CHAPTER 18: Flowers

**ALICIA**

“Why did you stop?”

I caught my breath when Akihiro let go of me. He returned to his normal state after attempting to bite my neck and feed from my blood.

“I am serious about it. Just save Ross.”

“Let’s go to him first, and when he is alive, that’s the time I am going to collect what you owe me.” He said, walking passed me. He dropped the flower to the side and I could feel the disappointment in him.

“Did you prepare this?” I asked, feeling a bit guilty as I always argued with him, not noticing what he is doing for me. “You should stop giving me blue roses every occassion. You see, I don’t like blue roses.” I said, but a part of me was thankful he remembered me. Although, I wasn’t sure of his motives.

“Happy Birthday, Alicia.” He greeted me. I couldn’t see his face as I had my back on him while still staring at the food he prepared for me. “But, I don’t think you want to hear it from me. So, let’s go and save Ross. Think of it as my birthday gift.”

Akihiro…why? I cannot understand him. And, I cannot understand the guilt I am feeling. I guess this is what differs us. Yet, does he really not feel emotions? If not…how come he made this for me.

I followed him until we reached a two-storey house in the middle of the Woods of Dracula. It’s my first time in here…and I didn’t even know that there is some hidden house in this woods. From what I observed, the Woods of Dracula are in the center of the city connecting the university, the town, the mountain, and the private land that Kuran’s owned. There’s a lot of trails that seems to be going somewhere. It made curious, but I know it’s dangerous.

“What is this place?” I curiously asked.

“This is where we put our preys before killing them,” Hades replied.

Akihiro is quiet the whole time. Did I offend him? Does it mean he’s going to kill me now?

Ugh, Alicia. This isn’t the time for this.

“Oh, fuck!” I cursed upon entering the house. It smelled blood and corpse. When I looked around, it’s like there’s a feast only that they are drinking on human’s blood.

“Did you do this?” I accused Akihiro. “Seriously? You didn’t even bother sending this corpse to the cemetery…or wait, do you eat them—” I paused when Akihiro stopped. I bumped into his back as I slowly moved backward.

He turned to face me, now, he’s mad again. “They are vampires, temporarily dead, because your friend Ross feed on them. Now, do you want to clean them yourselves?”

I blinked. “You’re lying! Ross will never do such thing!”

“The Ross you know, yes, but the vampire Ross…” He smirked. “We’ll see to that.”

We stopped in front of a shelf. He pressed something and it opened as a door. There’s stairs, he started walking down and I followed him in the dark. I covered my mouth because of a nasty smell making me vomit. I felt like my whole stomach is turning especially when we entered the hallway and was welcomed by cell.

“Grrrr!” One of the vampires inside the cell roared as I passed by them until all of them tried to come near me. I walked straight, trying to ignore them.

“What are these? Why are you keeping them here?” I said, trying hard not to vomit. The vampires are still going wild until Akihiro snapped his fingers and they all turned into a good dog.

At the end of the hallway, there’s a room. He opened it. I saw Ross with his hands and feet tied up. It looks like he’s a board for a dart game. His whole face still have dark lines…and his clothes are full of blood.

“Oh, my gosh!” I covered my mouth as I ran to him. “Ross, can you hear me?”

He opened his eyes slowly. “A…li…cia….”

“I am here to save you now!” I said. “I am sorry for leaving you alone last night.”

“He’s strong.” Hades commended him. “I don’t know how but he still has his soul left. If it’s an ordinary human, he had probably turned into low-life and is now dead.”

“How am I going to save him? What’s going to happen to him? There has to be some way because I am not going to accept that he will die!”

“He was bitten by a vampire,” Akihiro explained. “If it’s a pureblood vampire, then it would be easy as he will turn into a vampire…but if it’s a half-blooded vampire, the bite is lethal and like a virus. He can survive…or die.”

“I don’t need an explanation. I need a way to save him.”

“We never tried saving such before. What do you expect, that we know how to save him?” Hades scoffed. “Akihiro is doing you a favor right now by but not killing him so you should—”

“My blood can save him.” Akihiro said.

“Are you crazy?” Hades replied. “If you use your blood, you are going to create an abomination. You aren’t just a pureblood. You are the descendant of the most power vampire!” Hades declined. “If you give him your blood, your grandfather will not sit tight. He will be the one to kill him.”

“Abomination?” I asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means your friend will become one of us.” Akihiro. “He will gain some powers and incredible strength that–”

“No! I will not let that happen and Ross will never agree on it! Find me another way!”

“Kill him.” Hades suggested. “That’s the only way.”

I shook my head. I cannot just accept that he is going to die. It wasn’t supposed to be like that.

Alicia, you have to think. How can you help him?

“Try my blood!” I suggested. “You said I am special. That those low-life vampires are drawn to my blood. You never try this before, but my blood can be cure for those low-life vampires so they —”

“Where did you hear that?” Akihiro eyed me. “Who told you? Did you read it in a book because you seem to be forgetting something? The low-life cannot have your blood because it will gain them power…enough to become an abomination. You don’t want to give me their blood…yet you—what the fuck! Alicia!”

There’s no turning back now…