Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride
Chapter 397 - 397: The Beautiful Skyline

Nikolai learned a horrible fact once again.

When a woman isn't ready for a special event, a man should find something to do for the next few hours. He sat outside the shared room of Amphitrite and Lunaria, who were both getting prepared for tonight's event.

Alexei betrayed him and left earlier to meet his wife.

'This is taking too long...'

He usually didn't have to wait because there was something to take care of or deal with while waiting for his women to get ready.

He didn't understand what took so long when all they were doing was changing clothes and putting on makeup. It shouldn't be this hard, right? However, he also remembered his mother's words of wisdom, never to doubt or rush a woman when preparing for something she looked forward to.

"Haa..."

He leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling.

There were no modern lights in the hallway, but several antique lamps lit it up. Lamps powered by magic crystals illuminated the hotel. They weren't as good as modern lights, but they did their job of creating a romantic atmosphere well.

He heard the door open. "Nikolai."

Nikolai turned his eyes towards the door.

That's when Amphitrite appeared, her pink hair... and shimmering blue eyes looked at him from below.

A small woman, but her bountiful chest looked stuffed into her elegant black dress that reached her knees and revealed a small part of her shoulders with lips painted red.

Nikolai stared at her, but he couldn't resist looking at her tits.

'Damn huge!'

Whoever carried out the research to fuse monsters into a perfected form loved big breasts, though they didn't look wrong; her body was a little thicker than most of his other women. A little extra flesh on her hips, thighs and stomach, not enough to be fat or chubby, but enough to be sensual and curvy...

"H-How do I look?" Her usual confident and teasing tone vanished, nervous and shaky, with eyes searching for Nikolai's true feelings.

"So amazing that I want to take you into my room and..."

"S-Stop!"

Amphitrite showed a rare blush, her cheek scales concealed using makeup, but Nikolai could see them shimmering with a deep blue shade, which meant the old mermaid was genuinely embarassed.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. Her usual smirk appeared. She looked down at her dress and adjusted it with her hands.

"Of course. It's only natural that I would look stunning in whatever I wear. Fufu."

That victorious laugh felt artificial, but Nikolai didn't say anything more. He offered a hand to the lovely mermaid, her hands silky soft, the skin of a mermaid a little wet with a unique fluid that helped them retain oxygen while out of the ocean or water. However, it didn't feel damp; it was soft and cool, like an ice pack.

"I think there's another person that wants to show you something, Master." Her voice hinted at Someone else in the room.

Nikolai understood who she meant, and he was also expectant to see what Lunaria chose to wear, her beautiful body a different type compared to the curvy and seductive Amphitrite, a tight, toned and slim body. The door opened again.

"..."

He was silent when he saw her.

Lunaria wore a white dress. She looked like an angel with snow white hair. She was taller than the mermaid but shorter than him. He couldn't help but gasp at her delicate face with a faint, natural style of makeup, no colour on her lips but a glossy sheen that made him want to kiss her.

She didn't hide her werewolf traits. Tonight was a masquerade party where people were encouraged to dress as monsters or add little things to their faces and bodies over the centuries.

Like mermaid scales or werewolf features.

"Luna..."

"A-Ah... does it look good on me Kai?"

Amphitrite, who hugged Nikolai's arm, couldn't help but think: 'At this rate, I don't stand a chance tonight.'

***

Nikolai didn't want to go to this event because he knew there were many people he had to watch out for. The danger to the women who came with him would increase the longer he stayed.

He couldn't fully trust Alaric, and Alexei seemed busy with his wife, though there was a different plan, trapped between two women that made his heart race, causing a few issues.

'Thank god the maids have managed to sneak into the villa...'

Because most of the staff for the event were temporary or part-time, the entire maid unit managed to enter different roles. Nikolai could identify them from their scent and the looks they gave when meeting him.

They all knew who their master was.

So tonight would be much better than he thought.

Nikolai wouldn't go hungry or without drinks before the opening act could finish. He needed to enjoy the party for a few hours at least before Alaric and his group would make their move.

Nikolai sat with Amphitrite and Lunaria on either side of him, sitting on comfortable chairs with soft pillows and elaborate and detailed designs.

The party was held outside in a large garden filled with exotic flowers and trees, perfectly trimmed grass, and water flowed in the small streams around the villa.

"So, how does it look?"

Nikolai looked to the horizon; the beautiful coastal mansion made him envious, and the deep blue sea in the background instantly became a romantic spot.

"It's a good place." Amphitrite's eyes looked at the sea, though her expression wasn't as happy as he expected.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. It's just that I am used to seeing the sea from under it... I haven't been on this side for so long... It's a bit nostalgic."

'Oh... she's a mermaid, how retarded am I?'

He almost forgot that the sea was home for a mermaid, and probably felt the same way he did when seeing his house, nothing too special, but not to the romantic vision he got from the ocean.

Lunaria, though, was the opposite.

When Nikolai turned to her, she looked stunned, her luscious lips open wide, eyes glistening in the fading sunlight.

"It's gorgeous, Kai..." Her voice was soft, almost inaudible, but the tone of her voice made it sound like she might cry. He couldn't help but grip her hand tightly. It might have been more depressing than the last time they saw the sea. Lunaria was still a prisoner then, too afraid to enjoy anything with him... but now...

Her tail wagged as she looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Kai, are you sure it's okay for us to come here?"

Nikolai smiled.

"Yes, Luna, everything is fine."

Nikolai wished they were here just to enjoy the sights; instead, he knew that soon the mission would begin, because the signal from Alarc came in, his phone buzzing twice, four times.

'Damn it...'

"I don't want to leave..."

Even Amphitrite whispered when she felt the vibration from Nikolai's pants. He noticed her melancholic gaze as it turned to face him. "Please, don't worry." Her lips mouthed, seeming to understand his feelings.

'This woman is so considerate...'

The music began to shift.

From soft, playful strings to a slower, deeper rhythm... as if the musicians knew something was about to happen, the situation was on the precipice of change.

Nikolai could feel it in his blood.

Amphitrite leaned closer, pretending to adjust his collar. Her fingers brushed the side of his neck, slipping something small and cold into his coat pocket.

"A tranquilising needle... just in case," she whispered. "It's coated with moon jelly venom."

"Moon Jelly?"

"It's a type of jellyfish, rather one of the dangerous creatures from my homeland... Something that killed most of the Scrylla before they even realised what happened. It freezes the brains functions and stops movement for two minutes."

'Wait...'

Nikolai looked at Amphitrite, who showed him a bitter and pained smile.

"That's right, those stung by this thing would drown, despite being creatures of the sea."

"I'll use it sparingly..."

The plan was for Nikolai to head for the basement, while Amphitrite and Lunaria would support Alexei in finding his sister.

Her scent—saltwater and lilac—was stronger tonight, not from perfume but tension. The air around her shifted like waves crashing into cliffs, smooth but always threatening to break.

Lunaria still stared at the sea, but her ears twitched. "Kai," she whispered, voice low and focused, "Someone's been watching us for a while now from the second-floor balcony.

Of course, she noticed.

He took a long sip from his glass and set it down.

"Time to move."

None of them stood quickly. Maybe it was the fact that they wished to preserve this moment a little longer.

They didn't want to draw attention either.

Amphitrite elegantly smoothed her dress as she rose, looping her arm through his again. Lunaria pressed close, tail curling tightly around her leg to hide the motion.

They walked through the garden path, weaving through couples and clusters of nobles wearing their masks and monsters' visages.

No one blocked their path.

Beyond the trimmed hedges and tall white rose arches, a single maid stood waiting beneath an iron lamp post. The flickering crystal above gave her golden-orange hair a fiery glow. Her uniform was modest, tight at the waist, and her gloved hands held a large black case with the Volkov crest stamped into the lock.

"Master Nikolai," she bowed her head deeply. "Your equipment."

He took the case without a word. The maid stepped back, sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with disciplined calm. A silver pistol gleamed under her skirt hem, and before he could blink twice, the maid vanished.

She was no normal servant.

"We'll change behind the storage hall," Nikolai said.

Both women nodded without complaint.

Their night as guests had ended.

The hunt was about to begin.