The next morning, it was time for church service again.
Mike again declined Mary's invitation and stayed in the house alone, sleeping in.
"Thump-thump thump—"
But it wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. Mike initially didn't intend to answer, but after a while, the knocking didn't stop, and it became more urgent.
"Who is it, so early in the morning…?" His sleep disturbed, Mike got up very unhappily to open the door.
At this time, it shouldn't be the Coopers or Connie.
Moreover, even if Connie came back and forgot her key, there was a spare key hidden by the door, so she wouldn't need to knock.
With a "creak," the door was pulled open.
Outside, Selena peered into the room: "Mike, you really are home."
Bathed in the morning light, the woman wore a thin red silk nightgown, her entire body seemingly radiating white light.
Unexpected that she would come knocking so impatiently, Mike leaned back slightly, alert, and said, "Is there something wrong, Selena?"
"My water pipe is broken, can you come and help me fix it?" Selena fiddled with a few strands of wet hair; the silk nightgown on her chest was largely soaked and clinging tightly to her body.
If the other party were a normal person, Mike might have taken a few more glances, enjoying the view.
However, the strange smell wafting to his nose made Mike wrinkle his nose uncomfortably. Then, he declined: "This… it's not very convenient, is it? Why don't you go home and wait a bit, Pastor Jeff should be back soon."
Before he understood her true nature, Mike didn't want to have too much contact with her.
Having experienced the Jennifer incident, Mike knew the danger of those non-humans.
Their thought processes were completely different from humans.
"Are you sure you're not coming?" Selena's patience seemed to be running out in the face of Mike's second refusal.
At this moment, although she still had a smile on her face, her hand resting on the doorframe was making a "crack, crack" sound.
The iron-clad doorframe had several finger imprints squeezed into it.
Comparing their respective combat strengths, Mike knew that if he confronted her directly, he was no match for her.
"Uh, I'll go change my clothes and be right out." Mike's eyelids twitched, choosing to back down for now.
It was also a good opportunity to find some life-saving tools while changing clothes.
"No need." Selena instantly grabbed Mike, who was about to turn, and said with a smile, "It's just fixing a water pipe, it won't take up too much of your time."
This speed was too fast for him to dodge, Mike was surprised inside, but he didn't show it on his face.
"Alright, I'll help you fix the water pipe now. Can you let go first?" Mike looked at the small hand gripping his wrist. That small hand was fair and slender, but it was extremely cold, not the temperature a living person should have.
"Sorry, I was too impatient." Selena released her hand, returning to her polite and aloof demeanor.
Pastor Jeff's house was right next door, less than three hundred meters away on foot.
On the way, Mike moved his wrist; there was already a red mark where he had been grabbed.
'This is trouble!' Mike looked up at Selena, who was swaying her hips and leading the way, but his mind was pondering countermeasures.
However, considering the disparity in their combat power, Mike couldn't think of any good counter-measures for a while.
Should he seek help from the church?
Just as Mike's thoughts wandered, the two entered Pastor Jeff's house.
This was a very ordinary house, with a layout similar to Connie's.
"It's here, you can see if you can fix it first. I'll go change my clothes…" Selena led Mike to the kitchen, where the faucet above the sink was dripping.
Since entering the house, Selena seemed to have Mike figured out, and she didn't appear very impatient.
After she left, Mike looked at the various knives in the kitchen, a hint of ferocity flashing in his eyes.
Just as he was thinking of going all out, Selena returned, having changed into a red slip dress.
It had to be said that this woman had a really good figure and knew men's preferences well. The slip dress on her created an alluring charm.
'Too bad, she's not human, otherwise it wouldn't be impossible…' Mike shook his head, suppressing the inappropriate thoughts.
At the same time, he subtly retreated, getting closer to where the knives were placed.
"How is it? Can it be fixed?" Selena leaned against the doorway and asked.
Hearing this, Mike glanced at the faucet; only the screw was loose. Moreover, he had reason to believe that she had intentionally loosened it.
Looking at the small wrench and pliers placed nearby, Mike nodded: "It can be fixed."
"That's good, you fix it first. I'll go pour you something to drink." After speaking, Selena twisted her waist and went to the living room again.
'This is very abnormal!' Mike looked at her back, and inappropriate images kept popping into his mind.
Logically, given the unpleasant smell on her, Mike shouldn't have any other thoughts.
Yet his brain just wouldn't obey him.
'Forget it, without sufficient preparation, now isn't the best time to act… It's better to leave here quickly.' Without enough certainty of victory, Mike didn't intend to put himself in danger.
So, he picked up the small wrench and quickly fixed the faucet.
After tightening the screw, the faucet indeed stopped leaking.
Mike put down the tools and walked out.
In the living room, Selena was waiting for Mike, holding a stemmed glass filled with red liquid.
"There's no milk at home, is red wine okay?" Selena asked with a smile.
"No, thank you." Mike refused; he wouldn't dare drink anything this woman offered.
"The faucet is fixed, I'll be leaving now." Saying this, Mike bypassed the woman and headed for the front door.
"Wait— Aren't you curious about my abilities?" Selena sipped the red wine, revealing two fangs, and the color of her pupils turned blood-red.
'She's not hiding it anymore.' Mike's heart sank halfway, and he put his hand into his pants pocket, where there was a small kitchen knife for cutting vegetables.
"Don't be agitated, actually, I have no ill will towards you." Selena licked her red lips and retracted her fangs: "I am a noble blood kin. If you are willing, I can give you the embrace and let you join us."
The blood kin embrace ritual required a blood kin to voluntarily offer their essence blood, which would result in a loss of some power for the blood kin. From this perspective, Selena was indeed very interested in Mike.
And humans transformed into blood kin through the embrace ritual could not only gain a stronger physique and endless lifespan. If lucky, they could even awaken a unique talent.
Selena, in particular, had awakened the "Charm" talent.
This talent allowed Selena to amplify others' desires, especially in matters between men and women.
Moreover, pure blood kin transformed through the embrace could also enhance themselves by absorbing the energy of the moonlight.
Finally, they might even reach the point of atavism, transforming into bats and gaining the ability to fly and burrow underground.