The Vampire's Bride

Mallory was about to protest but a pair of lips suddenly covered her mouth.

Mallory couldn't help but cry inwardly.

Master Orpheus! You already got 6 successful kisses from me!

It's dangerous how you're successfully raising the number of kisses!

But his kisses are sweet... it actually feels good...

Mallory felt like melting the longer they kissed. She couldn't help but looked at Leo as if she was in a daze. She was until she noticed the beast residing behind the deep eyes that seemed to pierced through her soul.

After a good minute, Leo unwillingly broke the kiss. He ruffled her hair as he pushed down his d.e.s.i.r.es.

"Okay, that's enough."

"E-eh? Ah... Y-yes."

Leo looked at the blushing girl for a moment before sighing. He combed his hair backwards with his fingers as he asked, "There's something I wanna ask."

"Y-Yes?"

"How come you knew Aldo?"

Hearing the name, Mallory was confused for a second before realizing she told them during the call. She observed Leo for a moment, looking up and down, determining if she should tell him.

In the end, she opened her mouth, "He was an acquaintance of mine."

"Acquaintance?"

"Yes... My mother, the one of the women who..." Mallory paused looking for the right word, "... who entered your house... she introduced him to me."

"I see..." Leo nodded as he understood. But Mallory was not yet finished.

"He's my fiancé."

Eh? What? Did I hear it right?

F-Fiancé?!

Mallory and Aldo...

"YOU'RE ENGAGED?!" Leo's eyes looked as if they were bulging out of his eye sockets when Mallory dropped the bomb.

"Yes... I-I mean no!" Her words stumbled as she hurriedly explained, "He is my fiancé – I mean WAS! WAS my fiancé."

This confused Leo more than he already was. "Was? What happened?"

"H-He disappeared for a long time..."

"Disappeared? Why?" Leo asked.

"Actually, we don't know why. He just disappeared a few months after we met."

Leo thought about it for a moment. "Then he could really be the one behind those killings." Leo suddenly realized something, "How did you know it was Aldo?"

"Eh? Umm... I-I saw his sign."

"Sign? What sign?"

"The blood... he shaped it to his sign. I saw it at Alina's picture. Observing through all nine pictures, it wasn't hard to determine that the killer is the same. The problem is that the sign is something hidden in plain sight."

Leo tried to recall the pictures. He suddenly realized what she was saying was true! The pool Of blood under Alina was really shaped like Aldo's sign; a ferocious wolf's head.

He looked at Mallory with admiration. This girl... she seems to be more than I thought she was!

"You're right. I'll tell Jill to look it up. It's a good thing you noticed Aldo's sign 'cause if it was us, it would have take a thousand years," Leo laughed as he patted her once more.

"Y-Yes..."

Leo felt something was wrong when Mallory replied. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. It was as if she saw something she wasn't supposed to see. She opened her mouth and spoke softly, "B-But Master Orpheus—!!"

All of a sudden, Leo's phone started ringing. Leo grunted as he pressed the answer button, not minding who it was.

"Hel—"

"Bro! Hurry and check the scene!"

"Jill? What's wrong?"

Jillion's loud voice was heard by Mallory even if she wasn't close to the phone.

"The killer! Someone saw him! He's on strike! Hurry! Go and teleport!"

Hearing the news, Leo had a serious aura around him. He ended the call and quickly grabbed a hold of Mallory's arm, pulling her up to stand besides him.

"M-Master Orpheus?" Mallory was confused as she saw a circle forming below them. It was a magic circle.

Is Master Orpheus casting a spell?

"Hold on tight. We need to go. Aldo's near," Leo vaguely explained the situation and embraced Mallory as he spoke with Brian (telepathy) to follow them.

Mallory was still staring at nowhere with disbelief written all over her face.

Aldo... is it really you?

Are you the vampire killer?

Didn't you promise me? Didn't you promise me that you'll accompany me? That you won't suck blood?

No... it can't be you, Aldo...

You're not supposed to be here anyway...

'Cause you're supposed to be – –

"Ahhhh—!"

When they reached, there was a circle of humans. A woman fell on her b.u.t.t and pointed at the man at the floor.

"H-Hey! You've gotta be kidding me! A murderer?"

"Look! He have two holes on his neck!"

"No way! The vampire killers are true? Then vampires do exist?"

"Creepy! Now I'm scared to go outside at night!"

"This is the tenth victim..."

Leo quickly took noticed of the cause of death and indeed noticed the absence of the scent of blood inside the body.

He stood up and asked around, "Did any of you call the police and the ambulance?"

"Y-Yes. They said they'll arrive soon."

"I see. Please refrain from going near the body for now." Leo turned to look at Mallory who was behind him. "Mallo— Mallory?"

She was supposed to be behind him... Leo immediately looked at the body that he did not notice Mallory went somewhere.

...

Mallory was running away from the group of people. She was desperately running, trying to catch up as tears formed in her eyes. She kept asking herself one question...

Why?! Why?!

Earlier, the moment they arrived at the group of people, Mallory immediately noticed Aldo's sign. She was frozen on the spot. Seeing from the pictures and up close were two different things. Now she had no choice but to believe that it truly was his sign.

Just as Leo observed the body, something else caught her eyes — more like someone else.

She looked up and saw a familiar pair of eyes. Those crimson red eyes that seemed to have entered her soul.

She only saw it for a moment as the person turned around to leave but she was sure who it was. She didn't need to think. In fact, she was not even aware when her body started running, chasing the disappearing figure.

Her tears blurred her vision but she did not stop to wipe them. She just continued running even if she was out of breathe.

She was scared yet she needed to be sure. She needed to know why that man was at her front.

Why... why is he here?!

He's not supposed to be here... so why?

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Mallory screamed as loud as she could. This stopped the man and Mallory heavily panted as her eyes stayed focus at the back of the man, waiting for an answer.

You're not supposed to be here...

The man turned around and Mallory got a good view of his face. Then she heard the voice she never thought she'd hear ever since that day. "What do you mean?"

You're not supposed to be here...

"T-This can't be... Y-you're..." Mallory found it hard to believe.

"... I'm Aldo."

'CAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!!!