Chapter 272 - A Seal for a Sanguine (2/2)

”If it makes it so I can't stop bleeding, won't that put me in danger?”

”You'll be fine,” Aegin said, ”I wouldn't propose the deal if i knew you were going to bleed out, that would be stupid...actually, now that I think about it, it would be the second best option, but again, leaving tracks behind and all that”.

Aegin took a step forward towards her and Devina flinched a little. He paused.

”Does it hurt?”

”Probably,” said Aegin as he sat beside her. His eyes focusing on her vein as his eyes turned red and his fangs extended.

”Does it-Ah!”

Aegin clapped a hand over her mouth as his fangs sank into her flesh. He willed the wound not to hurt. As much as he disliked the woman. If she was going to be his meal for two months he wasn't inclined to make it so that she'd fear him.

He swallowed once. Two months. That was it. He would feed from her for two months then be done with her.

As he resolved this to himself, dragging more mouthfuls of blood in as he continued to hold Devina upright. He felt something shift in his Life Lines. A minute change, but it was there. When he knew that it was enough, he took a breath and slowly retracted his fangs, fighting the instinct to continue as he swiped his tongue over the wound.

He lay Devina gently down as he looked down at her.

”It'll wear off in a minute,” he said, swiping a thumb over his lips to take away the blood he could feel dripping there. He s.u.c.k.e.d his thumb into his mouth then gave Devina a small smile as he felt his hunger withdraw a little, ”Much obliged, Priestess, same time tomorrow?”

Aegin stood and headed for the door. As he reached it Devina's voice piqued up, ”Where are you going?”

”Out for a walk. The night is still young,” said Aegin, ”Get some sleep”.

***

What he'd told her wasn't wrong. Just a moment after he'd left, feeling had returned to all of Devina's limbs. She rose up slowly, sighing deeply. It had hurt initially, but as he'd drunk from her, the feeling of pain had seemingly dulled.

She'd felt a reaction from her Life Lines, no doubt protesting to what she was doing, but then he'd withdrawn, and licked the spot he'd bitten her. She'd been disgusted at first, until she'd felt her skin rapidly healing in that spot.

With a sigh, Devina rose and headed to the small bathroom, intending to wash up before she went to bed. After all, she figured it was best to sleep whilst he wasn't in the room.

The tiny mirror there revealed that the bite wound had been completely erased, leaving no trace she'd ever been bitten apart from her slight drowsiness.

Devina sighed, ”So he doesn't have to kill. He just chooses to so that there aren't any witnesses. Arrogant Pig”.

Devina turned to her wrists, intended to wash her hands and face with the water from the sink. She undid the cords that bound her long sleeves to her wrists and forearms, then pulled the fabric up her arm.

Devina froze.

For a moment, her mind went utterly blank as she stared at her Life Lines, then she rapidly pulled up her other sleeve. Staring at her Life Lines in horror, Devina couldn't help the scream building up in her throat, only for it to die in a chocked sob.

What had he done to her?

Her beautiful silvery white Life Lines, the emblems of her Life and Map of her very Soul, had turned a dull grey, and there, on the edges of the lines, had appeared tiny black points. Thorns. Black Thorns.

She'd been tainted. His Shadows, his Chaos, had utterly destroyed her pure light.