บท 20: It smells really nice

Not once nor twice, Dahlia had watched several movies where the lead character is about to be hit by a car and instead of moving away, stands at the scene with mouth agape.

She often counted it as stupidness, wondering why someone would stare at their own death. However, Dahlia could finally relate now with that boar charging at her.

It seemed like her feet were glued to the floor because she couldn't make a move. As much as terror filled her, she couldn't help but marvel at the strength of that boat coming at her.

And yeah, she must be crazy.

With its long, blunt snout, small eyes, and large ears, the boar was long-legged and appeared more powerful than domestic pigs, however, this particular boar had skin as black as charcoal and she could sense the killing intent from its red eyes alone. It almost looked demonic.

"Oh no," Dahlia finally got the sense to run, as if the scale covering her eyes finally fell.

But it was too late.

Dahlia squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the moment where that wild pig rams into her with all that speed. However, that never came. Instead, she felt a shift in the environment and someone's presence with a thud somewhere in the forest.

Popping open an eye first before it was swiftly followed by the other, Dahlia was shocked to discover that not only was she unharmed but the boar was nowhere to be seen.

A look of disbelief washed over her as she looked around, searching for a trace of the boar that was nowhere to be found until her gaze fell on Tobias' limp phalanges that had a trace of blood in them.

Did he punch the life out of the boar and away from here? Just how much strength does he possess?

She watched Tobias flex his fingers and right in front of her, they began to straighten and heal as if the injury was never there in the first place.

How strong are these creatures? Dahlia realized she was doomed if she went up against one as strong as Tobias. Damn, the system should have found a better world than this!

As if she wasn't so scared of him, she discovered a trail of blood down his chin. No way, it couldn't be he was...

Tobias must have sensed her turmoil because he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his chin clean with a scowl.

"I hoped you enjoyed your meal," He said to her gruffly.

Oh, she saw what he was doing. The arrogant vampire was about to go on the offensive if she dared bring the issue of his feeding. Well, look who wasn't in the mood for an argument, either?

"That boar?" Dahlia choose to talk about it, "There was something weird about it - something sinister,"

"It's demonic," He said so casually as if his words didn't contain the word, "demonic,"

This is great - note the sarcasm.

"That is not assuring at all," She pointed out her disappointment.

"You are in the middle of the evil forest, why were you expecting?" He retorted with a sign as if she was nothing but a disturbance.

"Exactly, what are we doing in this..." She gestured to their surrounding, "Evil forest. A demonic boar almost killed me, who knows what would come at me next," Dahlia was frustrated by his narrow-mindedness. She should have known they would never see eye to eye. They were from different races for crying out loud.

"Maybe I should have just left your ungrateful ass in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation," He retorted.

It then hit Dahlia, how much trouble it must have been to save her ass and she hasn't even thanked him for that. Damn, she must look like an ungrateful spoiled brat. She was no spoiled brat.

"Fine. I'm sorry for not properly thanking you for saving my life," She attempted to be friendly with him. Which was clearly a mistake when he said,

"Save it, I don't need it,"

Oh really? Dahlia was beginning to get annoyed with this fool. Can't he see her efforts in trying to change her opinion of him? It was not like someone gave her a crash course on how to relate to vampires. Moreover, all his kind has ever done since she arrived in this world was to try and take her blood.

"Then, try not to be annoying," Dahlia retorted, going after the vampire who took off without even looking back.

He finally turned, "This is my domain, I will do whatever I want!" Tobias growled at her. Why was he even arguing with this measly human? He should just snap her head - which was as easy as ABC - and be done with her. But no, he can't be done with her because he needed to validate her usefulness.

Dahlia tried to move towards him, or rather, a stupid move because she tripped over her own feet and ended up bruising her arm such that there was a little break in the skin. This was exactly why Dahlia stayed on her own, because she was safer in her cocoon.

"I hate this!" She complained, rising to her feet and wincing at the stinging pain in her arm. But that was until she felt a swift change in the air and instinctively looked up to see a huge change in Tobias.

Oh no.

His eyes were red, like bright red, and rootlike veins appeared on his face while his nostrils flared. Right now, he looked like a predator and it was all because of her, no, her blood.

"It smells really nice," Tobias sniffed deeply as if he was relishing the scent of her blood.

Dahlia knew at that moment that she was in trouble. That reaction was the same thing the vampires at that party did when they smelled her blood. They had called her bad blood, what does it exactly mean?

Because it sure as hell felt like trouble.