Chapter 160: The Easiest Solution

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: The Easiest Solution

Chapter 160: The Easiest Solution

For several minutes after Helena left, the atmosphere inside The Full Moon Lounge seemed to reach a strange peak.

More than one customer looked toward Cyrus Calder.

A few women exchanged glances with each other.

Nobody moved first.

Cyrus had expected something like this after Vera’s performance.

He continued working as though he had noticed nothing.

While wiping down the counter, he found himself wondering whether he should pick up another late-night snack on the way home. After the pizza disaster, he was not interested in taking chances with anything too ambitious, but something simple sounded good.

He had almost settled on that problem when a woman finally approached the bar.

She carried an empty glass.

Cyrus recognized her vaguely.

She was a relatively new customer who had started coming in frequently around two weeks ago.

Her expression looked controlled enough, but the interest in her eyes was much harder to hide.

Cyrus set aside the glass he had been polishing.

Before he could ask whether she wanted another drink, the woman placed her empty glass on the counter.

"I heard the bartender here does house calls."

So someone had finally decided to ask directly.

Cyrus felt a quiet wave of resignation.

"That is mostly a joke between friends."

The woman did not look embarrassed.

Instead, she leaned slightly against the counter.

"Then how do I become one of your friends?"

Cyrus’s expression did not change.

There was no need to embarrass a paying customer, and there was even less reason to encourage the conversation.

He smoothly redirected it.

"Would you like another drink before you leave?"

The woman studied him for a moment.

She understood the refusal.

Fortunately, she did not insist.

"All right. Make me something you recommend."

Cyrus nodded.

"That I can do."

He turned toward the shelves.

After considering what she had already ordered that evening, he selected something lighter and sweeter.

The drink gradually took shape beneath his hands.

By the time he placed it in front of her, pale pink at the bottom faded upward into soft white. Fine decorative streaks drifted inside the glass, almost like rain suspended beneath the surface.

The woman stared at it.

"This is beautiful."

Cyrus gave a small nod.

She carefully picked up the glass.

"What is it called?"

"Longing."

The woman repeated the name quietly, then took a sip.

Whatever disappointment Cyrus’s earlier refusal caused seemed to fade beneath curiosity about the drink.

She finished it much faster than he expected.

Not long afterward, Cyrus’s shift ended.

He changed back into his regular clothes, said goodbye to Malcolm, and left The Full Moon Lounge.

The colder night air felt far more comfortable than the warmth inside.

Cyrus had barely walked a few blocks when a familiar voice called from behind him.

"Cyrus!"

He stopped.

Under a streetlight farther back stood Vera Sable.

She was smiling.

Combined with the empty road and the late hour, the sight had an unexpectedly sinister quality.

If Cyrus had not recognized her immediately, he probably would have kept walking at a much faster pace.

Vera approached.

"That expression is incredibly rude. I waited for you all this time, and when you noticed me earlier, you deliberately ignored me."

Cyrus disregarded the complaint.

"Do you need something, Ms. Sable?"

Vera stopped a short distance away.

Her smile became brighter.

"Cyrus, you would not want St. Alder’s dean of students finding out that you work nights at a cocktail lounge, would you?"

Cyrus’s expression tightened slightly.

When Vera began that sentence, he had expected her to threaten him with Ms. Hart or another ordinary faculty member.

He had almost been ready to walk away.

Instead, she mentioned the dean of students.

That was different.

The administrator in question cared obsessively about grades, discipline, and school conduct. Cyrus had no particular desire to learn how St. Alder would react if someone officially reported that a student was working late hours in a lounge.

He frowned.

"What do you want?"

Vera’s eyes curved.

"You already know."

"My blood?"

"You really are smart."

Cyrus stared at her.

Vera continued cheerfully.

"When you think about it, this is an excellent arrangement. I drink a little, and you avoid unnecessary problems at school."

She spoke as if proposing a mutually beneficial business deal.

"It barely costs you anything."

Cyrus considered that.

"Technically, that is true."

Vera looked pleased.

Then Cyrus added, "The rumors inside the lounge also came from you, didn’t they?"

Vera’s smile did not move.

"Were they actually rumors?"

Cyrus paused.

Annoyingly, she had a point.

Helena really had paid him to model clothes.

Rhea really had hired him privately.

Vera herself had exchanged money and information with him.

The conclusions people drew from those facts were exaggerated, but the underlying events existed.

Cyrus looked at her pleasant expression and realized arguing over definitions would accomplish nothing.

He still did not understand Vera well enough.

One thing, however, had become obvious.

She was greedy when it came to blood.

Especially his.

Cyrus shifted his attention toward her.

"Do you treat everyone this way?"

Vera gave a small, amused hum.

She did not answer directly.

There was no point explaining that ordinary people were far less interesting.

Their blood did not taste like his.

Their memories were rarely worth examining.

And most people did not accidentally surround themselves with a collection of increasingly complicated women while quietly planning escape routes from all of them.

Cyrus provided excellent blood and entertainment at the same time.

Vera considered that a rare combination.

Cyrus sighed inwardly.

She had too much leverage.

He had already spent days trying to avoid her.

When he saw her at school, he changed hallways.

He ignored her messages.

He declined her calls.

None of that mattered if Vera was willing to wait outside his workplace until his shift ended.

More importantly, she already knew far too much.

She probably knew he was Frostborn.

She knew about the ring.

She knew about Audra’s glamourkin artifact.

She had seen at least fragments involving Daphne and Rhea.

Yet so far, the worst thing Vera consistently demanded was a small amount of blood.

Viewed purely as a problem to manage, letting her drink occasionally might genuinely be the easiest solution.

As long as she did not drain him unconscious again, Cyrus recovered quickly.

A little blood loss meant almost nothing compared with the trouble Vera could create if she decided to interfere seriously.

He also did not consider her one of his potential safeguards.

That ship had never left the harbor.

Vera knew too much and enjoyed chaos too openly.

Cyrus had no reason to expect her to willingly stand between him and Isolde out of loyalty.

If feeding her occasionally kept her entertained enough to leave his larger plans alone, that might be an acceptable price.

After thinking it through, Cyrus said, "I will come to the nurse’s office tomorrow."

Vera immediately shook her head.

"There is no need to wait."

She looked around.

"Nobody is here."

Before Cyrus could object, Vera caught his hand.

She pushed his sleeve upward.

The blue-green veins beneath his pale skin became visible.

Vera swallowed.

Cyrus noticed.

He stared at her.

"Are Bloodborn always this impatient?"

The street was nearly empty.

Cyrus deliberately took a quieter route home most nights, which now made the situation worse.

Only streetlights stood along the road.

No pedestrians passed.

The nearest occupied storefront was farther away.

Vera seemed perfectly comfortable with that.

Cyrus watched her hands.

She had exposed his forearm, but unlike last time, she did not immediately bite there.

Instead, her attention shifted toward his fingers.

Cyrus began to speak. ℴ

"What are you..."

Vera lifted his hand and bit the tip of his index finger.

Pain flashed sharply through it.

Cyrus frowned.

She had broken the skin without even using her transformed Bloodborn canines.

He instinctively tried pulling his hand away.

Vera followed the movement and nearly lost her balance but refused to release him.

Cyrus stopped before dragging her down the sidewalk.

"This is ridiculous."

Vera ignored the criticism.

She had deliberately chosen a smaller wound this time.

Blood gathered slowly at the fingertip.

Instead of taking the larger amount she could have gotten from his arm or neck, Vera treated the tiny cut as though it were something worth savoring.

Cyrus’s irritation increased.

He could feel her deliberately keeping hold of his finger whenever he tried moving.

The wound stung each time.

Vera raised her eyes toward him.

There was unmistakable warning in them.

So this was revenge.

Cyrus understood immediately.

He had ignored her messages.

He had avoided her at school.

He had also flicked her forehead hard enough to make her eyes water the last time she fed.

Apparently Vera had kept a record of every offense.

She bit down lightly again near the injured fingertip.

Cyrus’s brows drew together.

"Are you finished punishing me?"

Vera offered no answer.

The injury continued to sting.

Then the familiar Bloodborn effect gradually appeared.

The sharp discomfort dulled beneath an unnatural warmth, making the sensation far less unpleasant than it should have been.

Cyrus hated that reaction almost as much as Vera’s behavior.

His body had no business rewarding anything that involved losing blood.

Vera finally swallowed twice.

Cyrus immediately pulled his hand free.

This time she allowed it.

For an instant, one canine at the corner of Vera’s mouth looked longer than normal before gradually retracting.

So she had partially transformed after all.

Cyrus glanced down at his finger.

The skin was damp from the blood and her feeding.

The tiny injury was already beginning to close.

He wiped his hand against a clean tissue from his pocket without making his mild disgust obvious.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Vera smiled.

"For tonight."

Cyrus gave her a flat look.

Vera seemed entirely pleased with herself.

"You should go home and sleep early. You have school tomorrow."

The advice sounded absurd coming from the person who had stopped him in the street to drink his blood.

Cyrus decided not to argue.

He had already accomplished the important part.

Vera had taken only a small amount.

He was not dizzy.

His strength felt normal.

There was no danger of waking up six hours later with another year missing.

For the moment, that was enough.

Cyrus lowered his sleeve.

"Then I am leaving."

Vera lifted one hand in a lazy farewell.

"Sleep well, Cyrus."

He gave a small nod and turned away.

As he continued down the empty Grayhaven street, Cyrus did not look back.