Chapter 89: Then... You can kill them
A vivid blush bloomed across Jenny’s cheeks, creeping all the way to the tips of her ears the moment Fredrinn’s low, teasing voice brushed against her.
She hadn’t anticipated him being so bold, especially with Rose hovering right beside them.
For a split second, instinct warned her to pull away.
She could practically feel the cold, razor-sharp weight of Rose’s gaze boring into her flank, and a sudden wave of flustered embarrassment threatened to overwhelm her composure.
But her pride instantly rebelled against the retreat.
Her heart urged her to stand her ground—to challenge the demon girl head-on and claim what she felt was rightfully hers.
Jenny had been fiercely competitive since childhood. Throughout her life, losing was a rare, bitter pill she seldom had to swallow—least of all in the looks department.
Back in university, she had been the undeniable center of attention, turning heads wherever she walked.
She had rarely dated simply because few men ever measured up to her impossibly high standards.
Now that she had finally found someone who genuinely sparked her interest, there was no way in hell she was going to let a glorified, mutated zombie walk away with the prize.
Masking her fluster, Jenny let out a playful scoff, leaning back into the curve of Fredrinn’s arm and relaxing into his touch.
"Is that so?" she cooed smoothly, tilting her head to meet his eyes. "Then I suppose you’re going to be sitting in the backseat with me?"
Up ahead, Aadav let out a long, miserable grumble.
"Of course, of course," he muttered under his breath, staring bitterly at the pavement. "Everyone just pile into the back and turn the car into a love nest. I’m just the humble, unpaid chauffeur here for your convenience, aren’t I?"
Fredrinn, Rose, and Jenny completely ignored his pity party.
Watching the subtle tug-of-war between the two stunning women, Vivienne couldn’t help but feel a spark of amusement. Chuckling softly at Aadav’s dejected slouch, she offered a warm, comforting smile.
"Don’t worry about them," Vivienne giggled, her large chest bouncing lightly with laughter. "I’ll sit up front with you."
The moment the words left her lips, every drop of bitter annoyance evaporated from Aadav’s face. He perked up like a kicked puppy suddenly offered a prime steak.
"Oh, really?" Aadav sighed with exaggerated melancholy, puffing his chest out to look broader. "At least someone appreciates my struggles. I’m a remarkably powerful Awakener myself but these people just don’t know how to appreciate something good..."
"Yes, yes, I can understand..." Vivienne humored him gently, hiding her amusement behind a polite smile.
Behind them, Rose didn’t fly into a jealous rage. Thanks to the massive upgrade to her intellect, she understood that petty squabbles were beneath her.
She simply maintained a calm, graceful pace, her fingers entwined naturally with Fredrinn’s as they strolled toward the parking area.
Together, the group arrived at the silver Camry. As planned, Aadav slid into the driver’s seat while Vivienne settled into the front passenger side, adjusting her seatbelt over her prominent curves.
However, the second Fredrinn swung the rear passenger door open, everyone went completely still.
There, sprawled across the back row, was Charlie. His skin was tinged with an unnatural, faint grey hue, and he was snoring with heavy, unrestrained rasping that sounded more like a sleeping beast than a man.
Jenny, Fredrinn, and Aadav exchanged deadpan, awkward glances.
In the chaos of planning their next move, had they genuinely forgotten about the massive buff guy passed out in the vehicle?
Aadav cleared his throat loudly, breaking the awkward silence. "Well... this is a bit embarrassing. I don’t think five of us are fitting into this sedan with him taking up the entire bench."
Rose peered past Fredrinn, eyeing the hulking figure slumped against the far door. She turned her face up toward Fredrinn, a sweet, radiant smile gracing her features.
"Rose doesn’t mind sitting on Hubby’s lap," she suggested smoothly. "We’ll fit just fine that way."
Aadav’s left eyelid twitched violently in the rearview mirror, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Teasing was one thing, but pushing his luck with Fredrinn and his demonic companion was asking for trouble.
Fredrinn chuckled softly, reaching out to gently pat the top of Rose’s head. She let out a quiet giggle, leaning into his touch with pure delight.
"That’s a tempting offer, Rose, but it’s going to get cramped and uncomfortable in such a small cabin," Fredrinn said smoothly. Leaning down until his lips brushed against the curve of her ear, he dropped his voice to a low, sultry whisper. "If you want to sit on my lap... we can do that when we’re all alone... and without any clothes."
Rose’s crimson eyes widened in pleasant surprise. A bright, knowing beam spread across her face as she quickly brought a hand up to cover her giggling mouth.
"Hubby is so smart!" she whispered back enthusiastically, thoroughly delighted by the prospect.
Both Jenny and Aadav were Awakened, their physical senses enhanced far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.
While Vivienne remained oblivious to the quiet exchange from the passenger seat, the two of them caught every single syllable of the whisper with crystal clarity.
At that moment, both of them desperately wished their hearing wasn’t so sharp.
Aadav gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, burning with familiar, envious rage.
Jenny’s expression soured instantly into a sharp, bitter grimace. She had already deduced that the two had crossed that intimate threshold when they disappeared behind the vehicles earlier, but hearing Fredrinn casually bring it up in broad daylight left a foul, sour taste in her mouth.
Noticing Jenny’s darkened expression, Rose cast a fleeting glance her way, letting a faint, victorious smirk touch the corners of her lips.
Without lingering on the petty rivalry, Rose turned her full attention toward the slumbering brute in the backseat.
"Get up," she commanded.
Her voice sounded rough around the edges, laden with a heavy, unnatural resonance.
Fredrinn instantly felt the sudden pulse of mana waves rippling from her vocal cords.
He focused his senses, attempting to decipher the structure of the mental command or spell she was channeling, but the magical weave vanished into the air before he could grasp its core.
The moment the command struck Charlie’s ears, his eyes snapped open with a violent start.
The sudden movement made Jenny, Aadav, and Vivienne jump in surprise.
Charlie’s eyes were bloodshot, his movements stiff and mechanical like a reanimated corpse answering its master.
Despite the lingering lethargy weighing down his limbs, he dragged his massive frame out of the backseat, hauling himself onto the pavement until he stood upright on both feet.
"Go sleep in the cafeteria," Rose instructed carelessly, making a dismissive flick of her wrist as if shooing away a stray dog. "If someone tries to stop you, tell them Rose sent you."
Charlie gave a rigid, robotic nod, his dull eyes locked onto her face. "What if someone still refuses to let me pass, Ma’am?"
Rose met his hollow gaze, her pale lips curling into a sharp, dangerous smile that sent a chill down the spines of everyone watching.
"Then... you can kill them," she replied with casual cruelty. "A fresh drink of blood should help restore your energy nicely, wouldn’t it?"