Cen Jin was led by Talon straight into the bathroom, where he stood before the vanity mirror with Talon positioned directly behind him.
Cen Jin’s shirt had all its buttons undone, the right side pulled down to expose his slender shoulder and a vast expanse of fair, rosy skin. Yet the most striking feature of all was the junction connecting his right shoulder to his neck two puncture wounds that had finally stopped bleeding.
“Wh-When did you get these?”
This was the most serious expression Cen Jin had ever witnessed from Talon during the two days they had known each other.
Cen Jin had no idea what was going on.
Wasn’t he himself a vampire? Why on earth did he have bite marks left by another vampire on his body?
Yet he wasn’t foolish enough to voluntarily blurt out that these were the calling cards of a vampire.
“I don’t know…”
Cen Jin had zero clue what side effects might plague a vampire bitten by a fellow vampire. His brain was currently scrambled into a hopeless mess, completely failing to remember that he could simply consult the voice echoing inside his head.
What happens when a vampire bites another vampire?
To prevent Cen Jin from spiraling further into wild paranoia, the voice chimed in: “No major impact. It just makes you hungry much faster, and temporarily dampens your power a bit.”
Can you tell me who did this?
“No.”
Cen Jin turned his head to look up at Talon’s jawline, asking with a slight tremor in his voice: “Was it bitten by a snake?”
“A snake?”
Talon spun Cen Jin around to face him squarely, then scooped him up by the waist, effortlessly hoisting him to sit right on top of the marble vanity counter.
Talon’s nose brushed lightly against that upturned tip, prompting Cen Jin to shrink backward in a sensitive reflex. He nearly slid right down into the basin of the sink, forcing Talon to snap back to reality and steady him.
“Don’t move, let me look,” Talon instructed.
Standing while Cen Jin sat, Talon’s line of sight aligned perfectly with the wound on Cen Jin’s neck.
As he leaned in close to sniff at the skin, Cen Jin stiffened instantly and sat up ramrod straight.
Assuming the boy was in pain, Talon blew a gentle stream of air over the mark. “Does it hurt?”
Cen Jin shook his head, then nodded in response.
Terrified of letting Talon catch onto anything, he reached out to press a hand against the man’s shoulder, giving him a tentative push. “Should we go to the hospital?”
“No way.” Talon rejected the idea with alarming speed.
Realizing how abrupt he sounded, he hastily waved his hands to backtrack. “N-No, I mean, what I’m trying to say is.”
“Hmm?” Cen Jin arched an eyebrow, feigning complete bewilderment.
At that exact moment, the voice in his head chimed in with a prompt:
“Talon has already guessed this was inflicted by another vampire, so a hospital visit is entirely useless. He’s simply pretending not to know because he thinks you’re still in the dark.”
“Now’s your golden opportunity to bite him back.”
‘Does he know I’m a vampire, then?’
“He knows, he’s just keeping quiet because he’s afraid you won’t be able to stomach the reality of it.”
Such a kind-hearted vampire hunter.
Cen Jin mused silently to himself.
Cen Jin lifted his other hand to rest it on Talon’s shoulder as well, feeling the young man’s muscles tense up beneath his palms.
He asked, “Why not? Why can’t we go to the hospital?”
Talon reached out, capturing Cen Jin’s hand and clasping it tightly between his own, as though desperate warmth could radiate from his palms to thaw out Cen Jin’s freezing skin.
“Talon…”
Cen Jin’s voice came out as thin as gossamer. Combined with his unnaturally low body temperature, it tugged ruthlessly at Talon’s heartstrings, making him deeply uncomfortable.
Considering they had barely known each other for two days and Talon’s initial motivation for approaching Cen Jin had merely stemmed from the boy’s status as the school’s reigning celebrity. Talon’s intentions from the start had been far from pure.
A sudden, overwhelming wave of guilt crashed over Talon, compelling him to lean in closer toward the wound.
Extending the tip of his tongue, Talon brushed it lightly against one of the puncture wounds, feeling the boy shudder violently beneath him. He pressed a hand firmly against Cen Jin’s thigh, exerting enough pressure that even through the thick woolen shorts, he could feel the chilling frost radiating from Cen Jin’s body.
Cen Jin felt a bizarre sensation washing over him. “Talon…”
Talon’s action had been entirely impulsive; he knew rationally that this gesture wouldn’t serve any practical purpose, nor could it undo what had already been done. Yet, driven entirely by raw instinct without an ounce of forethought, he had pressed his lips directly against the injury.
Cen Jin’s trembling whine abruptly transformed a kiss born of pure remorse into something infinitely more dangerous.
Perched atop the vanity counter in oversized slippers, Cen Jin had to curl his toes tightly just to keep the footwear from slipping off his feet. Before long, his legs began to ache with exhaustion.
Resting his hands on Talon’s shoulders, he felt the curly brown head buried obediently against the curve of his neck, sending wave after wave of tickling friction rippling across his skin where the vampire had bitten him earlier.
Cen Jin instinctively shivered again, though Talon misinterpreted the movement as a sign of resistance. The next second, a sharp pinch of pain bloomed against his neck, making Cen Jin’s tail-end pitch upward uncontrollably.
“Are you biting me?!” A fresh spike of stinging pain yanked a breathless, high-pitched gasp from his throat.
The peculiar sound flushed Cen Jin’s cheeks bright red with mortification, while the boy pressing against his chest reacted to the noise with an even more erratic surge of adrenaline.
Cen Jin never imagined that as a fully fledged vampire, he would one day experience what it felt like to be bitten by a hunter.
Seething with indignation, Cen Jin yanked at the collar of Talon’s shirt, bared his teeth, and clamped down hard against a bulging, throbbing vein on the hunter’s neck.
“You’re settling into this vampire identity remarkably fast, aren’t you?”
Cen Jin completely missed the dry sarcasm, his entire consciousness entirely consumed by the rich, intoxicating taste of blood flooding his mouth.
The feeding process turned out to be nothing like the metallic, blood-soaked brutality Cen Jin had imagined.
Instead, he tasted a faint, elusive sweetness, utterly unique to Talon, as every single human’s blood carried its own distinctive flavor profile.
Cen Jin suddenly decided that being a vampire wasn’t such a terrible gig after all. He had never experienced the bliss of simply drinking a beverage and instantly feeling completely satiated; flooding his veins with surging energy made him feel like he could pull a two-day all-nighter without a single hint of fatigue.
As that sweet, clean fragrance grew richer and more potent, Cen Jin lost all restraint, drinking deeply and greedily.
It wasn’t until he was completely stuffed, letting out a soft, contented burp, that his body suddenly felt light, lifted straight off the vanity counter by a pair of arms.
The slippers loosely hooked to his toes finally slipped off, leaving Cen Jin standing barefoot with one foot higher than the other against the dry tile floor, staring up blankly at the towering figure pressing in toward him.
Clutching the bleeding wound on his neck with one hand, Talon stared down at Cen Jin with a dark, heavy, unreadable gaze, uttering not a single word.
Waking up from the sweet, intoxicating dream of feasting, Cen Jin remembered Talon’s true identity.
Hunters and vampires were mortal enemies; hunters despised dark, filthy creatures like vampires above all else.
Cen Jin had nowhere left to run.
Pressing his spine flat against the vanity, the hard ceramic dug sharply into his waist while the boy’s broad frame blocked any path of escape, trapping him completely.
The rich, sweet aroma still lingered heavily in the air, drawing his eyes back irresistibly toward the blood seeping out between Talon’s fingers.
Cen Jin braced himself for the hunter’s wrath, expecting to be executed on the spot. Instead, Talon simply asked in a low, flat voice:
“Still want more?”
Cen Jin’s initial instinct was to scream no. But his stomach remained agonizingly starved for more, and having this massive human blood pack dangling right in front of him proved too tempting to resist, causing him to nod involuntarily.
Talon’s expression shifted into something intensely strange and unfathomably complex.
Catching himself, Cen Jin hastily clutched his own trouser legs and shook his head with exaggerated vigor.
Daring not to meet Talon’s gaze any longer, he dropped his brows, his eyelids fluttering with agonizing slowness.
‘Is the hunter finally going to settle scores with me?’
‘Is he going to blow me away with a silver bullet, or stab me to death with a silver dagger?’
‘If only vampires couldn’t feel pain.’
‘If this mission fails, can I hit the reset button? If I can start over, please throw me into a different world. I’m totally done playing a vampire. Blood tastes incredible, sure, but one sip is plenty enough for a lifetime.’
“Now you remember to come crawling back to me.”
“Still, your worrying is entirely premature, Talon isn’t Wei Xin.”
‘Why do you say that? Of course Talon isn’t Wei Xin; if it were Wei Xin, I wouldn’t even be able to get close to him, let alone steal a sip of his blood.’
“That’s exactly why you need to step up your game.”
‘I can’t. Talon is getting way too dangerous.’
“He won’t hurt you.”
‘Why not?’
The voice offered no answer.
Because Cen Jin’s chin was suddenly nudged upward by a blood-stained finger.
A crimson smear transferred from the finger directly onto the tip of Cen Jin’s chin, prompting him to dart a swift, panicked glance up at Talon.
Seemingly amused by Cen Jin’s panicked little display, Talon used his other, clean hand to pinch the bridge of Cen Jin’s nose, giving it a playful shake. “What are you so scared of?”
“I……”
Before Cen Jin could finish, his mouth was forced open, cutting off whatever excuse he had prepared.
Literally cut off.
He found a single finger sliding straight between his lips, leaving him frozen in absolute shock.
Cen Jin shot a bewildered look toward Talon, failing to grasp the logic behind this bizarre maneuver.
How bizarre.
Had his bite somehow scrambled Talon’s brain?
Talon suddenly felt a wave of regret for sticking his finger in there; the internal heat raging through his veins was rapidly spiraling out of control. Facing Cen Jin’s clueless, innocent gaze, Talon felt his own inner nature turn increasingly filthy and depraved.
The sound of swallowing echoed loud and clear in the dead silence of the bathroom, shattering the standoff.
Talon’s expression froze as he felt the warm, velvety-soft, bruised-red tongue tentatively brush against his fingertip before sliding back and forth to lick clean the blood smeared across his skin.
“W-What are you doing?” Talon choked out, his voice utterly lacking composure.
Cen Jin yanked his head back, pulling Talon’s finger out of his mouth. With a miserable, aggrieved scowl, he protested:
“Who told you to stick your finger in my mouth? You knew I couldn’t resist, you offered it to me yourself and now you’re sitting here blaming me for drinking your blood…”
Talon’s face flushed bright red, the crimson hue spreading upward toward his hairline at a visible speed.
Cen Jin had zero desire to linger in the bathroom a second longer. Although the blood had tasted divine, his current antics had reached embarrassing new heights.
He practically had no face left to show Talon.
While Cen Jin was thoroughly consumed by mortification, he remained blissfully unaware of the psychological turmoil he had just unleashed on Talon.
Waiting until he spotted an opening to escape, he tried to slip past, only to find his waist snared by a strong arm that pulled him tight against the hunter’s body.
Just moments ago, Cen Jin’s skin had felt as cold as ice.
A bizarre, stray thought flickered through Talon’s mind: It was me who managed to warm this boy’s body up.
A large hand cupped the back of Cen Jin’s neck, anchoring his head firmly in place to maintain a tilted-back angle.
And then, Cen Jin watched wide-eyed as Talon lowered his head, pressing closer and closer until his scorching breath billowed across Cen Jin’s face and sensitive neck.
The smudge of blood that Talon had earlier smeared across Cen Jin’s chin had gathered into a single, trembling droplet at the very tip of his jaw, lingering on the verge of falling.
Right at the precise moment it threatened to drop, Talon darted his tongue out, sweeping the droplet of red straight into his mouth.
As if unsatisfied, he proceeded to thoroughly lick every remaining trace of crimson off the boy’s porcelain-white cheeks, refusing to stop until every smudge was gone and the pale skin was restored to pristine perfection.
“What kind of taste is that?” Cen Jin asked, his face scrunched up in total bewilderment as he stared at Talon’s bizarre behavior.
Talon chuckled softly. “It didn’t taste nearly as good as when you were drinking straight from the source.”
“You had both arms and legs wrapped tightly around me, clinging to my body like you were born attached to me.”
“How come the moment I lick my own blood back off, you’re looking at me like I’m a creep?”
Talon pinched Cen Jin’s cheek, giving it a light shake.
“Cen Jin? Xiaojin?”
Cen Jin let out a muffled grumble from deep within his throat, batted Talon’s hand away, and vigorously rubbed his aching cheek. Pouting in sullen grievance, he muttered, “What is happening to me.”
He was desperately trying to maintain the persona of an ignorant, “former human” who remained completely oblivious to the mechanics of vampires and hunters.
His acting performance remained remarkably convincing, successfully hoodwinking Talon entirely.
Talon scooped Cen Jin up, carrying him out of the bathroom to deposit him safely onto the master bed. Squatting right down before the mattress, he offered a soothing reassurance:
“Don’t be scared, you’re in no danger. Once I take a quick shower, I’ll explain everything you want to know. Sound good?”
Talon treated Cen Jin with the gentle indulgence typically reserved for an innocent, clueless child.
Cen Jin offered an obedient nod in response.
Yet his mind was racing with a completely different agenda: Now that he’s heading into the shower, can I sneak around his room and hunt down some hunter gear?
“Go right ahead.”
Cen Jin wasted no time.
The second the sound of rushing water drifted from the bathroom, he scrambled off the bed on tiptoe.
The bedroom flooring was immaculate, polished to a mirror shine without a single speck of dust.
His silk-clad feet felt slightly chilled against the wood, but that was the least of his concerns.
His primary objective was securing Talon’s weapons ideally making off with every single silver dagger and silver bullet in his possession. Should Talon decide to turn hostile after stepping out of the shower, having those items would buy Cen Jin precious time to escape.
Besides, carrying them served as useful self-defense.
For a vampire to rely on anti-vampire weaponry for self-defense sounded utterly ridiculous, admittedly. Yet since Cen Jin had no clue who had bitten him in the first place, if that mysterious assailant returned tonight, he could at least use the stolen gear to ward them off.
Cen Jin tore through the wardrobe, bookshelves, drawers, and nightstands, coming up empty in every single spot.
“Could it be that this apartment doesn’t stock any hunter weapons at all?”
Exhausted from the frantic search, Cen Jin dropped into a crouch, catching his breath in shallow gasps.
A light film of sweat coated his skin.
Peering out of the bedroom, he cast a glance through the frosted glass door of the bathroom to gauge how far along Talon’s shower had progressed.
Right at that exact second, the heavy front door of the apartment emitted the distinct mechanical chime of a digital passcode being entered.
A sequence of numeric beeps was muffled beneath the rush of running water.
Cen Jin’s hearing was sharp enough that he was certain he hadn’t imagined it.
Could the housekeeper have returned?
A cheerful chime rang out as the deadbolts retracted and the front door successfully unlocked.
The door swung wide open.