Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 712: No More Waiting

Nikolai remained still in the silent construction site for hours, his eyes glancing around the devastation and remnants of their battle. He couldn’t help but place a hand on his chest, the subtle weight of slaying the clones lingering in the bottom of his stomach.

His guts twisted painfully as he squatted and touched the place where she vanished.

’Even after saying I was prepared... it looks like I’m still a fool.’

He grimaced at his own weak thoughts while slowly dragging his fingers back and standing.

The black residue clung to his claws like wet tar, still warm from the shattered core. It should have disgusted him, but what truly unsettled Nikolai was not the substance itself. It was the fact that, for a single second, the clone felt dear to him.

A nameless thing, born to die, asking whether she had been close.

”Fuck.”

The word left his mouth quietly.

The rain outside continued falling through the broken entrance, tapping against twisted rebar and shattered concrete. Somewhere above, the half-collapsed scaffolding groaned under its own weight. Red emergency lights flickered weakly, painting the ruined site in a dim, bloody pulse.

Nikolai turned toward the upper floors.

The speakers had gone silent after Franz’s last message.

”Don’t hide after talking big.”

His voice rolled through the building like a surging tide.

Nikolai walked toward the nearest wall where crimson sigils had burned themselves into the concrete. Most had faded after the clones dissolved, but a few still pulsed faintly beneath the dust. ”Let’s head back, I can’t wait here forever.”

The moment he stepped onto the stairs, the massive speaker crackled, and Franz’s arrogant voice, filled with delight, echoed through the silent building.

”What a terrifying threat, young Patriarch. But I truly must thank you, little wolf. Thanks to you, I’ve finally managed to complete my research!”

Nikolai stopped walking.

”What did you make?”

Franz hummed, pleased by the question.

”Hahahaha, are you truly interested? Well... I am sure that you’ll find out soon, dear Patriarch!” Franz reminded Nikolai more of a clown or jester than a doctor.

The speaker crackled one last time.

Then silence returned.

Nikolai stood on the stairwell for a moment, his claws digging into the railing until the metal twisted beneath his grip. The sound echoed down the empty construction site, mixing with the rain and the low groan of damaged scaffolding.

”Franz...”

A low growl left his lips.

The stairs cracked beneath his feet as he rushed downward, each step carrying the weight of his massive body, with dust falling from the ceiling and broken lights swinging overhead.

His claws scraped sparks from the concrete whenever his hands touched the walls to steady his descent.

He didn’t care about the damage.

He didn’t care about the building.

He only wanted to leave before that bastard’s voice lingered any longer.

The lower entrance came into view, rainwater flooding the cracked pavement outside. Cold air rushed in through the broken doors, carrying the scent of wet asphalt, rust, and distant city smoke.

He sniffed the air and picked up two familiar scents.

’What!?’

A rush of anger surged from the base of his stomach.

His head snapped toward the vehicle parked beyond the construction fence. There they were, standing beside it despite his order. Nikita’s white hair was dripping slightly from the rain, her big golden eyes fixed on the entrance. Selene stood beside her in a dark trench coat, her face pale as she pressed her lips together into a thin line.

At first, he wanted to shout and berate them for ignoring his order, yet after he took a breath, he watched them quietly, and that anger quickly faded.

His stomach twisted again.

The anger broke apart before it could leave his mouth.

Nikita took one step forward.

”Nikolai—”

He crossed the distance before she finished.

The fence between them crumpled beneath his shoulder.

Wet steel flung aside as he rushed through the rain, black fur drenched with water, blood, and other residue. Both women stiffened, perhaps expecting a scolding, perhaps ready to argue with him before he could start.

He remained silent as he reached out to them.

One massive arm wrapped around Nikita.

The other pulled Selene against him.

He dragged both women into his chest and held them there, tight enough that their bodies pressed into his blood-wet fur. Nikita’s breath caught sharply. Selene’s hand lifted halfway, hesitant at first, before settling against his side.

Neither woman moved as if completely stunned.

The rain tapped against the roof of the vehicle behind them. Somewhere above, the broken construction site creaked and groaned. Franz’s voice no longer echoed through the speakers, but it still sat in the back of Nikolai’s mind like poison.

Nikita slowly placed both hands against his chest.

”Nikolai...?”

He tightened his hold and kept quiet, still trying to control the murky emotions in his abdomen.

Selene’s fingers brushed through his fur as she called out to him with a soft voice, losing its usual composed edge.

”What happened inside?”

The way those things had looked enough like them to make his heart hesitate, and he lowered his head, pressing his face into the space between them.

Nikita stopped trying to pull back.

Selene’s other hand rose, stroking slowly along his arm despite the blood and filth coating it. For once, neither of them teased him nor complained about the rain and simply let him hold them.

Nikolai’s throat moved, but no words came out.

If he spoke too quickly, something ugly might spill out.

Nikita’s ears lowered as she pressed her cheek against his chest, ignoring the wet fur and the black residue staining her skin.

He’s shaking...

”Nikolai,” she whispered again; each time she spoke, it became softer and softer. ”We’re here.”

Whatever happened inside, it hurt him somewhere no wound could reach.

The vampire princess leaned closer, resting her forehead against his ribs while closing her eyes.

”You don’t have to tell us if it’s too much—I can already guess...”

Nikolai inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with their real scents. Nikita’s wild, warm sweetness. Selene’s cool fragrance beneath rain and expensive perfume. The faint rhythm of their heartbeats. Their warmth and weight rested against his chest, bringing a sense of comfort beyond anything else.

’They’re right, I shouldn’t remain like this.’

”They were complete copies of you both... and I killed them,” he finally said with a rough and deep voice, still distorted from the black wolf form.

Nikolai tightened his arms around them before either could step back.

”Though they couldn’t match you perfectly, because they seemed to be low-level clones... There was another, a third.”

He hesitated for a moment.

Selene’s fingers stopped moving along his arm.

Nikita lifted her head from his chest, her golden eyes narrowing through the rain. She already knew, perhaps not the details, but enough to gather what happened. The way his voice changed, the way his claws dug into their backs as his breath stopped in the back of his throat before the next sentence told her everything.

”The third clone was almost perfect, it resembled Kumiko completely...”

”Kumiko?” Selene asked quietly.

Nikolai closed his eyes.

”Yes.”

Nikita’s lips curled back, exposing sharp teeth.

”That disgusting bastard.”

”Then Franz has crossed a line that cannot be forgiven.”

”He crossed that line long ago,” Nikita growled. ”Now he’s just digging his own grave deeper.”

Nikolai finally loosened his arms, though only enough to look down at them properly. Their faces were wet from rain, their clothes clinging to their bodies, yet both women stared at him without fear. Not even his monstrous form frightened them.

That helped more than he wanted to admit.

”He said he completed his research.”

Selene’s expression sharpened.

”What research?”

”I don’t know.” Nikolai glanced back toward the construction site. ”Though somehow I don’t think we’ll have to wait long... we should quickly regroup and prepare to assault that damn island and end this for good.”

Nikita clicked her tongue.

”So we leave before he gets anything else.” She quickly opened the door and kicked Nikolai’s shin. ”Then get in, you can call Kumiko and the others while we drive.”

Selene moved around the other side without wasting time.

”Nikita is right. Every minute we stand here gives Franz time to move.”

Nikolai looked down at his shin.

”You kicked me.”

”And I’ll do it again if you don’t cheer yourself up!”

Despite everything, he let out a rough breath that almost became a laugh. His huge frame slowly began shrinking, black fur receding beneath pale skin as the monstrous pressure around him faded into the rain.

Nikita threw a coat at his chest.

”Cover up before every bitch at the base sees your huge dick and gets ideas!”

She then quickly jumped into the passenger seat, while Selene slipped into the driver’s seat, leaving Nikolai to sit in the back row.

He sank into the comfortable foam and closed his eyes

’What a damn pain in the ass...’

Franz had gained something tonight, something that could increase the difficulty of future battles against the Nosferatu, however... Nikolai had also gained something, too: a reason to keep moving forward and crush the foul experiments of Doctor Franz.

”Drive.”