Elira stood there in complete disbelief.
She had never expected to be abandoned so abruptly—she was certain he'd at least walk her all the way to the school's front gates.
Not that she had any genuine interest in the campus, of course. Her obsession was centered entirely on his scent.
He smelled impossibly good. His natural musk was practically intoxicating, compelling enough that she desperately wanted to take just a small nibble.
She didn't even know his blood type yet, but the raw aroma alone was heavenly. Maybe AB? Those types always possessed that rich, lingering sweetness.
Perhaps this was what her big brother was secretly doing—sourcing his own private supply. Sure, they had an endless stock of preserved blood back at the estate, but nothing ever compared to drinking it warm, straight from the source.
"Are you really going to leave me all alone in the shadows?" she whimpered, leaning heavily into his sense of guilt.
By now, she knew he was naturally soft-hearted, and she fully intended to exploit every last bit of that weakness.
"What if some dreadful hooligans catch me alone in those dark woods?" She looked utterly terrified, her bottom lip trembling.
Yet, as much as James felt that familiar pang of guilt, a far stronger instinct was overriding it: pure self-preservation.
His gut was practically screaming at him not to step foot into those trees with her.
He wasn't going in there. Period.
"Don't worry, you'll be completely fine," James insisted smoothly, offering a polite, distant smile.
"The main path through the park is well lit, there are security cameras mounted on every few light posts, and campus security is literally stationed right on the other side of the tree line."
He'd use whatever logic necessary to keep his distance. "You've got this."
He maintained his gentle smile, his feet firmly planted on the pavement, completely unwilling to take a single step toward the shadows.
Elira stared at him. Her emerald eyes narrowed by less than a fraction of a millimeter as her mind frantically tried to process why her natural charm wasn't working.
Her mental compulsion was flared to maximum output, yet the boy wasn't budging an inch.
The sheer concentration of hypnotic charm she was releasing right now should have made him completely helpless—the equivalent of a guy's ultimate dream crush asking for a favor, leaving him utterly incapable of saying no.
Her sharp gaze scanned him from head to toe, searching for any anomaly, until something finally clicked.
I see...
She realized that while he clearly possessed the desire to help her, a physical force was actively blocking her spell.
Her eyes locked onto the pendant resting against his chest. It looked completely ordinary on the surface, but a subtle, lingering aura hinted that it was serving as an absolute shield.
"What is that around your neck?" she asked, tilting her head with an innocent, curious pout.
James's hand instinctively reached up, his fingers brushing against the silver pendant.
"Oh, this? It's just a necklace," he said softly, tapping the metal. He hardly ever took it off.
"It looks so lovely. Did you buy it yourself?"
A subtle, warm smile crossed James's face as his fingers lingered on the charm. "No, I didn't. It was a gift from my mom."
Elira had her answer. A protective ward. Given the boy's background, his mother had likely gifted him an enchanted charm or blessed token to keep him safe.
It made the situation infinitely more intriguing.
A ward like that might burn her if she tried to tear it off by force, but breaking through brute strength wasn't any fun anyway.
No, the most satisfying way to handle this was to play the game properly—to manipulate him until he willingly handed the charm to her himself as a grand gesture of affection.
That sounded like so much more fun.
"Aw, that's so sweet. She must be an amazing mom," Elira cooed, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Yeah... she was," James replied softly.
Elira caught the past tense instantly.
"Oh... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring up painful memories!" She pulled her hands to her mouth, her shoulders tensing as she looked thoroughly distressed, as if terrified of having offended him.
"It's fine. She passed away a while ago," James said quietly.
Then, catching himself, he mentally winced. He was dropping entirely too much personal information to a girl he'd met five minutes ago.
"Anyway, have a nice evening. See ya!" James gave a quick wave, turned on his heel, and took off down the sidewalk.
That girl was beyond weird. For some strange reason, a weird, artificial sensation had been telling him he could trust her completely—and that unnatural push had immediately set off his hybrid survival instincts.
Earlier, when her hidden annoyance had been directed at the bird, he couldn't quite pin down her aura.
But right now, his gut was screaming at him to put as much distance between them as possible.
And he was definitely going to listen to his gut.
As he briskly walked down the street toward the game store, James made a deliberate point to stay under the brightest streetlights and stick strictly to routes lined with active security cameras.
You know—just to make sure he had a bulletproof alibi in case anything happened to that poor, innocent rich girl.
As James vanished around the far corner of the block, Elira's wide-eyed, innocent facade melted away instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating void.
"What an absolute annoyance," she muttered, her sweet tone flattening into a sharp, icy rasp.
She crossed her arms over her chest, her pink lips twisting into an irritated pout.
She had genuinely wanted to play with him just a little bit longer.
Oh well. It wasn't a total waste of time. She had secured the exact information she had come out here to find in the first place: this broad-shouldered boy was her big brother's curious new secret.
She honestly couldn't comprehend her brother's bizarre obsession with trying to play house with mortal livestock.
It wasn't as if creatures like him ever lived very long anyway.
She found herself idly wondering if this one would end up meeting the exact same tragic, violent fate as the last pet her brother had tried to keep.
Should she run home and tell their father?
Hmm, no... not yet. She wanted the chance to play with him a little more first. It had been far too long since she last had an active piece of livestock to mess with.
Suddenly, her undead senses flared to life. The crisp, autumn air was instantly ruined by the vulgar, suffocating stench of cheap booze, stale tobacco smoke, and raw, dirty intent drifting over from the tree line.
From the dense shadows of the park's edge, a tall, broad-shouldered man staggered out into the open space.
He clutched a half-empty bottle of cheap vodka in one calloused hand, his balance wavering slightly as he took another swig. He had clearly just come from the liquor store down the block, drinking himself completely senseless out in the cold.
Through his alcohol-fogged vision, the man locked onto Elira. What he saw was a petite, fragile-looking girl with sun-kissed blond hair, vibrant green eyes, and a ridiculously attractive figure.
If one could look past her sheer, baby-like cuteness, she was an absolute jaw-dropper of a woman.
A sickening, predatory grin began to spread across the man's red, flushed face.
"Well, well... what is a cute little thing like you doing out here all by yourself at dusk?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what was running through his head.
Even with his voice slurred and heavy, he looked like a starving scavenger that had just stumbled across an unguarded, prime piece of meat.
He took a heavy, deliberate step forward, angling his broad body to block the main path and shut down any obvious line of escape.
"Don't you know these woods can get mighty dangerous for a pretty little girl such as yourself?" he drawled, the heat of repulsive desire rolling off his skin in waves.
In less than a millisecond, Elira's expression shifted entirely. Her eyes went wide with pure, helpless terror, her delicate frame trembling as if hit by a sudden, icy gust of wind.
"E-Eek!" she squeaked, her voice quivering like a frightened songbird caught in a trap.
"P-please! I... I was just trying to find the college campus! Please don't hurt me!"
Hearing her whimpering, desperate tone, the man's grin widened into something filthy.
She's new around here, he thought to himself, his ego surging.
She doesn't know anyone, she's completely lost, and she's practically begging for someone to take charge. To a creature like him, her panic felt like an open invitation.
"Oh, the college?" he chuckled, a lewd, oily fake sympathy lacing his slurred voice. "I know right where that is, sweetie. Come on, let me show you the way."
He reached out a heavy, greasy hand, lunging forward to grab her delicate wrist and drag her off into the shadows.
"No! Get away from me!" Elira shrieked, gracefully twisting her shoulder just out of his reach.
"Leave me alone!"
Spinning on her heel with a terrified gasp, she turned and frantically fled deeper into the park.
Her soft footfalls hurried down the dark, winding stone trail that cut straight into the dense, unlit heart of the woods—far away from the safety of the main street, the bright lampposts, and the watchful eyes of the security cameras.
Refusing to let such a rare prize slip through his fingers, the man let out a dark laugh and broke into a heavy, eager jog behind her.
"Hey! Wait up, sweetheart! You don't have to be so shy!" he called out, following her straight into the pitch-black trees.
That raw, helpless innocence was practically driving him insane—he couldn't wait to completely ruin it.
A/N Should be close to 2k, this chapter shorter, since i wanted to focus on Elira character,
Anyway vote with powerstones