His eyes suddenly turned serious as he continued, "You shall never offer your blood to anyone else throughout your academic years...aning you will never serve anyone else.."
Eve stood stunned, her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to finish. Then he leaned in, his lips barely an inch from hers, and whispered, "Except ."
She couldn’t respond, she was simply too stunned to speak. The only word that kept echoing in her mind was ’blood’. It wasn’t as if Evelyn had ever considered offering her blood to anyone before, so when he told her not to give it to anyone else, she was more than happy to comply. But when he added "except ". She could see she was becoming sothing rare in his eyes. A delicacy reserved for the devil himself.
She knew she had to accept this demand willingly if she wanted to serve him properly, one of the academy’s binding rules. Though she doubted any rules truly applied to soone like Ivan.
’What should I do?... But...he did save back then..’ Evelyn thought as she struggled with her conflicting emotions. anwhile, Ivan was growing visibly impatient.
He studied her with his sharp, intelligent eyes and said in a low, commanding voice, "Words, Princess. I need you to use that pretty mouth and acknowledge that you accept this, as paynt... for saving you before."
When he pinched her chin lightly, her heart skipped a beat and her blush deepened. She then asked in almost a whisper, "B-But you said you wouldn’t ask for my blood as a paynt."
"Did I?" His eyes didn’t leave hers. "Or did I say I won’t ask for your blood....yet."
Evelyn felt her dream bleeding into reality and she wasn’t sure what she was feeling anymore. Was it dread or excitent? Or both? The idea of offering her blood to Ivan and only him left her utterly conflicted
And with his lips hovering so closely over hers, wasn’t making things any easier. Because aside from the emotional storm he stirred within her, he had awakened sothing deeper. Sothing no one else ever had. Sothing that made heat pool low in her stomach.
She didn’t know what it was she truly needed... but with every passing second of him standing so intimately with her, her body was heating up, yearning for sothing she didn’t dare na.
"Evelyn," he called her na again, in a whisper so soft it brought her spiraling thoughts to a halt.
"Yes?" she replied, as if unsure of why he called her na.
"I want to hear you accept that you will not serve your blood to any other vampire out there except ."
When he brushed his thumb lightly against her chin, she looked at him for a few seconds and finally responded, "Alright,.." She let out a shaky breath. Then, as her eyes sharpened with resolve, she added "I accept not serving my blood to anyone else, except you...however..."
Her eyes briefly flickered with gold and Ivan saw clearly.
She opened her mouth and spoke clearly, "Your Highness, let’s make one thing clear. I’ll give you my blood as repaynt for your kindness for saving back then, but it will only be my blood you get—nothing more, nothing less."
As she said those words, her grip on his clothes tightened painfully, but she didn’t back down. She stared straight into his eyes, even though they were still only a breath apart.
She continued, her voice unwavering, "I will never be one of your playthings. I am a person, a princess and many other things, but I will never be soone who is toyed with."
Her eyes suddenly turned fully golden, and the locket on her chest pulsed with heat. This ti, even Ivan felt the heat between them, as their bodies were nearly pressed together.
It was as if her emotions had made her magic volatile. Her breathing quickened, and a radiant glow enveloped her body, casting a divine aura across the top of the lighthouse.
He didn’t flinch. Instead, he reveled in it, feeling her magic up close. It felt inexplicably warm and comforting.
As he stared at her, he saw how she clearly was becoming more upset at the idea of being reduced to a woman who solely existed to satisfy his whims.
Even though Ivan had his suspicion over her true intentions in the beginning, deep down had always known that she wasn’t the type to throw herself at him like many others did. He saw that she held her dignity too high for anyone to tarnish. And Ivan respected that.
What surprised him more, however, was the strength of the possessiveness that flared within him at the thought of this woman offering anything of herself to soone else.
When he had inhaled her scent earlier, he knew instantly that her blood would taste divine. But that wasn’t why he demanded it.
There was power in her, imnse power. Power that others would exploit for their own dark purposes. The more they fed on her blood, the stronger they would beco, thanks to the potent power of light within her. Darkrots and other corrupted creatures would crave her very soul, her blood and organs.
That’s why he believed it was best to keep her close. To ensure that not a single drop of her blood falls into the wrong hands.
He had already guessed that the amber locket around her neck was ant to protect her, to mask her true nature from greedy eyes that would hunt her down the mont they catch even the faintest trace of her existence. And sothing told Ivan, after what she did out there to those two Darkrots, they must already be suspecting sothing.
Currently everyone in the academy knows about her sudden outburst of powers that day in potion-making class but most of them think it flared out like that because it had been dormant and untrained for so many years. They don’t know that it might just be a drop in the ocean.
Ivan told himself that it was a logical move but deep down, the idea of Evelyn being touched, wanted or claid by anyone else, infuriated him.
Why? After all, who was she to him?
Just a mystery. Just another case he wanted to solve, like countless others that crossed his path. And yet... the pull he felt towards her was undeniable. It gnawed at him.
Why did she affect him like this?
He, who had always been cold and distant even to his own family. He, who is feared for his ruthlessness. And yet, here she was, glowing with defiance he couldn’t look away from.
Seeing Ivan remain silent, her eyes hardened and she spoke more firmly. Her voice cut through his thoughts "I will never be one of those loose won who throw themselves into your bed, so I hope you don’t expect anything more from this."
A slow, almost amused smile tugged at his lips and he finally responded, "Princess, if I saw you as one of those loose won.." he paused, voice silky and cold, "you wouldn’t even be allowed in my breathing space." His voice was sharp and brutally honest.
He released her chin slowly, then traced the back of his fingers down her cheek. His touch was as light as a feather but electrifying.
Her golden eyes flared slightly at his inhibitions and he noticed it.
He spoke in a voice as smooth as silk, "Let give you so insight about ."
Reviews
All reviews (0)