Chapter 23 The Winter Hunt (1)

Nighttime.

People often imagine this time of the day to be the period where Vampires were the most active. And for a certain period in history, that was definitely the case. Due to the inquisition from the Holy Church and the active prosecution from Elves, Humans and Werewolves, Vampires loved to move under cover of darkness.

However, in the modern-day, that reality has changed somewhat. While there are definitely many Vampires that lived during the night, a significant portion took this time to rest and recover from the long day.

Particularly for the members of the Everwinter House, where everything was covered in snow and ice. With no one to hunt them down, the Vampires of the Everwinter House didn’t need to hide under cover of darkness. Not to mention, the Outer Demons didn’t care about the time of day. They could emerge from the Gate and wreak havoc on the peaceful population at any given moment.

And thus, many members of the Everwinter House greatly enjoyed their hibernation at night. In fact, many of them use this time to do other nightly activities…

“Argh! Argh! Argh!!!”

Loud, sultry moans echoed within Irina’s bedroom. The young woman herself was pinned down on the bed while giving me a full view of her snowy-white neck. As my fangs sunk deeper into her immaculate flesh, the sounds coming out of her mouth got even louder. Blood flowed directly from her veins and into my hungry mouth. Even the beads of red fluids that rushed to the bed weren’t spared from my insatiable thirst.

With my newly awakened Telekinesis skill, not a single drop of Irina’s scrumptious blood was wasted. Like a hungry lion, I relished in the sweetness of Irina’s red fluids and continued sucking as if my entire life depended on it.

On the other hand, Irina was simply enjoying the ecstasy that came with my blood-sucking. Wrapping her legs around my waist, the girl rubbed our nether regions together as if she were instigating something unholy. However, I was simply too focused on the task at hand to decipher my little sister’s intentions.

And it wasn’t until fifteen minutes later that my mouth finally let go of Irina’s pale white flesh.

I looked down at the young kitten, whose entire body was now laid bare for my viewing pleasure. Donned in a white strapless bra and tight high-cut panties, the girl revealed over ninety percent of her flawless skin. Combined with her blushing face and sweating pheromones, it really was an enticing treat to behold.

In the beginning, Irina used to wear a nightgown, albeit a revealing one, whenever we had our nightly eating sessions.

However, as the days went by, Irina switched from loosely worn nightgowns to just sleeping in her underwear. Her rationale for the switch was that our intense tugging when feeding caused the elasticity of her nightgowns to be worn down. Therefore, from a cost perspective, it made sense to just wear her underwear when we went to bed.

And while I didn’t think that a wealthy heiress like her needed to care for finances, I relented as she said that sleeping in her underwear would make her more comfortable as well.

I did, however, stop her suggestion of sleeping completely naked. While that might be the most comfortable for her, I didn’t want to change my location to Alabama just yet.

“Irina… This is your punishment for keeping information from me.”

“Ye-Yesh…” Seemingly intoxicated, the young girl’s face flushed red as she struggled to keep her senses sane. “P-Please, can I eat now?”

“No,” I decisively answered. As much as I was tempted to fulfil my adorable sister’s wishes, I came onto this bed intending to punish her. If I gave in right now, that would defeat my purpose. “You should have told me about the Winter Hunt. Did you really think I would let you go to that dangerous place alone?”

“N-No…”

I looked down at her glazing wintry-grey eyes, which seemed to be drifting in and out from consciousness. To tempt her, I had fully removed my shirt, revealing the entire upper part of my body. After being with Irina for a month, I knew how fascinated she was with my body, particularly how muscular it had become.

In her own words, just looking at my broad chest and firmly built abdomen was enough of a treat for Irina. However, I didn’t want to satisfy her desires just yet. I needed to make sure that she got the message.

“The Winter Hunt is something the Matriarch has ordered you to attend, right?”

“Yes…”

“And you said that other than Variel and Luminita, you have no real allies in the Everwinter House.”

“Yes…”

“So why are you thinking of attending this event alone?”

I had a right to be worried. According to Irina, the Winter Hunt was an annual festival where the members of the Everwinter House loosened the seal on the Northern Pole Gate to prevent potential overflowing. During that one time a year, the Vampires of the Noble Clan would gather their top forces and launch a counter-attack on the Outer Demons that attacked.

Of course, since the Winter Hunt had been ongoing for centuries, the Everwinter House had perfected the method by which they fought. Through the use of modern weapons and innovative magical tools, the Outer Demons could be contained even without any external help from the clan members.

However, the Everwinter House was a hegemonic power for a reason. Rather than letting modern weaponry do everything, they purposefully let some Outer Demons run free, giving the younger generation a chance to train and show their worth. Truth be told, it was an ingenious idea. With one stone, they could discipline their Blood Servant army, give their younger True Vampires experience with fighting Outer Demons and, as a consequence, grow their skills. And they could even weed out those who were simply not up to par.

Irina, already being an heir-in-training, didn’t need to prove herself in the slightest. Rather, the purpose of her attending the Winter Hunt was more ceremonial than not. The most that she would do was attend and maybe participate in a battle or two.

However, it didn’t seem wise to let Irina go by herself on this occasion.

“You said that your relationship with the Everwinters isn’t good, right? And that many don’t like the fact that you’re an heir-in-training. So wouldn’t you be targeted if you went alone?”

“That won’t happen… Variel made sure of it…”

“Yes, maybe there won’t be a pre-planned attack. However, God knows what would happen if a random heir feels like it would be a prime opportunity to eliminate one of their opposition.”

“That…”

Irina’s red face quickly turned ashen. As a blood member of the Everwinter House, she knew better than me how scheming her relatives could be. According to what I understand about the Winter Hunt, there would be a certain point where Irina would have to wander off to acquire ‘points’ by eliminating Outer Demons.

While she was under close surveillance, vigilance alone couldn’t deter an attack. However, if I was there…

“Let me accompany you, Irina.”

I raised my hand and tenderly stroked her plump, white cheeks. I smiled and reassured her with the most loving eyes I could use.

“You’ve seen how far I’ve grown. I can protect you now. I know that I’m still weak, and I can’t defeat the older True Vampires, but I can at least be your meat shield.”

“No! It’s too dangerous!!!”

The white-haired beauty immediately leapt into my arms and threw me backwards onto the bed. She ignored my intention to punish her and moved to instantly pin me down, mounting me in the process. In the void of her eyes, I could see a plethora of emotions rising.

Fear, anxiety, longing…

Even without her words and tears, I could tell the mental turmoil that she was put under.

“I’d just gotten you back, Brother! How can I expose you to danger?! I would rather die than let you become my meat shield!!!”

“Irina…”

I could understand her worries. I really could. However…

“Irina, just like how you care for me, I too care for you.”

My soft, yet powerful words, seemingly sent a shiver down my younger sister’s spine. As evidence, the girl froze on the spot above me as her eyes locked on mine.

“We’d just reunited. Did you really think that I would stand by as you dove headfirst into trouble?”

“N-No…”

“And if anything were to happen to you, do you think the Everwinter House would simply keep me around?”

“T-That!!!”

It was a viable worry to have. Although the Everwinter House has been accommodating towards my parents and me, the moment something happened to Irina, all of that courtesy would evaporate away. Even the Blood Servants, who would put up with my antics, would simply toss me aside like I was a sack of garbage.

So, on a selfish level, Irina’s safety equates to my own safety.

“See? So it’s in everyone’s best interest for me to join the Winter Hunt with you.”

“Brother…”

The girl was clearly torn. On the one hand, she knew that my arguments made sense. However, emotionally speaking, she didn’t want to subject me to any form of danger. And while the Winter Hunt was highly regulated, there was no guarantee that no danger would fall on any of us.

Looks like this little girl needs one more push…

“How about this? If you agree to my request, I’ll lift the ban… You will be able to drink as much blood as you want.”

“T-That!!!”

Irina’s face instantly flushed red. After controlling her bloodlust the entire night, my words seemed sweeter than honey.

“How about it?”

“… fine, I’ll agree to it this once.” Finally, after numerous minutes of persuasion, the girl relented to my humble request. “However, you have to stay by my side at all times! You can’t move alone, can’t wander off alone, and definitely, can’t talk to anyone! Especially the other women of the clan!”

That’s a bit excessive, isn’t it? Still, I wasn’t in the position to argue. If Irina felt like the women of the clan were dangerous, there must be a good reason. Besides, I’d already gotten what I wanted.

“Hehe, there’s my adorable little sister.”

Turning my frown into a smile, I playfully poked Irina’s nose. However, the girl didn’t seem to be in the mood to play. Instead, her gorgeous wintry-grey eyes were firmly affixed to the space between my neck and shoulder.

“You sure are an impatient one…”

I turned my face to the side and exposed Irina’s favourite part of my body. Almost instantly, her eyes glowed crimson red as saliva began dripping from her exposed fangs. Like a predator ready to strike, the young woman hungrily brought her mouth down towards me.

“Thanks for the meal!!!”

???

“Brother… Brother… You’re not awake, right?”

I whispered twice, just to make sure that the man that laid on my bed was truly knocked out. It was only after seeing his lack of reactions did I finally breathe a sigh of relief. I removed the blanket that covered both of us and carefully examined the top half of my Brother’s body.

When he was in his weakened state, my Brother wasn’t able to grow to his maximum size and was most definitely unable to build his body up. Now, however, my Brother has grown almost thirty centimetres, with every part of his body turning more and more divine.

As I touched the hard, sweaty muscles that my Brother had built up, I couldn’t help but compare it to ancient marble, which wouldn’t erode even after a thousand years. If there was a competition for men to determine who had the best body, I was confident that my Brother would win hands-down.

“He really has grown…”

I smiled happily as I observed every inch of his sleeping body. I was fortunate. My Brother finished his growth without any issues and had safely awakened his Aspect. He was even becoming stronger every single day. In fact, I would say that his combat ability already rivals many elite True Vampires his age. If he continues this trajectory, it wouldn’t be long before he even surpasses me!

No one could have guessed that the once bedridden cripple would have risen this quickly. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Even back then, my Brother was already much more skilled than the four of us combined. If it wasn’t for that fucking Outer Demon, he might have already become one of humanity’s top Hunter by now.

“Hehe, and he said that he will protect me!”

I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered his chivalric face just before we slept. He really was like the Brother I’d met fifteen years ago. So confident… So handsome… So resolved…

That’s why I fell in love with you!

“Still… The Winter Hunt is going to be too dangerous… What if one of those old grandmothers sees how impressive he is and tries to devour him for themselves?!”

The concept of monogamy was non-existent in the Everwinter House. As long as you are powerful enough, you can get all the husbands or wives you want. And while I did have some protection, if my Brother caught the eye of an Elder, it wouldn’t be strange for them to kidnap him just for a night of debaucherous fun.

I can’t let that happen! I have to protect my Brother’s chastity!

Speaking of which…

“It’s time to have some examinations…”

After a full day of extensive training and a satisfying feast, my Brother was now in a deep sleep. According to my one month of lying by his side, I knew full well that once he was in this state, he would likely be knocked out until morning came.

Which gave me the perfect opportunity to ‘check’ his actual growth.

“Gulp… It really is big…”

I lifted up his pyjamas pants, and almost instantly, I felt a knot being stuck in my throat. Just as how he had grown to his full height, his member had grown tremendously as well. And even though it wasn’t erect, it was already as large as my hand.

Imagine what it would look like if he were fully aroused and ready to plunge me into oblivion…

“N-No, it’s still too early! If we rush things, it might actually do more harm!!!”

I quickly shook away the dirty thoughts that came into my mind. Although my Brother has mostly recovered, there’s still that little bit of doubt. Before I could actually seal the deal, I would need confirmation from the Matriarch. And the earliest I could meet her again was right after the Winter Hunt.

“But still… Just a taste would be fine… right?”

Yeah, that makes sense! I’m not doing anything to return his soul yet; I’m just checking his growth!

Yeap! That is what I’m doing! Nothing wrong there!

As I continued to convince myself, I found my head going down to his pants. My panting got heavier and my face hotter. It wasn’t long until my lips were just centimetres away from tasting gold. The rich musk of his nether regions engulfed my senses, and I could feel all of my logical thoughts blanking out.

What happened after… I will seal it in the darkest regions of my memory.