Chapter 4: Peril Looms

Emily was completely oblivious to Benjamin's change in expression. She happily stared at her hands, feeling a sense of pride in her newfound abilities.

Meanwhile, Benjamin, with a furrowed brow, heard faint footsteps and detected the scent of food in the air – a human! But... there was something peculiar about the scent.

Quickly, Benjamin stepped in front of Emily, wrapped his arm around her waist, and swiftly moved them to a corner, his hand covering her mouth. The speed was dizzying, and Emily felt a bit disoriented. Just as she was about to protest, Benjamin placed a finger on his lips, signaling her to remain silent. Emily sniffed the air, detecting the scent of soil mixed with a faint human odor. The footsteps were barely audible.

The footsteps drew nearer, stopping in the spot where the two had just been fighting. Emily sniffed again, realizing that the scent was familiar.

Her eyes widened in astonishment – it was Olivia!

How is this possible? In this deserted street, in the dead of night, how did Olivia end up here? Emily cautiously peeked outside and caught sight of a slender figure wearing canvas shoes, denim shorts, and a white t-shirt, showcasing long legs. It was nothing like Olivia's usual style, and the person even had long orange hair.

Emily took another sniff and detected a faint scent mingling with the human aroma. She couldn't quite identify it, but she was certain that it wasn't Olivia's scent.

The person lingered for a moment before silently departing. If it weren't for Benjamin and Emily's keen senses of hearing and smell, they would hardly have noticed anyone had been there.

Once the person was far away, the two of them emerged from the corner, astonished to find that the previously destroyed street lamp now stood intact by the roadside. The crater they had created from their leap down from the building had vanished as well, restoring everything to its original state.

Benjamin also pondered, noticing the similarity between the woman's scent and that of Emily's friend, yet with slight differences. Additionally, her figure and hair color were quite intriguing. Could it be a mere coincidence? Having lived for over 200 years, Benjamin had never encountered two individuals with such closely resembling scents, apart from his closest family members who shared a faint similarity. Was this surpassing his understanding once again? What made it even more perplexing was that humans couldn't hide their scent and sound, yet this person seemed to excel in that aspect. If Benjamin hadn't been vigilant, he would have likely overlooked this faint scent.

Squinting his eyes, Benjamin gazed at Emily. This woman was too mysterious. Since he had met her, various inexplicable things had occurred, constantly challenging his knowledge of over 200 years. His intuition told him that Emily's abilities were not limited to what he had witnessed so far. If she could be utilized by the Lesombra Clan, she would become a significant force in the ongoing battle against the secret society. Based on her aggression towards the vampires alone, she would greatly empower the Lesombra Clan.

Unaware of Benjamin's plotting and calculations reflected in his eyes, Emily watched the direction in which the woman had left, puzzled and bewildered. Why did this person appear late at night? Was she here to clean up the mess? And more importantly, who was she? Why did she have Olivia's scent?

Benjamin reached out and waved his hand in front of Emily's eyes, bringing her attention back. The immediate concern was to maintain a good relationship with Emily. As for the mysterious human, Benjamin had a feeling that she would show up again sooner or later. The smile on his face appeared gentle and harmless.

"It's still early. Would you like to come to my villa?" he suggested.

Regarding the villa, Emily was no stranger to it. Olivia, Ava, and Charlotte all lived in villas, and she often visited their homes on weekends. However, the idea of a vampire's villa piqued Emily's curiosity. She wondered if there were any coffins, like the ones depicted in movies, where vampires slept during the day. Emily couldn't help but imagine Benjamin lying with closed eyes inside a coffin, his handsome face vivid even in sleep. She covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Let's go and see. Test your speed!" Although Emily didn't respond, Benjamin saw the anticipation in her eyes. After uttering those words, he started running. Emily only caught a glimpse of a figure flash past before Benjamin disappeared in the blink of an eye.

She began running as well, but her speed was nowhere near Benjamin's. It was no different from her usual running pace. If it weren't for the lingering unidentified floral scent in the air from Benjamin, she would have lost her direction.

Finally, they arrived in front of a villa in the outskirts. Emily was panting heavily, while Benjamin sat on the steps in front of the house, leisurely whistling, much to Emily's annoyance.

"It took you half an hour. Not bad. It seems like your abilities aren't very stable yet," Benjamin remarked, checking his watch.

"Half an hour?" Emily looked at her phone in astonishment and confirmed that indeed it had been half an hour. However, considering the distance they had covered, at least two to three hundred kilometers, it would have taken at least two hours by car. She had been so focused on following the scent that she hadn't realized her speed was this fast.

Benjamin opened the door and invited Emily inside. The room was dark, or rather, there was no electricity. The luxurious light fixtures seemed to be mere decorations because Emily couldn't even find the switches. The darkness made her somewhat uncomfortable, but after a while, she realized that she could see everything clearly in the darkness, just like she would in a brightly lit room. This discovery surprised her once again.

"It seems like you can see clearly," Benjamin commented, tilting his head and looking at Emily.

Emily nodded and walked towards the living room. "I'm just not used to it. Why don't you turn on the lights?"

Benjamin chuckled. "There's no need. Vampires are a species that naturally thrives in darkness. It's one of our basic abilities."

Emily began exploring the villa. The entire place was decorated luxuriously, even more so than Olivia's villa. However, despite searching around, she couldn't find any coffins. The living room was a closed-off room without windows, but apart from that, everything else was similar to a regular human bedroom. Even the bed was familiar and ordinary. Emily couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and blurted out, "Why aren't there any coffins?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, it elicited a burst of laughter from Benjamin. However, before the laughter could die down, both of their expressions stiffened as they detected an unfamiliar scent in the villa. Benjamin's brows furrowed even more tightly.

"I didn't expect you to be so casual with food!" A tall and muscular man appeared on the staircase, slowly making his way towards the ground floor living room. His voice was filled with mockery and disdain. His presence carried an oppressive aura that made Emily feel uneasy. He had a cold and stern face, slightly inferior to Benjamin's but far superior to an ordinary person. She couldn't help but stare, wondering if all these monsters were this good-looking.

The man walked up to the two of them, his gaze sweeping over Emily's face, and then he looked at Benjamin with disdain. He provocatively taunted, "Could it be that you've been captivated by her beauty and can't bear to devour her?"

After speaking, he suddenly moved behind Emily, his arm wrapped around her neck from behind. The icy touch sent a shiver down her spine.

Benjamin's eyes flashed with tension, but he quickly regained his composure and calmly looked at the man. "Alexander, don't you know the courtesy of knocking before entering someone's house? Even after living for seven hundred years, you still don't understand what manners are!"

The man called Alexander wasn't angered. He maintained a faintly mocking smile on his lips. He leaned closer to Emily's neck, lightly caressing it. "A delicious sensation." Then he revealed two sharp fangs.

Benjamin couldn't hold back any longer, and his face was filled with anxiety. "Stop this madness!"

Alexander's smile grew even wider as he squinted his eyes at Benjamin. He removed his lips from Emily's neck and retracted his fangs. "Isn't this the food you brought me? Although it's a few days late, I'm a generous person and won't mind!"

As Emily listened to their conversation, she felt completely lost. She had been held by this exceptional man just moments ago, causing her mind to go blank. Although she didn't fully understand what they were talking about, she heard the word "food" again. Those two words always made her inexplicably furious. Moreover, it seemed like this man was serious this time, because she had clearly felt something sharp rubbing against her neck.

"Food? Do you think I'm really a dead person?" A surge of anger rushed to her chest. With a roar, Emily abruptly turned around and pushed her hands against Alexander's chest. Caught off guard, Alexander didn't expect Emily to possess such terrifying strength. He was pushed several meters away, crashing into the wall and leaving a dent.

"My home!" Benjamin looked at the nearly destroyed wall with heartache, his handsome face creased with worry.

Emily stuck out her tongue and pretended to look apologetic, but there was no sincerity in her apology. She smirked at Benjamin and said, "Sorry, I'm still not very good at controlling it!"

Alexander attempted to stand up but found it a bit difficult. His chest, which had been pushed by Emily, was in pain. He looked at Emily in astonishment. She had an unperturbed expression, as if she didn't care about him at all. A sense of unprecedented frustration washed over him, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Is it an ability?" he exclaimed.

Inside, Benjamin was shouting in his mind. He had been discovered, and it was a mistake to bring Emily here so recklessly. He should have brought an ordinary woman first, so Alexander wouldn't have realized Emily's true identity. Now, even if he didn't want to, he would have to take Emily to the Elder.

Alexander was Benjamin's mortal enemy, a pure-blooded vampire, while Benjamin himself had become a vampire through the First Embrace, receiving the favor of Elder Boris. This fact made Alexander very dissatisfied, and he constantly caused trouble for Benjamin. A few days ago, Alexander had provoked Benjamin, leading to a confrontation. Benjamin was defeated, and as a consequence, he had to appear in Cyberville during the day to find prey for Alexander and execute the plan at night. Moreover, the prey had to be incredibly beautiful.

Benjamin had heard about the four beauties of Cyberville Academy. That day, he had waited under a tree and indeed saw Emily. He had never seen a human so beautiful before, and his heart was already filled with excitement, despite feigning indifference. Sitting beside Emily at night, he had hesitated to hand her over to Alexander, and he had even considered giving him the equally beautiful Olivia. However, an accident occurred midway, and Alexander discovered Emily's difference.

Emily had never encountered these strange creatures before and naturally didn't know what an ability was. But as she looked at Alexander's excited eyes, it seemed as if she had just presented a gourmet dinner to a highly skilled chef. She grew even angrier, and in an instant, she flashed to Alexander's side, grabbed his clothes, and threw him out of the window. After throwing him, she clapped her hands, as if she had just disposed of trash, with a disgusted expression on her face.

Benjamin looked at the broken window with heartache, but before he could sigh, he sensed a dangerous signal. A terrifying anger rushed in like a violent wind, causing both Benjamin and Emily to shudder as they anxiously looked outside. In the moonlight, they saw Alexander's luminous green eyes burning with fury, fixed on Emily...

Emily felt a chilling sensation from the atmosphere. Alexander's entire being seemed to be surrounded by flames. She stole a glance at Benjamin, who appeared equally nervous and unsettled, his eyes fixed on Alexander, full of vigilance. His whole body was poised for battle, causing Emily to swallow hard and clench her fists.

In this tense moment, Alexander suddenly relaxed his expression. His green eyes gradually turned into a light gray, and a smile appeared on his face. He laughed a few times and said, "Interesting." Then, as he turned around to leave, just before he departed, he looked back, a sinister smile curling his lips. He said coldly, "Elder Boris will be looking forward to this."