Chapter - 5

NINA

He lets out a sarcastic laugh, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and disdain.

“Ah, I see we have a rebel here,” he mocks, drawing even closer, pressing his body against mine, almost touching my nose with his. “Maybe it’s good to have a challenge once in a while.”

Eros murmurs, making me feel his warm breath on my face. His hand rises to my throat, where he grips with a bit of force, forcing me to meet his eyes. I breathe slowly as he stays serious, then he pulls away, goes to the door, and when he opens it, I see a female my size, with wavy blonde hair, dark red eyes, crimson lips like blood, pale skin. Dressed in a navy-blue gown down to the floor.

“Pleasure to meet you, Nina. I’m Marian, cousin to this stubborn one here.”

“The pleasure is mine,” I say, trembling.

“Take her away and do what needs to be done soon,” Eros says, leaving the room in anger.

“Don’t mind him. My cousin always gets grumpy when he’s hungry.”

I swallow hard, because the food is me. I look at Marian with a mix of feelings. I know I can’t trust anyone here blindly, but something about her, her calm, serene expression, makes me feel safe.

“What did he mean by do what needs to be done?” I ask, and Marian sighs, her red eyes looking tired.

“Nina, Eros is a vampire. He needs blood, to feed on blood. He won’t hurt you. Just a small amount is enough to quench his thirst. And now, in this phase, as he reaches greater age, the thirst grows stronger and the body’s desires flare up.”

I absorb the information, but the part about him not hurting me—I don’t agree with that at all.

“You said he won’t hurt me, but what about the others who died before me?” She rolls her eyes and huffs, annoyed.

“The coachman and his big mouth. Well, what happened was an accident.”

“He killing the females was an accident?” I ask ironically.

“It happens that the females were human and weak. Eros behaved as best he could; we all know how hard it is in this phase—the blood pulses, calling to us, and we have to stop before killing our food,” she says so naturally, as if she doesn’t care about the lives he took.

“In this case, he didn’t stop.”

“Yes, he did stop. The female was taken to his chambers, but as I said, they were weak humans and couldn’t produce enough blood in the middle of the night.” I shake my head, trying to understand her words—so cold and devoid of feeling.

“And if I don’t want to feed him? If I refuse because I’m weak?” The question comes out slowly, as I try to learn more about this place and its rules.

“You can do that. Eros is kind of authoritarian, but he won’t force you into anything. Only, the longer you delay, the thirstier he’ll get. So, only if it’s something very serious and you’re feeling really bad—ask. Otherwise, don’t leave him thirsty; he gets kind of cranky.”

“I noticed.” I let out a long sigh of discouragement.

“Come on, I’ll take you to your quarters and then start purifying your blood.”

“Why?”

“Shapeshifter blood is strong. We have it in our DNA too—that’s why we turn into bats and sometimes shadows. But yours is pure, since you’re a hybrid; it flows more forcefully and can cause indigestion if drunk without purifying.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“No need to be afraid. Teas and some foods cleanse it. In two days at most, it’ll be clean for Eros.”

Two days—I have two days free from him, at least that. And it’s good to know he can’t feed on me if I refuse.