The words landed like a chilling frost, instantly wiping the pride off Hunter’s face. Just moments ago, he had been basking in his self-importance after invoking the name of Asher Voss. Now, his expression was one of utter shock.
He stared at Kayden in disbelief, scanning him up and down, shaking his head. “No, it’s impossible. There’s no way it could be you! There’s no way you could’ve killed him!”
The idea that this man could have such strength was inconceivable to him. He simply couldn’t believe it.
Kayden’s face darkened. He didn’t care whether this man believed he had killed Hawthorne Eastwood or not. His sharp gaze locked onto Hunter as he said coldly, “Enough talk. Now, it’s time for you to die.”
Hunter shuddered, his eyes narrowing in fury as he roared, “Before you kill me, I’ll kill her first! Don’t you need this woman? Then I’ll kill her right now!”
His face twisted into a grotesque sneer, and his grip on Felicity’s neck tightened.
“Threatening me?” Kayden’s voice was calm, almost mocking. Before the words had fully left his lips, his blade flashed through the air with lightning speed.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the tension. In the next instant, Hunter’s hand, the one clutching Felicity’s neck, was severed and fell to the ground.
“Ah!” Hunter let out a blood-curdling scream as Felicity tumbled to the floor from his grasp.
He hadn’t even seen the blade coming. It was too fast-faster than his attempt to snap Felicity’s neck. The sheer speed was beyond comprehension.
Pain engulfed him, forcing him to collapse to his knees. Sweat poured from his face as he stared at the severed hand lying on the ground.
His hand-his entire hand-was gone!
“No! No! No!” He screamed the word three times, each one laced with defiance and despair.
Looking up at Kayden, his face twisted in rage, he bellowed, “What are you going to do to me?!”
Kayden approached him slowly, his steps deliberate and unhurried, like a predator toying with its prey.
At that moment, Hunter felt the vast chasm in their strength. This man wasn’t just anyone. He was a monster, far beyond his ability to fight. Even though Kayden looked young, his power was terrifying, sending chills down Hunter’s spine.
Fear overtook him. He stammered, “You can’t kill me! If you do, you’ll be hunted down nationwide! They’ll put a bounty on you! Every member of the Hermit organization will come after you!”
Kayden’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Do you think I care? You dared to harm Felicity. Of course, I’m going to kill you. If I don’t kill you, how can I protect her?”
“Felicity! Felicity!”
Just as Kayden was about to strike, a woman’s voice rang out.
It was Felicity’s mother. She had noticed that Felicity, Kayden, and Hunter were missing from the house and had come looking for them.
Her sudden arrival gave Hunter a brief moment to catch his breath.
Seeing Felicity lying on the ground and the pool of blood around Hunter, Felicity’s mother froze in shock. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees.
Felicity was her everything-more precious than her own life.
Though Felicity wasn’t conventionally beautiful, her mother had never neglected her. She was a devoted and loving mother, one who would do anything for her child.
“Felicity! Felicity!” Her voice trembled as she crawled over to her daughter, pulling her into her arms.
Hands shaking, she checked Felicity over, her face pale with fear. “Felicity, what happened? Are you okay? Felicity!”
Her entire focus was on her daughter, so she didn’t immediately notice Hunter’s severed hand or Kayden standing nearby.
After ensuring that Felicity wasn’t injured, her gaze shifted to Hunter.
When she saw his severed arm, her face filled with shock. “Hunter, what happened to you?”
Hunter’s expression changed, but he quickly composed himself and said, “Aunt Mona, it was him! This guy tried to take Felicity away in the middle of the night. If I hadn’t caught him, he would’ve already taken her! He attacked me when I tried to stop him!”
Felicity’s mother, Aunt Mona, looked at Hunter in confusion, then turned her gaze to Kayden, who stood holding a bloodstained blade.
Hunter continued, his voice trembling with righteous indignation. “Aunt Mona, you have no idea what kind of man he is. He’s been scheming against you from the start. Saving you at the hospital? That was just to win Felicity’s favor. Fixing her scars? That was all part of his plan to get her!”
“But it’s not just about getting Felicity. He’s a monster! He doesn’t want her body; he wants her heart. And after he gets it, he’ll eat her flesh and drink her blood!”
“Do you remember the zombie incident at the hotel a few days ago? That was him! That woman’s blood was drained by him. And now, he wants to take Felicity! I fought to stop him, and that’s why he cut off my hand. If he hadn’t admitted everything in his anger, I wouldn’t have known how twisted he is. He’s pure evil!”
Aunt Mona turned pale. Her eyes darted between Hunter’s severed hand and Kayden, full of fear and uncertainty. Clutching Felicity tightly, she stammered, “You… you… do you really want to eat Felicity’s flesh and drink her blood?”
Kayden didn’t bother answering. He had no interest in wasting breath on explanations that wouldn’t be believed.
Instead, he said calmly, “You could’ve lived, but now you’ve twisted the truth and spread lies. The one thing I cannot tolerate in this life is people like you. So, you’ll die.”
Before Hunter could respond, Kayden’s blade flew through the air.
A sharp whistle.
It pierced Hunter’s chest without hesitation.
Hunter’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe how decisive and ruthless Kayden was. No hesitation. No mercy.
Hunter collapsed to the ground, his breathing growing weaker and weaker until it stopped entirely.
Aunt Mona watched in horror, her mouth agape. She looked at Kayden, wanting to say something, but he stepped forward and spoke first.
Word by word, he said, “I know you won’t believe me, but leave this for Felicity. When she wakes up, she’ll tell you everything. I have to go now.”
He turned to leave but paused, adding one final sentence:
“You can hate me, but you can’t stop me from protecting Felicity.”