Noble of the Night: Blood Oath

Chapter 9

"I've already taken care of your leave from school, so you can rest here for the day," an unwelcome voice suddenly interrupted, completely ruining Isabella’s escape plan.

It was Clyce. He had just returned from his jog.

"I... I should be going now," she stammered. Ugh, fate is against me! Why did he have to come back so quickly? Would he ever let her go?

"Why do you need to go back? Don’t like staying at my place?" As expected, Clyce had no intention of letting her leave so easily.

Isabella’s face scrunched up in frustration. "It’s nice here, really, very pretty and comfortable, but no matter how fancy the place, my own little doghouse still feels better." So, if he had any sense, he’d just let her go, and she could finally get home.

She really couldn’t understand it—why was this man so determined to keep her around? She didn’t have a stunning face or an amazing figure, so what exactly did he want from her?

"If you like your doghouse that much, you can go back and bring it here," Clyce unexpectedly compromised, though he still held firm on one condition: she had to live with him.

At his words, Isabella’s face flushed with anger. "Why do I have to do what you say?" Her dark Isabella eyes sparkled with a hint of silver.

Sure, she might not be as strong as him, but she was still a vampire. If she got angry enough, biting him wouldn’t be a problem.

She was going to show him that Isabella wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Clyce found her furious expression amusing. This woman never knew who was truly on her side. She always treated him like an enemy, but then again, their first encounter had been... memorable, to say the least. It had left her with a grudge that she couldn’t easily forget, and her hatred for him clearly still burned.

But none of that mattered to him. Whether she hated him or liked him, she would stay by his side.

Clyce’s lips curled into his signature smile—a mischievous, wicked grin that was unsettling to anyone who saw it.

Howard, observing this smile, felt alarm bells ringing in his mind. The young master was hopeless when it came to expressing his feelings. Instead of simply telling Isabella how he felt, he always resorted to extreme measures to keep her close. This approach might work for other matters, but not in relationships.

"If you don’t want your secret to be exposed, you’d better do as I say," Clyce warned, as Howard had anticipated.

At his words, Isabella’s expression shifted. Her teeth clenched so hard against her lips that they turned white. "Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘He who does evil will eventually face his own destruction’?" she snapped. People who blackmail others like this definitely deserve a good beating.

Howard glanced at Isabella’s angry face, growing increasingly worried. His earlier suspicions had been correct—the situation was escalating quickly, and it looked like she was really furious now.

Clyce looked at her, his wicked grin widening even more. "I don’t understand," he said mockingly, though he was only saying it to rile her up.

Her response came swiftly—a pillow flew straight at his face. "Go to hell!" she yelled.

Without waiting for another word, Isabella stormed toward the door, ignoring how wrinkled her clothes had become. "I’m leaving!" she declared.

"Be back by six," Clyce called after her with a mocking tone.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut with a forceful thud.

This round had clearly ended with Clyce as the victor.

"That jerk!" Isabella cursed through gritted teeth as she packed her things. "That scheming, opportunistic bastard!" If it weren’t for the fact that she really needed to graduate from Saint Delane, and with only a month and a half left until graduation, she would have fled to another country far from him.

She hated herself for being so weak, for complying with his demands. The thought that she still had to endure his presence for another month and a half weighed heavily on her heart.

But then again, maybe things weren’t all that bad. Living in his house meant they wouldn’t be sleeping too far apart at night. She could sneak into his room and drain him of blood to get back at him.

Yes, that’s what she’d do. Isabella’s mood lifted a little at the thought. Let’s see how the smug bastard liked being bitten by a vampire—he’d learn not to mess with her again!

Humming a little tune, Isabella continued packing her things, losing track of time. The hands of the clock had already crept past six.

As the evening darkened, the room grew dim, but Isabella didn’t bother turning on the lights.

Being a vampire did have its perks. The darker it got, the better she could see, just as if it were daytime. Not only did this save her the hassle of turning on lights, but it also helped conserve electricity—vampire life could be pretty convenient sometimes!

She often spent the night without turning on any lights, to the point where her neighbors thought the house was abandoned. Some elderly woman even warned her to stop keeping the place so dark, fearing that burglars might take advantage.

Burglars? Ha! She wasn’t worried at all. She was a vampire, after all. If anything, the intruders would have to worry about becoming her dinner, not the other way around!

With that thought, a playful smile tugged at Isabella’s lips as she continued packing, the frustrations from earlier slipping away.

As for Clyce’s order to be back by six, she couldn’t care less. He could say whatever he wanted—she hadn’t agreed to it. Let him stew in anger if he wanted to.

Night had fallen, and Isabella was still busy packing. She was so focused that she didn’t notice the dark shape hanging from the roof of her balcony, watching her every move.

Its gaze lingered especially on her pale, exposed neck.

---

"Master, we’ve got the information." Howard handed Clyce a file, his face brightening with a sense of relief. "It’s been confirmed—Ethan Dieter of the Dieter family has been hiding in London. He’s likely the one responsible for those cases."

Recently, a string of brutal murders had shocked London. The victims appeared to have been drained of blood, leading people to speculate about vampires. The case was becoming so high-profile that it threatened to expose the existence of the vampire race, so the clan had discreetly begun investigating. And now it seemed the culprit was indeed a fellow vampire.

"What do the elders say?" Clyce asked. The vampire clan had its own strict laws, just as humans did. The number one rule: nothing that could expose the existence of vampires was allowed. Ethan Dieter had clearly broken this law.

"The order is to deal with him on sight, though if captured alive, he can be brought back to the clan for judgment. But whoever catches him has full authority over his punishment."

Clyce took a sip of his coffee, his long lashes casting shadows over his silver eyes. "I see," he murmured, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous smile.

If that was the case, then there was no reason to hold back. Someone as selfish and reckless as Ethan, endangering the entire clan, deserved to be dealt with swiftly.

"Howard, what time is it?" Clyce glanced at the darkened sky outside, realizing it was getting late.

"It’s already half past seven, Master." Hmm? Wasn’t Isabella supposed to be back by six? Why hadn’t she returned yet?

"It’s that late already..." Clyce muttered, then quickly grabbed his coat and strode toward the door. "Howard, go to the garage and bring the car around. We’re going to pick her up."

If he didn’t personally go get her, that stubborn woman would probably delay until the last possible minute. He couldn’t understand what went through that genius brain of hers—didn’t she realize it was pointless to resist?

Shaking his head in exasperation, Clyce left the room.

Blood... he needed blood... his throat was parched, and it was time for a meal.