Chapter 6: The Temptation of Blood

"Heh-heh," Alastor gave a dry laugh as he saw Malachi staring at him. He leaned closer to me. "I wasn't out there chasing flowers, you know. I was looking for a sweet little snack for you."

"A snack?" I looked at Alastor skeptically; it clearly looked like he was the one enjoying himself out there.

"What took you so long?" Just as I was thinking that, a high-pitched, cooing voice drifted over.

Looking up, I saw a blonde woman swaying her hips as she approached. Her white, low-cut V-neck bodysuit left very little to the imagination, and a golden miniskirt barely covered her ample curves. "Darling, I’ve been waiting forever," the blonde woman said, sidling up to Alastor and clinging to him with a sugary sweetness.

Alastor wrapped his arm around the woman with practiced ease. He suggestively flicked his tongue, lightly licking her pale neck, before glancing over at Malachi with a grin. "Are there private booths in this bar?"

The woman dodged slightly and let out a giggling laugh, as if she were tickled.

"There are. But be careful; don't make a mess. It's a pain to clean up," Malachi said, his lips curling slightly.

"Oh, you're so wicked," the woman swayed her waist, pouting playfully.

With a glance at Malachi, Alastor chuckled and led the blonde woman into a private booth.

"What are they doing?" I blinked in confusion and looked at Malachi.

"Good girl." Malachi patted my head and laughed with rose-like enchantment. "Something very interesting. Do you want to see?"

"Uh? Yes." Unable to resist his almost magical gaze, I nodded instinctively.

Taking my hand, Malachi led me into the booth. It was very dark inside, with the lights turned off.

Low moans and soft flattery filled the air. In the darkness, I could see clearly: the blonde woman lay half-naked in Alastor's arms.

Staring at her pale neck in the gloom, I lightly licked my lips.

Noticing me standing at the door, Alastor smiled and sank his teeth into the blonde woman's neck with a soft bite.

The woman struggled weakly for a moment before her eyes slowly drifted shut, as if she had fallen asleep. A lingering smile remained on her lips, her moist mouth slightly agape, while a soul-stirring low moan escaped her throat.

Licking the crimson liquid from his lips, Alastor looked up at me. In the dark, his aristocratic features were strikingly handsome and alluring.

I stared fixedly at the woman slumped on the sofa. Her long golden hair hung straight down, her head tilted back to reveal two puncture marks on her pale neck. A dark, reddish liquid was slowly oozing from those tiny wounds.

"Dinner is served," Alastor laughed, his blue eyes narrowing.

Watching that dark red liquid trace a path down her white skin, I realized I was parched to the extreme. The small space of the booth was filled with the metallic sweetness of blood, exuding a fatal temptation.

"Go on, good girl," Malachi gave me a gentle push.

The hunger felt like a twisting knot in my stomach. As if possessed, I walked to Alastor's side, lowered my head, and impatiently latched onto the source of that dark red liquid. The warm, metallic fluid slid down my throat. Having tasted that sweetness, I began to suckle violently, completely failing to notice the woman's expression shifting into one of pale terror.

"That's enough." Alastor reached out and pulled me into his arms.

Licking my lips with lingering desire, I looked at him in confusion.

"You can't drink the blood of the dead; it'll upset your stomach," Alastor laughed, his cold, slender fingers lightly brushing against my lips.

I saw bloodstains on his fingertips.

Subconsciously looking down, my pupils contracted sharply. I saw the woman's ghastly face; the final terror before death was frozen on her features, making her look hideously distorted.

"It seems you really were starving." Alastor gave a low laugh and swept the already stiffening corpse aside. "Even if it's just food, it's better to be gentle. You frightened her."

"Is she... dead?" my voice trembled slightly.

"It would appear so," Alastor let out a low chuckle.

I snapped to my feet and took a step back, my instinct telling me to run. In my panicked scramble, I slammed right into Malachi standing at the door. I looked back once more at the blonde woman lying stiffly on the sofa.

"It seems your little princess hasn't quite realized what it means to be one of the Blood Kind yet," Malachi supported me, looking at Alastor with a smile. His bewitching face looked eerily beautiful in the dark.

Alastor shrugged and laughed. "Quite a charming reaction, isn't it?"

"You've stained my carpet," Malachi's voice was lazy as his narrow eyes swept over the bloodied fabric of the luxurious rug.

I shook off Malachi's hand and rushed out of Night Allure in a daze.

I... I killed someone.

But I was hungry.

Because I was hungry, I killed a person. So... am I even human anymore?

Looking up at the cold moon above, I had almost forgotten the warmth of the sun. Would I never feel that warmth again?

I slowed my pace and stared at the night scenery of the street. Amidst the flickering neon was endless vanity and indulgence. Unknowingly, the surroundings grew darker until I walked into a dead end near an abandoned park.

The sound of a snapping twig came from behind. I turned instinctively to see a middle-aged man standing there, looking utterly lecherous. Frowning, I took a step back; the look in his eyes made me feel ill.

"Heh-heh..." His eyes lit up when he saw my face. He grinned, revealing teeth stained with tobacco.

"Go away!" Seeing him approach step by step, I backed away until my spine hit the cold wall behind me.

Before long, the man was in front of me. He reached out to flick my chin disparagingly while his other hand went for his belt.

"What are you doing?! Go away... get away!" I cried out in alarm, struggling violently.

"Damn, why are you cold as a corpse?" The man rudely tore at my coat, cursing under his breath.

With a loud rip, my sleeve was torn open.

"Whatever, you're pretty enough. I'll make do. Even if you really are a corpse, I'm going to have a taste..." Spewing filth, the man's hands grew increasingly intrusive.

Feeling him grope me obscenely, I let out a scream.

The moon broke through the thick clouds, and bats circled silently overhead.

Gritting my teeth, I went quiet. I lowered my head and silently opened my mouth, sinking my teeth into the man's throat...

"Heh, go ahead and bite. I love it when women bite me..." His taunting words cut off abruptly as his face slowly filled with absolute horror.

After a long time, I let go.

He collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball.

"Ah... Vam... Vampire!..." the man suddenly shrieked. The piercing scream sounded hauntingly grim in the quiet of the abandoned park.

Looking at the cold corpse on the ground, I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and slowly crouched down. In my dazed state, a black cloak was draped over me. I looked up blankly to see a pair of blue eyes.

"Alastor..." I murmured, not knowing what I wanted to say.

"Poor child." Alastor brushed my cheek, picked me up, and turned to leave the park.

Leaning against his chest, I stared back at the corpse I had drained of blood. Someone who had been so arrogant and vibrant just a moment ago was now nothing but a cold body, eyes bulging and face twisted in the terror of his final moments.

"Don't look." The arms holding me tightened as Alastor pulled me closer.

I lowered my head obediently and let him carry me away from the park.