"I'm serious," Noah said, his eyes fixed on her. "Do you want to sleep with me?"
Camilla froze.
That wasn't something she ever expected to hear from him.
For ten straight days, they'd been locked in the same space—eating together, training together, existing in the same relentless routine. At first, she'd considered escaping while he slept.
That idea died quickly.
Noah didn't sleep.
Even as a vampire, she needed rest. He didn't. While she struggled to keep her eyes open, he kept going—lifting, enduring, pushing himself further like some kind of machine.
By the fifth day, she'd already given up on escape.
And as time went on, something else changed.
His blood became… irresistible.
Richer. More potent.
Paired with his flawless appearance, it stirred thoughts she hadn't expected—impulsive, dangerous ones. More than once, she'd imagined pushing him down instead.
But imagining it and acting on it were two different things.
In her mind, Noah had become nothing more than a training-obsessed lunatic. The kind of guy who didn't care about anything else—not pleasure, not relationships, nothing.
A waste of a face like that.
And now?
Now he was suddenly asking this?
Camilla stared at him, trying to process it.
Had he finally snapped?
The gym was dim, lit only by scattered overhead lights.
Noah's gaze didn't waver. It moved slowly, deliberately—from her face downward, taking in every detail.
Camilla instinctively stepped back, her arms crossing in front of her.
"You—what's wrong with you?" she demanded, her cheeks flushing despite herself.
Noah tilted his head slightly. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
Just like that, he turned away, completely indifferent.
Ten days of nonstop strain had taken a toll—not on his body, but on his mind. The moment he thought about training again, irritation bubbled up.
He needed a break.
Didn't matter how.
He walked over to the corner, pulled on some clothes, and powered up his phone.
Missed calls flooded the screen.
He ignored all of them.
After a brief pause, he dialed a number.
"Hey, Gwen. It's me."
Across the city, Gwen Stacy shot upright in bed the second she heard his voice.
"Noah?! Where have you been?" she blurted out, unable to hide her excitement.
"I've been… busy," Noah said. "Pushed a little too hard. Figured I should take a break. Know anywhere fun to go?"
There was a beat of silence.
Then Gwen smiled.
"Are you asking me out?"
"Yeah," he said simply.
"Well… there's a movie playing right now. It's supposed to be really good. We could go together."
"Sounds good," Noah replied. "Tomorrow evening. Six o'clock. I'll pick you up."
"I'll be ready," Gwen said, already grinning.
Noah hung up.
Behind him, Camilla's expression had darkened.
"You just asked me that," she said flatly. "And now you're calling someone else?"
Noah didn't even look back. "Timing."
She scoffed. "And tomorrow? You're just leaving me here? Not worried I'll run? Or are you planning to chain me up first?"
"No need," Noah said calmly. "You're coming with me."
She blinked. "What?"
"If I so much as hear you step more than two hundred meters away from me…" His tone didn't change. "Your head explodes in about three seconds."
Silence.
For Noah, it was a simple calculation.
In a few days, his upgraded equipment would be ready. He wouldn't need Camilla—or even Peter—anymore.
At that point, whether she lived or died wouldn't matter much.
But letting her go now?
Too risky.
If she tried to run, he'd just kill her.
Camilla's eyes narrowed. "So this is a threat?"
Before she could react—
Crack.
The sound of tile shattering echoed through the room.
A gust of wind slammed into her.
And then—
He was behind her.
She didn't even see him move.
One second he was across the room.
The next, his hand had already closed around the back of her neck, lifting her off the ground like she weighed nothing.
"Not a threat," Noah said quietly. "A warning."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"Don't forget your position."
His other hand rose, resting lightly over her chest—right above her heart.
He didn't need to apply force.
She knew.
If he wanted to, he could tear straight through her.
"I spared you," he added, his voice calm but cold. "Don't push your luck."
Then, just as casually, he let her go.
Camilla stumbled back, her legs unsteady.
Cold sweat soaked her back as she stared at the floor.
From where Noah had been standing to where she'd been grabbed, the ground was fractured—dozens of cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.
Each one marked a step.
But she'd only heard a single sound.
Her breath hitched.
That speed…
Until now, Noah had focused almost entirely on strength. She'd assumed that was his main improvement.
She was wrong.
Compared to him, even Peter Parker looked slow now.
Across the room, Noah had already lost interest.
He stretched lazily, his body finally beginning to relax.
Then he yawned.
A few seconds later, he dropped onto the floor and—without hesitation—fell asleep.
For the second time since gaining his abilities.
Camilla stood there in silence, staring at him.
After everything she'd witnessed over the past ten days… the explosive growth, the inhuman endurance, the sheer pressure he radiated—
She exhaled slowly.
Escape was no longer a serious thought.
Not anymore.
Without a word, she walked over and switched off the lights, leaving the room in darkness.