As if deliberately challenging my sensitive nerves, he leaned closer to my ear. I wanted to stop him, but seeing his serious expression, I guessed he might have something important to say. However, he didn't seem to realize how intimate this posture was. To others, it probably looked like we were passionately kissing.
"Haven't you noticed how much Bevis knows about the vampire clan? He circled around Avion in just a few minutes—clearly, he's been trained!"
As he spoke, his breath brushed through the strands of hair on my neck, sending a tingling sensation that spread from my neck down to my spine. It felt like… a caress, a kiss, something so intoxicating it was impossible to resist. Eerily, his posture was so precise that he didn't even touch a single strand of my hair!
"Margie? You're not thinking about something inappropriate again, are you? Hey, are you even listening to me?" He seemed to be stifling a laugh.
"I heard you!"
Hearing my own clear voice, it suddenly dawned on me. Memories of last night's fight flashed through my mind.
Bevis had shielded me, saying, "Margie, listen to me. Take a deep breath, focus… and activate the blood within him!" Indeed, Bevis didn't just know about the vampire clan—he understood better than I did how to awaken the latent power within me.
Recalling the hospital the police had mentioned earlier that morning, I fell silent.
"Margie, what do you know?" The low, seductive voice by my ear resurfaced.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over me. I took a step back, creating distance between us, and calmly replied, "I don't know anything!"
Looking into his deep, shimmering blue eyes, I suddenly realized that this vampire baron wasn't following me to save me. He was after the unique powers Bevis and I possessed. Until I knew whether his intentions were good or evil, I couldn't tell him anything.
"Do you want to leave with me?" He turned, leaning against the car door, his head slightly lowered. His gaze became even more profound, and his auburn hair and blue suit shimmered eerily under the flashing police lights.
His eyes seemed to hold a hidden hunger. I could even sense that he needed to replenish his blood, and the surrounding police officers—including me—might become his prey.
Or perhaps I was misreading him. His gaze was filled with a menacing intensity, seeming more like he wanted to devour something. I had to be cautious. "I should go to the police station. Bevis will look for me there!"
"You just spent fifteen hours at the police station. I doubt you'd want to go back to that torturous place!"
"No… I want to go!" Staying there might be unpleasant, but there was no safer place than the police station!
He shrugged. "Alright, I hope Bevis finds you soon."
He drove off quickly, and I got into the police car. After sitting for just a minute, once the silver sports car was out of sight, I got out.
Slipping into an alley and making sure no one was following, I hailed a cab to the hospital where Bevis was being examined.
The Marcus Hospital building was ten times more magnificent than I had imagined. The dark green skyscraper was spotless and brilliantly lit.
Standing at the base, I had to crane my neck to see the top. The neon-lit night sky seemed to rest atop the building.
Doctors rushed past with emergency carts. I approached the reception desk. "Hello, I'd like to check my brother's medical records. His name is Bevis Bain. I want to know what illness he has."
"Age?" The nurse at the desk looked tense. She had just finished a phone call and seemed irritable. Her gaze as she scrutinized me was sharp and strange.
"28."
"He's a special case. His records aren't stored here. You'll need to go to the special cases records room on the 20th floor. There's an administrator on duty there."
What illness did Bevis have that required his records to be kept in the special cases archive? Looking at the nurse's unsettling expression, I simply said, "Thank you!" and headed for the elevator.
Suddenly, I noticed someone familiar had followed me in—Dene William!
There were eight people in the elevator: three in hospital gowns, two doctors, and one well-dressed man who seemed to be a patient's family member. Dene William, in his police uniform, stood at the front, radiating an invisible aura of pressure that made it impossible to ignore him.
He glanced at me through the mirror-like elevator wall. It was clear he had followed me here on purpose.
When the elevator reached the 20th floor, only three people remained. Dene suddenly turned to the well-dressed man and said, "This is Margie, Bevis's cousin."
"Look at her, like a bird that's escaped its cage. You really put her through the wringer in the interrogation room!"
Dene chuckled. "Don't say that. I didn't assault her!"
They acted as if I weren't there. As the elevator doors opened, I shoved them out. "You're following me?!"
I quickly pressed the close button, but in an instant, the well-dressed man was standing in front of me. Before I could scream, he covered my mouth.
In my panic, I saw a face with yellow-toned skin, strong yet gentle features, and bright, star-like eyes that sparkled with amusement. "Seeing you up close like this, I didn't expect you to be… quite the beauty! Nice to meet you. I'm Rion."
"I don't care about your name. Get lost!" I struck his abdomen hard.
"I didn't expect you to hit so hard. This is the first time I've been punched!" He clutched his stomach, doubling over in pain.
Dene was standing eerily behind him…
The elevator doors had clearly closed. How had he gotten in?
"What on earth are you?" My voice was sharper than I had ever heard it.
"We're just protecting you!" Dene William smiled. "You should rest. And don't hang around that vampire, or he'll hypnotize you. Eventually, you'll become a fang-bearing monster too!"