Chapter 205: Blood and Ashes

The campfire crackled softly, casting dancing shadows across the small clearing. The scent of roasted meat hung in the air—Ignis’s latest catch, spitted and cooked to perfection over the flames. She tore into it with single-minded enthusiasm, grease dripping down her chin, utterly oblivious to the tension radiating from the two figures seated across from her.

Adam sat with his elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Lilith had just finished her explanation—the tavern, the men, the soldiers, the vampire. Her tone had been light, almost dismissive, as if she had merely described a pleasant afternoon stroll rather than a massacre.

"So... that’s what happened," Adam said slowly, lifting his head. His crimson eyes were wide, caught somewhere between disbelief and exasperation. "You killed them. All of them."

Lilith shrugged, her smile serene. "They were in my way."

"Lilith..." Adam’s voice was strained. "I asked you to wait. I specifically said—"

"You took too long." Lilith’s chin lifted, a hint of petulance creeping into her voice. "I was bored. And they were annoying."

"You were bored?! So you massacred an entire garrison?!" Adam’s hands shot out, grabbing her shoulders. His voice rose, incredulous. "Are you insane?!"

Lilith’s serene mask cracked slightly. A flush crept up her pale cheeks—not from shame, but from something closer to indignation. "Ehh... it’s your fault for being late! And I wasn’t bored, I was... lonely." She crossed her arms, turning her face away. "Why are you blaming me?"

"Because you’re wrong!" Adam shook her gently, exasperation bleeding into every word. "And who gets bored and decides to slaughter a bunch of humans?!"

Lilith’s eyes flicked back to him, defiant. "Me."

Adam opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

No words came.

He let out a long, defeated sigh, his grip on her shoulders loosening. His head dropped forward, forehead nearly touching her collarbone.

"Hahhh..." The sound was heavy, exhausted. "Let’s just hope no one traces this back to us. It’s not that I’m afraid of them, but..." He lifted his head, meeting her crimson gaze. "Elise is already in a difficult position. I don’t want to make things worse for her because of our actions."

Lilith’s expression shifted. Her eyes, sharp and knowing, studied his face with an intensity that made Adam’s skin prickle.

"Hmm..." Her voice was soft, almost a purr. "You’re getting quite close to her, aren’t you?"

Adam blinked. "What? No. Not really." He released her shoulders, leaning back. "I just don’t want to cause her more trouble. That’s all."

Lilith’s smile returned, but it was different now—smaller, sharper. "Adam, you shouldn’t lie. I could taste someone else’s kiss on your lips."

Adam froze. His eyes went wide. "What? You can taste that? How is that possible?"

Lilith’s gaze didn’t waver. Her fingers drifted to her own lips, as if savoring the memory.

"Adam... lying is not good."

Adam’s throat went dry. He could see it in her eyes—that dangerous glint, the quiet possessiveness that simmered beneath her calm surface. His mind raced, searching for an escape, an excuse, anything.

"That’s... that’s just your imagination," he said quickly. "You’re imagining things."

Lilith’s smile widened. She didn’t believe him. He could see it in the way her eyes narrowed, in the way her threads twitched around her fingers.

Before she could respond, a voice cut through the tension.

"That was my kiss with Adam!"

Ignis had stopped eating. Her face was flushed—whether from the heat of the fire or something else, it was hard to tell. She clutched the half-eaten meat in her hands, her gaze fixed on Lilith with a mixture of defiance and embarrassment.

"So don’t bring it up, Lilith." Her voice wavered slightly, but she held her ground. "It’s... it’s private."

Adam stared at her. Then, internally, a wave of relief washed over him.

’Nice one, Ignis.’

He hadn’t expected her to confess—hadn’t even considered that she might. But there it was, hanging in the air between them, and for once, the attention was no longer solely on him.

Lilith’s eyes shifted to Ignis. Her expression was guarded—caught somewhere between surprise and something colder.

"I see," she murmured. "So it was you."

Ignis’s flush deepened. She tore off a piece of meat with her teeth, chewing aggressively, as if that would somehow end the conversation.

Adam cleared his throat. "Anyway. Moving on." He glanced at the bound figure slumped against a tree a few feet away. "What are we going to do with her?"

Isolde’s pale blue eyes, dim and exhausted, lifted to meet his. Her lips were dry, cracked, still stained with the hunger that Ignis’s meal had awakened. She said nothing. She had nothing left to say.

Lilith’s smile returned, slow and satisfied.

"That," she said, "is a very good question."

Lilith rose gracefully from her spot by the fire, her movements fluid and unhurried. She crossed the small clearing toward the bound vampire, each step deliberate, predatory. Isolde’s pale blue eyes tracked her approach, wide and exhausted, her body too weak to flinch.

"We could eat her," Lilith said casually, stopping before the trembling figure. She tilted her head, studying Isolde like a merchant appraising goods. "I heard she’s a pureblood vampire. That must be very beneficial for you, Adam."

Ignis looked up from her meal, grease still shining on her lips. Her eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "Ehh? That sounds like delicious meat. Are we going to eat her?"

Isolde’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her dry throat constricted. ’What kind of monsters are these...?’ Her thoughts spiraled, panicked. ’That sneaky spider looks at me like prey. And the horned woman... she has the aura of a dragon. And that man... he has an even more terrifying presence... They’re insane.... I’m going to be eaten...’

Adam watched the vampire from across the fire. His crimson eyes studied her—the tangled white hair, the gaunt cheeks, the way she trembled despite her obvious age and power.

’Hmm,’ he thought, his gaze softening slightly. ’She looks like a child when you really look at her.’ He tilted his head. ’And a vampire. I’m curious what I’d get from consuming her, but...’ His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ’I’m more curious about the information she has.’

He leaned back, crossing his arms.

"Not yet," he said aloud. "We don’t know enough about her. Eating her now would be wasteful."

Lilith pouted. "Wasteful? Information can be extracted from her mind before consumption."

"Maybe." Adam’s voice was firm. "But I want to hear what she has to say first. While she’s still... coherent."

Isolde’s gaze flickered between them—hope and terror warring in her pale eyes.

Adam met her gaze directly. "What’s your name?"

The vampire’s lips parted. No sound came out at first. She swallowed, forcing the words past her dry throat.

"Isolde..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Isolde Draven."

Adam nodded slowly. "Isolde. Why did you let yourself be captured?"

Silence stretched between them. The fire crackled. Ignis took another bite of her meal, watching the exchange with curious eyes.

Lilith’s threads twitched around her fingers, impatient.

Isolde’s gaze dropped to the ground. Her voice, when it came, was hollow.

"Because I wanted to die."

Lilith’s crimson eyes gleamed with dark delight. "Then we’ll be happy to grant your wish."

She raised her hand, threads already curling around her fingers—

Flick.

Adam’s fingers snapped against her forehead.

"Ow!" Lilith stumbled back, both hands flying to the reddening spot on her brow. Her usual serene composure shattered into a pout. "What was that for?!"

Behind her, Ignis burst out laughing—a loud, unguarded sound that echoed through the clearing.

"Hahaha! Your face—!"

Lilith spun around, her eyes narrowing. Her hands shot out before Ignis could react, fingers pinching both of the dragon’s cheeks and stretching them sideways.

"Eeet—! Leego—!" Ignis’s words came out garbled, her face distorted, her earlier laughter reduced to muffled protests.

Lilith’s smile returned, sharp and satisfied. "You think you can laugh at me?"

Adam ignored the byplay, his crimson gaze fixed on the bound vampire. His voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it.

"Why?"

Isolde’s pale blue eyes blazed with sudden fury—the first real emotion she had shown since they found her. Her voice, still weak, cracked with barely contained rage.

"Because of those humans!" Her hands, still bound, clenched into fists. "They murdered my students. Slaughtered them like animals. Children—they were just children—and those bastards didn’t even blink."

Her chest heaved. Tears, bright and bitter, welled in her eyes but did not fall.

"I trained them. Raised them. They were... they were mine." Her voice broke. "And now they’re gone. Because of a war I wanted no part of. Because of a king who decided that anything different deserves to die."

The fire crackled. The silence stretched.

Ignis stopped struggling. Lilith’s hands fell away from her cheeks. Both of them stared at the weeping vampire.

Adam’s expression didn’t change. But something behind his eyes shifted—a flicker of understanding, perhaps, or recognition.

"You wanted to die," he said slowly, "because you have nothing left to live for."