123 You don't have to suffer

Crack! Crack! Crack!

With a warm smile, Ian listens to the sound of her bone snapping as he bends her slender fingers toward the back of her hand. When he didn't hear a single scream, he looks at her with an unsatisfied frown. 

Her teeth punch into her lower lip as her face twists in pain. Blood trickles down from her lips. Pain induces a haze in her mind. She doesn't dare to open her mouth to breath lest a painful cry escapes her mouth. She squeezes her eyes and lowers her head, sinking into the chair. 

\"What is this?\" Ian looks at her awkwardly bent fingers. \"You are not healing.\"

Breathing hard, she opens her dark eyes. She can't even move her fingers. Her lips aren't healing either. She meets his questioning gaze with confusion. What is happening to her? Is she going to die? Why Fu Sheng isn't here yet? Can't he feel her pain?

\"Tsk!\" Ian tilts his head with disinterest. They already know that Huang Qiuyan is not like other vampire-zombies. She's still important because she's different. She's also the true mate of the vampire king. If they manage to kill her, he will also die. \"You are already dying. This is neither like the old converts or the new vampire zombies. When did you drink blood last time?\"

Huang Qiuyan purses her lips and glares at him. There's no way that she's opening her mouth even once.

\"Quite stubborn.\" Ian grabs her foot with a sigh, \"Huang Qiuyan, your skin is growing stiff. Your nails are almost black.\"

Sick! Huang Qiuyan turns her head to the right. This man is disgusting. She would rather die than sleep with him. This is her limit. She looks deep within her mind to find the bond. In the mist inside her mind, she can't seem to find it. The bond is there, yet it feels out of reach. She screams her mate's name in her head, hoping that her voice will reach him. Fu Sheng will come back for her. She winces when Ian's hand traverses to her thigh. No! She can't bear it anymore. It's better to die than…

He pulls his hands away. Huang Qiuyan finds her breath and eyes him. Ian stares at her with a thoughtful look on his face. She gulps down. What is this man planning now? He isn't likely to stop.

\"If I didn't smell the scent of a corpse from you, I wouldn't mind bedding you before you die.\" He tells her with a nonchalant voice, \"Sleeping with you is akin to sleeping with a dead human, but I cannot deny that you are still beautiful. It can't be helped. Vampires are sexual creatures. Let's have fun in another way since you won't speak.\"

After seeing Ian's lecherous grin, Huang Qiuyan pales. If she opens her mouth once, she's sure that she won't be able to stop crying. 

She's dying anyway. He's no longer worried about Fu Sheng. But the vampire-zombies are a big issue. Since the purebloods have broken the barrier around the headquarters, the pressure of breaking into the purebloods' castle from the junior hunters have been high. In addition to that, her bright eyes are rather annoying. If she doesn't speak up, he might spoon those eyes out.

However, she doesn't answer him. It seems that the pain is not enough. He hates to do this to these beautiful creatures. But they never leave him a choice. 

The wisp of red smoke coils around her toes. Huang Qiuyan curls her toes, snivelling as the wisp of the red smoke becomes tighter; blood seeps out of the flesh as the red smoke turns as sharp as an iron wire. A low agonized cry escapes her mouth when the red smoke separates her toes from her feet. 

\"What should we do next?\" Ian sneers at her. It's no fun. Her reactions are boring. \"You are still waiting for Fu Sheng to save you. Then, can he come before your death, Yan'er?\"

***

In the forest, Fu Sheng halts in his tracks. Something is making him uneasy. Though the thirst has decreased in the bond, it's lacking emotions as if Huang Qiuyan isn't alive. Is she falling into the darkness again? He touches the barrier around her mind, hoping to sense something. He can't feel anything from her side. The bond is growing fainter between them.

\"Is something wrong?\" Sung Na-Mi asks Fu Sheng with a frown. In an entire way, Fu Sheng stopped many times. Hesitation and worry are clear on his face. She doesn't understand what is going on. Is he feeling sick? They are close enough to see the energies coagulating near the gate. 

\"I have to go back.\" Breaking this deal will cost him a lot, but he cannot ignore the emptiness growing in the bond anymore. Though he trusts his people with Huang Qiuyan, there's something not right with her. Everything was fine before he left. What could have happened to her now? Would she change her mind and leave him again? Even if it was like that, she wouldn't be becoming hollow. \"I apologize for this, but I need to go back. Han and Lei will accompany you.\"

\"Fu Sheng.\" She steps forward, irritated by his sudden change. \"We are only ten minutes away from the gate.\"

\"Did something happen to Fu Mian, your majesty?\" Lei asks his king with concern in his eyes. His king isn't someone who would go back on his word like this. Only a few things can drive the vampire king to the edges. 

\"Not Fu Mian.\" Fu Sheng presses his palm on his chest. The bond is almost gone. Is she on the verge of death? \"It's Huang Qiuyan. I must go back now.\"

Not waiting for Sung Na-Mi to refute his decision, he darts away from the others with only Huang Qiuyan in his mind.