Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 565: Hungry

That time around, even in limbo, the will to move did not grace her.

And so, Arabella remained curled up on the ground, shedding silent tears as her entrails sizzled with the lingering stings that those blows from the prince bestowed upon her.

That continued until a warm pair of arms wrapped around and gently turned her around.

"What have they done to you?" Silas whispered, bringing her to his chest.

She said nothing at first and merely winced when her bones threatened to give up on holding her body together.

"They... They figured it all out," she murmured, eyes empty, right on his chest, "They caught them," after a small gasp, a choked cry followed, "It is over," her eyes finally fluttered up towards his, "Please forgive me. I have tried. I really have tried but... In the end, none of it mattered. He was smarter than me,"

"Arabella," he pushed the hair out of her face, "Please, just breathe," something made his voice unsteady... Even though subtle, it was still there.

"Breathe," she half asked with very little energy, "Yes... I do not think I will be doing that for much longer. I truly am sorry,"

"Stop that," he tried, "It isn’t over. I have not given up yet,"

"If only you had chosen someone better to stand by your side... Someone stronger or smarter," she breathed.

"I forbid you from saying such things," his tone turned cold, but not of the solid kind... It was the shaky and brittle sort of cold.

As she looked at the odd sky that topped that space, her features released a fair smile on her, but it did not seem to please Silas in the slightest.

On the contrary, he appeared more rattled than before.

"You know," but then, she spoke, "Before you, I had no idea what love between a man and a woman would look like. I never thought I’d ever get to witness it, let alone experience it," after a pause, during which her lips parted then joined again, she continued, "I... Loved it. I loved every bit of it, and given the chance to, if it wasn’t for the hurt I’ve caused so many people, I would do it all over again,"

The first time Silas ever smiled for her had been a miracle in its own category, but the first tear shed by his eyes landed on her already damp face.

Arabella was forced to stop speaking, not just due to the sight of her husband crying for the first time but because of the throbbing in her damaged lips.

The blood from the injuries that Cedric and Zarah had inflicted upon her still hadn’t hardened, still running down her bruised flesh...

The young woman brought her hand to her cut up lip and painted her fingers red before leading them towards Silas’ lips.

"You might still have a chance at surviving this," she brushed the fingers right on him.

For a while, he just looked back at her with a crumpled face, seemingly giving up on fighting the tears.

Although finally, he opened his mouth and fulfilled her wish, taking a good lick out of her blood.

The result was instant, very apparent in his diamonds which sharpened under her fading gaze. That jostled her right back into the moment.

"I can... I can taste it," he murmured, focusing on the red nectar decorating her lips and forehead, "I remember it now... It is... What heaven is made off,"

Seeing the light revived in him, Arabella’s hand curled around his wrist to hoist herself into a sitting position, but he held her firmly, keeping her from exerting her body.

"Take more," she begged, "It is working! Please take more!"

She did not wait for him to react and instead ignored every screaming cell in her body and lifted herself up before pressing her lips against his.

Silas did not fight it. On the contrary, he held her head in place and supported her weight as their tongues explored each other.

How long had it been since the start of that nightmare? A mere week? No! Impossible! It felt like so much longer had gone by... Like so much had been lost between them...

The taste of his mouth mingled with her blood sure was something else, but she had not a care in the world for it.

Arabella was too busy clinging to him with every fiber in her being. He smelled like home and every good thing it had to offer.

When they finally set each other free, both of their eyes had sharpened as though the life that had once been stolen from them was returned.

Silas broke eye contact to look ahead, into the distance, "I... It does not hurt to see far into the distance anymore! It.. Argh..."

The vampire hunched over himself, clutching his own side.

"What is it?" Arabella straightened into a sitting position.

"Pain...," he managed to muster through his tightened jaws, "Physical pain like I have never felt before!" he grunted, still curled up onto himself.

"Where do you feel this pain? Where is it kicking you?" her eyes went all over his body as her hands softly but frantically explored him.

"All over!" he nearly coughed his lungs out, "No part of me is spared," 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Arabella froze in place, eyes refusing to blink, "Oh... I think... I think it is working," she whispered.

"What is?" his vocal cords barely managed to push those words.

"You must take more of my blood!" her voice gained in strength, "Please, it is the only way! It is working! You are regaining your awareness of the world around you out there!"

"You did not lie then! They truly have me hooked from all sides," he pressed a hand on the ground to keep himself from falling, "But you are right, I am starting to feel cold. I can smell something rotten and I am so...," his demeanor shifted from a contorted outlook to a calmer, more controlled one, his eyes focusing on the blood still flowing out of her wounds, "Hungry" he practically growled bringing his lips back against hers.