97. The Kiss

Chapter 97

The Kiss

Isa's kiss was as fleeting as a dragonfly's touch. Before Osborne could even register what had happened, she had already pulled back, grinning mischievously at the flustered look on his face.

Osborne was taken aback, thinking, "What just happened?

Did she really just pull a sneak attack?

She gives me a peck and calls it a reward? The worst part is, I didn't even get a chance to savor it before it ended!"

Seeing Isa's teasing smile, Osborne decided to take action.

He stepped forward quickly, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. With a playful grin, he said, "A peck on the cheek as a reward? That's not nearly enough. I want more!"

Before Isa could react, he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

Osborne's bold move clearly took Isa aback. Her eyes widened in shock, and her body went rigid.

It wasn't until she felt Osborne's tongue trying to pry open her lips that she snapped out of her stupor

Suddenly, Isa grabbed Osborne's arm and, with a swift motion, threw him across the room.

"Ow!" Osborne yelped as he flew through the air, feeling disoriented and seeing stars.

The force of Isa's throw left him utterly defenseless

"Are you trying to kill me? Osborne called out in disbelief.

Isa wiped her red lips with the back of her hand, glaring at him. "You cheeky bastard, how dare you kiss me? You're lucky I didn't break you into pieces".

"But you kissed me first!" Osborne protested, struggling to get up.

He knew Isa had shown restraint; otherwise, with her strength – evidenced by kicking Milo across the room and punching Pamela into oblivion – Isa could have seriously injured him.

Isa's strength was formidable, but Osborne had no regrets

He thought, "I'm a man, and Isa had the nerve to kiss me. How could I not return the kiss?

Too bad I didn't get to taste her little tongue properly.

What a missed opportunity"

Isa, meanwhile, was fuming, her face flushed red all the way to her neck

"Shut up!"

Osborne looked at her, puzzled.

He thought "When I first met Isa, she was incredibly bold–fluting with me and making suggestive comments

I thought she was pretty open–minded

Now, after just one kiss, she's blushing like mad?

Finding her reaction oddly endearing, Osborne couldn't help but chuckle. "If you feel cheated, I can let you kiss me back."

Isa's face turned an even deeper shade of red

"You're such a brat. If you keep messing with me, I swear I'll make sure you'll never be a man again."

She gave him a threatening look, glancing pointedly at his lower half

Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Osborne instinctively crossed his legs.

He laughed nervously. "Just kidding.

"It's getting late. You should go get some rest. I'll stay here and keep an eye on my sister.

"Do you have to be so bossy?" Isa replied

She shot him another glare before running off

Osborne watched her retreating figure, touching his lips as if reminiscing about the taste of her kiss.

After she was gone, he pulled out a cross necklace from his pocket and examined it closely.

This necklace had been taken from Paul

Osborne was deeply intrigued by it, suspecting it might be the legendary artifact known as Cain's Blood Cross

The powers it had displayed on Paul seemed strikingly similar to those of the Blood Cross

For instance, it had transformed Paul into a Blood Clan member.

One of the Blood Cross' abilities was to elevate an ordinary person into a powerful Blood Clan member.

Moreover, Clarissa's ability to detect lies had no effect on Paul, possibly because of this very cross

When Osborne first spied on Paul, Paul had been engaged in a video call with Davy. At that moment, the cross necklace around Paul's neck suddenly emitted a red glow, prompting Paul to immediately end the call.

At the time, Osborne hadn't given it much thought.

But now, reflecting on it, he suspected that the necklace might have been issuing a warning to Paul

It seemed the cross had detected Osborne's surveillance

Everything pointed to the necklace being linked to the ancient artifact known as the Blood Cross

"Even if it's not the actual Blood Cross, it must be closely related. But why can't I detect anything unusual about it while it's in my possession?

Osborne had been examining the necklace for a long time, but he hadn't found anything particularly special about it.

He murmured, "Could it be that it needs to be bonded to me?"

He then recalled that some special items required a particular ritual or connection to activate their powers

This process was often referred to as "bonding".

Osborne had been unable to use the necklace because it likely hadn't accepted him as its master yet.

He thought, "What do I need to do? Could it be that the Blood Cross requires a blood bond?"

thas thought in mind, Osborne suddenly bit his finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the cross necklace.

In an instant, something strange began to happen.

A surge of blood–red light erupted violently from the cross necklace.

The entire room seemed to transform into a sea of crimson

At that moment, Osborne felt paralyzed, as if a monstrous weight was crushing him

He was frozen with terror, unable to move or react.

The cross necklace seemed to come alive, slowly drifting toward him, radiating an intense, sinister, blood–red glow.

The light was eerie and frightening as if countless vengeful spirits were swirling within it.

"What's happening?"

Osborne's eyes widened in disbelief as he noticed the metal chain of the Blood Cross rapidly dissolving in the red light, leaving only a peculiar cross

The cross floated to his chest, pressing firmly against his heart.

In the blink of an eye, the red light flashed violently, and Osborne lost sight of everything

When he could see again, the room was bathed in normal light, and the oppressive red glow had vanished.

Osborne was finally able to move.

"What just happened?"

He tore open his shirt and stared at his chest in disbelief

There, where the necklace had been, was now a cross tattoo.

He exclaimed, "A tattoo? What happened to the necklace?

"Where did it go? Why do I have a tattoo now?"

The events that had just unfolded were utterly baffling

Osborne thought, "This is completely unscientific!"

The cross necklace had vanished, leaving behind only the tattoo.

He could feel a powerful force near his heart as if it were ready to surge through him at any at any moment if he wanted

"Could this really be Cain's Blood Cross? And this force… could it be the power of the Blood Cross?"

Hesitant but curious, Osbome decided to test the power. He focused his mind, and immediately, a tremendous force erupted from the tattoo, flooding into his heart

His heartbeat accelerated rapidly, pumping an immense power throughout his body

At the same time, his body began to change

His short hair grew uncontrollably, transforming into long, flowing locks of blood–red hair resembling streams of blood.

Two sharp fangs emerged from his mouth, and his fingers grew into long, dagger–like claws.

Even his face became paler and more angular.

"What is this?"

Osborne was stunned. He felt power coursing through him, a force strong enough to kill a wild beast with a single punch.

He looked at his red hair, which, with a mere thought, extended and hardened like steel wires. It pierced through the wall, leaving a multitude of tiny holes

Osborne's eyes widened in astonishment

"My hair can be used as a weapon? Who could withstand a close–range attack?"

He then turned his attention to his sharp claws With a gentle swipe on the wall, he left behind five terrifying gashes. They were sharper than any steel knife.

Osborne murmured, "This is insane!

"Have I really transformed into a Blood Clan member?"

He grabbed a mirror, stared at his now menacingly handsome face, and marveled at the changes in his body. The overwhelming strength and the new abilities left him in awe.