Silence echoes through the entire ballroom and banquet hall, each guest in attendance waiting for Master's reaction. He seems unaffected, as he casually brushes a strand of ashen grey hair from Alvena's face. Master is controlling his heart rate, but the beat is a little off compared to his usual self.

"Make sure you fuck her hard tonight. Teach her a lesson to stop complaining about every little thing," Kern bites out. Everyone knew, he is purposely spiting Master. "But don't be too rough, she's only a human. But even if you do, you can easily replace her. She's only a mistress."

I glance at Alvena whose face flushes a deep red. She guiltily removes her hand away from Master's sleeve and curls in her chair, trying to take up as little space as possible, as if she isn't small enough. She is trying to suppress her tears, but they seem to be on the brink of spilling out. If one tear even falls out because of his words, I will personally dismember him after castrating him first.

But my attention shifts to Master who places his napkin cloth down to the left of his plate. He stands and towers over the human sitting next to him and offers a toothy grin when she finally looks up. This somehow gets her to return a weak smile. If only she knew what that means, I'm sure she would smile more. Not only is Master boasting with his fangs, he is trying to impress her. Vampires do that to attract mates. And tonight, Master intends to do so.

Mistaking Master's sudden display as a challenge, Kern's fangs appear too as he lets out a snarl—only to be ignored.

"I want you to watch, Alvena," Master says gently as he removes his gold cufflinks and rolls up his sleeves a few inches above his wrist. "This is my first gift to you."

With his graceful walk, he weaves through the obstacles and stops ten feet in front of Kern. The enemy excitedly holds his poisoned blade in one hand with full confidence. In a split second, two shadows clash across the ballroom floor.

The thunderous collision caused by their inhuman speed not only surprises some guests, but also blows out the main candles lighting the scene. The servants rush to light them. By the time they do, both nobles are in their original places; however, unlike my unscathed master, Kern's clothes show signs of tear.

From Master's claws, fresh blood drips. Kern lets out a growl before getting ready to lunge, but is startled when my master kicks him from behind and forces him to kneel. A pained cry reverberates through the room as Master's extended nails dig mercilessly into his exposed neck and pulls out his clavicle. With one hand, the injured vampire reaches to cover his wound, and with the other, swings violently in a full spin. My master dodges with ease before driving another kick to the front this time. The blow he delivers earns an unpleasant cracking sound from Kern's knee. He howls in pain, falling to the floor and holding his leg in place while waiting for his regenerative skills to work its magic.

Master gives him time to heal as he simply stands from his position and looks down.

"To your earlier question: I do not oppose your methods at all." Master is behind him once more. Placing his left foot on Kern's back, he tightens his hold on the opposing party's arms and pulls. Throw two dislocated shoulders onto the list. Another piercing cry echoes through the hallway.

The guests remain silent as they watch. Alvena, though possibly horrified, keeps a serious expression and continues to watch.

"I, Aleksandar Nikolaj Dietrich, shall also honor the Blood Moon," Master's voice roars. His voice rings in my ears for a few seconds longer because of the proximity. I pity the front tables. They must be temporarily deaf by now.

With an effortless yank, Lord Kern's entire left arm detaches from his body. Abundant amounts of blood stain the glossy marble floors as the helpless noble squirms on the floor in pain. Master tosses the extra arm and clavicle to Master Niles who's reaction of mixed surprise and disgust causes Master Liam to let out a controlled laugh. If he wasn't in front of an audience, I am sure he will be laughing for a while. But mindful of the guests surrounding him, he waits no longer to toss the two body components back in the middle of the ballroom. True to his nature, Master Liam doesn't leave the two detachments alone until he lights them on fire.

When a limb or two is removed, it takes time to heal—that is, if you leave the part in place. However, if the body part is burnt or destroyed to an unrecoverable state, the only option is wait for a new one to regrow. Even for high noble vampires, regrowing a limb is a multi-year and unpleasant process.

Not wanting to perform anything too grotesque in front of his human, Master decides to leave Kern alone and instead steps to the main stage. There is really no need when he already has the attention of every being in the room, but he does so anyways.

"I apologize for the lack of better entertainment. But it is midnight and I wish to retire for now. Thank you all for attending and please enjoy the rest of the night." Master walks down casually as he nods at Uncle Dietrich, cueing him to take care of the rest.

I stand proudly as he passes me while escorting Alvena away. Morwenna returns to her usual composure, knowing well that Master has restored her dignity. We make eye contact and I crack an awkward smile in which she doesn't reject.

The last of my strength I use to take a few steps forward. The excruciating pain from my acid burnt back is reluctant to subside. A foreign throbbing in my head intensifies as I become more aware of it. The unfocused line of vision returns as I try to keep my balance. I close my eyes to relieve the dizzy spell, but force them open before I give in to the urge to sleep. I grit my teeth as I take another step, but little did I know that my body can be so disobedient. Instead of bringing me forward, my muscles tense and foreshadow my collapse.

Before I reach the marble floor, a warm cloth falls over my shoulders as my feet are lifted from the ground. I wince when a hand presses against my back, but the pain does not linger when coolness radiates through the cape. We begin walking and I let my arms rest.

Managing to flutter my eyes open slightly, a silhouette of a tall man with dark hair come into view.

"I can take Evelyn."

London?

The vampire holding me does not let me down, only shaking his head. In a young and certain voice, he replies. "Allow me."

The voice does not belong to a familiar face. I shift to get away, struggling greatly with the first step of opening my eyes again.

"Stay still. You won't get in trouble," he assures as he continues to walk.

Still as a statue I stay. After all, I can't disobey Master Lucien.