Chapter 283 Silas is a mama’s boy

His actions weren’t entirely the result of careful planning or deliberate thought. In fact, one could even say that he had acted purely on instinct.

Perhaps it was because of the skill [Reactive Bite]...

Lucian wasn’t entirely sure.

But the moment he had gotten close enough to Grace, his instincts had practically screamed at him to do one thing.

And that was—

Pierce!

"Ah~~!"

An unexpected moan escaped Grace’s lips, and her eyes widened as Lucian suddenly bit hard into her neck, his sharp canines piercing through her flesh.

For a moment, she froze, but then—

Boom!

Lucian’s body was blasted away from her, flames engulfing him as his skin charred beneath the intense heat.

However, rather than crashing into the ground, Lucian immediately transformed into mist, his body dissolving into a crimson haze before reappearing directly in front of Grace, his flesh regenerating at an absurd speed as though the injuries he’d just sustained had never existed.

Though his suit and the remaining pieces of his shirt had almost completely disappeared, leaving his upper body almost entirely bare.

Grace’s eyes narrowed.

"Why did you do that...?" she asked in a low voice.

Lucian tilted his head slightly.

"Because you asked me to...?"

He paused, swallowing slightly as he drank the small amount of blood he had sucked from her before looking at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Anyways, your blood doesn’t taste that good. Uhh... I don’t know, but it reeks slightly."

"..."

Grace’s expression twisted.

The air around her suddenly grew heavier, an oppressive pressure spreading throughout the surroundings and causing Lucian’s smile to falter ever so slightly.

But even then...

"Even your pressure is weak compared to Valentina’s."

"Boy—"

Grace’s figure appeared directly before him, her hand tearing straight into his chest, and before Lucian could even understand what had happened—

SHLICK!

A wet, sickening sound echoed as a bloody organ was ripped out of his chest.

Lucian’s body froze, and he arched slightly as blood poured from his mouth, his vision growing hazy as he looked upward...

His heart was still beating within Grace’s hand, pumping out fresh blood that dripped between her fingers.

"You had a taste of my blood, so let me take yours."

Grace muttered with a smile.

Slowly, she raised the heart towards her lips.

Parting them, she extended her tongue and gently ran it over the surface, tasting the blood coating the organ.

The moment the blood entered her mouth—

"...!!!"

Her entire body trembled, and her eyes widened, genuine disbelief appearing across her face.

"W-What is this...?"

She stared at the heart in her hand.

Then, almost as if unable to resist the temptation, she licked more of the blood from its surface before bringing her fingers to her lips as well.

The taste was unlike anything she had ever experienced, almost to the point of intoxication. Not even the richest-quality blood could compare to it, not even by a percent.

And it wasn’t just the taste... but something else that was happening to her.

Her fingers tightened around the heart, bursting it in her grasp, something she barely paid attention to.

’I’m... I’m getting stronger...?’

The thought appeared in her mind, and her breathing gradually grew heavier.

But then—

’No...’

Her expression changed, and the initial disbelief slowly transformed into something far more intense, something that made her entire body tremble.

’My bloodline...?!’

Her widened, blood-red eyes slowly shifted towards Lucian, who held his hand to his chest.

Rather than dying... his chest had already returned to normal, a newly recreated heart beating inside him.

Under normal circumstances, such unnatural regeneration and the fact that he was still alive should have been enough to leave Grace utterly speechless.

But her mind was occupied by something else entirely.

"B-Boy... which blood—"

She stopped, then slowly lowered her head.

"No, no, no... it doesn’t matter what bloodline you have. Even if it’s the Scarletts... I won’t even have to go through with the plan if I have him..."

Her face turned stranger and stranger as her voice became increasingly frantic, her smile slowly turning maniacal as her thoughts spiralled out of control.

A moment later, she abruptly snapped her head towards Lucian, only to see his blade already heading straight for her face.

Grace immediately caught his arm, stopping the blade just short of her face, though the force behind the attack still drove into her shoulder.

Yet she didn’t even spare it a glance, her attention fixed entirely on the boy before her.

"Boy... you are too precious to remain here."

She spoke softly, but seeing Lucian’s apparent confusion, she decided to explain further.

"What do you want? Money? Power? Artifacts? Tell me quickly!"

Her voice became increasingly urgent.

Lucian barely had time to process her words before she suddenly tightened her grip on his arm, tearing it off.

Lucian glanced at the missing limb, then, without showing much of a reaction, used his remaining arm to continue fighting while the woman continued rambling.

"Just join me! If you’re after women, then you can have as many as I have in my family! But you have to become mine! Your body... I want it!"

Lucian blinked.

"...What?" he muttered in confusion, but then his expression immediately twisted.

"I already have a lover. And even then, you already have a husband. I don’t like women who aren’t completely mine, so shoo, shoo."

Grace’s face twitched.

"Boy... I’m being very kind here."

Her voice carried a strange mixture of irritation and excitement.

"Give me your blood, and why not even your body to go with it...? Perhaps that would be just as delicious."

Her expression gradually turned seductive as she looked him up and down. She couldn’t help but feel a tingling sensation just by seeing that look of denial on his face, which she found herself very interested in breaking.

"M-Mother...?"

Silas’s quiet voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, prompting her to turn towards him.

"What is it, son? Getting jealous...?"

She glanced towards Lucian before turning back to Silas.

"Don’t worry, I’ll let you have your fill of me as well."

"Huh?"

Lucian frowned.

He immediately turned towards Silas, who nodded at Grace’s words with a sullen expression.

But then, feeling the gaze, the latter’s attention shifted towards the crimson-eyed man, the very same man who had rendered him completely immobile, leaving him unable to move despite his desperate attempts to do so.

"You..."

Lucian’s eyes slowly widened as he looked at Silas with a ridiculing expression.

"You’re really a mama’s boy."

"..."

Silas’s expression darkened.

Shaking his head at the absurdity, Lucian briefly looked at Vivienne and the man’s fight, which... was still going on.

’What the fuck is that woman even doing?’

He then turned towards Grace and, readying himself—

He shot towards her once again, causing a quiet sigh to escape Grace’s lips as she blocked another of his attacks. But this time—

She pulled his arm, slicing her claws across it before severing it cleanly from his shoulder.

Lucian, undisturbed, launched himself upward, twisting his body before continuing to fight.