4. Hot Blood

Jay's wild hands provoked Ruby into submission. The target was to make Ruby sigh and surrender to looking up, thus opening up Jay's path even more.

Ruby couldn't help but feel the pleasure of those touches.

Memories of the hardships her clan had gone through came flooding back. The wolf cubs are afraid whenever humans are strangers. The herd worked extra hard, missed their prey, and faced humans who often caused commotion. Ruby poured out a little of her hidden strength, pushing Jay inside while continuing to crush.

What's wrong with this woman? She wouldn't budge, Jay thought. His adrenaline increased, and he was challenged to turn things around. Jay's hand skillfully slipped between Ruby's thighs, creating the effect of fluttering butterfly wings on her stomach.

Jay didn't waste this opportunity. He succeeded in stuffing his mouth into Ruby's neck while lifting the girl's body and throwing her straight onto the bed. However, Jay also fell helplessly.

Nightshade coursed through the vampire's frozen veins, paralyzing his general consciousness until dawn. Ruby pulled her nails from the nape of Jay's neck. It's easy to lose the weight of an adult man. Ruby can use two hundred percent of her power now.

"Ah damn, my lips are numb," Ruby grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her cynical glance was directed at Jay, who was lying on her back.

“You do that with lots of women?” Ruby raised Jay's arm. “I will break your insolent hands!”

Flashbacks of that intimacy washed over Ruby again. She was stunned. What happened a few minutes ago gave rise to mixed feelings. It was unbelievable; she let the vampire man freely explore every point of her body. Come to think of it, herself did the same thing. Contributes to heating the tension, mercilessly controlling Jay.

Jay's arm was thrown roughly and landed on his chest.

“You are lucky, Silly Vampire. So that you know, I will use my grace as a queen. Consider it a sign of apology. Then we break even," said Ruby in her monologue.

Reluctant to waste time, Ruby tied her hair in a ponytail. The hem of the dress was parted at thigh level; Ruby then sat on Jay's thigh. This position made it easier for her to search.

 "Well, let's get to work."

Ruby reached into Jay’s trouser pocket, which wasn't the only one. Car keys, unimportant papers, shopping receipts, five pieces of change, folded dollars, mouth-watering red candy thrown in all directions.

“Why is he keeping rubbish? This vampire beats the mothers' pockets. Where the hell is his cell phone?” Ruby grumbled.

Ruby checked around. She jumped up, grabbed Jay's coat hanging in the drawer, and managed to get the cell phone. Ruby jogged over to Jay, pressing the man's fingerprints onto him fingerprint.

Cellphone access opens, widening a winning smile. Ruby's fingers scrolled across the screen, fiddling with Jay's personal social media accounts and giggling repeatedly against

Jay's hilarious photos. There is a pose like a swimming duck.

Snap pictures with random items, for example, gold spoons, glasses wine, and even apples that have been bitten. Ruby needed help understanding where this tacky idea came from. He should copy the influencer even though excellent photo tips are scattered online. In this case, his efforts to adapt to the times could be much easier. The proof is that Jay's ancient vibe is sticking strong.

"Oh?"

The scroll ends on an old-fashioned but genuinely warm post. Ruby's teasing expression disappeared—a portrait of children holding various musical instruments. The

writing in the corner picture is almost blurred.

Orphan Odyssey, 1924.

With the photo caption, Jay added caption: finished diary.

The black-and-white nuances arise not because of the filter but are as authentic as old fog and white spots. The children seemed to enjoy traveling in the caravan. Ruby guessed which boy was Jayden Gavian. Wait, Ruby doubted he was using his real name. It's a shared secret that vampires like to change identities at will.

Ruby squinted, moving the phone screen forward. “Is that you, little brat?”

Ruby pointed at the bowl-haired boy holding the trumpet.

"It doesn't seem like it, is this it?"

Her index finger slid to the right at the boy playing the trumpet, left at the tall saxophone holder, and top, middle, at the boy holding the drum. Ruby chuckled confusedly. Sadly, Ruby finds it challenging to find a boy who looks like Jay or at least has the same aura.

The only person with a strong aura was the older man. He sat in the middle of the bottom.

“Is this photo fake? It could be that Jay uploaded photos to support his story." Ruby fluffed her hair. “Why am I bothering about this? Okay, time to make some noise," she said, smiling at herself in the mirror.

Ruby's stance limited her grip strength.

Prang! With one punch, the glass cracked, and Ruby was satisfied with the human result. She managed not to crush all the glass. She untied herself, ruffling her hair.

A small bag containing rabbit blood that was safely hidden behind her bra was finally used. The temple and the cracked glass were covered in a red, fishy-smelling liquid.

The last step could be more precise. Ruby positioned her head as if sleeping on her side on the dressing table while one arm was held straight and clamped on the side that was stained with blood. She also took photos of the cracked glass; remember the chaos there. Shey offers to help as a photographer, but Ruby refuses because having someone else is too risky to leave traces.

Violent material is ready to be uploaded to Jay's account on the website Vousme.

“Let's create a scenario of a rich drunk man. Umm… and super jerk, selfish, shameless, stupid.”

“Thanks to you, Miss Crystal, I had such a memorable experience. Your blood is my passion. Your hospital bill is only a quarter of our date's cost. I'm sure you're addicted."

After uploading, Ruby threw the cell phone under the bed. "Your history is finished," she quipped, glancing at Jay.

***

The bullet's whistling faintly hit the earlobe, gradually hardening. The balcony glass collapsed. Ruby stared wide-eyed at being hit by a fifty-seven-millimeter-long bullet. Suddenly, she rolled her body and changed shape.

The jet-black wolf with blue eyes jumped onto the bed. One of her hind legs stomped Jay until he fell onto the tiles. Countless strands of rope descended. Dozens of people in riot control uniform, all in black, swung themselves and rushed in.

"What is this? Are they Jay's security team?”

Ruby peered intently at the eyeballs one by one behind the helmet. All of them had clear, lively brown eyes. Her gaze fell to their chest, shoulders, and stomach, which moved with the rhythm of their breath. They breathe.

"That's right! A vampire asking for human protection? Impossible."

Their monkey-soled shoes stepped on broken glass. Crackling broke Ruby's focus. Her eyeballs scanned them as they began to form an arc. Rifles and ballistic batons were brandished. Where exactly will they start from?

The row in the middle was split in two.

The Riot leader took off his helmet. Completely grizzle hair contrasts with his straight posture.

“Why are there ugly monsters here? Don't many legends say that vampires and wolf monsters are enemies? Where is that vampire boy?” the leader asked in surprise, studying Ruby.

Ruby's neck twisted slightly, ensuring Jay's position was safe. However, she tried her best to be as inconspicuous as possible.

“Jemma, do you think this animal attacked Jayden Gavian?” One of the troops, who sounded like the right hand, stepped forward a little. His body bent when he spoke to the leader, even though his way of speaking sounded familiar.

“Vampire egos are higher than you think, Michael. They are clever. Even if Jay loses, he might run away. He must not die in the hands of the other party. We have to stab him in the heart," stressed Jemma.

It was a big mistake, and who are you to decide someone's life and death? Ruby wanted to rebuke, but all that came out was a growl.

Jemma's fierce grunt was full of regret. He squeezed the white hair that grew as it was.

"What should we do?"

“Curb around, Jay isn't far yet,” Jemma instructed.

“What about the woman he was seen with when he came in?”

"It's his food, idiot. Do not turn other things. Let's go!”

"Wait, what about this monster?" Jemma used to clear traces and had various doubts.

"Just leave it. Don't destroy the food chain.” Jemma turned around, and the Riot troops' footsteps followed suit.

Wait.

Jemma's eyelids prevented her from taking a step forward. He faced Ruby again. The second time, the focus shifted to the fiery red ruby necklace.

What do you see?

“He is not an ordinary monster. There is a large energy trapped in the necklace," said Jemma.

“Paralyze it and take the necklace."

"Ready!"

Damn!

The wolf's howl answered the baton's clink. But Ruby kicked them, moving the pump gun on the left flank. Shots went wild in all directions. The shooters fell instantly when the mighty weight of the wolves stepped on their chests. The rest kept trying to shoot Ruby.

Wolves' dodging speed is not as fast as vampires. Moreover, the room is narrow. Many times, the bullets missed. It wasn't until Ruby squeaked three times that the bullet penetrated her skin. It is not sure which organ the object is lodged in. The fact that Ruby could break their legs and arms meant the pain was tolerable. She just needed to make sure the bullets didn't get lodged in vital points.

The last riflemen screamed. The helmet was crushed by Ruby's foot while the queen bit the owner. One of Michael's shoulders was lacerated. Ruby swore she wanted to spit. But seeing the stick troops retreating in fear, Ruby tried to enjoy it.

"Help …! Jemma, please!” Michael groaned.

Jemma ignored his friend. He called out to the team, most holding sticks with trembling limbs.

“Why are you guys retreating? Attack and paralyze, I'll take the necklace!" Jemma snapped.

Michael's arm is severed. His screams rose to the sky, and the others took a deep breath. Ruby threw Michael off the balcony, and his body then fell free.

“Bastard wolf!” Jemma fumed, brandishing a rifle that was much different from her squad.

Not thinking much, Jemma pulled the trigger. The 7n6 type bullet casing, which is said to be poisonous, shot straight towards Ruby's heart. He only had time to shift. The space at the tip makes it easier for the bullet to penetrate the area below the collarbone. The wolf's roar was shrill. The gunpowder contained in the bullet causes a burning sensation. Penetrates the torn skin, then spreads to all body tissues.

Before Ruby collapsed on the bed, Jemma grabbed the ballistic stick. Her black shoes rested on the edge of the bed. A hard blow was delivered to the wolf queen's head. Ruby collapsed, and Jemma immediately pulled out the necklace.

“At least we got something today. "I'll use it as motivation to stop those vampires from doing stupid things with the gases they create."

The Riot troops left Ruby, who had been struggling to wake up on the verge of consciousness. Her girlish form appeared after they left, tears in her eyes that made no sound other than growling against the pain.

Ruby's face was red with anger, darker than the blood on her temples.Those greedy humans stole his most valuable possessions. The ruby necklace can absorb lunar energy from every red full moon. Throughout her wanderings in the world, Ruby thought her mother asked her friend, the moon, to send gifts of light and strength. The moon and ruby pendant always mediate endless love, which never has a shape. Now, through what did the moon convey her mother's warm message?

Even howling, Ruby was suffocated even though the white blanket covered with blood was the only thing that wrapped around her body. Ruby bit her lip, her palm covering the bleeding, and tried to hold back the spasm while leaning back, half sitting.

Life.

She determined that he had to survive. Her ambition to seize the necklace flared up, so Ruby's fingers tore the hole where the aim had been.

“Aaaargh!”

 Ruby grabbed the bullet casing, took it out, then threw it away. Her eyes closed for a moment, shaking with aches and pains. Tears and snorts turned to Jay. She was swearing crammed into the base of her throat.

“Imagine if what you brought today was an innocent girl. Imagine how many times more danger you have caused her. You are the worst, Jayden Gavian.”

Ruby's teeth gritted. She hated her little heart, telling her to suppress her emotions and realizing that her current position was less fortunate. Tomorrow dawns, the influence of seeds nightshade

disappeared, and Jay would be the first to see Ruby's condition.

Someone you can ask for help. Surviving is not an option but a must. Ruby didn't want to die stupidly at the hands of that cruel human. There was a small moan as Ruby rolled over with the blanket, landing her head on Jay's arm. Jay was not breathing. The heartbeat was dead. But Ruby's gaze softened as if finding life in the peaceful expression of the fast-asleep man.

“You're lucky,” Ruby whispered, “I saved you tonight. So save me when dawn comes.”

***

Birds chirped around the towering trees, and the bushes rustled under the stamp of frantic running feet. Glenn, Haris, and Barlie split up through the forest.

“Shey and Thom are here!” shouted Barlie.

Glenn and Haris immediately joined them at the place where the two lovebirds were found.

“Hey! Hey! Get up!" Glenn patted Thom.

It was Shey who noticed the noise around her. She groaned and was helped by Haris to sit down.

“Shey, are you okay? Can you walk? We have to stay away from the forest!”

Shey massaged her head. "What is it? What happened?" Shey asked hoarsely.

"The police are spreading out in the forest; it looks like they are looking for someone's traces," explained Haris in a hurry.

"Again and again? Gosh, Ruby has to make it!” complained Shey.

Haris crouched his back to Shey. “Well, get on my shoulders quickly.”

"Okay."

On the other hand, Thomas was as pale as a living corpse—the ends of his front hair sticking out turned limp from cold sweat.

"What do we do with him?" Barlie needed clarification.

“Damn this brat!” snorted Glenn.

He couldn't help but carry the eighty-kilo man on one shoulder, like carrying a sack of rice. They were about to rush, but it was too late.

“Hey, you guys there! Stop!" shouted the police's stern voice.

“Don't run,” Glenn said, “just act normal. Nothing happens. We don't know anything.”

   The series of curse sentences repeated for the umpteenth time.