Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 537: Night of the Living Dead

“I want you both to become leading members of my family.”

Nikolai closed his eyes and narrowed them into slits, the gleaming red light leaking as he looked at the two men. He didn’t want to force them, but without both Ryan and Alexei, he didn’t feel right.

“I’m not asking you to do it for free, money, women and power if you wish for those things then it can be arranged.” He glanced between the two who watched him silently. “Though its up to you to charm the women yourselves.”

Bleep!

With a few taps of the interactive screen, he ordered several drinks, snacks and a few girls to liven up the mood.

Alexei remained silent. He wasn’t a keen speaker as it was, but this felt different. The solid chunk of aura flowed through his body as he sat with both elbows on his thighs while covering his face.

“Are you being serious?” Alexei asked.

The sudden change reminded Nikolai of when they fought together or trained. At first, the old man treated him like a punching bag, but now he could see the true flow of Alexei’s mana. Half of it went to his body, and the rest he used explosively during combat.

There wasn’t any reason to lie or hide his intentions.

Nikolai sat down beside Alexei and Ryan and leaned back. “Honestly, the old system of my clan isn’t trustworthy. Although they might have loyalty to the clan or alliance, there’s nothing to me personally.”

Alexei came from a similar monster family, while Ryan’s parents were close to the SSS and also rich, so both understood the politics he meant.

“What are you plans?” Ryan asked this time. “Since I’ve become lovers with a monster, my place in the SSS isn’t safe and I know that we’ve had a rocky past…”

Nikolai glanced at the two and shrugged.

“I want to have my trusted brother’s at my side, not as pawns or subordinates. But allies, people who will tell me when I am making a mistake, offer help or another perspective so I can change how things are.”

“What do you want to change?” Alexei rubbed his chin and asked.

“The situation, the way humans hate monsters, vampires hate werewolves. Although I know healthy competition is fine, as the husband of various clans and races. I want to find an alternative path, where we can work together.”

“Even with humans!?”

Ryan almost spilt the ice bucket when he stood up. His face twisted in shock from Nikolai’s words before he dropped again. “Didn’t you hate humans, or at least treat them as annoying?”

Nikolai closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. “I don’t hate humans, I used to think I was one and one of my best friends is one.” He turned to Ryan with a grin. “My goal isn’t for humans and monsters to forget everything; there are thousands of years of hate which we cannot erase with a cloth like dirt. But can’t we aim for something better?”

Because of their reaction, he spoke frankly. “If we keep fighting, the humans will keep developing new weapons, killing more monsters. Then monsters will retaliate with more brutality, and eventually, there will be a breaking point.”

“Hmmm…”

Knock Knock!

“Dear VIP, we’ve come with your order!”

The door suddenly opened, and several dancers entered, pushing two trolleys into the room. Each of them danced slightly with each step, bouncing and swaying their hips; however, neither Nikolai nor Ryan gave a second glance.

One found pleasure in a lamia, a creature incomparable to a human.

While Nikolai’s mind only thought about Nikita, Selene and his lovers.

The girls set up the drinks and placed the bottles in the ice bucket. After that, they spread the warm and cold dishes that Nikolai ordered on the huge rotating table along with the first cocktails.

Since they couldn’t get drunk from human alcohol, there wouldn’t be an issue of driving home later on for Alexei and Nikolai.

“Do you need anything else, Sir VIP?”

Nikolai glanced at the leading woman and waved her away.

He ignored her disappointed expression and reached for a glass, poured himself a glass, then raised it towards the other two. The aroma of roasted meat and sweet liquor filled the air, and the girls bowed and left, the door shutting behind them with a soft click.

“To the start of something better.”

Ryan chuckled, grabbing the blue cocktail. “Well, is there any other choice for me?”

“Maybe?”

Alexei finally looked up, his sharp eyes calmer now. He took a drink in silence before muttering, “If we do this, there’s no going back. You know that, right?”

“I know,” Nikolai replied.

Ryan swirled his glass, the liquid catching the red glow from Nikolai’s eyes. “Guess that means we’ll need a name for this ‘family’ of yours.”

“Hey~ don’t be so stiff,” Nikolai said, leaning back with a smile. “Don’t you mean ours?”

Alexei exhaled, half amused, half resigned. “You really think you can build something different in this world?”

“Honestly I don’t think I could do it alone, maybe I would end up going down a bad path…” His grin softened as he held his glass in the air. “But with you guys at my side I think I can managed to hold it together.”

Silence settled for a moment.

Then, Ryan clinked his glass against Nikolai’s.

“Then here’s to not being alone.”

Alexei followed, and just downed his glass of bourbon. “As if I could abandon my future brother-in-law.”

“Huh?”

Nikolai turned to Alexei with a confused look.

He’d not slept with Marianne when he lost control, right?

“What’s that look for? Did you think that girl would give up after you saved her life?” Alexei grabbed another glass and filled it. “That girl won’t give up on you so easily, she’s my sister after all.”

Nikolai froze, the glass in his hand tilted slightly as the amber liquid trembled near the rim. For a moment, the room held nothing but the hum of the cooling unit and the faint vibration of the bass outside the private suite.

Nikolai set his glass down. “I won’t force it, but if she truly loves me I won’t mistreat her.”

Ryan whistled with a grin on his lips. “Haha, your wives are going to beat you.”

“Shut up.”

“Well, don’t tell her I said anything, that girl gets packs a punch when she’s angry.”

Nikolai smirked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” He paused, then looked at Alexei more seriously. “Does this… cause a problem?”

Alexei shrugged. “If you hurt her, it does. Otherwise, she’s old enough to make her own choices.” He flicked his gaze to Nikolai and smirked. “But, I know you treat your women well.”

Ryan raised his glass again, the tension easing slightly. “So that’s settled. The Monster Messiah here is growing his harem further! Cheers!”

He exhaled, long and controlled. “It seems our family just got a little more complicated.”

Alexei smirked. “When has it ever been simple with you?”

“Never.”

Clang!

Nikolai ignored the jab, his thoughts already racing.

‘Well, it’s not happened yet, and maybe she’ll change her mind. I should focus on the target instead, since there are more important things to deal with.” That’s when his eyes widened. “Oh yeah, Alex, how is Brian?”

“That big guy? He’s alright… a little too loud though.”

“Let’s try and recruit him in the future, his wife is pretty strong too.”

The three shared another round of drinks, the mood balanced between heavy and hopeful.

Outside the room, the city lights shifted. A soft pulse of neon running across the horizon in the form of dozens of bar signs and clubs. Nikolai sipped his drink while eating the last of the food when he noticed something strange.

“This is a human bar, right?”

“Yeah.”

Alexei narrowed his eyes, both of them ignoring the drunk Ryan, who lay on the sofa while eating peanuts.

“Why the hell are there only monsters on the first floor?” Alexei added.

Ryan peeked through the tinted window. “Looks like the night’s not done with us.”

Nikolai’s eyes followed Ryan’s gaze and found the source. His red eyes flickered at the group below, who were sitting with foul expressions near the door. “Well, it looks like we’ve got a chance to start our alliance with a bang.”

He stood while straightening his coat. “Shall we move out?”

Alexei cracked his neck, a faint grin forming. “Right after we finish this bottle.”

“Deal,” Nikolai said.

The three of them finished the bottle. Nikolai’s eyes glowed faintly in the dim light as the last drops of bourbon hit the glass. The muffled bass from below shifted from a rhythmic tune to the heavy sound of stomping boots instead of music.

“Let’s go see what kind of welcome they’ve prepared.”

Alexei pushed himself up from the couch, rolling his shoulders until his joints popped. “You think they’re Nosferatu?”

“Maybe,” Nikolai said, pulling his gloves tight. “Or just idiots with a grudge.”

Without checking again, the three slipped out of the VIP room and headed for the main floor, ready to confront the group who started causing trouble.