Chapter 178: Bonded Again (Part-2)

No fucking way…

I cannot believe it. It’s just too absurd to even imagine.

After all, the woman in front of me is one of the Hooded ones! I am unaware of many things about them as a group, but one thing I do know is that they are important! They are the Primordial magic users, for fuck’s sake! Even the all-powerful world leaders give them the utmost respect, acting like mere attendants around them.

Not only that, but it is also very likely that Marianne holds quite a high position among Vampires. Maybe even the highest.

And to think such a supreme person is now my…

I gulp down saliva in my mouth again, taking a deep breath to calm down and think properly. I order Marianne to lie down on the bed, giving no further instructions for the time being.

The way she is looking at me, it appears almost feral. I need her to become somewhat normal before doing or saying anything.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait for too long. After a while, the crazed look on her face fades away and the dimness in her crimson eyes clears up. She slowly pushes herself up and looks around in confusion.

But her confusion is nothing but momentary. She immediately piece everything together, remembering what had happened.

“This cannot be…” she groans. The deep despair in her hollow eyes and voice is as clear as day. It’s actually a bit startling to see someone as proud and powerful as Marianne like this.

But well, after what she tried to do to me, I have little pity left for her.

“Look at me,” I say, harsher than intended.

Slowly, she looks up. “It seems like you have realized, haven’t you?” She asks tonelessly, her face suddenly becoming unreadable.

“I have. You wanted me to become your slave, but now you are mine.” I throw in a smile in spite.

Marianne sighs, shaking her head. She almost seems disappointed in herself. I expected a greater reaction, maybe even something hysterical. But to my surprise, she simply looks subdued. Perhaps she’s trying to hide her true emotions so as to not appear weak.

“You know, I should’ve listened to my gut feeling. I knew something was wrong with your blood,” she says with a self-mocking laugh.

“My blood? What do you mean?” I ask with a frown.

For a silly moment, I thought she’s going to complain that my hemoglobin level is low. But that’s definitely not it.

“It is special. It is very special,” she says.

I have a sudden flashback. Zakira said the same thing when she kidnapped me. Though by special, she only meant that my blood is unusually attractive. I have a feeling Marianne can add more to it.

“Go on.” I urge her to continue.

“There’s not a specific name for it— as it was thought to be nothing more than a myth. But the Elder who told me about it called it the ‘Origin Blood’,” she begins to speak.

“According to the legends, it is the single most alluring, most irresistible kind of blood for a Vampire. Deceptively similar to how blood normally is to us, it only attracts the Vampire of the opposite gender— that is, the male carrier of the origin blood attracting the female Vampires and vice versa.”

Marianne pauses for a sigh.

“But unfortunately, it is recorded as nothing but a trap.” She declares. “Once a Vampire drinks the origin blood, they lose most of their powers— if not all of them. But their lust for the blood would only grow, making them lose their mind as well. So, in the end, all they could do is weakly cling to the carrier, sucking their blood.

“The best case scenario from there on is that the carrier gets scared, pushes us away, and runs to safety. A weakened and dazed Vampire wouldn’t be able to follow. The worst-case scenario is if they decide to continue. Dominate us during the sex, forming a Blood bond and enslaving us.”

“But it was somewhat different with Zakira,” I interject. “She didn’t really lose her mind. In fact, she even tried to stop the act once she realized I had overpowered her.”

“That’s the curious thing about Origin Blood,” she tells me grimly. “Its ability to weaken the Vampires is directly proportional to their strength. That is to say, the stronger a Vampire is, the more potent effects Origin Blood will show on them.”

“Then why did you even try to do what you did to me? Isn’t that complete foolishness?” I ask indignantly, my anger flaring up again.

“I told you; I believed it to be a myth!” She looks frustrated. “But even still, I admit I was skeptical about doing this. Since I tasted a drop of your blood yesterday, I could barely control myself. It took my everything to stop myself from attacking you then and there.

“I was utterly surprised to notice that my desire for your blood only grew with time. That shouldn’t happen normally. Even you must have noticed that I was trembling earlier. It was me fighting against that overwhelming urge. The fact that your blood me like that, I was sure there was something wrong— for no other blood had affected me that much ever. In fact, I even had a fleeting thought about Origin blood. But alas, I refused to entertain the thought further. I told myself that a myth is just that; a myth. It has to be something different. And you can see where that misjudgment has landed me,” she finishes grimly.

We both don’t speak for a while. Then suddenly, a random thought flies into my mind.

“Wait, so if I’m getting this right, I can basically enslave any and every female vampire if I want?” I ask, dumbfounded.

Damn… It sounds ridiculous. And a bit scary to imagine.

“Theoretically? Yes, you can,” she tells me with a frown, making my eyes go wide with interest.

“But you will have to spare an enormous amount of time and effort to even consider that. Also, you’ll have to be extremely careful. It will take only a single male Vampire to get wind of it for you to be declared the biggest threat to us. As you are.”

“Hey, I was just curious,” I say in my defense. “I won’t actually do something like that.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She shakes her head. “Your very existence is a threat to us. Just think about it. No female Vampire would be able to control herself near you. And once she attacks, her fate is sealed.”

…

So, I am at risk of becoming the enemy of an entire species? I would very much like to avoid that, thank you.

“You said something about Zakira magically shielding the scent of my blood, right? From other female Vampires? Can you please put something stronger on me?” I ask nervously.

“I can certainly put a better ward on you if you want,” Marianne answers with mild astonishment.

I breathe a sigh of relief before noticing something. Marianne is looking at me strangely. And instantly, it made me realize something — I forgot to be angry with her. I even said ‘please’ just now.

I fucked up. It shouldn’t be like this. She’s my slave, and after what she tried to do to me, I have no intention to treat her like anything else.

Though for now, I intend to stay silent. What’s done is done.

Marianne points at me to perform the magic, but I don’t feel anything different. To be honest, I didn’t feel anything when Zakhira secretly put the spell on me either, so I guess that’s how it must work.

“Alright then, we are done for now,” I say once she is finished, moving away to get down the bed. “I have a lot of questions for you, but I’m too tired right now.”

Although unwilling to end the conversation here, the Beast Awakening is starting to show the toll it took. Thankfully, I didn’t faint this time but that doesn’t mean I have even an ounce of energy left.

“And listen, you must come to me immediately whenever I call your name. It’s an order. Someone as powerful as you must be able to do it, right?”  I ask.

“But we are not done yet!” She stops me, looking tense.

“I get to decide when we are done. Not you.” I throw her a dirty look.

“But our main problem still remains!”  She says, looking severely agitated. “Remember, you are still not safe from the other side! That’s the reason why I even started all of this! You will face great danger if nothing is done!”

I look at her with a frown.

…