Chapter 3

I grew up believing in things no one could prove—aliens, magic, powers beyond reason. Somewhere deep down, I was certain they existed.

It was my secret...

Just like how my brother vanished right beside me.

Being different invites questions.

Worse—laughter.

So I stayed quiet.

But if you asked me why, my answer would be simple...

It was the boundless nature of the unknown that drew me in. Once its core is revealed, so too are its limits—and seeing those limits, I think, would be a truth worth experiencing.

But maybe the universe was playing a cruel game—showing me things that had once been dismissed as mere fantasy.

I wanted to believe it was just a dream.

But that night...

I knew it wasn't.

Have you ever woken up feeling as though every part of your body was aching?

That feeling when you're doing absolutely nothing—or even when you're busy doing something—and yet your entire body feels exhausted?

That was how I felt.

There was also a soreness in my neck that had gone far beyond the pain of an ordinary wound.

It felt as though something had pierced me so deeply that half of my body was almost paralyzed.

I groaned as I opened my eyes, only to find myself in a room that wasn't the one I'd been staying in.

Slowly, memories began returning to me.

My brother.

My brother is here!

But the happiness was immediately replaced by fear and anxiety when I remembered everything else that had happened the night before.

I was in a vampire's den.

My brother's kidnapper wasn't a fucking human.

And I'd just made a deal with him.

"You're awake."

I caught my breath when someone suddenly spoke.

I immediately looked toward the source of the voice, only to see the shadowy figure of a man sitting on a single couch, with a heavy dark-red curtain behind him.

He sat with his legs crossed, one arm resting casually on the armrest.

In one hand, he held a wine glass.

And he was obviously staring at me.

As if he'd been watching me for quite some time.

The realization sent a disturbing sensation through me.

His voice didn't escape my attention either.

Unlike last night, it was calm and raspy—but still deep and deadly.

"Why am I here?"

What kind of question was that?

Obviously, I was here because I'd agreed to become his source of blood.

I had become a blood donor...

Just in a very different way.

"I have things to discuss with you, so we can make our deal clear, Primrose."

I clenched the bedsheet beneath me, pressing my knees together as I kept my eyes fixed on him.

He calmly poured more wine into his glass.

I nearly jumped when something suddenly climbed onto my feet.

I heard it purring.

When I looked down, I found a fat cat comfortably curled up near my legs.

I wanted to touch it and play with it, but then I remembered the creature I was currently talking to.

The cat probably belonged to him.

"Meow~"

The cat meowed, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

"W-What is it?"

"I'm very territorial."

His voice suddenly darkened.

"Your blood, soul, and life belong to me—at least until the next eclipse."

Before I could react, he vanished from where he had been sitting.

A shiver ran through me when I suddenly felt his breath ghost against my neck.

He stroked my skin with one finger before his lips touched the painful wound.

I felt his tongue brush over my flesh as he placed slow, almost deliberate kisses against my neck.

My heart hammered.

Something strange was happening.

The fear I'd felt moments ago was slowly being replaced by something else.

Pleasure.

A dangerous longing for something I knew could destroy me.

Until the next eclipse?

Does that mean I'll remain his blood slave until another eclipse occurs?

How am I supposed to know how long that will be?

"You're already bound to me, Agatha."

His voice was low against my skin.

"Your fate was sealed the moment I tasted you."

His hand tightened around my neck.

"The moment you stepped into my territory."

A groan escaped me.

But this time, there was no pain.

I closed my eyes as his fangs pierced my skin.

The sensation was sharp...

Yet strangely soothing.

He fed with slow, deliberate hunger.

Then, just as suddenly, he pulled away, leaving me trembling in the silence.

"You can leave now."

It felt as though someone had poured cold water over me.

I immediately slid off his bed and didn't waste another second.

I ran out of his room.

I was completely out of breath by the time I reached the room where I'd been staying.

But my attempt to enter was immediately halted when I saw Nana Marty staring at me.

Her expression was a mixture of astonishment and something else I couldn't understand.

She was looking at me meaningfully.

And behind those emotions was something secretive.

As if she knew something I shouldn't know...

Something I didn't even know myself.

"Good m-morning, Nana Marty."

She simply nodded.

"Go take a bath and get dressed. Then come downstairs. I'm sure Calum will be returning from town soon... We need to prepare for the visitors who will be arriving later."

Visitors?

Calum?

Who are they?

I did what she told me without really thinking.

I couldn't help but find it strange that she was acting as though nothing had happened last night—or as though I hadn't told her anything.

Hadn't she said we'd talk about what happened yesterday and why I couldn't remember her?

I sighed.

I took a bath first before choosing to wear a black button-down dress and a pair of high-cut combat boots I found inside the closet.

I was combing my hair when something brushed its fur against my leg.

I looked down.

It was the devil's cat.

A smile unconsciously spread across my face.

This cat was just too cute.

"Hello."

I immediately picked him up.

He was incredibly fluffy.

The cat wasn't skittish at all. Instead, he settled comfortably in my arms, purring softly.

He reminded me of the cat my brother had once given me.

Buffy.

He died when I was eleven.

"What's your name, kitty?"

As if the cat would actually answer me.

I shook my head and smiled.

I left the room with the cat still comfortably nestled in my arms.

That's when I remembered my brother.

How is he?

Has he eaten?

I was certain they were feeding him.

Still, I felt an overwhelming urge to visit him—to return to the room where I'd found him the night before.

So I did.

I carried the cat with me as I walked toward the room.

I was careful with every step, occasionally glancing around to make sure no one was watching before I finally opened the door.

Excitement rushed through my body.

I was about to call my brother Trevor's name.

But the room was clean.

Empty.

There was no trace of what had happened the night before.

It was just a plain, spotless room.

The curtains were drawn open, allowing a small amount of light to filter inside.

"If you're looking for your brother, he's in the underground room."

I immediately turned toward the voice.

"He was imprisoned there, but you don't have to worry. He's safe. He eats and drinks regularly."

A guy was peeking from around the corner.

"I bring him food and make sure he bathes. He also has clothes. He's living comfortably."

He gave me a playful smile.

"That's Master's order. You already know why."

My expression tightened.

"The deal between you and the Master."

His tone became more serious.

"And you absolutely cannot see him until your deal is over. That's his order."

I stared at him.

He had a mischievous smile on his lips and long hair tied into a man bun.

He looked exactly my age.

And...

He seemed human.

"Yes," he said, as though answering the question I hadn't voiced. "I'm human, just like you."

"He didn't kill you?"

He straightened and shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked at me.

"Nope. We serve him. We do whatever he wants, so there's no reason for him to kill us."

He shrugged.

"Unless we're no longer useful..."

His expression darkened.

"Or we betray him."

"Then why did he imprison my brother? Why did he abduct him?"

His expression immediately became serious.

He looked away.

"There's only so much I can tell you. Master Lucien has strict rules when it comes to giving information, especially to a human who doesn't belong to this world."

He looked at me again.

"One mistake. One piece of forbidden information slipping out..."

He paused.

"And I'll be dead."

I frowned.

"So you know I'm not from here?"

He tilted his head, examining my face.

"Of course. You're not the Agatha from this world."

My confusion deepened.

"I know you're from the human world."

I was about to ask another question when Nana Marty's voice suddenly came from down the hallway.

"Calum, where are the things I asked you to get?"

Calum smiled playfully at me before looking toward Nana Marty.

"They're already in the kitchen, Nay. We're just missing a few things. Mang Josie's stock has run out."

His eyes briefly shifted toward me.

Then they lowered toward the cat I was still carrying.

He smiled before finally walking away.

I was left standing there with even more questions than before.

A few moments later, I stepped out and decided to go downstairs to help Nana Marty.

But before I could reach the stairs, my eyes drifted toward the door at the end of the corridor.

It suddenly opened.

And I froze.

A man emerged from it.

A deity.

When our gazes locked, my heart immediately raced.

He had deep-set gray eyes that were hypnotizing.

Thick brows.

A sharp jawline.

A pointed nose.

And finely sculpted, thin lips stained a striking, bloody red against his pale complexion.

He was, I guessed, around six feet tall.

His chest was broad, his body strong and masculine.

Everything about him radiated authority.

Power.

Arrogance.

"Calcifer."

His dangerous, husky, cold voice lingered in my ears.

The fat cat in my arms suddenly escaped.

It was only then that I noticed its coloring properly.

Black-and-white tiger stripes blended with shades of gray and golden yellow across its fur.

The cat ran straight toward him.

"Meow."

It immediately leaped into his arms.

So his cat's name is Calcifer?

Our eyes met again.

He gently stroked Calcifer, who seemed perfectly content in his arms.

His eyes were practically drowning me.

When he started walking toward me, my entire system went into shock.

He was dressed in a black V-neck shirt and black cargo trousers.

His hands were tucked into his pockets, his brows deeply furrowed, making him look even more unapproachable.

But there was something else I noticed.

He looked...

"Primrose, hija?"

I immediately turned toward Nana Marty when she spoke beside me.

My lips parted slightly.

I nervously glanced back toward Lucien's direction.

But my surprise only deepened when I realized he was gone.

I looked around, searching for him, but I couldn't see him anywhere.

When I turned back to Nana Marty, I noticed her briefly glance toward Lucien's bedroom door before looking at me again.

"Did Lucien leave?"

I swallowed several times before slowly nodding.

"Leave him be. You'll get used to it."

She gestured toward the stairs.

"Come on. Go downstairs to the kitchen. We still have plenty to cook. Calum is there."

I was about to follow her when I suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, Nana Marty."

The old woman stopped immediately and turned toward me, as though she'd already been expecting the question.

"Do you believe what happened to me yesterday?"

The old woman sighed and lowered her head.

"I know you were only lying to me last night, hija."

She paused.

"I know you're from another world too."

My brows drew together.

"I only pretended last night that you were the Agatha from this world because, in some way, I miss her too."

Her voice softened.

"But I know there's nothing I can do about it. You're destined to discover this world eventually..."

She looked at me.

"And you're destined to learn about Agatha."

I frowned at her words.

I wanted to ask more.

But Lucien suddenly emerged from his room again.

My eyes widened.

I immediately turned away.

I hurried toward the kitchen, one hand pressed against my chest because of how rapidly my heart was beating.

Shit.

What's happening to me?

It was the first time I'd seen him clearly in the light.

So why had he already managed to affect me like this?

It was almost debilitating.

He carried the same dangerous presence even in the darkness.

But seeing his face clearly changed something.

Why does a creature like that have to be so fucking perfect?

He looked like one of the gods.

For a moment, I almost thought of Cupid, the son of Aphrodite.

But despite his beautiful appearance, his aura was freezing.

Terrifyingly cold.

And why the hell was I admiring the appearance of a devil who had taken my brother prisoner?

Looks could be deceiving.

He didn't deserve my admiration.

He was a devil.

An enemy.

He was bad.

He had hurt my brother.

Brother...

Without realizing it, I looked back toward Lucien's room.

But the moment I caught myself, I immediately shook my head.

No, Primrose.

No.

"Are you already in love with Master?"

I jumped when Calum suddenly spoke.

He was busy slicing meat.

"Why would I?"

I frowned.

"He has my brother as his hostage in exchange for my blood. Besides, I just met him. What kind of woman would fall for a man that quickly?"

I paused.

"Especially when that man isn't even human."

Calum shook his head and continued what he was doing.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

He shrugged.

"It's not impossible, though. He might be the devil, but women here would die just to be with him."

He continued slicing.

"Even women from powerful clans in this world want to marry him."

He glanced at me.

"Aside from holding the highest position in this world, you can't exactly hide the fact that he's incredibly handsome."

"I am not part of those women, Calum."

"Just saying, Agatha."

He gave me a knowing look.

"Master Lucien is the epitome of sin and seduction. Don't get caught in his trap, or you'll never have a chance to leave this place with your brother."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"That's a warning."

Then he shrugged.

"But if you end up loving him..."

He smiled.

"That's fine too."

I didn't pay much attention to what he said.

But his words stayed with me.

I knew Lucien was dangerous.

But there were still so many things I didn't understand.

Everything here was hazy.

Questionable.

And full of secrets.

Why me?

Why had Lucien—the vampire devil—chosen to keep me here as his blood source?

Of all the humans out there...

Of all the women...

Why me?