Awakened (Bloodline, #1)

Chapter 6

06: The Blade that Drinks Blood

I knew the person in front of us was a Katteri but I couldn't help admiring his beauty.

His long blonde hair glimmered under the moonlight and his eyes seemed to be changing colors every time his appearance flickered—from green to hazel to blue. His body looked lean yet muscular. Even the soft features of his face were too beautiful to ignore.

I had to pinch my arm hard to remind myself that this was an enemy.

"So, it's true," he said in a dreamy voice. "A Stryzyga is wandering around Batara."

The Katteri looked at me lovingly, not in a way someone would look at a person, but he was seeing me as a source of food—of blood.

"Lady, be careful," Irus warned while shielding me from the Katteri's sight. "This one's different."

I felt that, too, but I couldn't pinpoint what was different besides his ethereal beauty. There was something creepy with him, and it was sending me vague fears. Nagulat na lang ako nang biglang nawala sa paningin ko ang Katteri. My skin crawled and I sensed immediate danger. Somehow, it felt like something was prickling my nape. Agad akong napalingon at pasugod na ang Katteri mula sa likuran ko. Fortunately, Irus was faster.

He lifted me and stepped back a few meters. Napayakap pa ako sa vial na hawak ko dahil baka masayang ang dugong nakuha ko.

Muli kong tiningnan ang Katteri at ibinalik ang tingin kay Irus. He unsheathed a thin and flexible sword that looked like a rapier. The blade was as dark as the night, and its handle had an intricate design of loops and knots. Ngayon ko lang siya makikitang gumamit ng sandata dahil kadalasan ay sobrang bilis ng mga nangyayari at wala na akong time i-process ang mga iyon.

"He has drunk blood from high clans," Irus muttered.

"What?"

"Look at his skin." Agad naman akong tumingin sa Katteri. I had to squint my eyes to see what he was talking about. "Siphons usually have green blood vessels but his were bluish."

It took me a few seconds to confirm his comment. The veins on his arms appeared bluish to purplish under the moonlight. Hindi ko iyon napansin sa grupo ng Katteris na na-encounter namin kanina dahil nag-panic na ako nang makita ko sila.

"That's an indicator that he drank blood from higher clans—"

The Katteri lunged at us again and Irus fended him off, but he lurched at my direction. I ducked and crawled away from him but he continued attacking me. If it weren't for Irus, I would have been dead by now.

"Let me taste your blood!" he excitedly screamed.

Napasigaw ako nang mahawakan niya ang damit ko. I kicked his arm and scuttled away, but I gasped when the vial fell from my hands. My reflexes took over and I managed to catch it before it could roll from the roof. However, I scraped my hand on one of the tiles when I did that. Blood started clotting on my skin and I was surprised when I heard an ear-piercing yell from the Katteri.

His body convulsed as he sniffed the air. "A high-quality blood," he said in daze.

"Lady!" called Irus as he rushed to my direction. He winced as he looked at my wound. "Cover it. He's getting addicted to its smell."

Kinilabutan ako sa narinig ko at agad akong pumunit sa dulo ng dress na suot ko. I dressed my wound hastily, trying to prevent him from getting a whiff of my blood any further.

My thoughts drifted as Irus fought against the Katteri.

That Katteri got unhinged once he smelled my blood. How come both Irus and Kei seemed to not be affected by it? Not that I wanted to state it, but I also have a maiden blood. Why didn't they want mine? Could it be assassins and trackers were only attracted by human blood?