(Northern Region- Unknown Location)
(New Atlantic City)
Camilla's eyes widened in shock as she realised what she had just done.
The vampire whose body had just been impaled by the crimson spear began to cough out flecks of black blood.
He trembled violently as the life began to drain from his eyes. Camilla quickly snapped her fingers and the blood spear melted into the vampire's body.
It was fortunate that the crowd nearby had not noticed her sudden attack because most of their attention was focused on the scene in front of the vendor.
The unshaven vampire's heart had been shattered by the spear and his body began to slowly shrivel up into a lifeless husk.
Camilla's crimson eyes darkened, and she whispered a few words under her breath.
The corpse of the vampire began to walk towards a nearby alleyway with jerky movements as if it were a puppet marching to the tune of its master.
The beautiful female vampire looked down at her hands and then turned to glance at Mary.
Why the hell had she just done that?
The purpose of her foray into the city was to go incognito and blend in with the ordinary vampires to see what changes had happened to society.
Blood magic was a rare skill and would immediately let anyone who saw it know that she was a high-born vampire.
Camilla shuddered and the look in her eyes as she stared at Mary became a lot more cautious.
What had just happened could only be described as pure instinct.
Her body moved automatically to protect the young human... was this another trait of the Sun-born?
For the first time Camilla was tempted to kill Mary.
She was clearly raising a dangerous beast whose claws and fangs may one day turn on herself.
And yet...
As she stared at the hooded figure whose facial features were covered by a mask, Camilla could not bring herself to do what needed to be done.
With a heavy scowl she began to walk away without paying any attention to see if her human pet was following her.
Mary absentmindedly touched her shoulder and quickly walked behind her mistress.
She was quite shocked to see Camilla immediately stand up for her and it was making her mind race with useless thoughts.
Did the beautiful vampire care about her?
Or did she merely not like others to touch her property?
Mary let out a light sigh beneath the mask as she walked a bit faster so that she could be side by side with her mistress.
She would only get an answer with the passage of time.
"Please try a free sample!" a loud booming voice interrupted Mary's train of thought.
The young woman looked in the direction of the sound and saw the vendor pass the bowl of human blood to a vampire in the crowd.
The bloodthirsty fiend shrieked in delight and raised the bowl to his lips.
Just as the edge of the bowl was mere centimeters away from his lips... someone in the crowd slammed into his body.
A female vampire snatched the bowl from his grasp and took a small sip before someone punched her in the stomach.
She dropped the bowl and its contents scattered on the ground.
What happened next could only be described as... pure chaos.
The vampires in the crowd who were already agitated were now stoked into a blood frenzy.
The vendor had lost complete control of the event and was pushed away from the human male next to his stand.
Mary saw at least half a dozen vampires grab the human male and rip his body apart into chunks of flesh.
The crowd surged forward as they rushed towards the corpse of the human hoping for even a droplet of blood.
Some were even desperately licking the ground where the bowl had shattered. They looked like animals driven by nothing but thirst and desire.
"Come on..." Camilla hissed angrily as she grabbed Mary by the arm and pulled her away from the scene.
It was not a moment too soon because a loud siren blared out from the distance and several armored black vans drove down the road.
The doors of the vans swung open and over twenty security officers dressed in black combat gear with masks over their faces emerged from the vehicles.
They rushed towards the crowd and began to brutally beat the vampires using the batons and weapons held in their hands.
Camilla dragged Mary towards a building in the distance. The female vampire intentionally looked everywhere but in the direction of her pet human.
She was still confused about what had just happened earlier and did not know how to react.
Mary on the other hand appreciated the silence since she was also similarly feeling a bit lost.
Eventually the pair arrived at a seedy looking building with a sign over its entrance featuring the image of a black cat.
Lucky's Tavern.
Camilla suddenly grabbed Mary by the palm and led her inside the building. The first thing that Mary noticed was the stench.
The air was filled with the thick uncomfortable scent of heavy alcohol.
It was a scent that was incredibly familiar to this body since the original Mary's father had spent most of his days drinking and gambling.
Mary trembled slightly as several violent memories appeared in her mind.
The original Mary always remembered the trauma and physical abuse that she suffered whenever she smelled alcohol.
Camilla noticed that her human pet was shaking slightly but thought that it was because of the unfamiliar environment.
Taverns like these were an excellent source of both reliable information and nonsense gossip.
The trick was being able to tell which was which. Sometimes the stories told inside were a mixture of both.
The best tales always had an element of truth to them.
The inside of the tavern was much cleaner than Camilla had expected, and it was already quite full.
There were patrons lounging on the wooden chairs next to the tables or standing by the bar's counter making small talk with one another.
Attractive waiters and waitresses moved from table to table jotting down customers' orders and bring food and drinks.
The food was usually glasses filled with animal blood while the drinks were a variety of fine wine and expensive mead.
Vampires could not get drunk, but most appreciated the taste of alcohol since they were unable to consume normal human food.
Camilla's crimson eyes scanned the room and finally saw an empty table in the corner of the large hall.
She led Mary towards the table and then sat down while her human pet took the seat right next to her.
There was a brief moment of silence until Mary opened her mouth and broke the awkward atmosphere with a question.
"Um... mistress... you... why did you do that earlier?" Mary bravely asked as she looked at Camilla's facial expression for any change or hint at what she was thinking.
She was destined to be disappointed as Camilla maintained an expressionless mask as if she had not heard Mary's question.
It was only when a minute had passed did the female vampire respond to her human pet's unexpected question.
"I wanted to show my loyal dog how I protect you... you owe me now," Camilla finally spoke as she tapped the side of the table using her fingers.
"Never forget that you belong to me. I will never allow anyone to touch you whether they be human or vampire.
Camilla finished her reply with a stern warning as she leaned in closer until her face was mere inches away from Mary's mask.
"You will never take a lover because I should be the only one in your heart. Do I make myself clear?" Camilla darkly whispered.
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