"So, he's good?" No wonder he didn't harm me or Bevis, despite the circumstances. Remembering how intoxicating it felt to be so close to him last night, I couldn't help but smile. "Will he hypnotize me?"
Rion sneered darkly and shot back, "Have you fallen for him?"
"No, of course not! Haha... I'm just a bit jealous of his looks, that's all."
Rion didn't spare me any face. He poured me a glass of juice and pushed it toward me. "Look at that silly grin you had just now—clearly lovesick! When you were with him, did you ever think about kissing him? Did you feel like you were being caressed?"
I was startled to find my lips trembling. How did he know? Without saying a word, I picked up the juice and gulped it down.
Rion scoffed coldly, "If you did, then you're in trouble!"
My heart leapt to my throat. "Was I hypnotized? Is he going to bite me?"
"No, he can't hypnotize you. You have ancestral generations of fae blood in your veins. Vampires can't bewitch you. But if you let your guard down, they can easily take advantage. And if you fall in love with him... it won't just be hypnosis. You'll willingly stretch out your own neck and offer your blood for him to drink!"
"That's... terrifying!" I gasped, touching my neck, wishing I could encase it in steel.
"Love makes people lose their minds!" Rion smirked tauntingly. "It's obvious you're already heading down a dead end, so you need someone to save you."
"Well... I admit, I do like his looks a bit, but... saying I've fallen for him is a bit absurd. Haha, I'll get over it. Emotional games are a piece of cake for me!"
He seemed to doubt my ability to overcome this. "Bevis said you're quite naive. You've never even had a boyfriend!"
Damn Bevis! If he dares show his face, I'll slap him silly. That big-mouthed cousin of mine! Why are men these days more gossipy than women?!
"Not having a boyfriend doesn't mean no one's pursued me. I'm just afraid they wouldn't be able to handle my special abilities when I'm drunk. Mr. Rion, I suggest you watch your tone, or you'll regret mocking me!"
"Hmph!" He nodded. "I'm saying this because you need to undergo some emotional training. Vampires are experts at bewitching people, and you have no immunity to handsome men. So, this lesson is essential."
Yes, it was indeed essential. I didn't want to end up acting like I had a heart condition whenever I was with Lionel Albert, or worse, feel the urge to kiss him.
If I didn't adjust, I'd eventually fall for his devilishly charming smile, until I was drained dry, still blissfully unaware.
"Fine, I agree!"
Rion looked at me in surprise, leaning in to confirm in a low voice, "You... you agree to undergo emotional training?"
"Yes!" I nodded firmly. "Let's start now! Tell me your plan."
His starry eyes gleamed, a faint smile playing on his lips. "This... uh, can be done alongside other training. First, let's learn about the structure and immunity of vampires. It's essential theory—they are corpses with mysterious powers..."
See? Even the theory calls them "corpses." I always said vampires aren't human! That pretentious Baron Albert insists on calling himself a "blood clansman." What a joke.
Our training location shifted from the kitchen to the garden, then from the garden to the streets. It wasn't until we were on the streets that I realized we had already left Avion. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance, I realized we were in Paris.
Bevis and I had moved into one of the high-end villas in the eastern part of Paris.
In fact, Dene, Rion, and the two others who went on missions with Bevis all lived there.
The entire house was ivory white, with a garden full of exotic flowers and plants. The ground floor had a luxurious indoor swimming pool, a gym, an armory research room, and a massive parking lot for five cars.
The first floor had a living room, kitchen, wardrobe, two guest rooms, and a spacious balcony.
The second floor was reserved for Dene—his bedroom, study, meeting room, and a home theater.
The third floor had bedrooms for Rion, Bevis, and me, along with a shared study. The fourth-floor attic housed the bedrooms of two senior members I hadn't met yet—Amelia and Catherine. But judging by their names, they were probably beauties.
Dene, that sanctimonious hypocrite, wasn't actually the leader of Marcus. He was just the regional commander, overseeing all Marcus members in Europe. The Marcus Hospital was the regional headquarters and the entry point for new members, where they underwent a series of physical exams.
Naturally, I was knocked out by Rion, so I had no idea what the exams entailed!
I was being harassed by Albert, which was why Dene personally stepped in to handle the situation. Plus, Bevis was worried about me and asked him to take care of me.
For an ordinary new recruit like me, being able to see Dene's true face and live in the same building as him was like ascending to the seventh level of heaven.
The damn part was the so-called emotional training...
Rion threw me a huge challenge: "You need to seduce Dene and make him fall in love with you. That's how you succeed! Of course, the condition is that you can't fall for him. If you do, you fail the emotional training, and you'll be reassigned to the lower ranks. Seeing Bevis will become much harder."
I'm not a fool. I knew this was a setup, a threat, and a comprehensive test for new recruits.
Fine, it's just Dene, right?
I told myself I could definitely captivate him with my stunning beauty. The main reason was that I really didn't want to be sent to some unknown 'lower ranks' or be separated from Bevis.