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When I woke up, I dazedly looked at an unfamiliar ceiling with unfamiliar decorations and unfamiliar designs and patterns.
The original host was never into paintings in the ceiling, so I’m pretty sure I’m not in the von Blodd mansion, let alone my room.
… Where am I?
What happened again?
I tried refreshing my memory.
I got dressed for the “party” by the vampire elders and went out of the house to go to the venue. Then I insulted Count Rozalin and met Zed von Clarence.
Right… Zed von Clarence.
I was attacked by a mad woman, got injured, and met Zed von Clarence again.
Then… I was most likely, no, definitely taken away by Zed von Clarence.
As if confirming my speculations,
“Elena”
I looked at the source of the voice and sure enough, I saw Zed von Clarence standing beside the bed.
When he saw my attention on him, he then moved to sit down on the bed I was lying on.
“Healers from my territory somehow got you out of a critical state.” Zed suddenly caressed my face again. “With the help of my blood, of course. Aren’t you grateful?” Zed smiled. “My blood runs in your veins, Elena. Isn’t that sweet?” His smile then turned mischievous.
I just looked at him with a stoic face, even though I really want to show my disgust outwardly. I wanted to look unaffected.
“You need more blood, right?” Zed’s hands were roaming my face before tracing my hair from root to tip. He then held the tip of my hair and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. “I’ll gladly give you mine.” He said, looking me in the eye as he did the gesture.
“What’s in it for you? Why are you doing this?” These were the first words I uttered to him since waking up.
I really should be thanking him, but I can’t help but have my suspicions.
Because he has no reason whatsoever at all to help me.
Oh. No. He has one.
My blood.
My blood is very precious. To all vampires.
My blood has the strongest regeneration ability, and it even has the greatest strengthening ability amongst all vampires with similar powers.
But then again… Zed can just suck out and drain me of my blood, and then power will be his.
There’s really no reason to go out of his way to heal me and take care of me.
Unless…
Is this fattening up the pig before bringing it to slaughter?
Strengthening my body, making my blood healthier… making it more delicious and powerful…
It’s possible. Definitely possible.
I don’t expect Zed to answer my question truthfully, and as expected,
“You’re my fiancé. I should take care of you, right?” Zed leered over me, as he brought both his hands in both sides of my head, trapping me in his arms.
I merely looked him in the eyes without saying anything, and he stared at my eyes too, also without saying anything further.
He’s right.
No, not the fiancé part, but the part where he said I needed blood.
I do.
I badly do.
Thinking so, my eyes probably got red.
“Your eyes are turning red, Elena.” Zed confirmed as he broke the silence first.
He then raised his hand to his shirt, grasping his buttons. Zed then unbuttoned two more buttons from his dress shirt in a slow manner, as if seducing me, then dragged his collar to the side and opened it, baring his neck. “Blood?” He asked. And he asked that in a low voice rather seductively.
I thought for a moment.
Shouldn’t I just take him up on his offer? I have nothing to lose anyway.
Rather, it would be Zed that will be on the losing end in this.
If I drink his blood, I’ll be stronger, my vitality will be restored, and I would have the ability to fight him.
Also, if I drink more than I should, it would be Zed who would become weaker instead.
Thinking so, I didn’t hesitate anymore as I raised my one hand to hold the nape of his neck, pulled him down to me and tentatively licked the spot where I would bite.
When I started licking his neck, I could feel Zed shudder.
“Why did you shudder? Is your neck sensitive?” I raised my head a little and whispered the question directly to his ear. “Or are you simply excited with the thought of me piercing your neck with my fangs?”
I laid my head back down on the pillow again to look him in the eyes, and asked in the normal volume and tone of my voice, “Do you want me to bite you and suck your blood that much?” I tilted my head a little. “Come to think of it, you have offered your blood to me several times already.”
Oh?
What’s with this reaction?
I blinked my eyes several times consecutively in disbelief.
I think I just saw Zed turn red. He… He was actually blushing?
Zed suddenly sat up and turned his head to the side, as if wanting to hide his face from me to avoid seeing his reaction. He even covered half his face with his hand.
And, even though he turned his head ro avoid my gaze, I could still see him being red since he’s red to his ears.
….. Huh? What the heck?
Don’t tell me… did Zed von Clarence like Elena von Blodd? Why is he suddenly being shy? There doesn’t seem to be some other explanation for his reaction. At least, I don’t know any other explanation. Maybe there really is some other reason, I just can’t think of it.
But… weren’t Zed von Clarence and Elena von Blodd enemies in the original plot?
What the heck is happening right now?
While I was still being bewildered by the sudden, surprising revelation, Zed seemed to have recovered his composure as he faced me back again, his face with no hint of the redness it had just now. His usual carefree smile was also back, as if what I just saw were just fragments of my imagination.
But I believe what I saw before was real and true.
“Yes, Elena.” He answered to my question before.
I guess he’s just pretending to be carefree and nonchalant right now.
“Take my blood.” He added.
I raised one brow at him, but didn’t say any more.
I also never voiced out my thoughts. I continued on as if I didn’t see anything just now.
I gestured at Zed, beckoning him with my finger to make him come back closer by himself.
Seeing my actions and understanding it, he bent down to my level and intentionally positioned his neck near my mouth.
I grabbed his head and positioned him better, letting my self be comfortable and have easier access to suck his blood.
Licking his neck once more, this time, he didn’t shudder again.
I guess he could control his body’s reaction now that it’s the second time around.
With no more hindrances or strange occurrences, I didn’t hesitate to pierce Zed’s skin with my fangs.
As soon as I buried my fangs deep enough to access his blood, I removed them and began sucking.
I could say that Zed’s blood is really delicious. It has class and quality. As expected of a pureblood vampire.
But, to be honest, even though the quality is better and the strength I gain per drop is also greater, I would still say that Leon’s blood is more tasty. I wonder why that is.
I could say so and compare such since I have already drank blood from three people in this world. Dion Erhardt’s, Leon’s, and Zed von Clarence’s.
Dion’s blood, as I remember, is slightly better than average in terms of taste, and the same can be said for the quality, when comparing it to the original host’s memories of sucking other people’s, humans and vampires included, blood. This may be so because of all the blood he has sucked from the original host. What was supposed to be average-tasting and middle quality blood became better with the blood mixing.
Zed’s blood, on the other hand, really is superior, if not the best, in terms of both taste and quality when compared to the original host’s memories of other blood. That’s to be expected, since Zed is a pureblood vampire.
But the mystery is Leon… Although he’s a pure human, his blood tastes amazing, even on par, no, more delicious than Zed’s. Is it because of preference? His blood’s strengthening qualities are the same as the average human blood can do, but the taste is really a wonder.
And, I don’t think it’s merely just because of preference.
Perhaps… Before he was human… He really was a vampire? And, a pureblood at that? It’s plausible, since his blood can rival Zed von Clarence’s. The only seemingly impossible thing really is the fact that if he was a vampire back then, how could he be human now?
All these thoughts were swirling in my head as I kept draining Zed of his blood.