Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Meanwhile, while Risa and Nikita solved the major issues at the auction house, Nikolai and Selene walked through the Nexus. After they defeated the tower's boss and reached the fortieth floor, the pair headed home.

However, now beside them was a small cat, sitting on Selene's shoulder, curled up into a little ball.

The cat in question was a silver tabby.

"Nikolai, do you want to grab something to eat before we leave?" Selene's eyes looked at the various stalls around them, the spiced meats and deliciously scented curries being cooked in enormous pots while walking through the Djinn markets.

"Are you that hungry? I don't mind."

Nikolai didn't want to eat that much—after fighting all day, he really just wanted to get home, shower and then see the other women.

'Nikita mentioned she would be doing something with Risa and Kumiko today.'

He worried the three of them might have got into trouble, but most of all, he was really just exhausted.

The silver tabby didn't like him, maybe because of him beating her to a pulp with his werewolf form, but the moment she lost, a thick black smoke billowed from her nose and lips and when Selene dragged her outside the portal, she transformed into a small silver tabby cat, instead of the white tiger from earlier.

"It's not that I want to eat, but that I want to eat with you~ is that not good?"

Selene's atmosphere continued to become more confident after confessing her feelings and showing herself after sucking his blood. This change added to her blonde hair, which became dazzling in the setting sunlight.

"Of course not, let's go. Is there anything you want to try?" Nikolai's lips curled into a slight smile. He stepped ahead and planned to pay for the meal.

Meow!

The cat suddenly stood up as if waking from a deep sleep and started making a constant noise, sniffing Selene's neck and purring.

"Hmm..."

Nikolai shook his head, thinking that the one who inflicted the most damage on her wasn't him but Selene; after all, he just smashed her body a few times.

Shaaa!

When he reached out to her, the cat hissed at him, causing him to pull back.

"It seems I'm not wanted here..."

"W-Wait... don't be bad, don't scratch kitty!" Selene tapped the cat's nose, causing it to pout and lower her body while watching Nikolai with narrowed eyes.

Rrrrrrr!

A yowl this time, but he ignored it and took Selene's hand.

"Ah!"

"Let's go, I saw a nice looking stand over on the other side of the market." Nikolai grinned while grasping Selene's soft, warm hands. Thanks to his enhanced sense of smell, he could identify the meat and which curry tasted good as they cut through the crowd hand-in-hand.

At the same time, in the downtown of S-City, Risa rolled onto a medical bed, and the members of Fenrir lifted her into a special ambulance that would visit a monster-specialised hospital run by the Tepes clan.

"I'm really fine..." Risa tried to argue, but the wounds in her abdomen and the many cuts on her body wouldn't fully heal despite her high regenerative abilities.

"Don't argue... if you get scars won't Nikolai be angry, and upset that we messed up today?" Nikita pointed at Risa, showing a rare and genuine worry—when the radio stopped working, she could not help but hold her rush to the area where she last appeared to find the nekomata covered in blood on the floor and the ashes from the skeleton's corpse. "Don't make me order you..."

"Tsk... so annoying, whatever. Did we manage to get some information?" Risa's voice became softer, her eyes heavy as she lowered them and looked at Nikita's worried face.

"Nothing from the assistant but thankfully one of the people in the basement was a trusted member of the Bloodmire clan..." Her eyes filled with frustration before easing up, her lips curling into a smile.

Risa didn't miss the sudden emotion. Her face filled with the same anger and disgust, and yet... "I'm glad. At least we managed to do something. What about Moko?"

"The mermaid has been sent to the mansion, and we'll probably let her reside in the indoor pool building for now, though we need to make sure she isn't an enemy."

Though only a few hours passed, the women were exhausted, but that's when Risa's eyes flicked open, and she remembered, "What about Kumiko? She worked the hardest today."

"Kumi is sleeping. The moment she reached me, she collapsed and returned to her usual form. It seems that she overdid it today." Nikita's lips curled upward as if she remembered a funny memory. Her thoughts turned back to how she caught the little fox midair when she dropped from the window ledge.

"Anyway, sleep... Nikolai should be back soon with some dinner, he sent me a message a moment ago." Nikita waved at the driver to leave. The truck started to drive off in the private hospital's direction.

Risa grumbled and then looked down at the bandages that covered her stomach.

'I hope it doesn't leave a mark...'

However, she didn't know what happened during the fight; her adrenaline and bloodthirsty continuously increased, the way to use her clones, take advantage of the enemy... and her transformation.

This information all flowed into her mind shortly after the first punch that almost killed her.

Risa closed her eyes, rocking gently as the ambulance left.

Her mind was focused on the fight and Nikolai.

"I want to see you..."

Nikolai and Selene eventually found the shop he smelled and sat on some chairs near a large cooking station. The chef was wearing traditional djinn clothing, and the entire restaurant was themed after their homeland.

He flicked his tentacles, holding several deep, curved pans made of a strange-coloured metal. Cooking the various ingredients at once. He focused on the main pan, chopping and cutting the meat into thin slices while humming a song to himself.

Nikolai ordered a mix of their favourite meats, including the one that smelt so delicious to him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What's that?"

"I don't know, but the meat seems to be something called "Kobold" and sounded really delicious." Selene's voice became curious at the sound of a new food, but Nikolai could only scratch his cheek, unable to describe it.

"Well, let's have what you chose, but why so much?" Her eyes gazed at the five orders and size portions he asked for, spending close to fifty Nexus coins.

"I plan to take it back to the mansion and eat with you Risa and the others."

Nikolai watched Selene's reaction, making sure she didn't seem upset or angry. Instead, her face looked amused.

"Yeah, that's fine. Although I wanted to monopolise you... I am exhausted."

"You aren't going to be mean or upset?" Nikolai raised a brow and questioned, his hand reaching across to touch the cheek, stroking the soft flesh under his finger.

"Ehhhh, I guess you can't stay with me all the time, but..." Selene's face lowered, and she grabbed his hand, rubbing it against her cheek and kissing the top of his fingers. "I don't mind as long as you make sure to pay extra attention to me. I won't complain about it. Those girls probably worked hard today... my mother told me about how they helped my dad."

Nyao~

The cat sitting on her shoulder watched the fish curry he bought specifically for her because it didn't contain too much spice or extra ingredients that might upset a tiger's stomach.

Supernaturals didn't need to eat, but he didn't know if that was true for monsters from the tower.

'I wonder if she'll ever return to her normal self....'

In reality, Nikolai had been ignoring his phone because Ryan had contacted him several times for monster hunts and nests, but he couldn't accept it because of what Ryan's father had done. 'I can't ignore it forever...'

"Are you alright?" Selene asked in a concerned tone as the pair sat down. They watched the Djinn chef cook their meals, his tentacles using blades, scissors and other tools in front of him, making them appear to move like snakes.

"Yeah, I've just been thinking... I have a lot of stuff I need to deal with."

Selene reached out, stroking the top of his hand. "Don't hold it all in, okay?"

"I won't. Don't worry." Nikolai gave her a reassuring smile, his thumb rubbing the back of her palm. "It's about Ryan, you know... his father did that to me."

Her face looked dark for a moment, her eyes narrowed, and her body trembled before she lifted the corner of her lips and said, "I understand. Do you want to meet him? Nikita and I can help you if you want."

'She's really stating to change...'

Nikolai realised that since he had come clean and stopped hiding things, their relationship had progressed faster and became more stable.

"I hope you can—it will really help me."

"Haha... so funny."

"What?"

"I just never thought the day you relied on me would come... it makes me feel happy."

Nikolai didn't laugh or smile at this comment. He merely remained still for a few moments, squeezed her hands, and then let go and said, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, dear fiance."

While the two were lost in each other's gaze, the Djinn chef could only awkwardly smile while placing their food into separate, recyclable containers, each portion huge.

'These damn lovebirds... I have been single all my life!'

The djinn's eyes turned into a squint, and his lips flattened.

However, his eyes became softer when the cat yowled at him and stared at the fish curry.

'At least someone appreciates my hard efforts...'

He then dangled a large piece of yellow fish over the table, and the tiger leapt out and captured it in seconds, wolfing the meal down instantly before walking back to Selene with her tail raised and a victorious aura.

After taking their food, finally, after a long day, Nikolai and Selene headed home.