then. How did she fare during the mugging?¡±


    ¡°Cassandra Lenoir resisted and fought back, so she got stabbed in the shoulder,¡± Sarim answered promptly. ¡°Unfortunately, the weapon used is nowhere to be found, so we presume that the perpetrator either hid it or burned it to get rid of the evidence. There are no CCTV cameras in that area, and we didn¡¯t find any suspects yet.¡±


    ¡°Obviously it is a human who attacked her because they used a murder weapon.¡±


    ¡°Correct, sir. A vampire does not need any weapons.¡±


    ¡°Any criminal records?¡±


    ¡°None whatsoever, sir. She did well at school, but her grades weren¡¯t anything extraordinary. No history of bullying as well.¡±


    ¡°Family members?¡±


    ¡°None. Cassandra¡¯s father passed away before she was born, and her mother died of an illness when Cassandra was only seven years old. She was passed on to a rtive and grew up there until she turned eighteen and moved out.¡±


    ¡°What about connections to the Council or the police department?¡±


    ¡°None as well, sir.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Mikhail said as he set down the folder beside him. ¡°I have no reason to doubt your investigation. After all, you are the most thorough when ites to details, Sarim.¡±


    Sarim made a small bow in response. ¡°I thank you for your gracious words, my lord.¡±


    ¡°So it was simply fate that brought me to her that night?¡± Mikhail mused aloud as he leaned back against the couch, a hint of interest shing in his eyes. ¡°The concept is impossible, yet difficult to argue with.¡±


    ¡°I believe it is what the humans call ¡®destiny¡¯.¡±


    Mikhail sent Sarim a deadpan look. ¡°¡­I cannot believe you just said that word with your own mouth.¡±


    Sarim¡¯s expression remained impassive. ¡°I am merely telling you what I learned.¡±


    Mikhail shook his head, amused. ¡°Destiny, huh? I haven¡¯t heard such a word in a century now.¡± He closed his eyes as memories began to fill his head, both the good and the bad.


    It was all in the past now, though. It didn¡¯t matter that much to him anymore.

 Chapter 10: Suspicious Death

    When Mikhail returned to the bedroom hourster, he found Cassy sleeping peacefully,pletely unguarded.


    Judging by her reaction earlier, he realized that it was the first time she let a vampire drink her blood. The first experience was always a little shocking and rattling for humans, so he imagined that it would take her a while to get used to it.


    For a vampire, humans were merely sources of food. The vampires, along with the other supernaturals, preferred to get involved with their own kind respectively. Therefore, it was strange for him to think of her as anything else.


    This mate bond was very intriguing, to say the least. Her blood was so delicious to him, but he could only smell it if she bled.


    But even when she didn¡¯t have any injuries, she still smelled really good to him. It was as if he was a bee that was drawn to honey. Not even in a predatory way or because she was food.


    He just wanted to be near her at all times, to touch her and keep her in his arms, refusing to let her go.


    It was interesting.


    What would proximity do? He never got too close to a human ¨C not even a vampire ¨C and stayed for so long by their side. He was not the type to gaze into someone¡¯s eyes dreamily, to take their hand and grasp it for long, or cup their face and feel the sensation of their skin beneath his palm.


    It was unheard of, and yet he desired to do all these things with this human.


    Mikhail continued to watch her sleep, unable to fathom why he was so content with being here with her.


    What was her name again? Cassandra?


    Cassandra Lenoir.


    He had never bothered to remember a human¡¯s name before. The humans were only there for him to suck their blood. They were powerless creatures that needed the vampires¡¯ protection. Nothing more.


    But now, he had a name he could call this woman, who was also his mate.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Very intriguing.


    ***


    When he went to thepany this morning, he found Josef waiting there for him, ready to report on his findings so far.


    Mikhail settled himself on one of the elegant couches in the office. ¡°Have you found anything useful?¡±


    Josef nodded. ¡°I discovered something of interest that might be connected to the case of the rogue vampires.¡±


    Mikhail nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire,¡± Josef said. ¡°There was a man found dead at New Avenue two weeks ago. The police identified him as Robert Lambert, a human who worked as an investigative reporter. He had reportedly been killed by a vampire.¡±


    Mikhail narrowed his eyes. ¡°Was it one of our men?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately no, my lord.¡± Josef hesitated. ¡°Possibly a rogue from another country who trespassed illegally or a rogue from this very city. There are no definitive clues yet.¡±


    ¡°And we have no leads as to who this rogue is?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It appears they fled right after the crime and hid somewhere. Our men are still in the middle of the investigation. These rogues are surprisingly crafty.¡±


    ¡°It seems that their tricky minds still work well despite losing their rationality. How odd.¡± Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°How was the human killed?¡±


    Josef inspected the files in his hand. ¡°Robert Lambert was decapitated in the middle of the crowd during the winter,¡± he reported. ¡°Nobody saw the moment of death since everyone was in a hurry to get back to their homes before it got dark.¡±


    Since vampires couldn¡¯t go outside during daylight, the humans took advantage of mornings and afternoons to do their work and enjoy leisure time. They were still allowed to roam around during the night now since Mikhail was no longer in charge of the city¡¯s protection. Instead of him, the vampire hunters were ced on each border, keeping watch over rogue vampires and eliminating them if necessary.


    But the majority of humans were still scared of being outside at nighttime, which was understandable. After all, it became too much of a risk.


    The ones who owned bars and worked night shifts didn¡¯t have any choice, though. As a solution, there were more human guards stationed near hospitals and bars, but that was the only protection they could provide at the moment. The Human Council still had its hands full with several serious issues going on in the world and in Azallea as well. There was only so much they could do.


    The Human Council was being very careful to preserve the human poption. The vampire hunters wereparablyx during the day, but at night, they were at their best conditions.


    This was also another thing that elite vampires did not have inmon with the average vampire. Unlike average vampires, the Elites could walk in the daylight. But seeing as there were only three that existed in the entire world, it was very rare to see one walking casually with the sunlight shining on their pale skin.


    Mikhail was very much capable of walking under the sun. However, his powers were weakened a little during the day as a result, so he still preferred to roam around during the night. It wasn¡¯t very dangerous for him during daylight since it didn¡¯t weaken his powers in an extreme manner, but it was more like he had no reason to do so.


    ¡°So it was someone fearless enough to do the crime in public,¡± Mikhail concluded. ¡°It was a targeted attack, it seems. Not one of our own, and not a rogue. If it were a rogue, they would¡¯ve attacked the other humans as well. Also, decapitation is not a method that any vampire would do towards a human.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, sir,¡± Josef said. ¡°However, the police imed that he was killed by a vampire. They said that there are no other suspects. Also, if it were a human or a vampire hunter, they would¡¯ve used a weapon. No weapons were found, and distinctive marks were found on each side of Robert Lambert¡¯s face. Basically, a vampire decapitated him with their bare hands, and it was done in an instant.¡±


    Mikhail was thoughtful for a moment. True, even a vampire hunter didn¡¯t have that much strength. It was near impossible to tear a human¡¯s head off their neck using only their hands. Not to mention that it was done instantly, which spoke of only a vampire¡¯s incredible strength.


    A rogue vampire did this?


    Mikhail folded his arms across his chest. ¡°Why was he killed?¡±


    ¡°We are assuming that it¡¯s because he knew something he shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Josef answered. ¡°He was an investigative reporter who snooped around in ces he shouldn¡¯t be. He often imed to be in search of the ¡®truth¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s usible.¡± Mikhail nodded. ¡°What about his family members?¡±


    ¡°Parents were killed because of rogue vampires, so he has a purpose for doing invasive investigation about that,¡± Josef said. ¡°Also, he has a wife named Jocelyn Lambert.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°You say he has a wife? Does she have any connections that warrant our attention?¡±


    Josef shook his head. ¡°Nothing of importance about her background. It seems that she had mostly depended on her husband for financial security. She¡¯s a housewife.¡±


    ¡°I want you to have someone watch over her for a while,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°A clue mighte up during the observation period. I have a feeling that this Robert Lambert¡¯s death has something more than meets the eye. Perhaps even the answer to where all these rogue vampires keeping from.¡±

 Chapter 11: No Heart

    ¡°Understood, sire.¡±


    Because of the rogue vampires, suspicion was cast on Mikhail Ivanov and hispany, Ivanov Securities. Some of the vampires that attacked the humans even came from thepany itself, ones that Mikhail called his ¡®Guards¡¯. Because of this, thepany business was temporarily suspended while an all-out investigation was being conducted.


    Mikhail was the CEO and founder of this securitypany that existed for about 70 years now. It was built under the watch of the Supernatural Council so that it wouldn¡¯t break thews and the peace treaty between the humans and supernaturals. It was the biggest and one of the only two securitypanies existing in therge city of Azallea.


    It was also one of the major reasons why Mikhail appeared to rule the city under his thumb. He protected not only his fellow vampires but also the humans from their enemies.


    These enemies were mostly greedy vampires that had various reasons of their own to take over the biggest city in the country, which also had thergest percentage of the human poption.


    Mostly because of the peace treaty, Mikhail had an obligation to protect everyone, supernatural or not. He was also one of the elite vampires, which meant that he was more than capable enough of reinforcing protection in Azallea.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Unfortunately, with great power and reputation came several enemies after his life.


    Ivanov Securities was apany that Mikhail valued, so he took his responsibilities seriously. He did not particrly care for humans, but he did acknowledge the fact that he needed them to survive. Besides, if he didn¡¯t step up and give them protection, there wouldn¡¯t be many humans left in the country to help the vampires survive.


    Mikhail¡¯s Guards would station the entire perimeter of the city and spread throughout each neighborhood. There were a lot of skilled vampires in Azallea thanks to Mikhail¡¯s reputation and the strict training that they underwent at thepany.


    These Vampire Guards would protect the city during the night when the attacks were most rampant while the Vampire Hunters Association was in charge during the day. The enemies were growing stronger each year, so they had no reason to bex yet.


    Since werewolves were solitary creatures who only lived in their packs and preferred being with their fellow wolves, vampires were the only real danger all around. Other supernaturals preferred to mind their own business and settle things with their own kind.


    The humans used to feel safe and secure in the city despite being wary of the vampires, and there wasn¡¯t any real danger with the vampires¡¯ protection since the peace treaty was there.


    However, what meager trust they had left for the vampires was broken when the rogues started increasing and attacking the humans, not their fellow vampires. It became even more suspicious since a few of the rogues came from Mikhail¡¯s own men, the ones that were supposed to protect the city.


    Because of the suspension of business in Ivanov Securities, the city was left vulnerable to outside attacks. In return, the other securitypany run by the humans and vampire hunters became inplete charge of the city¡¯s protection instead.


    Thispany was called Wyvern Securities. They focused on the humans¡¯ safety and operated under the Human Council and the Vampire Hunters Association. It grew in business and poprity due to the recent increase of rogue vampires.


    Since not all vampires were attacking the humans and the ones responsible were only a number of rogues, the two Councils still made efforts not to break the peace treaty. Instead, the vampire hunters were not to interfere or be hostile and attack the vampires unless thetter group started acting like rogues.


    For now, the vampires and the humans had a clear, definite line between them. None should cross that boundary, or else the suspicion would increase to worrying levels.


    Ever since the humans and the vampires started coexistence, there were mixed feelings all around. Humans, as expected, feared them, but the vampires¡¯ reactions were a lot more epting. After all, they were aware that they were the superior species, and that the humans could barely do a thing to them.


    But the vampires were more curious about how this would develop, and in the end, they adjusted to their new lives. Some humans, on the other hand, grew more apprehensive by the increasing number of vampires and the realization that these vampires could turn on them one day and they would be too powerless to stop them.


    ¡°Have our men been lying low as ordered?¡± Mikhail asked.


    Josef nodded. ¡°None have broken the newws so far, sire. The training is still undergoing, and our Guards are sent on their respective missions. The Vampire Hunters Association and the Human Council have recently considered the vampire hunters and our Guards working together to protect the city. The discussion is presumably still being argued on by the Council members.¡±


    ¡°The humans should know by now that they are not capable enough to protect themselves against the vampires outside of the city,¡± Mikhail said with a raise of an eyebrow. ¡°We are the ones who have been protecting them all these years, yet we have been brushed aside due to the recent panic. At this rate, our enemies will step up their game and start a full-on attack on Azallea.¡±


    ¡°Sarim has been doing negotiations at the Council headquarters since the start of this month,¡± Josef said. ¡°With the statistical reports regarding the number of human deaths while protecting the city, the Human Council will soon crumble under the pressure very soon.¡±


    At that moment, Mikhail didn¡¯t know why he suddenly thought about Cassy and had this strange, protective desire.


    A determination to keep her away from danger.


    ¡®I should not let her out of my sight,¡¯ Mikhail thought to himself with narrowed eyes.


    In the past, before he met Cassy, he never had somebody that he wished to protect. He considered protecting the city and maintaining Ivanov Securities¡¯ reputation as part of his duties and nothing more. There was no deep emotional attachment on his part to anything, not even to his own Guards and Warriors.


    Mikhail Ivanov didn¡¯t have a heart, like the rumors said. This cold and indifferent viewpoint towards the world was something that he had grown used to over the past century.


    But after meeting Cassy¡­


    It was as though life had given him a new meaning to live now.


    No matter how silly and cheesy that sounded.

 Chapter 12: Sye

    ¡°Any news with Sye?¡± Mikhail asked.


    ¡°We still have no leads on her whereabouts, sire,¡± Josef responded. There was a hint of confusion and frustration in his tone, which was understandable because they had been waiting for important information from Sye now, but there was zero contact from her even until now.


    Sye Lomanne was one of Mikhail¡¯s best Warriors. These ¡®Warriors¡¯ were Mikhail¡¯s personal guards, and they were almost on level with Josef and Sarim.


    Josef and Sarim were exceptional Warriors and were also very loyal to Mikhail. Mikhail would even go so far as to trust them with his life.


    But if they were ever to betray him, he would make sure that they regret the day they were even born.


    Sye, on the other hand, was a vampire whom he met 40 years ago, back when she was still newly turned. She had been 24 years old when she became a vampire, and she was pretty much uncontroble back then. She couldn¡¯t control her urges, and she killed both humans and vampires. Anyone that stood in her way.


    If a human was turned into a vampire, there were several things that could happen. The former humans would either reject the transition, have difficulties in adjusting to being a vampire, or ept the transformation. There were many more possible reactions, and it included shock and rage.


    Which was exactly what Sye Lomanne experienced when she was forcibly turned by the very vampire that murdered her own family.


    The fury overwhelmed Sye and made her lose all rationality, making her a shell of her former innocent self.


    The Councils almost sentenced her to death at that time, but in the end, Mikhail stepped in and tamed her.


    As an Elite, his mind control was not only effective on humans, but on vampires as well. He subdued Sye easily within seconds and helped her adjust to being newly turned. Because of it, she was eternally grateful to him.


    He did not give her fake sympathy or pretty words. He made her realize reality as well as the fact that she didn¡¯t really want to die. It was a long process, but Sye eventually tamed her anger and started to live life her own way. The Councils still kept a close eye on her, but after about 40 years of good behavior and no more signs of aggressiveness, they left her alone and focused on the other worrying criminals instead.


    As thanks, Sye devoted herself to Mikhail¡¯s side and obeyed his every order. She was indebted to him, and she made sure to pay him back in every way she could.


    Mikhail also grew to trust Sye through time and could also depend on her withpleting important missions, like scouting outside of the city and taking care of issues outside the jurisdiction.


    The Councils didn¡¯t only make Mikhail in charge of Azallea¡¯s protection. They also gave the Elites the responsibility of eliminating all hostile vampire threats.


    It meant that Mikhail, along with the two other Elites, needed to take care of the wicked organizations that brought danger to the entire world.


    There were three major vampire factions or organizations throughout the world that abused humans and aimed to take over multiple countries. These three were called ¡®The Gauntlet¡¯, a powerful alliance of the vampire rebels whose goals were uneptable in regards to having a peaceful coexistence with the humans.


    The Gauntlet was known for their ruthless and greedy ways. Their leaders were indeed powerful, but they were not a match for the Elites. However, they had numbers as their advantage, which added to their overall power and influence.


    These organizations had specific goals of their own, ranging from world domination, the subjugation of humans, the destruction of other supernatural races, or possibly something else entirely. They were very crafty, with secret bases around the world and even nting spies in human organizations, using their mind control abilities to the fullest.


    The Elites¡¯ job was to eliminate these organizationspletely in order to restore peace to the world. It was not by any means an easy task, and it could possibly take decades to finish, considering the number of vampires there were in the entire world.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Sye Lomanne was one of the Warriors that Mikhail trusted with investigating one of The Gauntlet¡¯s biggest organizations, Nightshade. Nightshade was bing more and more of a nuisance for the Councils, so Mikhail needed to snuff them out as soon as possible. But first, he needed to find out where their main secret base was.


    Sye went to inspect the clues they had gathered over the years. Mikhail also suspected that they might have something to do with the strange rogues, so he wanted to speed up the investigation.


    However, Sye had been gone for two months now without anymunication on her end. It was odd because she usually followed her duties and responsibilities well despite having a short temper.


    Her anger issues were why Josef and Sarim didn¡¯t trust her that much. They considered her a ticking time bomb because she could be quite unpredictable at times.


    Sye never blew a fuse at Mikhail, however. She was loyal to him, and him only. Also, she never did like the Councils. She didn¡¯t like the feeling of being used in any way. After all, she wasn¡¯t exactly fond of most humans and vampires because of what she had gone through.


    ¡°Shall I send someone to go after her trail?¡± Josef asked.


    ¡°That is not necessary,¡± Mikhail said thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps she is in a tight spot right now. If she¡¯s doing a deep cover investigation, then theck ofmunication is understandable. However, I would¡¯ve appreciated it if she informed me first that she would be doing this kind of investigation. That is, if that were the case. Aside from that, I can think of no other reason why she has suddenly gone off the grid.¡±


    A deep cover investigation was a type of undercover work where one would take on a false identity and pretend to be a criminal or a member of a criminal organization. The task was to gather information and evidence that would solve a crime or stop criminal activity.


    However, in order to do so, one needed to immerse themselves in the criminal world and gain their trust to obtain information that would otherwise be difficult to ess through traditional investigation methods.


    In some cases, a deep cover investigation may onlyst a few months, while in others it may go on for years. With a case asplex as this one, it would very well be thetter.


    ¡°I must admit, that is quite unusual of her,¡± Josef said, looking thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Perhaps she was put on the spot or something.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Mikhail agreed. ¡°I will give her one more month before I send someone to go to the ce where Ist ordered her to go. We can only gather clues there instead. I am sure that she is capable enough of defending herself if something ever happens.¡±


    ¡°Deep cover¡­¡± Josef muttered. ¡°Is she even prepared to do something like that? That wasn¡¯t in the discussion we had.¡±


    ¡°However, we considered the option,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°As ast resort in case all else fails. This mission cannot fail, Josef. If Sye is indeed doing deep cover work, we cannot make her seem suspicious by going over there in a rush.¡±


    Josef nodded. ¡°I understand, sire.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡±


    Josef bowed to him respectfully before leaving the room without another word.


    Mikhail leaned back against the couch, a thoughtful expressioning over his face. Sincepany business was suspended at the moment, it seemed that he had more time to investigate The Gauntlet.


    The vampire hunters were in charge of the city now, and as long as they didn¡¯t attack his men, there would be no new conflict rising in Azallea. Perhaps there was a silver lining to this kind of development.


    However, they were also running out of time each day, so Mikhail could not possibly rx just yet.


    As for his new human back at home¡­


    The corner of Mikhail¡¯s lips curved slightly upwards. An interesting thing, that one. Perhaps this was his opportunity to get to know her more.

 Chapter 13: Case RV-13400

    When Mikhail arrived home, he found Cassy in the living room, staring at empty space. She turned around at the sound of him entering the room, something that he didn¡¯t bother to conceal.


    He raised an eyebrow. Since he usually went out at night, at around 7 in the evening, he would return home either at either 3 or 4 in the morning, just before the sunrise.


    Yet every time he came back, he would find Cassy still awake.


    Didn¡¯t humans usually sleep at this time?


    How curious.


    He approached her slowly, thoughtfully. ¡°Why are you not asleep?¡± he asked.


    Cassy stared at him for a moment before averting her gaze. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t sleep,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Are you a night owl?¡± Mikhail said, slightly amused. ¡°Based on my findings, you did not work night shifts in your previous job.¡±


    ¡°Ever since I came here, my sleeping schedule adjusted,¡± Cassy said tly, not even bothering to ask why he investigated her. She had probably expected it already, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ familiar with this house. I¡¯m not veryfortable. I can¡¯t sleep well.¡±


    ¡°Ah, because you are in a house filled with vampires?¡±


    A wry smile curved Cassy¡¯s lips. ¡°That, too.¡±


    ¡°Then I must assure you that they will never darey a hand on you, not unless they wish to incur my wrath,¡± Mikhail said.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ reassuring, I guess,¡± Cassy muttered.


    ¡°Also, harming a human is punishable byw,¡± Mikhail added in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°Surely you know that.¡±


    Cassy sighed. ¡°I know, but¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°With the increase of rogues and all¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not let anyoney a hand on you,¡± Mikhail said confidently. ¡°You have nothing to worry about with me here.¡±


    Cassy turned her head towards him, her eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°And how can you be so sure of that? You¡¯re not even here most of the time.¡±


    Mikhail arched an elegant eyebrow. ¡°Are you implying that I should be with you at all times?¡±


    A look of surprise came over Cassy¡¯s face before she quickly looked away, seemingly scowling. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­ just that¡­¡± she stammered.


    ¡°I would take you with me whenever Ie to thepany, but it is too dangerous,¡± Mikhail said calmly. ¡°If my enemies ever find out that you are my mate, they wille for you sooner orter. You are the safest here in my home.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Cassy said as she stood up from the couch. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to my room now. Good night.¡±


    Mikhail watched her go, slightly puzzled.


    Was she mad at him or something? There seemed to be something in her tone that his sharp ears caught, something akin to an indignant emotion. Perhaps he had said the wrong thing?


    Then again, humans were a mystery with theirplex emotions and all.


    Mikhail had once been human, but that was already more than a century ago. He had already forgotten what it felt like to have turbulent emotions back then. He had grown too used to being a vampire.


    Mikhail watched the back of her slender neck, feeling the hunger and desire rise inside of him. He had already fed from herst night, so he needed to give it a few more days before he came to her again. After all, drinking blood from the same human every day would take a toll on their fragile body.


    However, her blood was just so delicious. The mere thought of it tempted him to go over to her and plunge his fangs into her neck again, but he restrained himself from doing so. Thest thing he wanted to do was put his mate in danger.


    What reckless behavior. Mikhail had truly never felt something like this before.


    It would seem that this human was capable of driving him crazy.


    ¡®I must distract myself with something,¡¯ he thought to himself as he went to his room, presumably to calm down. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s time to check the files on The Gauntlet once more.¡¯


    The Councils were practically breathing down his neck on this one. They were desperate for a solid lead on the case about the rogue vampires, which was shortened to ¡®Case RV-13400¡¯.


    RV-13400 had begun about a year ago. When the first rogue vampire came about, everyone simply thought that the vampire had gone insane, which wasn¡¯t that rare of a case.


    There were some rogues that became desperate when they were on the verge of starvation and just attacked whatever human they could find. However, even when that was the case, they usually still held a semnce of rationality within them.


    However, the recent rogue vampires were drastically different. They had no rationality at all and could not be persuaded by reason or logic.


    Instead, they seemed more like rabid animals.


    Something unusual was going on here, hence why the Human Council as well as the Supernatural Council were determined to find out what it was and where this source wasing from.


    Surely it couldn¡¯t have happened out of the blue. Everything happened too suddenly, not gradually.


    There were many suspicions about this case. One was that it was caused by a virus or poison of some sort. However, they had never been able to capture a rogue vampire to confirm this.


    It was because, for some reason, once they were apprehended, they would either suddenly kill themselves and turn into ashes or refuse to say anything and continue to act insane.


    Some on the Council spected that it might be due to poison from a rare poisonous flower or herb and that it was spreading slowly to all vampires. Or perhaps even an unknown disease that caused the increase in aggression or loss of self-control.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ¡®In any case, they¡¯re suspecting that it might be the handiwork of The Gauntlet,¡¯ Mikhail thought to himself absently as he flipped through the files. ¡®It¡¯s not too far off. After all, my men that suddenly turned rogue were all those that I sent on missions outside the city at least once.¡¯


    However, what puzzled him the most was the duration in which this unknown virus or disease took effect. One of his men, a capable vampire named Santiago, was one of those that he sent to another country four months ago. When Santiago returned to Azallea a monthter, he seemed normal enough, and Mikhail hadn¡¯t detected anything suspicious.


    It was only a weekter that Santiago suddenly went berserk and started attacking the humans during one of his patrol nights. Much to Josef¡¯s reluctance, he had to kill Santiago right there and then.


    Josef had liked Santiago. Thetter performed his duties well and was never a hindrance during missions. Josef even trained together with Santiago back when thetter was new to thepany eight months ago.


    It was why Josef was also dedicated to this investigation of Case RV-13400. He could not believe why Santiago suddenly became like that, so he wanted to find out the truth.


    Even Mikhail did not know how to exin what exactly happened. What were the odds of a vampire acting so normally and then suddenly going insane without warning?

 Chapter 14: Other Vampires

    Santiago wasn¡¯t the only one.


    There was also one under Mikhail¡¯s wing, a stiff but logical female vampire named Tereza. She was known in the entirepany to be calm at all times, even when she was on the offensive. She would strike at her opponents swiftly and efficiently, without any additional unnecessary movements. She was rarely seen as panicked or emotional, which was why many vampires looked up to her and regarded her as one of the best instructors.


    However, she was one of the vampires that Mikhail sent two months ago. Like Santiago, she was normal when she returned to Azallea a weekter, and she did not act suspiciously at all.


    But three dayster, she suddenly went berserk and lost all sense of reason. She attacked the human she was protecting and killed two more. It took three Guards to subdue and then apprehend her, not killing her on the spot due to the Councils¡¯ orders to capture rogue vampires instead of eliminating them.


    But once she was captured, Tereza suddenlymitted suicide by grabbing a wooden stake from the inside of her coat and then plunging it straight into her heart. Her body then disintegrated into ashes, leaving no traces in her wake.


    Nobody knew why Tereza had a wooden stake with her. Vampires never carried stakes with them since it was one of the weapons that could kill them.


    Santiago and Tereza weren¡¯t the only ones that acted this way for the past year. Mikhail was starting to be more and more furious at the fact that something fishy was going on here, and it was making him and thepany look very suspicious to the public as well as the Councils.


    ¡®There¡¯s a pattern going on here. Either this is truly a clue, or someone is using this detail to throw us off the tracks,¡¯ Mikhail surmised in his head. ¡®All of the vampires are those that I sent on secret missions. However, they do not be rogues right after returning, and that¡¯s the confusing part.¡¯


    Perhaps there were different response times for each vampire?


    And where was the source of all this? Inside the city, or outside?


    ¡®Maybe I should start with the nearest approximate location,¡¯ Mikhail thought to himself. ¡®Which means inside these city walls. There has to be some sort of clue.¡¯


    Since the suspicions fell on Mikhail and Ivanov Securities, he had to take a step back and evaluate the situation carefully from another angle. He could not afford to trust anybody so easily.


    It came to the point where Mikhail was starting to doubt the neers in thepany, specifically the new trainees. Perhaps he could figure something out by focusing on them instead, hence why he had pressured Erik that night.


    Erik Vigre had been working at thepany for two years now. Mikhail didn¡¯t have any particr opinions about him, but as long as Erik did his job right, then there weren¡¯t any problems.


    However, Erik had been acting strangely as ofte, which only further deepened the doubts in Mikhail¡¯s head. There was a good possibility that he had something to do with Case RV-13400.


    Mikhail decided that he would start confronting Erik tomorrow. The deadline had already arrived.


    ***


    The next evening, Mikhail was preparing to go to thepany.


    However, before he could leave, he suddenly spotted Cassy sitting in the living room, staring out into space again. Her long brown hair looked silky and tempting to touch as it fell across her back. Her posture was straight and stiff, a testament to her difort.


    Mikhail couldn¡¯t help but pause in his tracks.


    From what he gathered, the servants told him that she had started behaving like this only recently.


    Maybe she was homesick?


    Mikhail shook his head. Humans and their fragile emotions.


    In ordance with thew, he sent a letter to the Human Council and the Supernatural Council, informing them of his arrangement with Cassy. After all, he would be keeping a human in his abode for a few months, which meant that it would be a hassle if her boss or co-workers found out that she was missing from her home or something like that.


    It was highly possible that he would be expecting a summons very soon. He would be called on to the official headquarters to exin himself.


    It was, after all, a bad idea for an Elite to have a human mate. It spelled a definite weakness, one that their enemies would definitely use to their advantage.


    If The Gauntlet ever caught wind of this¡­


    It would be Cassy Lenoir who would be in the most danger in this kind of situation, and Mikhail couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    ***


    The days went by slowly for Cassy.


    Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s home was huge. There were several rooms for various purposes, like the coffee or tea room, the chess room, the library, the gym, and many more. It also had several guest rooms and bathrooms.


    ¡®What avish house,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself absently. ¡®With many useless rooms, too.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t heard about Mikhail¡¯s mansion before. In fact, it was a popr ce that humans would often admire from afar. As expected, Mikhail¡¯s house was always heavily guarded, all of them skilled vampires that intimidated every human that ever tried to go near.


    If there was a safest ce in Azallea, it would be Mikhail¡¯s big mansion.


    However, due to the intimidating spaciousness of the ce, she could only bring herself to stay in three ces each day. Her bedroom, the bathroom adjoined to it, and the living room that was right across from her room.


    Her bedroom was located on the first floor, and it was a few doors away from Mikhail¡¯s. It was convenient since he was always in and out of the house each day, and her being near would be beneficial.


    It was a little lonely, though. Not that she craved hispany or anything. Just that she didn¡¯t have anyone she knew here, and she was all alone in an unfamiliar ce.


    And there was no way that she would be exploring around the house. She might run into some vampires on the way, and she didn¡¯t really feel like having fun in this kind of ce. It felt too wrong.


    Fortunately, there was one servant in this mansion that she came to like. Her name was Deidre, a kind old woman who appeared to be in her early fifties. It seemed that she had gotten unlucky and was turned at that age.


    Despite being a vampire, Cassy felt strangelyforted by Deidre¡¯spany. Even though Deidre was a vampire, Cassy could feel that Deidre¡¯s powers and strength were much weaker than the others. It seemed that Deidre wasn¡¯t a trained vampire, just a servant who preferred to live and work quietly.


    One of those extremely rare, peaceful vampires.


    But Cassy knew all too well that she shouldn¡¯t let down her guardpletely just yet. She was in enemy territory, and it would be careless of her to feel rxed around here.


    No matter how kind Deidre was towards her, she should not give her trust in any way. She shouldn¡¯t get attached.


    ¡®If only she¡¯s a human¡­¡¯ Cassy couldn¡¯t help but think.


    ¡°So, other vampires live here as well, right?¡± Cassy asked while Deidre was busy cleaning the living room. Not that there was anything to clean anyway, since all inhabitants here seemingly weren¡¯t messy people.


    Deidre must like it, though. It gave her something to do.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Deidre said with a smile. ¡°Master Mikhail¡¯s n lives here. But they don¡¯te home often. They are¡­ carefree vampires, so to speak.¡±


    Cassy had heard of them. It was hard not to thanks to Mikhail¡¯s fame.


    Like other vampires, Mikhail also belonged to a n. The n was once called Blood Legion, and it was one that consisted of a group of vampires that shared amon sire.


    But that sire apparently already died a century ago.


    From what Cassy knew so far, there were six of them in the n, and one of them was Mikhail¡¯s blood-rted sister.


    ¡°I see,¡± Cassy said. She wasn¡¯t really looking forward to meeting those vampires in person, especially if they lived under the same roof. Even though she knew that they wouldn¡¯t harm her, who was to say that they suddenly wouldn¡¯t turn rogue on her?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, dear,¡± Deidre said softly. ¡°They visit here very rarely. Perhaps twice a month?¡±


    ¡®Then I¡¯ll see them here at least once during my stay,¡¯ Cassy thought. ¡®Not something that I¡¯m looking forward to exactly¡­¡¯


    ¡°Though I doubt Lady Madeline wille¡­¡± Deidre couldn¡¯t help but mutter.


    Cassy nced at her, but said nothing.


    Just like Mikhail, everyone in Azallea knew who Madeline was.


    Madeline Ivanov, Mikhail¡¯s younger sister.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It wasn¡¯t a secret that Madeline loathed her brother. The rumors said that Madeline hated him for turning her into a vampire a hundred years ago, which Madeline subtly confirmed back then. She never did hide her feelings about Mikhail.


    However, Madeline still kept visiting the mansion from time to time even though it meant being under the same roof as Mikhail. The citizens guessed that it was because she wanted to visit her parents¡¯ graves there. Some spected that it was because she had no other permanent home to go back to, and it was too dangerous to be alone for too long outside of the city walls.


    Nevertheless, almost everyone knew that they should get out of Madeline Ivanov¡¯s way.


    Cassy was really not looking forward to meeting her in person one day.


    Even though Madeline wasn¡¯t one of the Elites, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Back when Azallea was on the brink of destruction more than 50 years ago, she was the one who led the vampires to defeat their enemies and even destroyed one of the rebel vampires¡¯ biggest organizations at that time.


    Needless to say, if Madeline found out that Mikhail had a human mate, who knew what she would do to Cassy afterwards?


    Cassy shook her head, not wanting to think about that further. For now, she only needed to think about living on and not leading herself into an early, gruesome death.

 Chapter 15: Spy

    Erik Vigre stood in front of Mikhail, his posture stiff and tense. He was trying hard not to seem intimidated, but was failing miserably.


    Although he was one of the instructors or trainors in thepany, he wasn¡¯t the strongest vampire here. He was good at enforcing discipline in the trainees, but otherwise, his skills and strength were pretty much inferiorpared to the rest of the instructors.


    Mikhail satnguidly at his desk, observing Erik with vague interest. Erik seemed a bit fidgety, which wasn¡¯t much of a surprise since the man was pretty weak when it came to confrontation. How Erik became an instructor in the first ce, he had no idea.


    Then again, Erik could be pretty resourceful at times. Which was also a little suspicious¡­


    ¡°Well?¡± Mikhail said. ¡°Have you any exnation to give me about your own trainees being rted to the matter of the rogue vampires?¡±


    Erik shook his head. ¡°My lord, there¡¯s no corrtion at all! I have questioned them myself. They are in no way connected to the recent crimes.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The corner of Mikhail¡¯s lips curved slightly upwards. ¡°However, I have discovered something very interesting, Erik.¡±


    Erik seemed to swallow nervously, but he tried his best not to make it obvious. ¡°What is it, sire?¡±


    ¡°ording to some reports, your trainees had been seen interacting with the vampires a day before they would suddenly turn rogue. After investigating their backgrounds a second time, they seem to be ordinary vampires. Too ordinary, in fact. So much that it feels like all of their backstories are simr. Am I correct?¡±


    Erik instantly froze. ¡°S¡­ Sire? What do you mean?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Mikhail leaned forward slightly with a lopsided smile on his face. ¡°It means only one thing, Erik. Betrayal.¡±


    Erik jolted backwards as though he had been shot. His expression instantly filled with panic, and his skin became even paler than before. ¡°S-Sire! You can¡¯t possibly¡­ I¡­ I have never betrayed you or anything of that sort! P-Please, give me another chance-¡±


    ¡°Chances are only given to those who earn it, Erik,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°Let me give you the rundown based on my overall observation of you and your ¡®trainees¡¯ for the past two years.¡±


    He leaned back against his chair and folded his arms across his chest. ¡°When you first applied to thepany, you started from scratch and gained our trust little by little. You were a hard worker and were also quite resourceful. You helped in creating strategies and training the new Guards in order to help protect the city. However¡­¡±


    Mikhail took one of the folders from his desk and opened it. ¡°¡­ording to this file, you were very meticulous in choosing potential candidates for the trainee positions. There were a few times when you chose a different candidate instead of the one that seemed more capable. You gave flimsy reasons like ¡®hidden potential¡¯ and ¡®training will hone their skills¡¯, so you were not suspected back then. But now¡­ I know the reason why you did so.¡±


    Sweat rolled down the side of Erik¡¯s face. ¡°I¡­ My lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Whose spy are you for, Erik?¡± Mikhail asked, the small, wry smile never leaving his face. ¡°Who is your real superior?¡±


    All the blood drained from Erik¡¯s face, making him look drastically paler than usual. With his sharp ears and nose, Mikhail could practically hear the panic from Erik¡¯s brain, as though his thoughts were spilling out. Even the smell of fear was so strong that Mikhail instantly knew that he hit the jackpot.


    Erik had probably feltcent with the fact that he had managed to gain the trust of Ivanov Securities for the past two years of hard work. What he didn¡¯t know was that every single employee was heavily observed by Mikhail, a habit that thetter retained for the past century of living.


    He had experienced the feeling of betrayal, so he was quite meticulous about making sure that his men were trustworthy. Mikhail was also a deeply suspicious person by nature, so he never let his guard down for anyone.


    Which was why Erik never saw thising, that Mikhail would tell him directly of the hints that had rued over the years. Mikhail had been generous enough to give Erik a warning that night, but Erik did not listen. In the end, it seemed that Erik had no ns of disclosing the true identity of his boss.


    ¡°We can either do this the easy way or the hard way, Erik,¡± Mikhail said pleasantly, and the light tone of his voice only made him seem scarier and more intimidating. ¡°I would suggest that you don¡¯t anger me further. Otherwise, your head will be rolling down the streets and your headless body be given to the witches for their herbalism and potion-making experiments.¡±


    Erik squeaked in fear at the mere thought. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground and started begging Mikhail for forgiveness. ¡°S-S-Sire!! Please, please forgive me! I-I did not mean to deceive you. I-I was given an order that I could not refuse! If I did not obey them, my-my ill father would be beheaded! My lord, I will tell you everything. Please spare me!¡±


    Mikhail watched as Erik kept pleading with him, wondering if he should forgive this little spy.


    Then again, it wasn¡¯t really necessary to forgive him. Perhaps he could use Erik to gain more information¡­


    However, if he did that, how certain was he that Erik would not betray him again?


    Mikhail shook his head, much to Erik¡¯s horror. ¡°Unfortunately, be that as it may, you have already betrayed me once. There is no guarantee that you will not betray me a second time.¡± He then stood up. ¡°After I get the information I need from you, I will kill you like I promised.¡±


    Erik instantly stood up as well and staggered backwards in terror. ¡°N-N-N-No! Sire! Please, I beg of you! Please spare my life! I-I will do anything! I will-¡±


    However, before the words could leave his lips, Mikhail was suddenly right in front of him in the blink of an eye. Mikhail¡¯s fingers were wrapped around Erik¡¯s throat, and Erik found himself being lifted effortlessly from the ground.


    Erik struggled ufortably in Mikhail¡¯s grip. Not only was theck of oxygen depleting his strength little by little, but he was also strangled ¨C quite literally as well ¨C with fear at the mere thought that Mikhail was very much capable of tearing his head off in a single, swift movement.


    ¡°S-Sire,¡± Erik managed to croak out. ¡°P-Please¡­ spare¡­ spare my¡­ m-my life¡­¡±

 Chapter 16: Truth

    Mikhail only stared at him in response.


    Most of the vampires that he had killed before had also begged for their lives prior to their deaths by his hand, as if that would make him feel pity towards them. As though it would work on the off-chance that he would hesitate.


    Apparently, they knew nothing about him.


    Mikhail, the heartless.


    The cruel vampire who did not care about others¡¯ pain.


    And it was true. Mikhail felt nothing before Erik¡¯s constant pleas for mercy. It was interesting, the way his prey was squirming helplessly in his grip. In just one movement, Mikhail could tear off Erik¡¯s head and ster it on his desk like a little trophy.


    However, he was not that reckless and arrogant. He did not enjoy killing; rather, he killed because he had to. Either in ordance with his duties or to save someone. He was not sadistic like the rebel vampires that were a part of The Gauntlet. He took no particr pleasure in killing, but he was admittedly very strict with his men and would punish them ordingly if they broke any of the rules.


    Basically, he did not have the desire or urge to kill anyone unless he was forced to, based on the circumstances.


    In Erik¡¯s case, Mikhail knew that it would be foolish to kill him yet. ¡®Yet¡¯ being the keyword here. First, the most rational thing to do was to extract every information he could get from Erik while also making sure that Erik¡¯s superior would not catch wind of Mikhail¡¯s awareness.


    ¡°I shall spare you only on the condition that you prove yourself worthy of being spared,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°If you agree to provide me with the information that I seek, then I shall show you the mercy that you treasure so much.¡±


    Erik¡¯s eyes instantly lit up with what seemed to be hope. ¡°Y-Yes! Sire-¡± He coughed, both hands still gripping the hand that Mikhail wrapped around his neck. ¡°I-I will do anything you ask! I-I swear!¡±


    Mikhail¡¯s eyes glowed a brighter red, clearly giving a warning. ¡°If you dare try to deceive me, death will not be what you face the next moment.¡± His lips upturned into a smirk. ¡°In case you¡¯ve forgotten, there are many ways to torture a vampire. Death is simply an easy way out.¡±


    For a moment, Erik seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sire¡­ I swear! I swear I will tell you everything!¡± he pleaded.


    ***


    ¡°Dan Keyes?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, my lord¡­¡±


    Mikhail folded his arms across his chest, looking thoughtful for a moment.


    Dan Keyes was a former member of the Human Council. He was fired from his position about three years ago due to abuse of power and authority as well as poor performance in regards to his council duties.


    Mikhail knew this very well because he was the one who exposed Keyes¡¯ misdeeds at that time. From then on, Keyes held a grudge against him and was always trying to find ways to expose Mikhail¡¯s ¡®diabolical ns¡¯ and weaknesses.


    Mikhail did not pay much attention to Keyes, simply because the man was usually reckless and gave himself away each time. It felt like batting away a mere insect, something that was not worth Mikhail¡¯s precious time.


    ¡°So he¡¯s the one behind your infiltration?¡± Mikhail asked.


    Erik nodded, his gaze glued to the ground. ¡°I was¡­ threatened to carry out the mission. Truthfully, I am a convicted vampire. I have no ce in the city. Mr. Keyes was the one who gave me a chance to start anew.¡±


    Mikhail nodded slightly. It made sense since convicted vampires, after finishing their sentence, would usually face ostracism or discrimination from the rest of society, making it difficult for them to integrate back into society.


    Also, it was hard for vampires to work and make a living with that kind of record. There were a few businesses that would give them a chance, but it was still not guaranteed.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Mikhail asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Erik fidgeted. ¡°¡­identally almost killed a human.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ hungry. The blood tablets couldn¡¯t sustain me for long,¡± Erik said quietly. ¡°I was newly¡­ turned at that time. I did not want to feed from humans. It went against my morals. I did not want to hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Blood tablets were artificially produced to stave off a vampire¡¯s hunger if the vampires refused to drink from humans. They were also allowed to hunt animals in the forest, but with limitations, of course.


    However, feeding on blood tablets would only go so far. The vampires would always crave human blood in the end. Unfortunately, at that time, the blood banks weren¡¯t full often due to not enough willing donors.


    So, in the end, the vampires were allowed to feed from humans, but only if they gave the vampires their explicit and informed consent.


    Also, there were systems of registration and consent in ce where humans could voluntarily register to allow vampires to feed on them under certain conditions. In other words, the vampires needed to be careful as to who they fed from. The punishment for illegal feeding was quite severe.


    Which was why Erik got punished ordingly. Granted, he did not kill the human in the end, but it was still considered an attempt, which still went against thew.


    ¡°That was when Mr. Keyes approached me,¡± Erik exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he came to me personally, but it seemed that he was recruiting convicted vampires for his cause. Also¡­¡± He nced up at Mikhail hesitantly, fear gleaming in his eyes. ¡°¡­he seemed to particrly hold a grudge against you, my lord.¡±


    Mikhail shook his head. ¡°Unsurprising, to say the least. Keyes has always been quite transparent about his motivations.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, so¡­ he gave me a new identity with the help of his connections. I was able to integrate into society again, with his help,¡± Erik said slowly. ¡°He told me that I needed to pay him back by seeding in this mission. I was to find out if you¡¯re doing any deplorable acts. I also serve as his spy and give him all the information he needs.¡±

 Chapter 17: A Hint

    Mikhail looked at him, seeming somewhat unimpressed.


    ¡°Erik,¡± he said. ¡°You are aware that I can do mind control on vampires, right?¡±


    Erik swallowed visibly. ¡°R¡­ Right, sir.¡±


    ¡°If I confirm the legitimacy of your information right now through mind control and I find out that you have been lying to me¡­¡± Mikhail said slowly, the implications of his words already clear at this point. ¡°I trust you know the extent of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, my lord! I understand!¡± Erik said quickly.


    ¡°I did not use mind control on you that night to give you a chance to tell me the truth of your own volition, but you still did not disclose the truth until after I threatened you. I hope that you do not disappoint me a second time.¡±


    Erik lowered his head shamefully. ¡°Yes, sire¡­¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although he had the power to do so at any time, Mikhail preferred not to use mind control on his men. Mind control meant forcing someone to do your bidding. It was not true loyalty.


    Mikhail preferred that his men work for him of their own free will. He did not want false loyalty. Real alliance and trust was what he wanted.


    Unless he needed it for investigation and intelligence gathering, Mikhail would not use his mind control for anything else.


    ¡°All right,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°Is there anything else I need to know?¡±


    ¡°I-I can find out more about it if you wish, my lord,¡± Erik said quickly, intent on saving his hide. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything to gain your trust again.¡±


    ¡°How much inside information did you give him?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You served as Keyes¡¯ spy, did you not?¡± Mikhail arched an elegant eyebrow. ¡°How much confidential information did you give him?¡±


    Erik¡¯s face went paler than usual, and the panic in his eyes grew. Even for a lesser vampire, his expressions wereughably transparent. ¡°I¡­ Nothing of much importance, sire!¡± he said quickly. ¡°Just¡­ security information and clients¡­ Nothing of your background or any of the other Guards!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m telling the truth, sire!¡±


    ¡°Then judging by your previous words, am I to understand that you are willing to be a double agent for me now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire! Like I said, I will do whatever it takes to gain your trust again!¡±


    ¡°My trust?¡± A ghost of a smirk yed on Mikhail¡¯s lips. ¡°My trust is not so easily gained, Erik. You barely had it in the first ce. What makes you think I am willing to give a betrayer like you an opportunity such as this?¡±


    ¡°I-!¡± Erik swallowed, looking like he was seriously considering the words in his head before finally speaking them out loud. ¡°I have a vital piece of information that you might find useful! To tell the truth, I have reason to believe¡­ that Mr. Keyes has something to do with the rogue vampires, sire!¡±


    Now that sessfully got Mikhail¡¯s attention. ¡°Oh, is he now?¡± he said, his lips twitching upwards in intrigue. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± Erik¡¯s voice drifted off, and he seemed quite fidgety this time.


    Mikhail could hear his movements and thoughts clearly even without using his mind control. ¡°You seem unsure,¡± he pointed out calmly. ¡°Is it because you have no proof yet of your spection? I do not operate on baseless assumptions, Erik. You would do well to remember that.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, sire! I understand. I¡­¡± Erik looked like he wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t know how to choose his words carefully. ¡°I will be searching for proof from now on, my lord,¡± he said eagerly. ¡°I admit that what I have right now is conjecture, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I cannot listen to anything you say unless you have solid evidence,¡± Mikhail interrupted smoothly. ¡°Now, I will grant you your request and have you search for information for me. However,¡± he emphasized. ¡°If you betray me a second time, Erik, there will be consequences. Ones that will be far worse than death. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire! I will not fail you!¡±


    ¡°Good. Now leave. I will have someone keep an eye on you just in case,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°I am telling you this just so you know that I have no intentions of killing you off just yet. Remember, death is considered a merciful act for vampires. I will not gain anything beneficial by killing you, especially when you are still at least one percent useful to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, sire.¡±


    When Erik finally left his office, Mikhail leaned back against his seat and rested his hands on the armrests.


    ¡®So Keyes has something to do with the rogues. Interesting,¡¯ he mused. ¡®There¡¯s no doubt that he has someone powerful backing him. After being dismissed from the Council, his reputation was ruined and he no longer has the power and authority to do something like this.¡¯


    Mikhail thought about it for a moment. Keyes had been part of the Human Council, so it didn¡¯t quite make sense in light of the current crisis their city was suffering from. The rogues were attacking humans, not vampires. It would have been so obvious if it was the other way around, but in this case, it wasn¡¯t.


    If Keyes was truly involved in this case, where something of this magnitude andplexity must have been nned or prepared for at least five or six years ¨C the time when he still possessed the authority, power, and connections to do so ¨C it was of no benefit whatsoever to the Human Council, especially since the human poption was steadily decreasing each month.


    So, there was no logical reason why Keyes, as a former member, would have anything to do with this at all.


    There was also the fact that Erik had yet to provide definitive proof of Keyes¡¯ involvement. Considering Erik¡¯s credibility, it wasn¡¯t too far off to assume that he might have been blurting things out just to save his own skin.


    Which was why Mikhail chose to wait for the time being.


    He would assign someone capable to shadow Erik for a while. Until he would gain the answers he needed.

 Chapter 18: A Heartbeat

    It was always the same whenever Mikhail came home.


    Cassy Lenoir sitting on the living room sofa and staring into nothingness, like a ghost that was just there and existing.


    ¡°Does your neck not hurt when you stay in that position?¡± Mikhail asked tly. ¡°Is this your way of rebelling?¡±


    Cassy turned her head towards him, her dark hair flowing in waves below her shoulders. She looked at him with eyes devoid of emotion, though exhaustion painted faint lines on her face. She didn¡¯t seem to have slept well, and her skin was a little pale. Perhaps it was from ack of sunlight.


    ¡°Wee home,¡± she said listlessly.


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do not look well,¡± he remarked. ¡°Are you ill? Is there something in the house that does not satisfy you? Tell me, and I will give you what you need.¡±


    Cassy was silent for a moment before she turned her head back to its original position, as though she were nning on ignoring him.


    But Mikhail was a patient man. He continued to stand there, crossing his arms in front of his chest, waiting for Cassy¡¯s response. There was no rush; after all, he was in his home, and he still had a bit of time before slumbering in his coffin.


    The small effort paid off, because Cassy spoke again, but in a quieter voice this time.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have anything else to do,¡± she said simply.


    Mikhail¡¯s expression showed no emotion. ¡°Is that so?¡± he said. ¡°There are several leisure rooms here in the mansion. You can entertain yourself there. You are not a prisoner here. You are free to explore every corner of this house.¡±


    Cassy shook her head. ¡°I am notfortable with that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get lost.¡±


    ¡°Then seek one of the servants¡¯ help,¡± Mikhail said simply.


    ¡°No,¡± Cassy said without hesitation. ¡°In case you have not realized it yet, I am not exactlyfortable with thepany of vampires.¡±


    ¡°And yet you agreed to be my woman and live with me under the same roof.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I wanted to repay you for saving my life.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Silence fell between them the next moment. Cassy became more tense than before, while Mikhail remained calm andposed, his expression almost bordering on indifference.


    There was a slight awkwardness in the atmosphere, mostly because the two were unsure how to continue the conversation. It was clear that they were not used to making small talk, not only with each other, but also with other people.


    He continued to stand there and observe Cassy. She was an interesting woman, to say the least. Or was she interesting only because she was his human mate?


    Mikhail did not know. But his personality was that he liked to take people apart, no matter if they were humans or vampires or other supernaturals. He liked to use his deduction and observation skills to figure them out, to beat them at their own game. For the past century, he went through life as if it were a giant chess game, trusting no one but himself.


    He acknowledged his men, but he did not give them hisplete trust. Sye, Josef, and Sarim knew this best since they were his most loyal warriors. He would rely on these three to gather information and perform sensitive tasks for him, but that was all. His private life and deepest thoughts were out of the question. All his carefullyid ns, suspicions, and subtle observations remained in his head, unspoken.


    Even though Cassy proved to be a normal human, there was still something about her that nagged at Mikhail. As someone who had lived for a long time now, he learned to trust his instincts whenever they came. It was one of the things that helped him reach his current level of power and aplishments.


    ¡°I understand that you dislike vampires,¡± Mikhail said calmly. ¡°Which is why it is questionable to me how you seemed so agreeable to my request. You did not even wait a day to give me an answer. Surely you would be more wary before saying yes to living under a vampire¡¯s abode?¡±


    He threw this question out purposefully, wanting to test her.


    Cassy seemed to stiffen even more at that. ¡°Whatever are you talking about?¡± she asked evenly.


    The tone of her voice and her slightly elerated heartbeat brought a smirk to Mikhail¡¯s lips. It would seem that he was on the right track.


    ¡®Now,¡¯ he wondered, ¡®how long would it take for me to expose her little subterfuge?¡¯


    After all, Mikhail Ivanov did not trust anyone. He would never give even a small part of his trust if he couldn¡¯t prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the individual was not secretly out to get him.


    Everyone had ulterior motives, a hidden agenda up their sleeves. They all wanted something to gain. Nobody ever approached him or agreed to something if they couldn¡¯t benefit something from it.


    And clearly, Cassandra Lenoir was not getting anything beneficial out of this agreement.


    ¡®As thanks for saving her life?¡¯ Mikhail thought to himself in amusement. ¡®How cute.¡¯


    ¡®If you despise vampires so much, not even your honor or the mate bond would make you agree to be my woman.¡¯


    ¡®Especially Mikhail Ivanov¡¯s woman.¡¯


    Mikhail, who was feared and disliked by the humanmunity. Mikhail, who was only willingly approached by vampires, never humans.


    Unless they were a part of the Human Council and needed to discuss business or politics with him.


    ¡®It¡¯s no secret that the Vampire Hunters Association has been trying to infiltrate my empire as well,¡¯ Mikhail thought to himself. ¡®They either want to y me or gather vital information to destroy me.¡¯


    ¡®Even if you¡¯re my mate, you are still suspicious to me, Cassandra Lenoir.¡¯


    ¡°You know exactly who I am, right?¡± Mikhail said.


    Cassy turned to him with her hazel eyes, the irises glimmering under the chandelier. The lighting seemed to cast shadows on her features, highlighting the contours of her face and bringing out the amber flecks in her eyes.


    Mikhail felt a tingling sensation on his skin and a sudden pounding in his chest. But it was not painful at all.


    Rather, it resembled¡­ a single heartbeat.


    No.


    It was simply impossible.


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Cassy said after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°I do.¡±

 Chapter 19: Irrational

    Mikhail fixed her with a cold gaze. ¡°So you agreed to live together with me despite knowing that?¡±


    Cassy nodded calmly. ¡°Yes. Because I cannot stand to be indebted to anyone. And I owe you my life, even though you are the vampire we humans fear and despise the most.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? How honorable of you, then.¡± Mikhail¡¯s lips curled into a smile, but his eyes remained icy and deadly. ¡°I did not force you to do anything. You had a choice, yet you agreed so easily.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I had a choice?¡± Cassy raised an eyebrow at his words. ¡°It¡¯s not just your posture and tone that are intimidating. You have a way with words that makes it difficult for me to refuse.¡±


    ¡°You did not seem to regret your words that much.¡±


    ¡°Well, like they say, what¡¯s done is done.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡±


    The soft tone of her voice made Mikhail frown slightly. She had answered his words easily, as if she was really telling it like it is.


    Or perhaps as if she had already prepared for this.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Mikhail said with a short nod. ¡°I do not trust anyone. That includes you humans.¡±


    There was a sardonic feeling to Cassy¡¯s smile. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you vampires, either.¡±


    ¡°I figured as much.¡± Mikhail studied her features. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s odd?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°The fact that the celestial beings made it possible for humans and vampires to be mates. That kind of arrangement is destructive, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Cassy said. ¡°It¡¯s stupid.¡±


    Mikhail felt the corner of his lips turn up. ¡°I like your honesty.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in lying to a vampire,¡± Cassy said with a limp shrug. ¡°There¡¯s also no reason for you to harm me. Not only is it against thew, but there¡¯s no point in killing a powerless human. You¡¯re not the type to do that. You have too much at stake to risk it all for someone like me.¡±


    She scoffed and added, ¡°Unless you suddenly go rogue like those¡­ monsters.¡±


    The way she said thatst line conveyed her distaste for vampires quite perfectly. Mikhail wondered to what extent her hatred for them reached.


    Was it far enough to have murderous intentions?


    For the first time in his life, Mikhail was disappointed at his ability topel both humans and supernaturals. After meeting Cassy, there was now only one person in the entire world whose mind he wanted to read so badly.


    Although he felt that Cassy was being sincere with him right now, there were still traces of doubt in him, and the possibility of them disappearing was slim.


    Even though she was his mate, not all mates fell in love and had a happy ending. He had heard a few stories of mates who broke their mate bonds through rejection, and in the worst cases, even suicide.


    Which was why he simply could not afford to rely on the mate bond alone.


    ¡®Did I make a mistake in making that offer to her?¡¯ Mikhail wondered. ¡®By having her live here for three months¡­¡¯


    On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t like she could do anything to him. In other words, he was the one who had the upper hand in every way.


    Besides, he would always keep an eye on her. If she thought that he would trust her easily, she waspletely wrong.


    Besides, investigating things was one of the things Mikhail Ivanov was good at. The mystery of Cassy Lenoir would be a good distraction during boring times.


    If she didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth about her intentions, he¡¯d have a good time prying it out of her, piece by piece.


    ¡°I see,¡± Mikhail said simply.


    Cassy regarded him with confusion. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not going to reprimand me? Or harm me?¡±


    ¡°For what, pray tell?¡±


    ¡°For talking back.¡±


    ¡°Why should I harm you just for expressing some of your thoughts? Whatever your opinion is, it matters nothing to me.¡±


    Cassy suddenly fell silent for a while. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you say,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°We belong to different worlds, you and I,¡± Mikhail said simply. ¡°Humans have their own purposes and motivations for living. We vampires, on the other hand, are the superior species. The imbnce of power is too obvious, causing problems of unity and security in this city. This is the reason why you rarely see vampires in constantpany with a single human.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ having a human friend, you mean.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t usually have that. Things like friendship are trivial for us.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Cassy¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Maybe because all of you don¡¯t have feelings like we humans do. You lot are prone to betraying others whenever you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Do I detect a hint of personal animosity there, Miss Lenoir?¡±


    Cassy scowled. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Mikhail unfolded his arms and then made his way to his bedroom. ¡°If we¡¯re done here, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡±


    As Mikhail walked past Cassy, she suddenly opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was soft, like a whisper that would have gone unheard had Mikhail been a human instead of a vampire.


    ¡°How sure are you that you won¡¯t suddenly go rogue like those¡­ despicable monsters?¡± Cassy said, unable to hide the bitterness in her tone. ¡°As far as we all know, those vampires suddenly went crazy without warning. They did not exhibit any signs whatsoever beforehand.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°So if you, one of the most powerful vampires in the world, suddenly go rogue as well, we¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°I am more careful than you think, Miss Lenoir,¡± Mikhail interjected calmly. ¡°There is more to this issue than meets the eye.¡±


    Her expression was unconvinced. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you have nothing to do with all this rogue business?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he said. ¡°But you are free to believe otherwise.¡±


    Cassy sighed heavily. ¡°It¡¯s not like my opinion matters, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I am d that we understand each other.¡±


    Mikhail didn¡¯t know why, but his chest suddenly felt a little hollow. Something was nagging at him in the back of his mind, telling him that he shouldn¡¯t treat her like this. That he shouldn¡¯t be like this to his own mate.


    ¡®Ah, how irritating,¡¯ he thought.


    He was torn between his true personality and his unfounded feelings about the mate bond. His brain told him that Cassy was suspicious, but his lifeless heart scolded him, telling him to protect her and be kind to her. To hold her, to feel her skin against his, to possess her until she was truly,pletely his.


    ¡®Very irrational,¡¯ Mikhail kept telling himself.

 Chapter 20: Consuming Thoughts

    The words left his mouth before he could think twice.


    ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to distract yourself with in the meantime?¡± he asked stonily. ¡°Books, perhaps? Or some pen and paper? An easel? A chessboard? Say the word, and I will give it to you.¡±


    Cassy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you attempting to be hospitable to me right now?¡± she said unkindly.


    ¡°You are going to be living here for three months, after all,¡± he answered simply. ¡°It would not be gracious of me if I don¡¯t ensure that you¡¯re treated well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly nice of you to say.¡±


    Mikhail did not miss the sarcasm in her voice. He shook his head. It seemed she was much more fiery than he had thought. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t expected it, considering what had happened during their first meeting.


    But it certainly made her interestingpared to the rest of the humans. He was so used to being hated and feared that it was very rare to see someone stand up to him, speak their mind, and have little to no fear in their eyes when they were in the same room.


    ¡®I need to know more about her,¡¯ he decided.


    ¡°Then tell me what kind of books you want to read. Or what your hobbies are,¡± he said. ¡°It would help me understand your¡­ mindset.¡±


    Cassy turned her back to him, leaned back against the sofa, and closed her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to your room now? Don¡¯t let a measly human like me keep you from your vampire duties. I think you have far more important things to do than make small talk with someone like me.¡±


    Mikhail¡¯s lips curled slightly upward, a hint of amusement in his expression. ¡°Have you forgotten the real reason I offered to let you stay here?¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re my mate. That¡¯s something the two of us can never change.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Cassy muttered.


    ¡°Whether we like it or not, we are both drawn to each other no matter what,¡± Mikhail said. ¡°Even if you say it¡¯s ¡®small talk¡¯, it¡¯s not like that for me. I feel very reassured whenever we¡¯re together. I want you to know that.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Cassy turned her head towards him, and for a moment she looked absolutely speechless. As if she had never expected those words toe out of his mouth.


    And strangely enough, Mikhail wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all.


    ***


    That night, the two of them sat down on the same couch, an awkward air hanging around the atmosphere. Cassy had moved to the far end of the sofa, as if she abhorred the thought of being so close to a vampire. Mikhail, on the other hand, was indifferent and simply stayed where he was, sitting in the middle. His arms were folded across his chest as he cast her a sideways nce.


    It took a while for the awkward atmosphere to fade, but when it did, it was¡­ bewildering, to say the least.


    It turned out that Cassy Lenoir enjoyed reading books and taking photographs. She was particrly interested in the horror and mystery genres. She admitted that fight scenes and the mystery of the killer made her life more exciting.


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s also interesting to read the perspective of the killer,¡± Cassy said. ¡°You get to know his motivations, his backstory, and his thoughts as hemits the murder. It¡¯s morbid, but fascinating at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Mikhail said slowly. ¡°An unexpected description from a human who hates vampires.¡±


    ¡°Fiction is different from reality,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°An interesting reason.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of cathartic, I guess.¡± With a lethargic shrug, she rose from the couch and stretched her arms. ¡°It¡¯ll be dawn in an hour. Maybe we should go to bed now.¡±


    Her remark took Mikhail by surprise. First, he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been talking to her for so long.


    And second, she looked so tempting in that pose that he could hardly keep himself from grabbing her and sniffing her neck.


    ¡®Not yet,¡¯ he told himself. ¡®Drinking from her too much will not be good for her health.¡¯


    It was still astounding, the fact that he had to constantly remind himself like this from time to time. He never had to practice such restraint before.


    Such was the difference of having a human mate in his life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going first,¡± she said before walking away.


    He watched her go, feeling a familiar burning in his chest.


    Whenever the two of them were in the same room, the other servants would scurry away as if to give them some privacy. They only came when they were called, and that was it.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Before he offered Cassy to live here with him, this living room was always empty. The only signs of life were the servants dutifully cleaning the area, even though it was hardly ever dirty.


    Mikhail, on the other hand, was often in his bedroom. He didn¡¯t go to the recreation rooms or talk to the other residents whenever they were in the house. Besides, they were all wanderers, so they weren¡¯t exactly the homebody type.


    So he was often all alone.


    But now it was as if he saw the room in a different light.


    This was an area Cassy often visited. For some reason, she almost never stayed in her room and just sat on the couch, either brooding or spacing out. Her behavior was a bit puzzling, but nothing quite rming yet.


    It would be a concern if she felt depressed, though. He still couldn¡¯t rte to human emotions. After all, it had been more than a hundred years since he hadst been human. He had already forgotten most of his mortal life before he got turned into a vampire.


    ¡®The past is no more,¡¯ he thought. ¡®The present is what matters now.¡¯


    He watched as Cassy walked to her bedroom. But then she stopped for a moment before turning to him.


    There was this unreadable look on her face that struck him as odd. Instinctively, he stared into her eyes, but his mind went nk.


    Nothing. He couldn¡¯t read her mind at all. It was frustrating, but also challenging. She was someone different. She was like a pill of stimtion in his monotonous life. She was a small me that lit up his darkness.


    This pull¡­ This subtle attraction¡­


    No matter how many times he had felt it, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. He was actually feeling a bit of emotion.


    He cared. He lusted. He yearned.


    He wanted to tell her, ¡°Be mine.¡±


    He wanted to suck the life out of her and watch that look of ecstasy on her face whenever he drank her blood.


    He wanted to consume her.


    He wanted everything from her, including her soul.


    ¡°You¡¯re not leaving yet?¡± she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°I am,¡± he said as he stood up from the sofa.


    He had to stop thinking about her this much.


    Or else he might suddenly snap and do something that he¡¯d regret.

 Chapter 21: Dignity

    The next day, Mikhail began delivering popr crime and thriller novels to Cassy¡¯s room to keep her entertained. Despite himself, he did not like to see her sitting on the living room sofa, staring into empty space as she waited for him.


    She was not here to be a prisoner. She was here because she was his mate, and he wanted to protect her and keep her for himself at the same time.


    Kill two birds with one stone, as they say.


    Since then, she would be reading a book every time he returned home. Surprisingly, she still waited for him, but at least she had something to distract herself in the meantime.


    It was still a little strange that she refused to explore the rest of the mansion, but that was understandable since she still did not trust any of the vampire servants here.


    Three dayster, Cassy stopped him before he could go to his room after returning home as usual.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already read most of them,¡± she told him.


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is this about?¡±


    ¡°The novels,¡± she said. ¡°The ones that you¡¯ve been sending to my room each day. I had already read most of them before since they¡¯re pretty popr.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Also, I refuse to read some of them, so I shoved them to the side.¡±


    He stared at her. ¡°Why not?¡±


    She gave him an unimpressed look. ¡°They were written by vampire authors. I refuse to read books like that.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then please give them to Deidre,¡± he said calmly. ¡°I will dispose of them immediately and make sure to bring you the ones authored by humans instead.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    She then moved aside to let him return to his room in peace.


    An interesting woman, this human. Mikhail suspected that she was feeling a little morefortable with him now that she was talking to him so bluntly, as if it were a natural thing.


    The next day, Mikhail promptly sent her titles that weren¡¯t particrly well-known or popr. Rather, they were what some reviews called ¡®hidden gems¡¯ and ¡®underrated¡¯.


    Thanks to his vampire abilities, Mikhail was able to read quickly, and after reading through five chapters of numerous books, he selected the ones that were decent enough to give to Cassy.


    He admitted to himself that the books were indeed intriguing, but he would not confess that to her yet. After all, he still had his vampire pride.


    He did this for the next ten days, with Cassy looking noticeably better as time went on. Every time he came home, he found her reading in the living room. Sometimes he would join her in silence, and sometimes he would read quietly with her, curious to see what she found so interesting in the story.


    To his mild surprise, she seemed to like dark and tragic stories. She even mentioned how ¡®cathartic¡¯ it felt to read such books. It was a bit strange, but notpletely out of character.


    Perhaps he had a misconception that people only liked happy stories with happy endings.


    This was the first time he had shown such interest in a human, to the point of apanying them while they were busy with their hobbies.


    ¡®Josef and Sarim would be horrified to see me like this,¡¯ he thought to himself dryly.


    One night, she was waiting for him when he came home.


    She wasn¡¯t reading anything this time.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mikhail said, stopping in front of her. ¡°You look like you have something to say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out of books,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°¡­Are you trying to make me spoil you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to do anything. You¡¯ve been doing things of your own ord so far.¡±


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and went to his room, signaling the end of the conversation.


    Cassy, on the other hand, watched him go, an unreadable expression forming on her face.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    She had been living here for almost a month now, but she still couldn¡¯t quite get used to it. She didn¡¯t have a choice, and she knew better than to offend one of the most powerful vampires in the world.


    However, in order to gain his favor and prevent him from seeing her as a human liability or threat, she had to act normal with him and not show her fear and doubts in any way. In this way, she could attract his attention and make him interested in her.


    How strange that she had to do this when they were supposed to be mates¡­


    Cassy leaned back against the sofa and thought about the moments they had shared so far. There wasn¡¯t much, to be honest. Besides, the only time he was ¡®intimate¡¯ with her was when he drank her blood.


    Surprisingly, he was quite considerate and did not feed from her very often. Even though he had nonchntly expressed a few times before that he found her blood more delicious than others, he still exercised restraint when it came to her health.


    It was times like that that reminded her that they were indeed mates. That he cared for her, albeit in his own strange way.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m starting to get used to him and his drinking sprees,¡¯ she thought darkly as she lifted her hand, her fingers brushing the side of her neck where Mikhail often sunk his fangs. It still throbbed, but the pain was dull now.


    A vampire¡¯s bite was euphoric in nature, and it brought her an embarrassing kind of pleasure whenever he drank from her. But whenever the deed was done, she felt terrible afterwards.


    As if she hadmitted some kind of sin. As if she had done something from which she could not turn back.


    It was a wicked feeling, like a guilty pleasure of some sort. She knew that she wasn¡¯t supposed to be enjoying him feeding from her and even living together with him under the same roof, but¡­


    It wasplicated. Everything was just so, soplicated right now.


    Cassy heaved a sigh, closing her eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t even three months yet and her resolve was already wavering.


    She needed to straighten herself out this time. Mate or not, it was never a good thing to fall in love with a vampire.


    Especially when she hadn¡¯t even seen his true nature yet.


    Sooner orter, he would show his true colors. He would prove to her that he was one of those heartless, bloodthirsty maniacs who saw humans only as food, as disposable objects, as ythings.


    Even if she had to reject him and suffer pain for the rest of her life, at least she would have her dignity.


    ¡®You¡¯re not fooling me, Mikhail Ivanov,¡¯ Cassy thought to herself, eyes narrowing in distaste. ¡®Not me. Not ever.¡¯

 Chapter 22: The Visit

    A few dayster, the knock that Mikhail heard at the front door changed their routine from then on. A change they both knew wasing from afar.


    Mikhail was making some progress at this point regarding Case RV-13400. Ever since he¡¯d decided to investigate the source or look for clues within the city walls, he realized that some of his theories weren¡¯t too far off.


    To get to the bottom of the case, he had to suspect everyone involved, including those in charge of the investigation.


    If Erik was correct in his little hunch, it meant that someone from the Council had to be involved. Keyes would need someone powerful to back him up if he was indeed involved.


    At first, Mikhail suspected the Human Council, butpared to the other option, it seemed a bit weak. After all, as he had suspected days ago, the rogues were attacking humans. It didn¡¯t make sense for the Human Council to be involved in such a conspiracy.


    This made him direct his doubts to the Supernatural Council instead.


    If the Human Council valued humans the most and would do anything to keep the human race intact, the Supernatural Council was the same towards their kind. He supposed that the others also suspected the supernaturals on the Council, but they had no proof.


    Mikhail didn¡¯t have any either, but with doubt came a number of possibilities, and that meant opportunities to explore his suspicions.


    He would make a personal visit to Council headquarters and report his findings. However, he would also be careful not to reveal his suspicions to the Council members. That would be foolish.


    Instead, he would ask them to send a few more capable vampires at his disposal to check the whereabouts of The Gauntlet once again and to see if they had a secretb stationed somewhere. If they were going with the virus concept, it had to exist, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t make sense.


    That was Mikhail¡¯s n, but with Cassy living here with him now, he had one hurdle to clear before he could make his move.


    Deidre was startled by the knock on the door and was about to go answer it, but Mikhail stopped her in time.


    ¡°I will go,¡± he said tly.


    Cassy, who was in the living room like always, turned to him with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Are you expecting someone?¡± she asked warily.


    Mikhail could tell how guarded her tone was right now and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little amused. She probably thought it was the other vampires who lived here as well, especially Madeline.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Council,¡± he told her, and his answer made her eyes widen. ¡°I have informed them that you will be staying here with me for three months. They will ask you some questions first.¡±


    Cassy was silent for a moment, seemingly in shock, before her expression turned to irritation. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to warn me beforehand?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? You don¡¯t need to prepare anything in advance,¡± Mikhail said nonchntly before heading for the door, ignoring Cassy¡¯s scowl that was directed at him.


    The door opened to reveal three individuals, each of them striking in their unique appearance. Two men and a woman to be exact.


    The man and the woman were standing together, while the other man stood a short distance away, his expression bored.


    The man on the left was in his early forties, wearing a tailored dark gray suit with a crisp white shirt and red tie. He had graying hair at the sides, but his expression was kind and disarming, giving him an approachable aura.


    He also wore polished ck leather shoes and a number of silver essories. These essories were known to be rare materials worn by the Council members to fight against the supernaturals.


    The woman, on the other hand, had a no-nonsense, stern expression on her face, in contrast to her male partner. She was dressed in an elegant knee-length navy blue dress with a tailored zer. She also wore low-heeled pumps, and her blonde hair was neatly pulled back in a bun. She also had silver essories on her arms, fingers, and neck.


    The other man, standing to the right, was dressed in a dark, flowing cloak of expensive burgundy fabric that seemed to move with an ethereal quality. He was also wearing a fitted ck tunic with intricate embroidery, slim ck pants, and boots made of fine ck leather. He had a bored look on his face, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. As if he had much better things to do with his time.


    Around his neck was a red glowing pendant, a symbol of his vampire identity.


    ¡°Mr. Alderman, Ms. Lincoln, and Mr. zenki,¡± Mikhail greeted monotonously, folding his arms across his chest. He was taller than them in height, evenpared to the other vampire, so his figure was undeniably imposing at the moment. ¡°Wee to my humble abode.¡±


    Mikhail had a strange rtionship with the Council. They often worked together to keep the peace between humans and supernaturals. But at the same time, they stayed out of each other¡¯s way as much as possible.


    It was clear, however, that the Human Council despised him no matter how many times they cooperated. Their feelings never changed. He could sense it even without reading their minds.


    Some members, such as Alderman, were either neutral or willing to live with the supernaturals. However, members like Lincoln showed a subtle hostility.


    Their true intentions were still unknown. If he attempted to read their thoughts, they would detect it. Their small gadgets ¨C the essories ¨C made sure of that.


    There were countless possibilities. There could be spies or dishonest people. In any case, it was best not to trust anyone, especially the Human Council, considering he was a vampire. He had no doubt that they might have been nning to assassinate him for years now.


    So, it was a professional rtionship, but it wasn¡¯t really at the same time.


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Ivanov,¡± Alderman, the kind-looking man, greeted with a smile. He was known for his warm and friendly demeanor, treating everyone with equal kindness regardless of whether they were human or supernatural. ¡°Polite as always, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As he should be,¡± Lincoln said with a huff.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± zenki said with a shake of his head.


    Mikhail stepped aside for them to go inside the mansion, and then he shut the door.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 Chapter 23: Animosity

    Other vampires weren¡¯t as respectful as Mikhail was when addressing the Council members, that was true. But it wasn¡¯t that he thought they were more important than he was, or that they had more power.


    Rather, Mikhail was aware that he was in a delicate hierarchy and that there were different responsibilities assigned to each person in the city.


    He addressed the Council members politely by their names, simply because it was thew. The rules. That was all there was to it.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    If the world were without rules, it would operate in chaos. There would be no purpose, no boundaries, and no moral distinctions. Even a vampire like him was aware that he should not disrupt the order, lest he take on all the responsibility that was, in reality, too much of a hassle.


    Mikhail watched as the two members of the Human Council approached Cassy and began to ask her questions. Eron zenki, on the other hand, stood indifferently at a distance, though Mikhail knew he was keeping a close eye on things, especially with his heightened senses of sight, smell, and hearing.


    Even though Eron seemed frivolous and uncaring, he took his duties as a Council member seriously, and he was even one of those who wanted to get to the bottom of the rogue vampire case as soon as possible.


    Cassy seemed to recognize the Council members and bowed her head slightly out of respect. ¡°Mr. Samuel Alderman, Ms. Melissa Lincoln,¡± she greeted politely. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both here.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so polite, my dear,¡± Samuel Alderman said, his tone friendly, as if he were simply speaking to his granddaughter. ¡°We¡¯d like to ask you a few questions if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t even think about lying, especially to protect the vampire,¡± Melissa Lincoln said, her tone colored with disgust. It was clear what her opinion of vampires was.


    ¡°I will tell the truth,¡± Cassy simply promised. There was no hint of animosity or irritation in her tone.


    ¡°Good.¡± Melissa narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you being held here against your will?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you living together with this vampire?¡±


    ¡°He saved my life.¡±


    ¡°Saved your life?¡± Melissa repeated in disbelief. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I was wounded one night and left bleeding in an alley. He came up to me and gave me his blood, which healed the worst of my wounds.¡±


    Melissa lookedpletely unconvinced, which was reasonable since she didn¡¯t have the whole story yet. ¡°Mikhail Ivanov gave you his blood willingly? While you were bleeding to death?¡± she said in a steely tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure you realize how unbelievable that sounds, yes?¡±


    Samuel was also a bit confused. ¡°Why would he give you his blood? I hate to say it, but he¡¯s not really obligated to save people. He¡¯s not the type to give his blood away to just anyone.¡±


    Cassy hesitated for a moment. She caught Mikhail¡¯s eye and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod.


    Right. He should have known that this would happen, that the truth woulde out so soon. After all, he was the one who had informed the Council that she was here in the first ce.


    Cassy turned back to Samuel and Melissa. ¡°¡­We¡¯re mates,¡± she admitted.


    A shocked silence filled the room. Even Eron, who was indifferent this entire time, widened his eyes.


    Samuel was the one who broke the silence. ¡°Mates?¡± he repeated. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Melissa eximed. ¡°It¡¯s unheard of for a vampire to have a-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a myth, as you humans seem to believe,¡± Eron spoke up suddenly, unfolding his arms from his chest. He looked more serious now than before, which was a contrast to his previousckadaisical attitude. ¡°A few decades ago, there were vampires who had human mates. Our species has mate bonds as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, there was no proof of that!¡± Melissa insisted.


    ¡°Maybe because you guys from the Human Council don¡¯t care enough about us vampires,¡± Eron said snarkily. ¡°We¡¯re all just monsters to you anyway, correct?¡±


    Melissa looked scandalized and was about to protest when Samuel put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.


    ¡°Lincoln,¡± he said. ¡°Calm yourself.¡±


    Melissa looked annoyed, but fell silent anyway.


    At that moment, Eron turned to Cassy, who looked back at him warily.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she said.


    Eron¡¯s features scrunched up, as if he was a little confused about something. ¡°So you¡¯re not marked yet,¡± he said. He stared at her neck, but there was no hint of hunger in his eyes.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Instead of answering her, Eron turned to Mikhail. ¡°She¡¯s your mate. You didn¡¯t mark her?¡±


    Mikhail gazed at him coolly. ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason why I should. For now, at least.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Eron seemed strangely insistent about this.


    ¡°Unlike other vampires, I do not resort to forceful measures,¡± Mikhail responded. ¡°The two of us are not too keen about this mate bond just yet.¡±


    Eron shook his head. ¡°Both of you will have to get used to it and ept it through time. The mate bondsts forever, whether you like it or not.¡±


    ¡°Can you two not talk as if I¡¯m not here?¡± Cassy said, annoyed.


    Melissa, on the other hand, was scoffing in disbelief. ¡°You cannot possibly be entertaining this absurd notion of vampires having mate bonds!¡± she eximed. ¡°How do we even know that it¡¯s real?¡±


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°I would not fake something as trivial as this,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°For mates though, you two don¡¯t seem to be that attached to each other,¡± Samuel suddenly said, looking genuinely puzzled. ¡°Werewolves and their mates usually wouldn¡¯t get enough of each other.¡±


    Eron sighed. ¡°It¡¯s different with vampires. The carnal instincts and the desire for intimacy are different, to be exact.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know so much about this?¡± Melissa interjected, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°I am personally interested in the subject,¡± Eron said without missing a beat. ¡°It¡¯s the reason why I stepped forward and came here today instead of the others. I wanted to see for myself if it was real.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust vampires,¡± Melissa said, grimacing. ¡°You devils always have ulterior motives. And as for you,¡± she added, ring at Mikhail. ¡°What are your true intentions with this human?¡±


    ¡°Lady, if you hate vampires so much, why are you even in the Council?¡± Eron said, annoyed. ¡°We¡¯re working together. We have a peace treaty, if you¡¯ve already forgotten.¡±


    Melissa glowered at him. ¡°How dare you address me that way?¡± she demanded. ¡°In case you¡¯ve forgotten, Mr. zenki, we also have Case RV-13400 in our hands. I¡¯m sure you know what the details are.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, you two,¡± Samuel said hastily, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. ¡°We¡¯re here to conduct an investigation. We are not yet done questioning Miss Lenoir here. May I ask you to remember your professionalism at a time like this?¡±


    Melissa continued to re at Eron, but said nothing in response. Eron, on the other hand, shook his head.


    ¡°I was being polite this entire time until she suddenly came in with her snarkyments,¡± he said. ¡°I have no time to argue with humans. I am here to find the truth and to think of a solution to this problem.¡±


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Samuel turned to Melissa and gave her a nod. ¡°Miss Lincoln, shall we continue?¡±


    Melissa turned back to Cassy, who had been watching the exchange with calm eyes.


    ¡°Fine.¡±

 Chapter 24: Troublesome

    ¡°All right, so let¡¯s say that the mate bond exists between a human and a vampire,¡± Melissa said skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest. ¡°Am I to assume that Mr. Ivanov wants you to live with him for your protection?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t established the protection part yet, but yes, I assume that is indeed the case,¡± Cassy said nkly. ¡°But I agreed because he saved my life and I wanted to repay him.¡±


    Melissa looked bbergasted. ¡°Repay him? A vampire? Surely you jest!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my mate. I feel safe around him,¡± Cassy said quietly. ¡°I know he¡¯d never do anything to hurt me.¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable! A human eximing that a vampire will never hurt-¡±


    ¡°Miss Lincoln, I think you¡¯ve said more than enough,¡± Samuel Alderman interrupted quickly before things got out of hand. ¡°I think we have established by now that Cassandra here wasn¡¯t brought to the house against her will.¡±


    ¡°You cannot be serious, Samuel! We can¡¯t just believe this mate nonsense when a vampire is involved,¡± Melissa protested. ¡°What will happen to this human if we ept this situation and leave her alone? She¡¯ll only be a food source for this vampire! He will keep her alive, yes, but he¡¯ll destroy her piece by piece!¡±


    Eron raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re unusually passionate about this,¡± he remarked. ¡°Are you perhaps speaking from personal experience?¡±


    The jab was enough to make Melissa bristle. ¡°Now listen here, you vampire frea-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Samuel said, his voice suddenly firm and loud, effectively catching the attention of everyone in the room. ¡°Miss Lincoln. I must sadly say that I have witnessed your unprofessionalism here. You cannot just say everything that¡¯s on your mind.¡±


    Melissa flinched. ¡°But! Samuel, this is-¡±


    Samuel shook his head. ¡°We Council members are supposed to be professional enough to handle things like this properly. You have only recently joined the Council, so I understand your frustration, but this is not the way to air these sensitive issues. I am sorry to say that I will have to ask you to either be quiet and let me do the talking, or leave if you insist on making a scene.¡±


    Melissa¡¯s face turned red with humiliation. She opened her mouth, seemingly about to say something, but then quickly closed it after thinking better of it.


    ¡°¡­I understand,¡± she gritted out. ¡°I will be professional from now on.¡±


    Samuel looked at her pityingly. ¡°All right. I¡¯m sorry for being harsh, but it¡¯s my duty to see that the situation is handled properly and without bias.¡±


    Melissa bowed her head. ¡°Of course.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Samuel looked relieved before turning to Mikhail and then to Cassy. ¡°I apologize,¡± he said quietly. ¡°We must have shown you an unsightly side of the Council. I want to assure you that we will think of the best solution for this situation.¡±


    Cassy shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand.¡±


    Mikhail said nothing, continuing to watch the scene as if he were a mere spectator and not involved in the matter at all.


    ¡°Now, Miss Lenoir,¡± Samuel said as he turned to Cassy. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again for confirmation. Are you sure you weren¡¯t forced to stay here in any way?¡±


    Cassy nodded without hesitation. ¡°I came here and agreed of my own free will, sir,¡± she said calmly.


    Samuel nodded. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll take your word for it. Next¡­¡± He looked at Mikhail. ¡°Mr. Ivanov, if Miss Lenoir here is truly your fated mate¡­ then we have some things to discuss. Your safety, for example.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ my safetypromised in any way?¡± Cassy asked. Suddenly she seemed unsure.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, Miss Lenoir,¡± Samuel told her solemnly. ¡°Because of Mr. Ivanov¡¯s reputation, he has quite a few enemies around the world. With his status as an Elite, the position is something that hundreds of vampires will want a taste of.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Cassy nodded. ¡°So they want to remove him from his throne.¡±


    ¡°Correct. But none of them can hold a candle to Mr. Ivanov¡¯s power,¡± Samuel remarked, ncing at Mikhail. ¡°He did not gain the position without effort. So if they cannot touch him, then you will be their target instead.¡±


    The realization dawned on Cassy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Since you are his mate, there is a bond between the two of you that was formed after your first face-to-face meeting, which I can assume was the night he saved you. When you looked into each other¡¯s eyes,¡± Samuel said. ¡°From now on, if anyone else hurts you, he will feel the pain as well.¡±


    Cassy looked at Mikhail, who stared back emotionlessly. ¡°Even if he is a vampire?¡± she asked.


    Samuel nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s a vampire or not. Even if he¡¯s a werewolf or a witch. He¡¯ll still feel pain as long as you feel pain and vice versa. Worse, if he gets hurt badly, you will feel the brunt of it. You are not a vampire, so the pain might be too much for you. You might even die.¡±


    Cassy winced slightly. ¡°That sounds¡­ unpleasant. In fact, it¡¯s worse than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. Which is why we have to make a careful decision about this.¡±


    Eron sighed. ¡°This will put a damper on our ns to investigate RV-13400,¡± he remarked. ¡°Mikhail here must not be put in danger. Otherwise the human could die.¡±


    Melissa looked annoyed. ¡°I still do not understand why vampires are given mates, but I will have to ept it.¡±


    She turned to Cassy, the authoritative air back in her person.


    ¡°Youngdy, we must discuss this further today so that we can return to headquarters and make a final decision. We must hurry, for this is a precarious situation. The rogue vampires are still a threat to us humans. We cannot afford any dys.¡±


    Cassy nodded. ¡°Understood, Miss Lincoln.¡±


    ***


    After being questioned, Cassy watched as the Council members interrogated Mikhail next. She always wondered how he could be so calm. Granted, it was his personality, one that the citizens of this city knew quite well.


    But it still surprised her a little to see it for herself. After all, she had never been so close to a vampire before.


    In fact, she had never been in thepany of a vampire for such a long time. She never had the chance, and there was no way she would let herself get into such a situation.


    But fate was a funny thing, for it led her here on an unexpected path.


    For the past few weeks, she had been observing him carefully. Aside from the heat and attraction she felt whenever he came into her room and fed on her, she felt nothing else. It was as if the mating bond only ignited when they were together. She didn¡¯t feel any particr urge to get to know him or touch him.


    Probably because he hadn¡¯t marked her yet¡­


    But would he?


    After all, their current feelings would amplify once the marking wasplete. Mikhail would probably find that troublesome.


    And so would she.


    ¡°That concludes our questioning,¡± Melissa said, crossing her arms over her chest. ¡°The two Councils will deliberate on this matter, and we will inform you of our final decision as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to get everyone in one ce, especially with the current turmoil the rogues are causing, but we¡¯ll manage,¡± Samuel added. ¡°After all, Mikhail Ivanov is an indispensable asset to the city. We cannot afford to take this matter lightly.¡±


    Eron sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll round up the other two Elites.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Cassy watched as Deidre showed them out to the door.


    ¡®Well, that was definitely following protocol,¡¯ she thought.


    Council members were, in short, the most important people in the city. They were the superiors. They made the decisions, and they wanted to protect their own kind as much as possible.


    Frankly, she was still amazed that they had managed to get Mikhail Ivanov, of all people, to investigate the case of the rogue vampires.


    ¡®A vampire investigating vampires who have gone insane. What an irony.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    Cassy turned her head towards Mikhail, who was staring right at her.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re mulling over something,¡± he said. ¡°Is something troubling you?¡±

 Chapter 25: Proximity

    Cassy frowned slightly.


    A million thoughts had been going through her headtely. If she didn¡¯t say them out loud now, when would she get the chance next?


    ¡°Why?¡± she finally asked.


    Mikhail gazed deep into her eyes. It was a little strange at this point. He seemed to be trying to probe into her, to read her mind.


    Was it because he couldn¡¯t get used to not being able to read someone¡¯s mind for the first time?


    ¡°Would you like to borate on that?¡± he asked silkily.


    Cassy suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.


    Why was he using that tone on her?


    ¡°Why do you care about my well-being?¡± she asked. ¡°If you want to keep me here for my and your own safety, that¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to pay further attention to me.¡±


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The reason you talk like that. Sometimes, it seems like you want me to take care of you. But also, sometimes it¡¯s like you want me to leave you alone.¡±


    He suddenly stepped closer, but she didn¡¯t move an inch. Instead, she looked him straight in the eye, with a fearless gaze unlike any human he had ever met.


    ¡°The interesting thing about vampires having human mates is this,¡± Mikhail said slowly. ¡°Based on real-life ounts, the dynamics vary with each pair. One pair, decades ago, was inseparable. But another pair was not so infatuated.¡±


    She waited for him to borate, but he never did. It was as if he expected her to connect the dots on her own.


    She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Vampires and their penchant for ambiguous remarks.


    ¡°Which means that we have a different dynamic as well,¡± she concluded.


    ¡°Of course, there are some possible reasons why we are not as attached as we should be.¡±


    ¡°Which are¡­?¡±


    Mikhail looked at her piercingly for a moment. ¡°Hate.¡±


    ¡°Hate¡­¡± Cassy tasted the word on her tongue. ¡°Well, obviously.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    There was a hint of amusement in his expression. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. We were both aware of it the first time we met.¡±


    She crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°I doubt the hatred will dissipate anytime soon.¡±


    A corner of his lips twitched upwards. ¡°Pity.¡±


    Then, to her surprise, he took a step towards her.


    He reached out and ran a hand through her hair, moving so slowly as if he werebing the strands.


    Cassy just stared at him, wondering what his next move would be.


    Mikhail looked straight into her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°After weeks of living together? Not so much.¡±


    ¡°You think that because you¡¯re my mate, I would never hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given?¡±


    Despite her slightly snarky tone, he didn¡¯t seem fazed at all. In fact, he seemed curious about something now.


    ¡°There is something peculiar about you,¡± he said quietly. ¡°It intrigues me.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t behave like other women,¡± he stated simply.


    ¡°Because I am my own person,¡± she said tly. ¡°We females have different personalities and motivations. We are not all the same.¡±


    He gave a low hum that sounded like an acknowledgment. ¡°Sometimes it feels like you have an ulterior motive.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°I have many enemies.¡±


    ¡°And you think that I¡¯m one of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because you hate me.¡±


    ¡°I despise you and your kind. That¡¯s the truth, and that¡¯s also all there is to it.¡±


    The conversation was a bit strange. It was as if he just asked whatever was on his mind, even if it sounded like nonsense, just to keep the conversation going.


    And for some reason, he kept stroking her hair and she did not move an inch. His movements were so gentle that it almost seemed¡­


    ¡®Seems like what?¡¯ Cassy wondered.


    Like¡­ he treasured her.


    He gazed at her with those deep red eyes. ¡°Is it because I have not marked you yet?¡± he mused softly. ¡°Is that why you regard me indifferently?¡±


    She stared back fearlessly. ¡°Why would you mark me? It¡¯s too early, isn¡¯t it? And you don¡¯t even have feelings for me.¡±


    A ghost of a smile yed on his lips.


    ¡°But do you?¡±


    The question made her freeze and blink.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. Instead, they stayed there, staring at each other with varying emotions in their hearts. Mikhail studying Cassy as if he were examining ab specimen, and Cassy staring back at Mikhail as if he had just sprouted two heads.


    ¡°I have not felt emotions like this for several decades, and certainly not this strong.¡± He spoke in a somewhat reverent tone, as if in awe. ¡°You have be an interesting part of my life so far.¡±


    Cassy¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Stop referring to me like an object.¡±


    She made a move to back away, but Mikhail held her in ce, grabbing both of her shoulders. The grip didn¡¯t hurt, but it was firm enough to keep her from moving.


    Cassy felt her breath catch in her throat.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she said.


    He leaned forward and pressed his face into her hair, as if taking in her scent. She froze, unable to control her raging heartbeat.


    It was the curse of being mates. No matter what, as long as he came close to her, touched her, or did anything even remotely intimate, it would always make her skin warm, as if her body was about to be set on fire.


    Her heart would hammer in her chest, and she just knew, judging from the way Mikhail eyed her, that he could hear it. Vampire senses, as expected. He always heard it. He never really said it out loud or said it to embarrass her, but they both knew.


    For a moment, she wondered if he felt the same. If his skin tingled at her proximity, if he felt like a nail being drawn to a ma, if his heart also pounded wildly in his chest¡­


    Wait, no.


    ¡®Vampires don¡¯t have hearts,¡¯ Cassy reminded herself.


    ¡®Vampires don¡¯t feel anything. They¡¯re heartless monsters.¡¯


    But even though she told herself that, her body was fighting against her mind. Every inch of her responded, much to her shame. When Mikhail¡¯s head dipped down and buried itself in the crook of her neck, she could barely hold back a moan.


    ¡®What the hell is wrong with me?¡¯ she scolded.


    ¡®Why do I keep responding like this? I hate it. I want it to stop!¡¯


    ¡°¡­Rx.¡± Mikhail¡¯s soft voice suddenly drummed in her ears, his breath fanning across the skin of her neck. She resisted the urge to shiver. ¡°You¡¯re tense.¡±


    ¡°If you want to bite, then just do it already,¡± she told him, her voice t and emotionless.


    But her heart was pounding harder than ever.


    There was a moment of silence, something akin to hesitation. Cassy, confused, dragged her gaze towards the back of Mikhail¡¯s head. He was still pressed against the side of her neck. He was not doing anything at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to feed from you,¡± he finally said. ¡°I¡¯m going to do something else.¡±


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