John's POV
"I thought you went to fight," Jessica said, arms crossed, staring at the half-dead girl on the bed like I'd dragged home a stray cat.
Not an entirely wrong assumption.
"I did. And I saved her. Same way I did you," I shot back, cutting off whatever lecture she was gearing up for.
Spending time in other worlds mellowed me out a bit. Made me more… approachable.
Jessica narrowed her eyes but switched lanes. "She looks like crap."
"Yeah, well, turning into a vampire mid-kidnapping isn't exactly a spa day," I muttered, grabbing a bottle, popping the cap, and tilting it to the girl's lips.
Jessica frowned. "What's that?"
"Magic juice," I said, ignoring the judgment radiating off her as I poured.
The girl drank instinctively, throat working, eyes fluttering open. Then, like a pro, she snatched the bottle from my hands and finished it off in one go. Respect.
A beat passed before she muttered, barely above a whisper, "…It was sweet."
I met her gaze. "Only for you."
Her eyes sharpened, suspicion creeping in.
Jessica folded her arms. "That was blood, wasn't it?"
I didn't blink. "Yep."
"You had a bottle of blood just ready to go?"
"Yep."
"…Why?"
I set the empty bottle down. "Because I knew we'd need it."
After Westeros, I had plenty.
I leaned in slightly. "Name?"
Silence.
Patience wasn't a stat I invested in. I grabbed her shoulder, gave it a light shake. "Name?"
A mumble. "S… Sophia Evans…"
"Age?"
"Nineteen."
"Guardian?"
She hesitated. Too long.
"Dead."
Mm. Lying. But okay. Not my problem right now.
"Alright, Sophia. You won't be needing blood for a bit. Get some rest. Enjoy your new roommate."
I turned to leave, but Jessica, of course, wasn't done. "What do I do?"
"Nothing. Just keep an eye on her. Like we did for you. Get to know each other. Oh, and don't let any anti-vampire crap near her."
She squinted. "Like what?"
"Garlic, silver, crosses, wooden stakes you know, the classics. Basically, if Van Helsing would use it, don't let it near her."
Jessica let out a long-suffering sigh, like I'd asked her to babysit a nuclear warhead. "And if she needs blood?"
"Give it to her."
As I stepped out, she called after me, "And where the hell am I supposed to get blood?"
"Inside you," I shot back.
Still, I tossed another bottle on the table. Just in case.
…Damn, I'm getting soft. Too many rescue missions messing with my head. First Jessica, now her.
Maybe it's the similarities in our situations that make me hesitate, make me lean towards keeping them alive.
But let's not get it twisted I haven't lost control. If the moment called for it, I could end them all in a second. No hesitation. No regret.
I let out a slow breath.
This whole mess confirmed something the plot of Blade is mostly going to happen.
Which means we're probably looking at La Magra. Big-shot vampire god.
My memory on him is fuzzy. Wasn't he supposed to be responsible for Dracula or some crap? Or was that just fan theories? Either way, I'm not about to let some bloodsucker cult roll the dice and summon anything with the word "god" in its title.
While he eventually lost in movie but In a multiverse where literally anything is possible, where the same person can end up with the same or similar powers through a dozen different paths, I'm not putting my faith in any single version of events.
Maybe this version wins. Maybe he's even worse than the one I remember.
I'm not betting on Blade to handle it.
And knowing my luck, if I slack off, we'll probably end up with V-Day in the history books of this universe. So yeah, I'm getting involved.
Still not in the mood to be the world's saviour or anything, but if some bloodsucker cult is gearing up to summon a vampire god, I'd rather shut that down before we hit apocalypse mode.
I don't know why, but thinking about an apocalypse makes my brain short-circuit to some Busujima .
You know… those—
Cough cough.
Anyway. Where was I?
Right. Need to stay sharp. Best way to stop these lunatics? Keep an eye on the prey so I can hunt the hunter.