CHAPTER 659: [BLOOD MOON WAR] [4] TAKE MY BLOOD

"I warned you."

As they rushed forward, I felt Alicia’s trembling hand clutch the fabric of my hood from behind. Her breath was ragged, her expression tight with something between pain and helplessness.

"S–Senior..."

"Just hang in there," I said over my shoulder without slowing down. "Give me a minute to deal with them, and then you can drink as much blood as you want."

My gaze dropped to the lance, still embedded in the corpse of the guy who’d tried to kill me moments ago. His eyes were wide in frozen shock, his blood pooling beneath him like a dark halo.

I grabbed the shaft of the weapon and yanked it free with a wet, slick sound. With a smooth spin, I twirled it once to shake off the blood, then gripped it in both hands, shifting into the Septem Treina stance.

It had been a while since I used this form.

Honestly, I might’ve gotten a little rusty.

But muscle memory’s a beautiful thing.

"Take that!" One of them shouted, charging with his sword raised high.

Too slow.

I tilted the lance just slightly and caught his swing at the perfect angle, redirecting the force. His weapon flew clean out of his grip, clattering to the ground. He looked back at me, eyes wide—just in time for the point of my lance to plunge into his chest. It punched straight through, bursting out of his back in a spray of blood.

Without hesitating, I raised my foot and kicked him off the lance, sending his body crashing into another man standing frozen nearby. The impact knocked the second guy off balance, and he collapsed onto the ground with a grunt.

Without giving him a chance to recover, I thrust the lance again—right through the chest of the body on top and deep into the man beneath him. Blood gurgled in his throat as his eyes widened and then went dull, the life draining from him in seconds.

-Clang!

A sound to my left. I didn’t even turn.

I swung the lance sideways in a wide arc, shielding Alicia from the two attackers who had lunged at us from that direction. Their blades met my weapon—but instead of clashing, I felt them shatter.

I had coated the entire lance in Ruah instinctively.

Both men stumbled back, staring at their broken hilts in disbelief.

"W–What the hell?!"

{Kill them, Samael.}

I blinked.

"Since when did you get chatty?" I muttered, gripping the lance a little tighter than necessary. I didn’t get an answer, but I could practically feel her smiling creepily in my head.

I stepped forward and swung the lance again, this time hitting both men square in the chest. The impact was brutal—they were launched through the air like ragdolls, slamming into the wall of a nearby house with a deafening crash.

-BAM!

I stood still, listening.

But I still got no answers from her.

I looked back at the two I sent flying.

They weren’t getting up anytime soon.

Probably not for weeks.

I looked down at their shattered swords, scattered across the ground like discarded toys. I reached inward, tapping into Samara’s ability.

"Amunet," I whispered.

And just like that, I could see them—phantom-like black hands with long, clawed fingers, invisible to the naked eye but crystal clear to me, clearer than it had ever been before. They gripped the broken sword hilts as if they were real.

And then, with a terrifying speed, they flung the fragments like thrown daggers.

-Spurt!

-Spurt!

The broken blades pierced straight into the two men, one after the other. Neither even had time to scream.

They were dead before they hit the ground.

"Attack them together, you idiots!" Ben’s grating voice rang out again.

His yelling was really starting to get under my skin.

Without a word, I turned toward him, gripping the lance tighter in my hand. A flicker of annoyance sparked behind my eyes as I adjusted my stance—and then I hurled the weapon.

The air split with a sharp whoosh as the lance rocketed toward him, the tip aimed with deadly precision.

Ben smirked. He raised his sword like he thought he could block it. "If you think that’ll—ugh!"

His sentence cut short as his sword shattered on impact, splintered like glass. The lance tore through his side and sent him crashing to the ground with a wet crunch, his body skidding a few feet before coming to a stop.

The others, the ones trying to circle behind us, froze mid-step. Their confidence evaporated in an instant, fear taking its place. None of them moved.

I turned toward them but a hand caught my arm.

Alicia.

She looked up at me, sweat trickling down her pale forehead as she gave me a small shake of her head.

I stared at her for a moment before turning my gaze toward Ben.

He was trying to get up, wheezing and fumbling at the lance still buried in his side. His face was contorted in pain, sweat beading along his forehead as he fought just to stay conscious.

I walked toward him, step by step, boots echoing on the stone. He saw me and froze.

"W–Wait!" He stuttered fear etched on his face. "I get it now! You’re not bewitched! I’m sorry! Just—just let me go!"

I didn’t say a word as I wrapped my fingers around the lance embedded in his torso.

"Aghhh!"

With a solid yank, I pulled it free. Blood poured down his side as he doubled over, groaning and clutching the wound.

Still, he forced a pitiful little smile.

"Th-Thanks–"

-Spurt!

The lance plunged through his throat before he could finish the word.

His eyes widened in shock. His mouth hung open, frozen mid-breath, and the light vanished from his gaze in an instant.

I withdrew the lance, not breaking eye contact as his body collapsed in a heap.

"I warned you," I said again.

I wiped the tip of the weapon across his clothes, clearing as much blood as I could from the blade.

Silence settled in. The streets around us were dead quiet. Not a soul in sight. All the windows were shut, doors barred, curtains drawn tight. The city had closed in on itself—fear had driven the people into hiding.

But my ears caught something else—metal clinking. Armor. Multiple sets, getting closer. Different from the first group. Heavier, better trained, maybe better equipped.

And I had no interest in sticking around to find out who they were.

"We need to get out of here," I said to Alicia. Without warning, I hoisted her over my shoulder. Then I grabbed Ben’s lifeless body by the scruff of his neck and began to run.

The streets flew past in a blur as I sprinted through the darkened alleys, weaving through narrow paths and vaulting over debris. The town’s gates loomed ahead—but I didn’t head through them. Instead, I leapt up to the roof of a nearby inn, landing silently atop the tiles.

Setting Alicia down, I dropped Ben’s corpse in front of her with a dull thud.

"There. He’s got plenty of fresh blood for you," I said, sitting down beside her, one arm resting on my bent knee as I caught my breath.

I knew that women vampires couldn’t just bite strangers easily as that act meant a lot but we had no choices.

But Alicia didn’t move.

She just sat there, her brows furrowed as she stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

She looked at the corpse with visible disgust, then back at me.

"I’m not... drinking his filthy blood," she said.

I blinked.

"Should I fetch you a royal corpse next time?" I asked, my voice dry as I glanced at her sidelong. "Would that suit your royal tongue better, Princess?"

Alicia flinched. She clenched her fists and turned her face away, refusing to meet my eyes.

I sighed, watching her struggle to stay upright. Her legs trembled beneath her, and her skin had gone worryingly pale.

"Look at yourself," I said more softly now, the irritation giving way to concern. "You can barely stand. You’re one step from collapsing. Why the hell are you doing this to yourself?"

She didn’t answer.

Typical.

With a grunt, I shoved Ben’s lifeless body off the edge of the roof. It rolled down with a heavy thud, then dropped behind the inn with a dull smack of flesh against dirt.

Turning back to her, I slightly pulled my hoodie just enough to expose the side of my neck.

"Take my blood," I said plainly. Before she could protest, I cut her off. "I took yours when I needed it and without asking. You have every right to take it back. Call it repayment."

Alicia hesitated, her lips pressed in a tight line.

But then she gave a small nod finally giving up being stubborn.

"Here," I muttered, tugging the fabric aside to give her better access to the vein.

She approached slowly, placing her hands on my chest right where I held the hoodie down. Her fingers were cold and trembling, like she was afraid of hurting me. She looked up, her eyes meeting mine with a vulnerable intensity.

"Don’t look..." She whispered.

"Alright," I said quietly, turning my head away without hesitation.

A few seconds passed. I felt her fingers brush against my neck, then her breath—warm and shaky—against my skin.

Out of all places to bite, the neck was the most effective. The blood was hot, rich, and pumped straight from the heart. An arm, a wrist—those couldn’t compare.

Then I felt it.

Her fangs, sharper than before, pressed gently against the skin—and then sank in.

"Ugh..." A low sound escaped my throat.

It wasn’t pain.

Not exactly.

It was... something else.

It always felt strange when she fed. Foreign. Intimate. A tingle that crawled beneath the skin and settled somewhere deeper than just flesh.

I felt the warmth leave me in steady pulses. My cheeks flushed. A strange lightness filled my limbs.

Damn it.

It felt good.

Too good.

I stayed silent, letting her take what she needed. And yet, in less time than I expected, she pulled away. Her touch slipped from my neck, and the cold evening air rushed back in.

She hadn’t taken much—barely anything, really. Nowhere near the amount Elizabeth would’ve drained without blinking.

At the thought of her, my teeth clenched slightly. My expression darkened for a second before I shoved the memory aside.

I glanced back at Alicia. She’d turned her head, avoiding my eyes, a blush creeping across her cheeks. With one hand, she wiped a smear of crimson from her lips.

"T–Thanks... Senior," she mumbled.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, fingers brushing the side of my neck. The skin still tingled faintly, like the warmth of her breath lingered there.