Chapter 122 122
“Well, well, well. What an unexpected pleasure… a human.”
The voice was deep cold enough to frost the air and it echoed through the entire place like a slow, deliberate threat.
Jacqueline froze. Her muscles locked, her pulse slamming violently against her ribs. For a split second she wondered if Damien had been exaggerating, playing some twisted joke on her nerves. But no. The sound of that voice alone erased any doubt. Damien hadn’t been lying.
Don’t turn around, Jacq. Don’t you dare.
She muttered to herself under her breath, trying to glue her feet to the floor. But curiosity, reckless and stubborn, overpowered fear. Slowly like someone walking toward their own execution she turned to face what she was certain would be her killer.
“H… Hi.”
Her hand lifted awkwardly in a stiff little wave, and she forced a painfully unnatural smile onto her face.
The moment her eyes landed on him, her heart stuttered then thundered.
He was breathtaking.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Built with the same imposing masculine frame as Damien. But it was his coloring that stole her breath. Silver hair, smooth and striking, contrasting against warm tan skin that somehow made the pale strands glow even more. And his eyes silver too. Sharp. Unnatural. Mesmerizing.
Beautiful.
And yet
Not more beautiful than Damien.
“What exactly are you smiling at, Mr. Noël?”
Her voice came out sharper than she felt. The grin vanished from Noël’s face instantly.
His gaze shifted to Damien, who was already sulking darkly.
Noël cleared his throat before turning back to her, a polite smile curving his lips as if they were at a formal gathering rather than… whatever this was.
“And what is your name?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Her eyes drifted to the tattoo that traced from his neck and disappeared beneath his shirt. Cross earrings hung from both ears, glinting faintly.
“Jacqueline,” she replied, steady and proud.
“Supplanter,” Noël murmured softly the meaning of her name.
Her spine stiffened at that, but she held her composure.
“And what brings you here, Jacqueline?” Noël asked, glancing briefly at the bored-looking Damien before focusing on her again.
“I’m here to rescue my partner,” she said without hesitation. “You clearly picked the worst possible time to kidnap him. We have an assignment due tomorrow, and instead of finishing it, you decided to abduct him. Do you even realize the magnitude of your mistake?”
She rambled, words spilling over each other in righteous frustration, while Noël stared at her with a baffled, almost comical expression.
“No one is rescuing anyone, Jacqueline,” he replied calmly. “His brother has given me direct orders to return Damien to his hometown. However… if you’d like, I can drop you back home.”
Her jaw practically hit the floor.
“You’re a vampire?” she asked, dead serious.
Noël shot Damien a brief look before answering her.
“I am,” he admitted almost proudly.
She blinked once.
“Then why the hell are you taking orders from a human?” she snapped. “You’re a vampire. Damien is just a human. Which means his brother is human too. You’re immortal and yet you act like some obedient servant. That’s honestly disappointing.”
This time, it was Noël’s turn to look stunned.
He stared at Damien. “Is she yours? She smells like you. And where on earth did you find her?”
“She’s not my girl!” Damien snapped venomously.
Jacqueline flinched.
“Maybe I smell like him because I used his perfume,” she shot back defensively. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” Noël answered quickly.
“Good,” she muttered.
A sudden growl ripped through the air low, primal followed by the horrifying sound of bones cracking.
Jacqueline spun around in terror.
Damien was on his feet.
The chains that had bound him lay shattered at his feet, metal twisted and broken. Her shirt was still looped around one of his arms.
He grabbed her wrist in a firm grip and began dragging her toward the exit.
“You’re one strong bastard,” Noël snickered behind them.
“Tell Dominique to leave me the hell alone,” Damien growled without turning back.
Jacqueline glanced over her shoulder at Noël, eyes wide.
Then, unexpectedly, she flashed him a dazzling smile and gave him a cheerful little wave.
For a second, Noël blinked then, almost unconsciously, raised his own hand and waved back, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Damien… with a girl,” he mused with a grin. “That alone will satisfy Dominique for now.”
Outside
“How did you even get here?” Damien ground out between clenched teeth as he dragged her along.
“Y-your car,” she stammered, pointing. “It’s parked over there.”
She braced herself for his explosion.
But it didn’t come.
He yanked open the passenger door, shoved her inside, and slammed it shut before rounding to the driver’s side. The engine roared to life, and they sped off into the night.
Silence swallowed the car.
Thick. Heavy. Suffocating.
Jacqueline hated silence. It always made her uneasy.
Once they reached the city limits, Damien spoke without looking at her. “Your address.”
She gave it to him quietly.
The silence returned.
It became unbearable.
“You can thank me, you know,” she blurted.
“Shut up,” he snapped.
Anger flared inside her instantly.
“You are such an ungrateful ass”
The car screeched to an abrupt halt. If she hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt, she would’ve flown straight through the windshield.
Before she could react, he grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him.
Her breath caught. Her eyes widened.
He was inches away.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone about what happened tonight,” he said coldly. “And stay the hell away from me from now on.”
He shoved her back roughly.
“Get out.”
She turned stiffly and realized they were in front of her house.
“Fine!” she snapped, throwing the door open and slamming it with all her strength.
Damien clicked his tongue, grinding his molars in irritation. If she hadn’t been a girl, he might have taught her a harsher lesson.
He shifted the car into reverse
But suddenly she crouched beside the window, glaring at him through the glass.
“To be honest, you seriously are an ungrateful”
The window rolled up mid-sentence.
Jacqueline smacked her palm against the glass in fury as he drove off.
“Bastard!” she shouted after him.
The audacity. She had risked her life for him.
Still fuming, she turned toward the gate
And froze.
Julien stood there at the entrance, arms crossed, staring at her. His gaze then dropped deliberately to his wristwatch.
Her stomach plummeted.
She looked down at her own watch.
12:30 a.m.
Her heart sank into her stomach.
Had he seen Damien drop her off?
Jacqueline swallowed hard and forced her trembling legs to carry her forward, stepping inside under Julien’s heavy, scrutinizing stare.