Chapter 161 Chapter 161
“Show yourself, coward.” he spat enragedly. It wasn’t wise to test his patience. The light he radiated took on an eerie red hue. He took one step forward. Valerie kept her eyes fixed on his back. The strange sounds paused, and then they grew quieter as if they were moving away from them.
Maxwell clicked his tongue, cursing under his breath. He threw a glance over his shoulder at her, contemplating for a moment before he reached a decision.
“Valerie, we need to follow that sound. The sooner we find who’s lurking around here, the better,” he said firmly. Letting out a breath, she braced herself for the inevitable because she knew that he was right. They couldn’t stay confined in this building forever. Gathering her courage, she nodded, and they began their pursuit.
He kept his rapier in one hand and held her wrist with his other, assuring that they wouldn’t get separated. His light flooded the hallway, and they rounded a corner where the noise became louder. Valerie didn’t want to find out what awaited them, could only imagine a dangerous creature of some sort… one that the blood mage had conjured up.
Maxwell picked up his pace since he didn’t want to lose the only lead they had. The decrepit and dirty walls of the endless hallways rushed past them. Valerie scrunched her nose, hating the moldy smell that had invaded every nook and cranny of this building. She did her best to keep up with Maxwell despite her very uncomfortable heels. He didn’t need long to notice her little handicap, however, and slowed down a bit.
The clanking stopped. Whatever was responsible for it must be waiting for them… Ominous silence greeted him and her. Valerie only heard the fearful beats of her heart and her own heavy breaths.
They reached a wide-open doorway leading into a dark hall. Maxwell shot her another look, making sure she stayed close, and then he walked into the room first. His body was tense, ready to fight, and his scarlet eyes scanned over the area quickly. The darkness was dispersed by his shimmering magic.
Who they encountered in the middle of the hall was not who they had expected. The person who awaited them was not a blood mage, nor was it a creepy monster. It was a woman.
She was incredibly pretty, and Valerie found her slightly familiar, as if she had seen her before, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Her blonde hair fell in waves over her shoulders, accentuating her face and ice-blue eyes. The light blue dress she wore was beautiful, emphasizing her petite figure. She looked like an angel, but since she lacked wings, that could not be true.
Valerie’s mark burned in warning. She sensed danger from this person, and no matter how kind her smile was, she wasn’t about to trust her. She fully expected Maxwell to lash out at her, but he did no such thing. On the contrary, he was suspiciously quiet. Valerie glanced at him only to see him staring at the stranger as if he had been hypnotized. His weapon had vanished into thin air, proving that he didn’t intend to fight anymore.
“Juliana?” he breathed, sheer disbelief flashing over his face. “Is that really you?”
The shock in his wide blue eyes was plain to see. It made Valerie sick to her stomach. Her thoughts were racing as she slowly began to understand just who this woman was. She was the frost demon who had been killed by hunters many years prior, Maxwell’s former girlfriend. But why was she alive when she should be dead? Why was she here?
The woman sent her a disapproving glance over Maxwell’s shoulder, and that was when Valerie started to panic. Was she here to take him away from her? He wouldn’t leave her for his old girlfriend… right?
He was in love with her, and not with Juliana. Or was he? At this very moment, Valerie came to realize something painful. He had never, not even once, told her that he loved her. And perhaps he didn’t.
Cold seeped into Valerie’s heart. She wrapped her arms around her body, keeping her gaze fixed on the frost demon who had captured Maxwell’s full attention. As much as Valerie hated to admit it, the other woman was incredibly beautiful. She could see why Maxwell had fallen in love with her. With her flawless complexion and silver-blond hair, she made Valerie feel inferior about herself. Especially since her own boyfriend didn’t spare her a glance anymore. He let go of her hand and walked closer to Juliana, his eyes filled with surprise.
“Maxwell, what are you doing?” Valerie called after him, alarmed that he would just approach her.
He didn’t seem to have heard her words since he didn’t even turn his head. Valerie wanted to cry. This wasn’t fair—why did this woman have to appear now, of all times? What was her intention? Her appearance couldn’t be a coincidence; she could have only entered this building if she was working with the blood mage.
The thought came as a shock to Valerie, who immediately understood the danger they were in around the female demon. Maxwell, on the other hand, appeared to be unaware of this, or maybe he simply didn’t care.
Valerie was about to open her mouth to warn him; however, she was stopped. A pair of arms snaked around her body from behind, a hand clamping over her mouth. She went stiff in shock, struggling to get out of this person’s unrelenting hold. It was like a vice, keeping her still and smothering any sound she made.
Dreadful coldness rose around her. She was pulled into the shadows. Out of sheer desperation, she stretched out her hand in Maxwell’s direction, but her efforts were in vain.
She was gone in a heartbeat.
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“I missed you,” Juliana said. Her pretty blue eyes twinkled, brimming with relief and joy.
“How… are you alive?” Maxwell asked breathlessly. “You died right in front of me.”
She inclined her head, brushing a blonde lock of hair behind her ear. The motion was painfully familiar, bringing back memories he shared with her. He knew all her habits by heart, whether it was her love for wearing silver rings or her cute habit of playing with her hair.