Forbidden Exotic Bond: The Obsessive6 Vampire’s Prey

Our fate is the red thread that strangled each other in our past life. We forgot to untangle it when we were reborn, and now it coils around our throats once more. Too loose, and I fear you will flee. Too tight, and I fear you will die. Hanging in this limbo, we kiss amid suffocation, and love amid oxygen deprivation.” ——Xiyuelis In the 28th century, the global order had long been rewritten. On the European continent, the Empire of Norseland stood as the world’s foremost superpower, its supremacy unchallenged. Equality was a foreign concept on this land. It was ruled jointly by seven ancient vampire clans, among which the Xiyue Clan reigned supreme at the very top, holding the highest authority of the empire. Immortal, powerful, elegant yet ruthless, they ranked status by bloodline and wielded power by family name. Even the most cutting‑edge technology and military forces existed only to serve these eternal aristocrats. Far away in the East, Asian blood was regarded by them as the most exquisite delicacy in existence. To secure survival, Asian nations paid annual tributes. Carefully selected young people were sent to the Empire of Norseland, to become sustenance and fine wine for the nobles. The Empire of Norseland had one infamous tradition: the Blood Moon. The Blood Moon appeared unpredictably, sometimes every few months, sometimes once a year. Whenever that scarlet moon hung in the night sky, the vampire nobles would launch their brutal hunting game. Every chosen Asian captive was forcibly sent to Devil’s Island — a lawless death trap cut off from the outside world. The vampire nobles took delight in chasing and hunting their prey, treating human flight and terror as the wildest entertainment of the Blood Moon night. No mercy. No escape. On the island, there were only hunters and prey. Tonight, the Blood Moon had come. The hunt had begun. In a cold, damp villa hall, a crowd of Asians huddled together, faces pale and bodies trembling. 15 14 13 With every number that ticked down, the air grew heavier with suffocation. Yun Wan cowered in the corner, her fingertips ice‑cold, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Was she really going to die here…? Yun Wan could still barely believe the person who had pushed her straight into hell was Qiao Ning, her childhood best friend. Qiao Ning had claimed she was injured and could not take a plane, asking Yun Wan to accompany her on an alternate route. Yun Wan had trusted her completely, following without the slightest suspicion. Blindfolded, smuggled across borders, trapped inside a pitch‑black cargo hold, she had finally arrived in the dreaded Empire of Norseland. There was no kindness here — only cold chains and fellow captives drowning in despair. Only now did she understand: Qiao Ning’s so‑called injury was merely a ploy to sell her as premium prey to vampire aristocrats. The hall echoed with stifled sobs and desperate gasps. No one dared to speak. All eyes were fixed on the giant electronic screen above the main door, where scarlet numbers counted down relentlessly. At the highest point of Devil’s Island, a lavish mansion blazed with lights. Numerous vampire nobles of Norseland gathered within. Cool crystal light fell over their tall, dignified figures. Exquisitely tailored dark gowns accentuated their strikingly handsome, otherworldly faces. A faint, cold fragrance hung in the air, mixed with the suppressed, blood‑thirsty aura of the undead. No one spoke, yet every pair of eyes burned with barely‑contained excitement, all locked onto the massive surveillance display on the wall. On the other side of the screen were the Asian captives about to be released. Endless centuries had grown tedious. Only the Blood Moon hunt on Devil’s Island could stir them to feverish thrill. The vivid, sweet scent of those Asians was tangible even through the screen — pure, tempting, the finest delicacy to awaken their hunger. The thought of chasing and hunting soon, feeding on the prey’s fear and racing heartbeat as their amusement, made every vampire in the mansion tense, excitement leaking from their gazes. They cared nothing for the captives’ lives, nor where they came from. To them, this was merely elite entertainment, held every few months or once a year. As the countdown numbers ticked lower, the atmosphere inside the mansion grew more frenzied. The red digits on the wall kept counting down coldly. 3 The air tightened. Every vampire noble in the mansion lifted their heads, fingers clenching, lips curling with restrained anticipation. Their irises flushed faint crimson. 2 Hunting instinct roared in their blood. Some rose slowly, straightening their cuffs, wearing cruel, eager smiles. 1 The entire Devil’s Island seemed to hold its breath. The electronic announcement rang out. The iron gates holding the captives crashed open. Low vampire laughter echoed. Figures vanished in a blink, leaving only a frigid gust of wind in their wake. Through the night, they gave chase after the fleeing Asians. The Blood Moon hung high. The game had officially started. Yun Wan scrambled for her life, stumbling into thick, deep underbrush by the roadside. She pressed herself against the cold, damp soil, not daring to move a muscle. Her heart thundered against her ribs, threatening to burst out of her chest. All she could hear was her own ragged breathing, mixed with the vampires’ mocking laughter in the distance and the shrill screams of the hunted. She clamped a hand over her mouth, refusing to make a single sound. Cold tears spilled down and splashed onto her knuckles. So this was how she would die. Grandma, Grandpa, I’m sorry. Betrayed by the person she trusted most, reduced to prey for vampires to toy with on Devil’s Island. There would be no miracle. No rescue. No chance to survive. A few steps away, a dark figure suddenly tackled an Asian man. Before he could even finish his scream, he was locked in cold, unyielding arms, his neck twisted at a fragile angle. Yun Wan watched helplessly as the vampire lowered his head, sharp fangs sinking into flesh. He struggled only briefly. His body drained of strength before her eyes, his face shifting from terror‑pale to ashen and withered. His warm frame grew cold by degrees. Only when the last drop of blood had been drained did the vampire release him, tossing the lifeless body aside like a used object. Yun Wan’s blood turned to ice. Her stomach churned, yet she bit down hard on her hand, stifling every whimper. So this was what death looked like. To be caught meant being drained into an empty husk. She huddled in the bushes, shaking violently, despair swallowing her whole. She would be next. Suddenly. A freezing finger clamped around her arm, gripping like an iron vice. Yun Wan’s cry died in her throat. She was roughly dragged out of the underbrush. “Ah… let go… it hurts…” She kicked and thrashed wildly, screaming and begging for mercy, yet the vampire before her only stared down at her, lips curving in cruel amusement. “What are you rambling about, little mouse?” His tone was light and vicious, delivered in fluent English, each syllable sharp and frigid beneath the Blood Moon’s glow. Yun Wan’s English was mediocre at best. In her paralysing terror, she could barely comprehend a full sentence. Only one word registered clearly in her mind. Mouse. To these vampires, they were not even human — merely scurrying little mice. He leaned down, his glinting fangs gleaming under the Blood Moon, drawing close to her neck. The stench of death washed over her. “No, please!” The instant his fangs were about to pierce her skin— Wooooosh— The deafening roar of a helicopter tore through the night sky, drowning out all screams and silence. Every creature on Devil’s Island froze mid‑action. The hunting vampires all halted, looking up toward the heavens. Beneath the Blood Moon, a pitch‑black, imposing helicopter descended slowly. Strong winds whipped up dead leaves and dust, weighing down the very air. The vampire who had grabbed Yun Wan jolted, letting go of her arm and turning toward the sky, wariness and panic flickering in his eyes. Yun Wan stood rigid, trembling, forgetting how to breathe. She had no idea who had arrived. All she knew was this sudden helicopter had bought her a temporary reprieve. Someone muttered in hushed astonishment. “Lord Xiyue? He has never cared for these trivial hunting games before.” “Right. He never even shows his face during Blood Moons. Why is he here on Devil’s Island today?” “Could it be for this year’s Asian tributes? Word says their blood is exceptionally sweet…” Yun Wan stood frozen, her ears ringing. The words blurred into a tangled mess; she could not catch a single coherent phrase. She only saw that the once‑arrogant vampires now bowed their heads, speaking with awe and bewilderment. She could not tell whom they were talking about, nor what they were saying. Seizing the vampire’s moment of distraction, she slipped away, hiding in denser foliage to watch the helicopter closely. At last, the helicopter’s rotors slowed to a stop, and the gale faded. The landing ladder clicked into place. A tall, imposing figure appeared in the cabin doorway. He was a man of breathtaking European features, so handsome it felt unreal. Silver‑white hair was stirred by the wind, a few strands brushing his sharp‑chiselled cheek, his skin pale as porcelain. Deep‑set eye sockets, a high straight nose, thin lips pressed into a cold, hard line. His jawline was sharp as ice‑carved sculpture. What stole the breath away were his eyes: pure crimson irises glowing with eerie fire beneath the Blood Moon, like two smouldering cold flames. Yun Wan estimated he stood nearly six‑feet‑three, broad‑shouldered and narrow‑waisted. She stared, stunned. How could anyone be so impossibly beautiful? In the next moment, he stepped forward, walking straight toward the vampire who had seized her. He wore an ankle‑length black trench coat with exquisite drape, sweeping behind him with every stride. The coat fell open to reveal a perfectly tailored black suit, no tie, collar slightly undone to expose a sliver of pale collarbone. He wore red‑soled leather shoes, each step firm and heavy.