Lukas was roughly thrown back against the wall–the towering figure over him was dominating and overpowering. Lawrence Tenebris' gaze was far from kind, there was a tinge of bloodlust written all over his face.
"This is all your fault–" Lawrence said.
"I–" Lukas didn't even have the strength to say anything anymore. As his gaze swept across the event room, all he could see was Lily in a state where she couldn't approach or intervene at all.
And the blame was all on him.
Was it his fault? His own blood pounded hard within him as he saw the passed out girl–nevermind the broken shards now in his hands. He didn't quite care that the blood stained his luxurious suit and the designer was throwing a fit.
His gaze simply focused on Lily.
"Is she okay? What happened?"
At this point, Lily was taken away from the place where she fell off and was currently resting in one of the couches by the edge of the room. Serena Weisse was nearby and she looked a bit frustrated, clicking her tongue as her gaze also swept through and penetrated through the crowd.
Their eyes met.
The people were in a state of disarray. Lukas was vaguely aware that VitaBlood and Daddy Jones' bar had stopped offering drinks and were packing up–nobody had the enthusiasm to drink anymore as rumors spread across the floor.
Before Lawrence Tenebris could vent his anger towards Lukas, Serena finally arrived and touched his shoulders to prevent him from attacking the much younger Vampire.
"You were not around when this happened?" Serena asked.
"I–I was talking with Theo by that time." Lukas said. It wasn't exactly a lie, and by this time, the tiny detail about her being with Stacy wasn't important anymore.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I see." Serena said.
"I got her!" a voice suddenly yelled.
Lukas looked past Serena and noticed her maid, Katarina was dragging and holding Stacy by the wrist, pulling her along with no consent. His eyes widened and he quickly reached for Serena's arm. "She was with me this entire time!"
"And how would that even be possible–ahem, it's not related to this case." Serena averted her gaze and tugged her arm away from him. "She is an undetermined figure with enough reason for–"
"Is that a Vardoken?" Lawrence Tenebris stared at Serena Weisse with bloodshot eyes. His anger seemed to fuel some more as he could barely hold his breath without it seeming like he was ready to strangle someone.
Lukas froze and looked in Stacy's direction.
Stacy couldn't even meet his eyes anymore as she tried to raise her chin up. "I'm innocent."
"If you are, then tell us what happened."
"How should I know? I wasn't there." Stacy protested and then pointed a finger in Lukas' direction. "He'll assert my claim."
"I… that's true."
"You said you were with my nephew." Lawrence narrowed his eyes. "Are you in cohorts with this blood whore?"
"Woah, woah hold on–take it easy." Lukas frowned. He didn't like the term being used and neither did he understand the immense hostility. Well, he understood but for Stacy to get dragged as a suspect was beyond belief.
"You have no right to tell us what to feel, boy." Lawrence said. "If you weren't such–I would have wrung your neck."
"Please calm down a little, Councilman Tenebris. We're already trying our best to understand what occurred." Serena pleaded.
"Somebody spiked her drink naturally." Stacy frowned. "I saw the broken glass from earlier. But that could have happened even without the intervention of the–"
"This is more than just a simple spike, my daughter's tolerance for alcohol is—"
"It was meant for you." Lukas shook his head and started to pace about. "That's what happened and so the only thing we're waiting for is for her to wake up. Is somebody checking up on her condition?"
"Naturally–"
"Councilman!" a worried and frantic voice echoed into the hall as a person approached the crowd and bowed his head. "I'm afraid that the doctors–they couldn't find a way to reawaken Miss Lily."
Lawrence Tenebris barked out a short and throaty laugh. "That's not–"
"What was the reason then? What was the cause?" Lukas blinked. He didn't quite register the words in his head right now, there was static in his ears but his lips were moving.
"There were no drugs from inspection of the blood–but those who taste tested also ended up in the same condition as Miss Lily."
"That's incredibly–" Lukas started but then held his tongue. Humanity seemed to have better technological advancement compared to them? Or was it simply because Vampires tended to be healthier hence why their medical scene was highly underdeveloped.
Either way, Lukas wanted to have a blood sample and put it under a microscope.
"So we were unable to discover what blood type it is?"
"No, but it's unlike anything we've encountered before. The aroma itself while small is incredibly potent–"
"RH Null." Lukas suddenly said.
"What?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Is it by chance RH Null?"
"How does he know–"
"It doesn't matter. What are the chances of it being–"
"High. But acquisition of the blood is incredibly tough–we've made sure of that." Serena frowned and looked around.
"Then it must be blood manipulation." Lawrence turned back to Stacy.
"I have no reason to attack the council!" Stacy protested. "And… and even if I did, my abilities are not enough to replicate another blood type's effects."
Lukas felt his entire head go clear for a second as various scenarios popped through his head. The blood gathering, the bar when Lily got injured–
"So a human?"
"Does it matter now–if this is RH Null, we need a cure."
"I'm afraid that as we said earlier, Councilman…"
"Is there anything we have right now that might help?" Lukas asked and then suddenly locked gazes with Serena. Even she seemed unable to say anything else and was only chewing on her bottom lip.
Stacy finally raised a hand. "The blood gourd."
"The what?"
"It's a rare species of flora that my ancestor has taken note of." Stacy explained with a careful voice. It was banned to study the Vardoken's secrets, but naturally it was still passed down in moderation by the family.
"Then we should get it."
"It's no longer cultivated here. My ancestor's works were all destroyed. If you wish, we might need to head to the wilderness and find one."