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SILENCE pervaded the space between them.
It always ended up that way if Ernest didn’t start talking. Yuuri became uncomfortable and glanced over at him.
“Shall I give you your reward?” Ernest suddenly suggested. He had been the go-between and the one who offered to compensate Yuuri.
“But…I only took you to my brother. I didn’t use any special knowledge I learned from my grandmother this time around,” Yuuri said, though she wasn’t very convincing. She wanted to refuse him, but Ernest had a way of getting the truth out of her.
Vampires and their descendants were said to be devoted creatures, but that didn’t always mean they were open.
“But you worked hard. And you’ve kept my friend’s confidence.”
Yuuri remained frozen in place, still not convinced that this was all right,
“It’s all right. Come here,” Ernest beckoned, gently pulling the still motionless Yuuri into his lap.
They were at eye level with each other.
His shimmering blond hair, the standard for Hylantian nobility, and his blue eyes that shone like jewels really were different from Yuuri’s. She hated looking him in the eye for that reason. But Ernest loved everything, including the parts of her that were different and even the parts of her that weren’t human.
But she desperately wanted to hide those non-human aspects from him. She didn’t want him to see how different she truly was.
“It’s better if it’s less visible, isn’t it?”
Ernest swiftly undid his tie with one hand, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt and vest. His chest lay open and exposed.
She avoided the thick veins in his neck and looked toward his shoulder. Finally deciding where she would sink her teeth, she looked to him.
“Uhm, thank you for the meal, Count Selden.”
“No, wait.”
Ernest placed his index finger against Yuuri’s lips. She began to feel anxious at this sudden redirection.
Hadn’t he said it was time for her reward? Had she misunderstood?
“It’s Ernest. Call me by my name. If I’m going to grant your wish, then I’d like you to grant one of mine.” He ran his finger along her lips. Could he not see how much pain he caused her by dangling what she needed right in front of her, then snatching it away at the last second?
No matter how many times Yuuri swallowed her own spit, it was no replacement for the blood she craved. She had called his name so many times in her heart, but had so little practice saying it aloud.
Tearfully, Yuuri opened her mouth and finally gave voice to that unspoken name. “Lord Ernest, please, give me your blood.”
His thin lips rose into an arc. His smug expression, overflowing with triumph, irritated her. Somehow, he always had the upper hand. “Go on, my sweet little vampire.”
Planning where to bite, Yuuri pressed her lips against his shoulder before bearing her fangs and biting down. As soon as she did, the sweet taste of blood filled her mouth. Between the aroma that filled her nose and the taste of his blood as it pooled on her tongue, there was no substitute for what Ernest gave to her.
Her memories of that first bite, when she became intoxicated by his blood, were hazy at best. This was the first time that she had bitten and drank the blood of the man she was steadily coming to love while still in control of her thoughts.
Even as she hated herself for doing something so awful, she continued to suck his blood, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Several times throughout, Ernest shifted his body and she wondered if it was because it hurt or because it tickled. Either way, Yuuri was happy. He was enduring something unpleasant or even painful all because he cared about her.
Not even five minutes had passed before Yuuri lifted her face, satisfied, even as the blood continued to seep from Ernest’s wounds. Her heart might have been satisfied, but her mind bore lingering regrets.
“…Let me treat your wound.” Yuuri sat up and rose to reach for the first aid kit she had prepared.
“Miss Yuuri, why are you crying?” Ernest asked, pulling Yuuri back to him as she tried to pull away.
“Because I hate this. It isn’t normal. And besides, I don’t…want to hurt you, Lord Ernest…”
“Is it really so awful to drink a little of my blood?” Ernest asked, wiping away her tears with his fingers. He caressed her chin, then lifted it so he could gaze at her.
“Don’t look at me!” Yuuri didn’t want him to see her cry. But instead of pulling away from him, she clung to his chest, burying her face in his rumpled shirt and gripping it tight,
“But, if I told you it was fine, that should be more than enough, right?”
Yuuri shook her head vigorously. She was filled with happiness when she drank. But when it was over, regret swept in. She had become exactly what her mother feared she would: a hideous, blood-sucking monster.
“Lady Yuuri?”
Ernest stroked her hair. Rather than retreat from his touch, ashamed of what she was, she sank into his arms, quivering.
“I don’t mind you getting all cozy like this with me. I just wish you wouldn’t get mad at me when I tried it.”
When Yuuri nodded, Ernest let out a sigh, and continued to stroke her hair.