Page 31 of Of Shadows and Blood

The scent flows from the container freely and my nose catches a whiff of it.

My stomach responds again.

Cedric looks willingly into my eyes, as if urging to down the whole thing right then and there.

Bringing the bottle to my mouth, I take a shaky breath, immediately inhaling the aroma of it. Strong, fruity – the notes similar to wine. Pain spikes down the roof of my mouth and into my gums. A shifting in my mouth adds pressure and I draw my hand to my wincing lips. I feel a cutting prick on my finger. Blood wells on the spot and before I have the chance to speak, Cedric cuts in. “Fangs, they’ll need to be retrained but blood spurs them. Look at me.”

Our eyes meet, my mouth slightly open to reveal my new attachments. A wanting smile forms on his and I see his are also protracted. The dimple on his left cheek that I did not notice before reminds me that vampyr are so humanlike in appearance.

Well, for the most part.

Cedric is hardly average looking, in many ways…

“And what if I hate it?” I motion to the bottle.

“Doubt it.”

I nod, trying to keep cool as I lift the liquid to my mouth, docking it between the two new parts of my teeth. Tilting my head back, I quickly pour it all in, not allowing myself a moment to hesitate or second guess.

Fire and ice, sweet and savory, satiating and not. Blood is all of those things at once. The cosmos illuminates behind my closed lids and the hairs on my arms stand. My body wakes to its vigor immediately and I swallow heavily, indulging in the velvety smoothness of the drink. It feels like I just took the biggest breath of air in. Just pure essence.

I mull it around my tongue in an attempt to savor it as best as I can because I’ve drained it all. The immediate craving for more rocks me, as if I’d never had something to eat once in my life.

My eyes flutter open, I didn’t realize they were closed, and I tilt my chin back down, removing the bottle from my lips. My tongue prickles as it grazes them before I wipe the blood on the back of my cold hand.

“That was…”

“Believe me, I know,” Cedric finishes, taking the bottle from my hands, a subtle yet proud smile on his face. A battle won.

The king rises and places the bottle on a nightstand before turning to look at the portrait once more. With the light from the moon more fully upon him, I question his own wellbeing. It’s no secret he has been imbibing, but he looks tired. More than tired, actually – exhausted.

The euphoria from the blood wanes.

“What is going to happen to me?”

His hands make fists and I notice his posture tighten. “I don’t… I’m no longer sure, to be honest. The cess are going to visit your cottage tomorrow to conduct a more… thorough examination. Magic could solve this.” The king is forthcoming in all things but emotions. His face is impassive like carved stone, barely letting anything through.

There is nothing for me to say back.

He nods to the door and I follow, the journey through what is obviously my lodgings. “You can ask questions at any time. No request is too large. I’m happy to clear my days in order for you to make sense of all this until we can heal your mind,” Cedric says, clearing his throat. Half of what he says sounds genuine, the other half sterile, but I can’t blame him.

“Thank you, I will think on that,” I say and feign a faked curtsy. He laughs once as two guards approach, their swords sheathed at their sides. Their silver armor slightly catches the moon’s glow right across their shoulders. A beautiful imprint of elys and stars in the center of their chest.

“See Lady Elivienne back safely,” he orders. The guards, with their pumping human hearts, nod. The smell of their essence is unmistakable as they turn towards the direction of the cottage.

I wave gently. “Good night, Cedric.” He tucks his hands behind his back and slightly dips his chin. And as we descend the hill, with the sound of crickets surrounding us, I cannot ignore the lingering feeling that my meal left.

Bread, spiced soup, carrots, warm cakes on a weekday morning; nothing could ever compare.

Chapter 10

The world is so much larger and more complex than any four walls. This is something kings and queens have died over, their lack of experience with the other. A barricade of society, of trade, of life will only return spoils.

The morning light quickly wakens up the room, stirring me from sleep. Though, I can’t say that I have truly had a proper slumber in Lux. My body resorted to tossing and turning, rethinking everything I learned and lost just a day before.

Sawyer validated my experience when it first happened. My awakening.

But now his truth is bare.