The Blood Contract
Chapter 71: Where are his family members?

Chapter 71: Where are his family members?

Disappointment registered on Serena’s face when nothing happened after she joined her and Lucian’s bleeding palms together. The silence in the room felt heavier as she stared at their hands, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Was she not doing it right? But that was exactly what they did in that hall that day. Or maybe his cut needed to be bigger. She couldn’t risk that. Her gut feeling was telling her things would get messy if she extended the cut, and she didn’t want to turn a dead ear to that warning at that point. It felt like a dangerous line to cross, one that could have consequences she wasn’t prepared for.

Maybe it worked, but he would need some time to wake up. Another thought registered in her head, and that one stuck. But the next question that showed up in her mind had her dismissing the thought. Why wasn’t she feeling any form of weakness like that night?

Confused and growing anxious, knowing she was running out of time as Marlowe and the others would soon need to return, Serena forced herself to focus.

She began cleaning up the mess around her, tending carefully to the self-inflicted injury on her own hand. As she bandaged it, she also took the time to carefully dress the cut on Lucian’s hand, making sure it was properly covered and protected. Her hands moved with a practiced calm, though her mind was still racing.

Once she was satisfied with her work, making sure everything was neat and secure, she took a deep breath, steadying herself.

She fixed her expression, trying to mask the confusion and unease swirling inside her, before she stood and moved to open the door, her thoughts lingering on the troubling questions she couldn’t yet answer.

"I’m done. You can come in now," she said to the three of them, flashing a small smile, though it felt more like a mask than genuine reassurance.

She returned to the room, the air thick with an unspoken tension, and settled beside the bed. Her heart gave a subtle thump as she gently placed her hand over Lucian’s, feeling the warmth of his skin despite the injury she had inflicted.

Her fingers lingered there for a long time, as if trying to draw some comfort from the connection, but all she was doing was making sure the new injury remained hidden from the eyes of the people who had just entered the lab.

"What exactly happened, Darrell?" she asked, seeing how he came in with them as they walked back into the lab.

"One of our warehouses was attacked, and we received the info. We headed there, only to meet an intense gunfight between our men and the attackers. We stepped out to join the fight, but the boss suddenly couldn’t move anymore, and I suspect it was the curse. It was during that process that they got him on the leg, so I abandoned the fight and proceeded to bring him back home for treatment, but he passed out before we got home," Darrell explained the situation to Serena all over again, without minding one bit.

Serena moved her eyes to Marlowe, whose face held an expression she didn’t understand. "You said the medicine would help him, the effects didn’t even last 24 hours."

"He was not supposed to put himself through any form of stress that would reduce the efficacy of the medicine. I told him that yesterday," Marlowe responded to Serena’s query, wiping the look she had on her face earlier. "I guess I’ll have to tweak the medicine a bit," she said, moving toward her setup and scanning everything to be sure they were all in place.

Something told her Serena had done something, but she wasn’t sure what. She had noticed the increase in the smell of antiseptic when she entered, but after looking around, she didn’t see anything amiss.

Serena flung her shoes off her legs, her determination clear. She wasn’t going to leave the lab until Lucian opened his eyes—at least then she’d know he was on the path to recovery. She adjusted in the chair on which she sat by his side, her gaze never leaving his still form.

However, four hours later, when Lucian still hadn’t woken up, a sense of unease slowly crept over her. Her fingers twisted anxiously in her lap as her worry skyrocketed.

The quiet hum of the lab, usually a source of comfort, felt oppressive now. Each minute that passed without any sign of movement from him only deepened her fear. What if something was wrong? What if she had missed something? The uncertainty gnawed at her, making it harder to keep her composure.

"You need to go have dinner, Serena, and change your clothes. After that, you can come back," Marlowe urged for the second time that evening, her voice gentle but firm. She glanced at Serena with a hint of concern, knowing the woman hadn’t moved from Lucian’s side for hours.

"If I go have dinner, who is going to stay here with him?" Serena asked, her tone filled with genuine concern. She couldn’t bring herself to leave him alone. Her fingers unconsciously clenched, a quiet anxiety rising within her chest.

"I’ll be here with him, of course," Marlowe answered.

"Don’t you also need to have dinner? You haven’t eaten since I returned this afternoon," Serena pointed out, her voice soft but insistent, her concern not just for Lucian but for Marlowe as well. She could see the exhaustion in her eyes, even if it wasn’t being voiced.

Marlowe hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Once you are back, I’ll go have dinner, and you can stay with him until I return. After that, you need to get some rest," she said, her tone more matter-of-fact, though there was a warmth to it. She wasn’t just looking out for Lucian; she was looking out for Serena too, knowing that neither of them could afford to neglect their own well-being in the midst of everything.

Serena let out a sigh and finally relented. She went to her room to change into her regular clothes after freshening up. Then, she proceeded to the dining room for dinner, as her stomach was already rumbling despite the heaviness in her heart at the situation surrounding her.

For the first time since she arrived at the mansion, she was eating dinner alone in the dining room. It felt strangely empty, the silence pressing in on her as she sat there.

She was already accustomed to having two to four people around during meals, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner—there was always some form of company. But now, everything was different.

No Adrian, who was buried in work in Lucian’s office; no Darrell, still overseeing the final details of the security situation both inside and outside the mansion; no Lucian, who was still lying unconscious in the lab, his condition hanging over her like a dark cloud; and no Dr. Marlowe, who was usually present with her in moments like these, offering her comfort or a distraction.

The vast dining room seemed almost too large for one person now, and the quiet too overwhelming.

She ate her food slowly, not enjoying it much despite how tasty the meals were. As soon as she felt she had taken in enough to sustain her for the night, she headed out of the dining room to the lab.

But her brows furrowed when she arrived and didn’t find Lucian on the bed where she had left him before going to eat.

She turned to Marlowe with questions in her eyes, and the woman explained without waiting to be asked.

"He woke up a few seconds after you left and decided he wanted to continue his rest in the comfort of his room. He’s fine, there’s no need for you to panic."

"He went alone?" Serena probed.

"No. Darrell assisted him up. I’m sure Darrell is still with him now."

Serena let out a sigh of relief when she heard what Marlowe said, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, where are his family members? I’ve not seen anyone since I came here," Serena threw the question that had been on her mind for some time, her curiosity growing. She had noticed the absence of blood related family members and had assumed that Lucian’s family might be around, especially given his prominent position.

But after all this time, no one had appeared, and she couldn’t help but wonder why. The question lingered in her mind, especially as she realized how little she knew about his life and his connections outside of the mansion.

This time, it was Marlowe’s turn to let out a sigh. "Mr. Draven has no immediate family members at the moment. We are the only family he knows and recognizes."

"I don’t understand. Did he cut them out of his life or what?" Serena aired her confusion, the look on her face perfectly reflecting the state of her heart.

"It would have been better if that was it. Lucian was the last child of two loving parents, and a sibling to two other children. But the other four people were wiped out by the Council of Vitae in a well-calculated and orchestrated manner," Marlowe explained, her mood turning sour as she recalled the event.

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