Lethal Beauty

XLIII - Night Bound

[TW: This part contains content that some might find disturbing, reader's discretion is advised]

A thousand-year-old pureblood vampire darted awake but not in bed. Jessen opened an eye, and another, familiarizing himself with a room. He was alone and drenched in sweat. Most importantly, he was hanging upside down with both hands bound.

Then, he smelled him. A priest glided across the room with ease. Jessen saw his feet, then, his long white robe, then that ugly-looking face that was so common to a shtriga. It made him want to stifle a laugh. What was a shtriga doing, trying to appear like a man of God?

The veins on his face were jet black and raised, like a spiderweb throbbing and almost breaking the skin. Smiling, he was showing a set of teeth like knives.

"You're finally awake. Would you like to start the confession?"

This shtriga was educated, Jessen thought. He cackled at the Elder confidently. "Where's your Queen?"

"Don't be impatient. We'll take you to her. But she didn't say to bring you to her unscathed," his smile widened maniacally. He was playing with a silver ax in his hand.

Jessen relaxed, letting his suspended body sway from the ceiling. "I suppose your royal highness or whatever the fuck you call her nowadays announced a contest to bring the guest of that house to her with the humans of the town as the prize."

The bald shtriga cackled once more. "You're wise. I always wonder what the inside of your kind is like and how you remain eternally beautiful."

His body stopped swaying. "Let me show you then---"

The creature was not able to react fast as Jessen's teeth sunk into the crooked nose until the bones cracked and ripped from the face. He spit the flesh as he freed his hands and with his nails, he slashed the chains that hooked him from the ceiling.

Fighting him back, the shtriga, bleeding from his ripped nose, pressed the top of the ax against Jessen and pinning him against the wall, trying to squeeze his skull. "YOU DARE!"

"Yeah, I dare." He knew what that ax was for. It was one of the many weapons that Yuri had hidden in her house, looking as though it was just an ordinary wood chopper. But as Jessen reached up the handle and pulled the small metal ring sticking out from one side, a shotgun barrel revealed, and out came silver bullets.

The head of the shtriga exploded at the close-range shot and his body fell to the floor leaving Jessen covered in blood and brains. Normally, it would take three or four silver bullets to put one shtriga down, but Yuri modified the bullet of this one with enough power to kill a monster.

Exhaling gratefully, Jessen glanced around the room. This didn't seem to be the basement of Yuri's house and when he came out, he found himself surrounded by a river, the moon reflected in its undisturbed surface.

He scanned the dark shoreline and found nor felt no other shtriga in the area. The coast was indeed clear. This shtriga he killed, as he noted, was educated. He had studied humans unlike the others, but he also wondered if there were others like him. Unfortunately, he had no plans of sharing his mistress' whereabouts and would rather bring him to her in pieces. He seemed aware that purebloods cannot be killed...

...but their parts could be cut up in pieces, enough to immobilize and render them momentarily powerless.

Jessen sighed. He must now find a way out of the forest and seek his other companions. Then, he would begin his hunt.

Just wait, Eve. I'll come and find you. But first, he must accept the truth that he had not the slightest clue where the fuck he was!

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