Chapter 22: A Monster Like No Other

Before I could even respond, she approached me in the blink of an eye and sunk her teeth into my neck. Strangely, I felt no pain or discomfort when her teeth sank into my jugular. Though I was a bit surprised that her fangs were strong enough to penetrate my skin.

She tiptoed to reach my neck and slowly started drinking my blood. Her breathing was ragged, and her eyes had a wildness to them. I could hardly believe this was the same girl as before. She held onto Lily tightly as she gulped down my blood with a desperate need. With the way she was going it was as if she couldn’t get enough.

Her drinking my blood wasn’t really a problem for me since I could easily regenerate it. But I was a bit confused as to why she was drinking my blood at this moment. When she fed from Liora, she puked up blood shortly after. Wouldn’t the same thing happen again? After a while, she pulled herself away, wiping the blood from her lips.

Her cheeks were flushed and for some reason she was glaring at me. Her feet wobbled when she tried to take a step back and she almost fell. She was still breathing heavily, as if she had just run a marathon. Another thing I noticed was that her skin wasn’t as pale as before. In fact, her face was as red as a tomato.

“What was that?” I asked.

“What was what? I’m part vampire after all; I need to feed.”

I looked at her suspiciously, forcing her to explain herself properly.

“Tsk! Fine. Ever since I was turned, I’ve been fighting this need to sink my fangs into your neck and drain your blood. I finally realized what it was after I drank Liora’s blood. For whatever reason, you’re the only person I’m allowed to feed on, and if I don’t…”

“You’ll die. Huh… So my blood was the cure all along?”

If she had just told me that from the beginning, I would’ve forced her to drink my blood whether she wanted to or not. But the fact that she did so on her own now must meant she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea.

“Look, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only doing this since it’s in my best interest. Don’t go thinking that I’ve accepted being a member of your pack.”

“Whatever gets you to cooperate.”

If thinking that she’s in control makes her more obedient, then I don’t have any complaints.

’Awooo~oo~oo…’

Just then, I heard the sound of a wolf howling inside my head. It seemed the shadowhounds had found them.

“Let’s go. I know where the others are.” I told her then made sure to explain something very clearly. “Your job for now is to protect Lily. Even if you have to die doing it.”

That was an order from me as her alpha, so she would be compelled to do it no matter what.

“I know, you didn’t have to… Never mind, let’s go.”

From the information I got from the shadow hounds, I learned that the others were on the floor just above the one we were currently on so we quickly left the room and ran towards the stairs.

Even though people were dying left and right, their bodies were too destroyed to be turned into zombies, so I didn’t have to worry about facing them.

I quickly went up the stairs with Isabella following closely behind me. When we got upstairs, I finally picked up Derrick’s and Liora’s scent along with something else. Something gross. Whatever it was, it had a strong sulphuric smell. There was also a loud clicking noise getting ominously closer.

My first thought was that the monster was here and I was right.

When I arrived on the scene, I saw the monster Derrick was battling. A mixture of emotions rushed through me. At first glance, the creature had the vague outline of a man, tall and unnaturally lean. Its limbs were long, bending in ways they shouldn’t. Its skin was the color of sewage waste and stretched over the bones protruding from its body.

But what shook me was its head. If you could even call it that. Where its face should have been was flesh peeled back like a flower blooming. It had five petals, each lined with jagged sharp teeth. It had no eyes, nose, or ears, just a mouth that wanted to swallow everything it touched.

Its fingers were like long black needles that shredded everything in their path. In front of it was Derrick, fighting for his life, blood oozing from an injury on his side. Liora was lying on the ground to the side after being smashed against a wall. Her skull looked cracked, as part of it was caved in, but all that mattered right now was that her heart was still beating.

’This was a mistake!’

“Isabella, take Lily and run!” I shouted at the top of my voice.

Derrick was teetering on the edge of death with every move that monster made. Without a second’s delay, Isabella took off to run, but that only drew the beast’s attention. Its mouth fluttered greedily before it swatted Derrick to the side and charged at us. My transformation was instant as I drew my claws and activated my hellfire skill.

I readied myself for a powerful attack, but at the last second, I realized something. It wasn’t coming at me. It was as if it didn’t notice my presence or was ignoring it. Its only concern was Isabella and Lily, but just before it got to them, I slashed at it.

The monstrosity didn’t even react until my claws were embedded in its flesh. Only then did it release a monstrous roar that shook the entire building. It was only then that I earned its attention. Its needle-like fingers swished through the air, and I ducked its attack. Just then, a shadow hound leaped from my shadow and bit into its ankle.

That single move granted me enough time to attack again. My claws tore through its skin, but the wound was too shallow, just like with the first attack. Its skin wasn’t thick, but it was elastic and coated in a slimy substance that made it difficult to slash.

The monstrosity lashed out at my shadow hound, but it disappeared in a puff of black smoke and retreated back into my shadow. The monster’s attention returned to me once again, but that was a big mistake, as Derrick had snuck up on it.

Using his monstrous strength, Derrick buried his claws into the monster’s lower back. I wasted no time and went in to attack once again, but that’s when things went horribly wrong. A long black hand bloomed from the creature’s stomach like flower and grabbed a hold of me.

It all happened so fast. In the next instant, I was lifted up and smashed into the floor, which cracked under the pressure. My senses went blank as everything around me descended into darkness.

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