The Blood Contract
Chapter 41: Frustrated dog

Chapter 41: Frustrated dog

Lucian clenched his jaws, looking out into space for a while before he decided to walk back into the hall. However, just as he walked past the restroom area, his ears caught onto the sounds of struggle and a muffled protest.

Without thinking twice, he moved to open the door, only to realize it was locked from the inside. With that, he kicked the door open to find Serena struggling with a masked man armed with a knife on which there was fresh blood he presumed to be hers.

A venomous rage, black and seething, flooded Lucian’s veins like molten lead. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out all sound except the primal drumbeat of kill, protect, destroy. Every muscle in his body coiled tight, primed for violence as he lunged forward—

Then, impact.

A crushing force exploded against the base of his skull, sending jagged bolts of white-hot pain spiderwebbing through his vision. The world tilted violently, colors bleeding into a nauseating swirl of gray and red. His knees buckled, but instinct alone kept him upright, his body swaying like a ship caught in a storm.

For one terrifying second, he was blind, but his vision sharpened just in time to see another masked man behind him, swinging the bat he had in his hands a second time. This time, however, Lucian caught the bat and tackled him, dealing him a punch to the jaw, making him cough up blood.

A third masked figure materialized from the shadows near the restroom entrance. The moment his cold eyes assessed the chaotic scene - his two comrades struggling against the clearly skilled opponent - his hand flashed to his belt. With practiced ease, he drew a wicked-looking dagger.

The newcomer moved with terrifying efficiency, his boots silent against the tile as he closed the distance in three quick strides.

Lucian, still pummeling the bat-wielding assailant with brutal, measured strikes to the ribs and jaw, only registered the threat at the last possible moment.

His body reacted before his mind could fully process the danger. Twisting at the waist, Lucian jerked his torso back in an instinctive dodge that sent a fresh wave of pain radiating from his earlier head wound. The dagger came slicing through the air where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier.

But the reprieve was momentary. The attacker smoothly adjusted his strike mid-swing, redirecting the blade downward in a vicious arc. Lucian felt more than heard the fabric of his tailored suit jacket part like tissue paper, followed by a bright line of fire erupting across his right shoulder. Warm blood immediately began soaking into his shirt.

The cut was clean but deep - Lucian could feel the muscle fibers protest as he instinctively rolled the shoulder, testing the damage.

The dagger-wielder didn’t pause to admire his handiwork, already coiling back for another strike, his eyes gleaming with cold calculation behind the mask.

The bat-swinging guy got up as well and picked up his bat once more, swinging it in Lucian’s direction. He, however, succeeded in landing the heavy weapon on his comrade’s head as Lucian used the latter as a shield.

While that was going on, Serena succeeded in digging her fingers into the eyes of the one attacking her, making him lose composure for a moment. That short window, she took advantage of to tackle him and try to disarm him. But the guy had other plans.

"Agero," he called out, his gaze fixed on the bat-swinging guy whose attention he had just attracted. He slid the knife—which had Serena’s blood on it—toward the guy and spoke in a language she didn’t understand.

The bat-swinging guy picked up the knife, threw it into a transparent bag, and ran off like someone was pursuing him.

With one attacker gone, Lucian focused on disarming the dagger-wielder before unleashing a barrage of rage-fueled punches that left the man’s face unrecognizable. When the assailant stopped moving, Lucian turned to help Serena, who was still locked in a desperate struggle with her attacker.

The masked man was trying to reach for something in his pocket while Serena did everything possible to prevent him. They rolled violently across the floor until Lucian arrived and stopped the motion by planting his foot firmly on the man’s head, eliciting a pained scream.

It was at that moment that the event security team arrived and surrounded the area.

Seeing the security team, Serena let go of the guy’s hands, separating herself from him.

Lucian pressed down on his head a little harder before taking his leg off. He bent down to question the guy, but before he could say a word, the guy threw a suicide pill into his mouth and bit down on it.

"Are you okay?" Lucian asked Serena, standing up from his squatting position, knowing he wouldn’t get anything from the guy who was already dying.

However, as he was about to step away, his eyes caught onto a tattoo on the guy’s hand. He bent down once more and hastily took a picture of it, then pulled the mask off to reveal the guy’s face before stepping away for the security team to do their job.

Serena, who had initially nodded to his question, also looked puzzled by the tattoo. She had seen it before, but she couldn’t remember where and had no idea what it meant.

She accepted Lucian’s hand, and he led her to a different corner. "Any idea who they are?"

"No. I’ve never seen the face anywhere before," Lucian answered her question, his brows furrowed deeply as he recalled the bat-swinging guy had run off with a blood-stained knife.

"Let me see your hand," he said, and she showed him her injured hand. He was relieved to see that the wound was a small one and had stopped bleeding already, the surface clotting up nicely. He surveyed her closely to be sure she didn’t have any more cuts anywhere on her body before letting go.

"What exactly happened here, ma’am?" One of the security guys approached them with the question, and Serena went ahead to narrate everything that happened until they arrived.

When she was done talking, the man shifted his attention to Lucian. "Is that correct, Mr. Draven?"

"It’s exactly as she said. You can check the surveillance footage, and you’ll see everything that happened for yourself." Lucian nodded toward the camera he had sighted earlier, which was facing the entrance to the restroom rather than the toilet area. "My wife is traumatized, and I need to take her home. No more questions, please." Lucian responded, stopping the man from asking anything further.

"Of course," the man nodded. "We’ll reach out if we have further questions or need clarity at any time during our investigation." He added before walking away and affording them some privacy.

Lucian took his phone out and called Adrian. "Prepare the cars. We’re leaving." He instructed.

They soon arrived at the car, and just before they could get in, Joe and Alistair came rushing out, followed closely by Vincent, who rushed towards Serena.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Vincent said, observing her with widened eyes, evidently shocked by what he was seeing. "Are you all right? How did this happen?" he asked.

"It’s nothing serious," Serena flashed a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry yourself," she said, and before Vincent could say another word, Lucian tapped her lightly to get in the car, which she did without protest. After she bade the guys goodbye, the car drove off from there.

Everyone went back inside except for Vincent, who continued to stare in the direction the car had gone.

"You look like a frustrated dog," a voice echoed behind Vincent. His jaw tightened when he recognized Carter’s mocking tone. Turning, he found the man standing in the shadows cast by the moonlight.

"Are you trying to insult me?" Vincent asked, greatly annoyed.

"I only speak the truth. Look at you, the great Vincent Morgan, chasing after a woman as if she has control over the air you breathe."

"Of course she has control over the air I breathe! You knew that, but you blatantly refuse to give her to me and instead give her to another man!" Vincent seethed.

"Stop whining about it already and do something like a man to get what is rightfully yours," Carter advised.

"What are you talking about?"

"It’s simple. Help us get what we want from them, and we can help you get what you want," Carter revealed, his voice light as if he wasn’t talking about something serious.

"Right, as if you can get me to do anything for you again after betraying me the last time. I’ll get her back my way. I don’t need your help."

Carter exhaled a plume of smoke, his smile widening. "Good luck then. But if you change your mind...you know where to find me." He took a step backward into the shadows. "Remember - the more time they spend together, the slimmer your chances become. I can help you, but only if you’re willing to help me as well. Enjoy your evening, Vincent." With that, he disappeared into the night, leaving Vincent alone with his thoughts.