Chapter 16

Avery felt a warm, intoxicating liquid sliding down her throat. Her hands were wrapped around his wrist, holding it firmly as she drank greedily.

"Hm," Lucas moaned in pain. He felt his blood leaving him rapidly, but he didn't pull his hands away or remove his hands. He grew paler before Avery regained consciousness.

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized her fangs embedded in her boss's wrist, feeding on his blood. 'What's this situation? What the hell is going on? She thought frantically.

Her tongue his wound closed, and she smacked her lips, missing the top-tier taste of his blood- it was like nothing she'd ever had. She wasn't aware of the shiver that ran down his spine from the warmth of her tongue on his skin.

She finally noticed Lucas was naked and pale. "hm...you are awake. We need to leave here," Lucas said calmly, not bothered by his state of undress in front of her. Instead, he secretly enjoyed her stares, though he would never admit it.

Avery's gaze lingered on his abdominal muscles and the defined 'mermaid line.' his wheat-colored skin and firm muscles showed he worked out regularly.

She finally tore her gaze away from his body, though the image was burned into her mind. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she removed what was left of her suit jacket and handed it to him to cover up.

Facing the dead bodies on the ground, her gaze turned serious again. She squatted, searched their pockets, and looked through their phones, but found nothing.

She took out her phone, and snapped a clear picture of their faces, saved it in a file, and sent a coded message along with the file. The message deleted itself immediately as if it had never existed.

Dragging their bodies to the edge of the road, she pushed them down the cliff, then drove their car off after them, staging an accident.

Seeing the blood on the road, she closed her eyes and opened her senses. She could hear the buzz of fireflies, the rustle of trees, and the beating hearts of animals.

She took two steps and vanished. Inside the forest, a shadow flashed through the trees, glowing red eyes visible in the dark forest.

Spotting a wild animal, she pierced its neck with her fingers. The beast twitched under her before growing still and limp. She made sure not to spill any blood, then carried it and flashed to the crime scene.

Lucas drove the car closer and watched her make the wolf's blood spill, blending it with the blood on the road, creating a scene of a fetal accident.

Avery squatted down weakly from the sight of blood but she held on and inspected every inch of the crime scene. Satisfied that nothing was out of place, she patted her thighs, opened the car door, and climbed inside, resting back against the seat as she took deep breaths.

Lucas observed her thoughtfully, having witnessed everything, including her true eye color. But he held his questions, feeling it wasn't his place to pry into her secrets.

After all, her actions this night proved that she meant him no harm- she hadn't left him to face those people alone, and she'd fought fiercely, almost risking her life.

Lucas turned the car towards the mansion and drove back slowly. Avery's mind raced, replaying the details she had missed.

"How could those people have white oak wooden stakes- a deadly weapon against vampires- while hunting a werewolf?" Her eyes opened, and she looked at her smooth palm, which had been burned some minutes ago.

Her palm opened and closed. 'it seems I'm the one they are after... But who is it? What the hell is going on?' her mind raced, trying to identify a possible suspect. But confusion and suspicion overwhelmed her, so she shut her thoughts down, feeling overthinking wouldn't help her situation.

She decided to take it one step at a time and find who had placed a killing order on her.

She calmed down, looking out the open window as the breeze blew her hair into disarray, brightening her mood.

Lucas observed her from his side view. He remembered the gut-wrenching feeling when she jumped out of the car and how he almost lost control of his wolf side when he saw her lying in a pool of blood.

It seemed the mate bond had a significant effect on him. His knuckles turned white from how tightly he gripped the steering wheel. 'He didn't like this feeling on bit.' But the thought of rejection didn't cross his mind.

When they reached the mansion, Avery headed to her quarters, while Lucas entered the main building. "Goodnight," they both whispered at the same time, their backs to each other as they entered their building.

Avery took off her clothes and bandage, filled the bathtub with warm water, and washed off her grime under the shower spray.

"Bang!"

She hit the back of her head on the tiles, ignoring the pain, then banged her toes on the bathtub before she could dip herself into the warm water for a soak.

She sighed...

Finally, she felt her tense muscles relax. The water soothed her nerves, making her squint in satisfaction.

After twenty minutes of peaceful soak without accidents, she wrapped her hair and put on a men's shorts, but left her top bare before collapsing into the soft bed.

My breasts need fresh air, she convinced herself. At least I'm wearing shorts, so I'm still in my male disguise. Her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep instantly.

On the other hand, Lucas was in a bathrobe, holding a glass of whiskey. His fingers rubbed around the rim of the glass as he looked out his window at the full moon.

Taking a sip, he opened a box and pulled out one of his cigars. Lighting it up, he took a deep drag and released white smoke, feeling calmer by the second.

Feeling more at ease, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Find out everything about a red-eyed vampire." He hung up and finished his glass of whiskey.