The cold grip on Liana’s shoulder seemed to freeze every joint in her body. Those fingers squeezed so hard that her shoulder blade felt like it was creaking. Before she could scream, Liana’s body was forcibly spun around and hurled backward, slamming her back against the thick wooden door behind her.
"Well, well... look who’s wandering around alone on feast night," a mocking voice drawled from very close by.
Liana swallowed a groan of pain from her back and lifted her head. Standing before her was a tall, broad-shouldered young man in an aristocratic uniform trimmed with gold, left open at the chest. His black hair was tousled, and the crooked smile etched across his face radiated pure cruelty.
"Who are you?" Liana whispered frantically, struggling to breathe amid the overpowering scent of masculine cologne mingled with wet earth emanating from the young man.
"I should be asking you that, Sweet Servant," the young man replied as he took one step forward, erasing the distance between them. The name Xander was beautifully engraved on the silver pin fastened to his chest. "My name is Xander. And you... you’ve broken the most basic rule in this school."
Xander raised his right hand and traced Liana’s jawline with his index finger. The young man’s fingernail lengthened unnaturally, transforming into a sharp, silver-glowing claw that lightly scraped the skin of Liana’s neck, leaving a reddish mark behind.
"A servant’s job is to hide in their dorm room while the rulers enjoy their evening meal," Xander whispered, his eyes gleaming with hunger. "Leaving your hiding place during the feast is the same as offering yourself up to be eaten."
"Let me go! I just got lost while looking for the kitchen!" Liana screamed, pounding against Xander’s chest with all her strength.
But her blows didn’t move Xander’s body at all. Instead, the young man let out a soft chuckle, enjoying Liana’s panicked struggles like a child playing with a trapped insect.
"Lost?" Xander brought his face closer to Liana’s neck and inhaled deeply around her skin. "What a sweet lie. Do you know what we usually do to cunning prey that likes to snoop around?"
Liana turned her face as far away as she could, trying to avoid Xander’s cold breath sweeping across her neck. Every muscle in her body tensed, bracing for the searing pain that had haunted her thoughts ever since she witnessed the horrifying feast in the hall earlier.
Xander parted his lips slightly, revealing a pair of elongated fangs that instantly sharpened to needle points behind them. His eyes glinted a deep red in the darkness of the corridor, filled with wild, unquenchable thirst.
But just as the tips of his fangs were about to touch Liana’s neck, Xander’s movement abruptly stopped in midair.
The young man tilted his head, his brow deeply furrowed. His expression filled with confusion as his nose moved, drawing in Liana’s scent again from an even closer distance.
"Wait..." Xander whispered softly, his voice now brimming with suspicion.
With two trembling fingers, he touched the pulse in Liana’s neck. Her heartbeat pounded at a frantic pace, striking against her skin with an unusually powerful rhythm.
"Your heartbeat..." Xander murmured, staring into Liana’s eyes with utter bewilderment. "That isn’t the heartbeat of an ordinary human who’s afraid. Why does your scent... smell like thick, ancient blood?"
Liana furrowed her brow, panic still tightening around her chest. "What are you talking about? I’m human! Let me go!"
"No, there’s something wrong with you," Xander growled, the thirst that had begun to fade suddenly replaced by savage irritation. "I don’t care what you’re hiding in your blood. Once you’re dead, this blood will still refresh my throat!"
Xander’s panic exploded into an uncontrolled rage. He swept away the last of his suspicions and pulled Liana’s shoulder closer, opening his mouth wide with his prominent fangs poised to feast.
Just as Xander was about to sink his fangs into Liana’s neck, the temperature in the stone corridor suddenly plummeted, until Liana’s breath turned to vapor.