Drake held his breath as his eyes couldn't help but stare through Luna's body—her curves and…
What the hell, Drake! Resist!
He scolded himself, taking his eyes off Luna and walking to the side of the room, totally ignoring her. Reaching the far end, he stood before a massive wooden structure—polished brown wood with graceful craftsmanship.
It was his wardrobe, large enough to fit a hundred clothes or even more.
With both hands, he pried open the doors to the massive king-sized wardrobe and stared upon its contents—clothes too many to count just from sight, hung and folded neatly within.
Trailing through the contents, he selected a few clothes, and when he was done, he shut the wardrobe and walked over to the bed, dropping a purple armless shirt and a pair of trousers. He handed another set to Luna.
"Put on something to wear," he spoke in a calm tone.
At that, Luna froze and gave a naughty smile once again. "You trust me enough to give me your own clothes?"
Drake shook his head in reply, then began to move toward the bathroom, walking past her. This, however, seemed to pique Luna's interest even more.
Just as Drake was about to pass by, she leapt in front of him, her playful grin still ever-present. "You know, trusting someone this much can get you killed in a world of killers like this one."
Luna shook her head in disapproval, rather disappointed that Drake's reaction wasn't what she expected. "Aren't you surprised by how I got into your room…? Just curious."
Drake grunted, taking his time to think while staring into her eyes with his unsmiling gaze. It was at that moment Luna noticed his eyes—eyes that gave no sign of being alive.
They lacked hope, true joy, even sympathy.
Then Drake finally spoke. "What is there to be surprised about? I've seen enough terrors that would make being surprised now an insult to their faces."
His mind drifted to the Devils at that point, but he quickly refocused on what stood before him.
Luna folded her hands and frowned, clearly bereft of words. Sometimes it's like I'm talking to a forty-year-old man, she thought.
Drake raised a hand and patted Luna on the shoulder. "Has there ever been a time when dogs trusted their tails to protect their backs?"
Luna thought about the statement for a moment, then shook her head. "No, they do not."
Drake forced a smile—one Luna could easily see was a facade, a veil of lies.
Luna lowered her head in deep thought, then stepped away from Drake. "You're really a strange man, Drake Drakon. What kind of man refuses a woman like this?"
The last part was sarcastic and playful, perhaps an attempt to lighten the mood between them.
Drake nodded and grinned wider than before. "You'll find out soon enough."
Yes, she would. She would come to know the power-hungry man she had chosen to follow—the man who once cursed his own race as pathetic in his first life. The great Kendricks Skylar.
---
After refreshing himself with a nice warm bath and dressing up, Julius approached Drake's room to inform him that his father had invited him to dinner in the dining hall—and that Luna, too, was invited.
This came as no surprise to Drake. Knowing his father, the moment he had stepped onto the first stair, he had already sensed his presence. However, his father preferred to act unaware until being formally informed. He liked a diplomatic approach to things.
He was, after all, one of the world's strongest warriors.
To Luna, however, the invitation came as a shock. Her presence had been noticed by the Great Darion Drakon himself—not just that, but her name and last name, which Julius had clearly mentioned at the door.
Her mouth hung open in amazement as she stepped forward to meet Julius. "How do you know my name? I mean—how did you even know I was here?"
Julius cleared his throat, tugging lightly at his small purple bowtie before speaking audibly. "Miss Blade, I am not the one who noticed you, but Sovereign Darion Drakon himself. He invites you to dinner, as he holds very good relations with your family."
Luna was mesmerized. 'So this is the power of a legendary Original family head. He could sense through my family's technique and even recognize that it was the Blades'.'
A shiver ran down her spine as the thought crossed her mind—being enemies with the Drakon family, or any other Original family, would mean death.
Drake's eyes were fixated on Luna as he finally realized who she truly was—Luna Blade. The Blade family! From the actual Blade family!
The fact was still sinking into Drake Drakon's mind as he recalled what he'd heard about them.
They were a family of assassins—trained specialists in the art of killing, serving only those they deemed worthy. No payment, no demand—just their own sense of purpose.
So that's why she's so cocky about serving me, he thought.
Now the question lingered more deeply in Drake's mind: what was Luna's true goal in all this?
While he pondered, the three of them made their way from his room down the long passageway toward the dining hall.
Luna's mouth hung open in awe at how glorified the Drakon mansion seemed to become the deeper they ventured.
"Wow, this is better than my place," she exclaimed.
Julius chuckled at her bewilderment. "Happens to the best of us. Question, if I may—how does your home compare to the Drakon mansion?"
Drake, too, was puzzled by the question—it was something he had secretly been wondering about earlier.
"This is certainly better than chains and cells," Luna blurted.
"Chains and cells?" Drake repeated, as if reading from a book whose words he barely understood.
"Hmmm… no, n—not what I meant," Luna stammered, rushing to defend herself. "It was a big castle, but I preferred sleeping in the dungeons. It's more comfortable."
Drake's ears twitched as if they were hearing something outrageous. How could a powerful family such as the Blades harbor their own child in the dungeons? Was this some kind of joke? Or another one of her teasing moments?
Turning to Julius, however, his view of the matter shifted.
"The Blade family are elite assassins," Julius said sternly, as if reading Drake's thoughts. "When you come of age, you undergo trials meant to build you up to the family's name. Understand that, Drake."
It was at that moment they finally reached a pair of massive golden doors. They opened to reveal a grand dining hall—a vast room with a polished table large enough to seat fifty men, though only four chairs surrounded it.
And upon one of those chairs sat a menacing figure of a man, his hands crossed, blood-red eyes glaring down upon them.
For a second, Drake could have sworn his legs buckled beneath him—not from fear, but from the overwhelming pressure he could sense.
This was the presence of Darion Drakon—one of the top ten strongest Awakened in the world.