Chương 14: Foreign Invasion

Dehlia prayed for an angel to save her, a demon came instead. A demon with the ability to manipulate fire or perhaps, she must have been imagining things.

The cloud of smoke made Dehlia hazy and she couldn't tell if it was just the twigs crushing her lungs or the smoke toxins suffocating her.

She couldn't move, her eyes drooping as the demon fought fiercely. The tree moaned as if it was in pain each time the flame touched it.

Dehlia didn't lose consciousness immediately yet her eyes were shut as if she was trying to hang onto life. She was super aware of the moment when the demon grabbed a hold of the twig around her midsection and pulled it, his palm heating up with his flame power.

Dehlia didn't know which was worse, the intense heat from his palm or the pains from her ribs. But that was nothing compared to when he pulled out the twig embedded deep in her belly.

A scream ripped from her throat; so loud that her voice turned hoarse. Dehlia began to murmur incomprehensible words, begging the demon to let her be. It was much better with the twig squeezing her to death than it being pulled out.

But he would not listen nor would he put her out of her misery either. He just kept pulling till she was free and her vision became dark.

Dehlia couldn't remember the number of times she slipped in and out of consciousness, however, she was aware of when her back hit the soft bed. The throbbing pain was there but she had already made peace with her death - she won't be eaten by the carnivorous tree any longer.

F*ck the system! Dehlia rejoiced in her mind. That stupid busy body system won't make her do anything against her wish anymore! Although it was quite a disappointment she didn't say goodbye to her cat, Smuff, she would be in a good place soon. Heaven - a place where there is only happiness.

However, Dehlia rejoiced too soon because the next she knew, someone placed a strong wrist on her lips. The action forced her mouth open only for something to drop into her tongue.

The metallic taste of blood filled Dehlia's mouth and her eyes flew open at that moment only to zero down at that demon. Then it hit her, he's a vampire.

Oh no, he was turning her into one of them.

Dehlia struggled with all of her might yet her strength was nothing compared to his. He tackled her down and kept forcing his blood down her throat. Eww, it was so disgusting!

Back at her working place in her world, Dehlia had a colleague who thought such a scene was romantic. But Dehlia could proudly contradict that claim now, there was nothing romantic about drinking blood from a vampire's wrist! Nor does she want to turn into a vampire, boohoo.

He finally let her go after she's had enough. Dehlia spat out the remaining blood, leaving her mouth bloodied. She glared up at the then demon-turned vampire who stared back at her as if he was trying to figure her out. She then gave him the middle finger before she lost consciousness once again.

It was a brand new day when Dehlia awoke and the first question that came to her mind was whether she was dead or not until the scene of her drinking blood crossed her mind.

"Oh no," Dehlia panicked, looking for a mirror to check for the development of fangs, and couldn't find one. This can't be happening.

"System, I need your help," She summoned it at once.

[How may I help you, host?]

"I think I might be turning into a vampire. Please tell me I'm wrong," She pleaded.

[Host Race: Human. Dear host, you are not a vampire]

But then, even with confirmation from the system, Dehlia still didn't believe it. The last time the system told her she was recuperating, she ended up almost eaten by a carnivorous tree. How is that for recuperating?

[You can't blame me for the choices you made]

The system said as if it could read its mind and that infuriated Dehlia.

"Perhaps, if you had given me a heads up of where I was going to, I would have recuperated much faster," There was sarcasm in her tone.

[You can purchase a map of Acadia with -]

"Enough!" Dehlia shouted way too loud, enough to attract unwanted attention.

"Enough of what?" Someone said from behind and Dehlia whirled around instantly only to see that it was that demon from last night.

"Y-you," She choked out, taking a step back.

[Goodluck with that]

Dehlia heard the system say in her head as it vanished. That annoying money-grubbing system! What she would have done to that AI imp if it was solid enough to grab!

The vampire took a step forward and Dehlia took one back already knowing how this would end. No one was backing her into a wall!

So when the vampire came too close, enough for her back to hit the wall, she slipped out of position fairly easily with her small body or so she thought.

Dehlia couldn't tell what happened next, all she knew was that she felt a light touch on her shoulder and the next she was on the bed with him hovering over her.

Her mind was still swirling with the details of what just happened that Dehlia didn't discover the dubious position they were in until it was too late. And when she did, there was nothing romantic about their position at all. It was pretty uncomfortable.

"Dude, get off me!" She warned him, struggling against his strong hold.

"You speak strangely," The man pointed out, looking at her intensely as if he was trying to figure her out.

"And you've got a thick accent… " Which was kind of hot - not that she was going to admit that. Gosh, when did she begin to think this way? "So get off me!"

Unfortunately, the vampire didn't seem to understand the rule of boundaries between a man and a woman because he only leaned closer, his body pressing flush against hers now.

He sniffed her neck deeply.

It was creepy.

"You are obviously human yet with an exquisite smell that could only belong to Badbloods," He drew back so he could stare deeply into her eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked.

His eyes were the greenest of green Dehlia had ever seen and for some reason, she could not pull her gaze away. It was just mesmerizing. Or maybe he was indeed hypnotizing her because Dehlia heard the system's alert in her head.

[Danger! Danger!]

[Foreign presence noticed!]

[Subject trying to invade host's mind!]