Marceline's heart clenched the moment she saw the giant white wolf shed some tears. She didn't want to sympathize with her but for some unknown reason, Marceline could feel Stella's pain and sadness.
When Stella was starting to disappear from her sight, Marceline had the urge to call her. She felt like stopping Stella from leaving.
However, her pride restrained her from doing so. In the end, she just let Stella vanish from her view. At that certain moment, the stabbing pain and suffocation she felt a while ago came back, making her weak.
'I… I can't breathe…' Marceline was losing oxygen.
Stella was long gone. She could no longer see her in her subconscious. Just like Stella, she felt alone in that dark and cold water.
'Is this my end? I still want to see Kira and my grandpa…'
Just when she was about to lose consciousness, someone jumped into the water. After a few seconds, she felt a hand grabbing her weak body, pulling her up.
Everything happened so fast that Marceline didn't know whether she was dreaming or not.
'Is he Kira? But his scent… is very different. I could smell blood in him.'
In her half-conscious mind, Marceline could still smell his masculine scent with a mix of blood, that's why she was certain that a man rescued her from drowning.
She was being carried by a stranger, putting her down on the riverbank. Marceline forced her eyes to open for her to see the man who saved her.
Raindrops were pouring on Marceline's face and body making her vision a little bit blurry but she caught a glimpse of his red eyes and his silver hair.
'He has the same scarlet eyes as Kira… but his hair color is metallic silver. He is a vampire…' Marceline thought to herself before completely passing out in front of her savior.
The man standing at the riverbank was undeniably gorgeous. The cold demeanor of the man added to his sex appeal. He was as tall as Kira with a height of six feet and three inches. He had a great physique like a typical warrior and fighter in those action movies.
The man with silver hair was looking at Marceline intently. He just so happened to pass by in that area. Then he noticed someone struggling under the water.
He was surprised that he bothered to save a mere human from drowning. Typically, he was not the kind of man who would help a stranger, unless the person in need was a vampire.
But for some unknown reason, he felt like he was being pulled by the water so he didn't hesitate to jump and rescue the stranger… A beautiful stranger. But this man would never admit that. 'Who cares if she's beautiful?'
The man frowned, feeling annoyed as he realized that he was soaking wet, drenched by both raindrops and river water.
"Sigh! What a big hassle," the man murmured to himself as he fixed his clothes.
Then he moved his gaze back to Marceline who was still lying unconscious on the ground. He was contemplating what he would do to her.
*Ringtone Playing*
The sound of his ringtone resounded, catching his attention. Fortunately, his phone was waterproof. It was still working after it got wet when he jumped into the water to save Marceline.
He simply answered the caller with a simple "Hmm?"
"General Raizel! Finally! I am able to contact you. Where are you?" The man on the other line was feeling delighted when their Leader finally answered his call.
"I'm here now in the Golden City. Why?" Raizel replied, but his eyes were still focused on Marceline.
"Lady Victoria is flying here as well next week! She will be glad to know that you are back." The vampire who was currently talking to Raizel was the Branch Leader assigned in the Golden City.
"Okay. So why did you call me?" Raizel asked him directly. He was in a hurry to end the call.
"Something bad happened tonight! I just want to inform you that the Patriarch of the Zhou Family was rushed and admitted to the hospital. He is still in critical condition."
Raizel fell silent for a moment. Roland Zhou, former head gatekeeper of the Northern Gate Portal was his ally. This was indeed a piece of bad news for him.
"Several weeks ago, he kept contacting the main headquarters, asking for your whereabouts. I think he had something urgent to tell you. But no one could reach you at that time."
Raizel felt intrigued as to why Roland Zhou was looking for him. "What happened to him? I gave you a task to protect the Zhou Patriarch and monitor their members. How could this happen?" Raizel raised his voice.
He was now furious at the incompetence of the branch leader. Roland Zhou was an important ally! They couldn't afford to lose him. The vampire clan needed him and the Zhou Family!
"As far as I know, he has an illness. It's a complication in the heart. He underwent surgery and it went well. However, his body is so weak. They can't guarantee that he will survive this. He is under monitoring."
"I'll go and visit him." He simply responded. Raizel's expression darkened. Roland Zhou must not die! If the situation would get worse, Raizel already thought of a plan on how to keep the Zhou Patriarch alive.
"Anyway. What are you doing tonight?" Raizel asked the Branch Leader.
"We are hunting right now, our Lord! I mobilized one team and they found a werewolf family. They are about to assassinate those werewolves."
"Good. Keep it up." He simply commended the team. "One more thing before I hang up… Don't tell Victoria that I'm already here in the Golden City." Raizel planned on surprising Victoria.
"Yes, my Lord. I will not tell Lady Victoria."
"Good. Now, continue your hunt! Kill them all. That's an order!"
"Yes, My Lord! We will!"
After giving his final order, Raizel ended the call. He glanced at Marceline one last time and said, "I already did my part. It's on you now. Stay Alive."
Raizel immediately left Marceline to visit the Zhou Patriarch. Marceline was just a stranger to him so he didn't care if she would live or die.
Unknown to him, the woman he left was the beloved granddaughter of his ally, Roland Zhou… She's the woman Grandpa Roland wanted him to protect.