Ethan didn't dare look directly at Ruby anymore.
He tried his best to force his mind to focus on counting and categorizing the decorative details of the magnificent crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
But that gradually became impossible!
The shimmering light reflecting back and forth across the chandelier's crystal pieces dazzled his eyes, making it impossible for him to think clearly.
In the end, Ethan had no choice but to face the reality right in front of him:
He - a sixteen-year-old boy, standing 1.78 meters tall - was being pressed against the door by a girl who was about five centimeters shorter and definitely lighter than him.
Normally, it was only naïve, innocent girls who got bullied like this by domineering "CEO-type" men. Ethan had never seen a boy forced into such an ironic situation like his own.
He just wanted to scream. He had no idea how to handle the situation at all!
Especially when seen up close, Ruby's appearance became even more stunning and radiant than ever.
Perhaps she didn't even need to use the magic in her voice - this appearance alone was enough to make human boys fall to their knees at her long, endless legs and offer her everything she desired.
As for Ethan…
If he had never met Autumn!
If he had never mistakenly drunk in that shimmering light within her beautiful brown eyes, nor ever been intoxicated by every tear, every smile, every breath scented like lilies…
…then perhaps he too would have willingly become a slave to a rose as beautiful yet covered in thorns like Ruby - just like so many teenage boys out there. And maybe, he would even feel lucky to have received her attention.
Ethan curled his lips into a faint smirk.
Just imagining it for a moment already made him hate that brainless version of himself.
"…You've always known what I want from you, haven't you, Ethan?"
Ruby once again used her enchanting voice. She had realized that relying on her beauty alone wasn't very effective against Ethan.
"I…"
Ethan stammered, unable to form a complete sentence under Ruby's sweet persuasion.
He tried to swallow. He wanted to give her an answer right away. But the pain from the Bloodbound mark made his throat feel dry, as if it were being pierced by thorns.
Piecing together information from recent incidents, Ethan realized that the bite Autumn had left on his neck functioned somewhat like a short-range Vampire tracking device.
However, he couldn't locate every Vampire - Royce, for example. He had a small hypothesis about this, but he wasn't entirely sure. He needed more time to observe before drawing any conclusions.
In general, tracking the Femme Fatale group was the easiest - Ethan only had to pay attention to the level of discomfort from the Bloodbound mark on his neck.
And it had to be said that Ethan had been trying very hard to endure the pain caused by that mark - ever since he stepped into the VIP dressing room for female students in the Grand Theater of Harmony High.
The pain he felt within the territory of the Femme Fatale group was even worse than when Autumn activated her Awakened state to attack Andrew The Detective. It was as if the mark was trying to remind him of something he had stubbornly ignored this whole time:
Run. Now.
Freedom was right outside…
Conveniently, right behind Ethan was the door to the VIP dressing room. The door wasn't even locked - he only needed to turn the handle slightly to escape Ruby's threat immediately.
Life and death were separated by nothing more than a single door.
So simple.
And yet… all Ethan wanted to do right now was punch himself in the face.
How many times today had he already felt the urge to run away like a coward?
And if he ran away alone…
…who would save Autumn?
Ethan turned his gaze toward Autumn. Her small body was hidden behind the back of the sofa.
But through her reflection in the mirror at the end of the room, Ethan knew that if he didn't make a decision quickly, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"Up here belongs to her."
Ethan said gloomily as he gently pushed Ruby away. His disgust was clear at the way she had been toying with his neck.
Right after that, Ethan raised his hand to rub the Bloodbound mark on his neck. He didn't want Ruby to leave any trace there. He didn't want any Vampire - except Autumn - to touch it.
"Hmph! What a pointless thing to say. Who would want to bite a spot already marked by another Vampire? That's just unhygienic!"
Ruby muttered defensively.
She was clearly unhappy about having to move away from Ethan's neck, yet she still put on a proud expression as she spoke about not sharing bite marks.
"Here!"
Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw Ethan extend his left wrist.
"But… I need to make sure you help Autumn first. Call your sister Celestia now."
Ethan quickly pulled both hands behind his back again. He refused to give in, because he couldn't fully trust Ruby.
And just like that, silence once again filled the room.
Only a few seconds had passed, yet to Ethan it felt like an eternity. Sweat began to form on his forehead. He was afraid that Ruby might change her mind - or start rambling again like before.
"Easy."
With a snap of Ruby's fingers, Yara immediately stepped forward and presented her with a sparkling, gem-studded phone case and a tablet.
"I also need to make sure you won't run away after I call Celestia. So we'll need to draft a contract."
"Fine. Just do it quickly for me!"
Ethan nodded immediately at Ruby's proposal. He couldn't let her drag this out any longer.
With Ethan's agreement, Ruby showed him an electronic contract displayed on the tablet screen.
It was a pre-written contract, looking quite clear and formal, with Party A - the blood donor - being him: Ethan Duong, and Party B - the blood recipient - being Ruby Nguyen.
The contract clearly stated the amount of BLOOD to be given and the deadline for fulfillment. The only problem was that the text was very small and the content was quite long. It seemed that anyone who had offered their blood to her before had also been required to sign this contract.
"Read it carefully, then hurry up and press your fingerprint and sign it for me."
After urging Ethan, Ruby called her sister Celestia and even put the call on speaker so he could clearly hear the conversation between the two sisters. He let out a sigh of relief when Celestia said that she, along with Summer and Spring, would come to Harmony High immediately.
With the most important matter almost settled, Ethan quickly skimmed through the contract's terms and didn't notice anything seriously wrong. Or at least, he hoped so!
By the time Ruby ended the call, Ethan had already placed his index finger onto the tablet screen.
That was it!
The deal was done, and now it was time for Ethan to pay the price!
"Come on! Your hand!"
Ethan hesitated for a brief moment at Ruby's command.
He couldn't help but feel that what he was about to do was a betrayal of Autumn.
Even though there was no contract or binding agreement between him and Autumn, deep down he had always known: he only wanted to belong to her alone, to offer his blood to her alone.
Was that the instinct of the Bloodbound?
Ethan suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of regret.
He had spent so many afternoons napping in Camellia's library, yet he had always hesitated to ask that all-knowing girl about the topic of Bloodbound and Masters.
Not to mention, there was always a book on the tea table in the library titled Bloodbound Mark - and Ethan had never even tried to check what was written inside it.
"Ethan…"
Ruby roughly grabbed Ethan's wrist, cutting off his train of thought.
"…I'm not like someone else. I heard that the very first time she ever drank human blood, she took as much as 1.5 liters from you, didn't she? I calculate the amount much better than she does. So don't be afraid."