Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Chapter 166

Dulce took the gloomy Fiend’s hand and led them to his bed, sitting at the bed’s edge. "Very well, why don’t we make an agreement. I’ll drink from you every fortnight and no one else."

Kath’tan had also lowered himself to the bed, he stared at Dulce with thinning patience. The Vampire was incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be, and once a fortnight didn’t even come close to how often he wanted Dulce to feed from him.

But Dulce barely made demands, and although force-feeding the Vampire his blood was incredibly easy and would probably grace him with the rare sight of an angry Dulce, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Fine, after tonight." He tweaked the agreement at the last moment.

"What-"

Dulce fell against Kath’tan when he was pulled without warning, falling headfirst into a searing kiss. It was surprisingly slow but far from gentle, the Fiend always kissed him with too much ferocity, like he craved to eat him up and swallow him whole.

He pulled away first, needing to catch his breath. He also needed to seal the deal they had just made, knowing that he needed to be firm about the matter. "Where would you like me to drink from?"

Kath’tan frowned harder, his expression dark ever since he stepped into the Vampire’s room. Dulce’s lip had split, bruised from the kiss. It healed rapidly underneath his eyes but he had hurt the Vampire regardless.

He touched his own lips, wondering if they were made of metal. How was he getting worse at being gentle? "You can rip my throat out," He said with far more seriousness than the situation warranted, guilt pooling behind his eyes again.

Dulce was mildly horrified, "Perhaps... perhaps it’s better if I drink from your wrist." He suggested instead, reaching for the Demon’s hand.

Kath’tan had his back against the headboard, foregoing a shirt like he often did. He wanted to kiss Dulce some more but perhaps it was best they both went to sleep, he clearly couldn’t be trusted.

"After tonight, I’ll drink again from you in a fortnight," Dulce reminded, "That’s more than enough for me."

Frankly, even once a month was more than enough for him but he knew that he would have a difficult time convincing Kath’tan to agree to that.

Dulce was eager to feed to seal the deal, seeming to forget for a moment the potency of the Demon’s blood. He drank as little as he could get away with lifting hazy eyes to smile at Kath’tan, "Did that hurt?" He asked softly, carefully wiping away nothing.

Kath’tan glanced down at the wet, soft-red eyes staring up at him. Dulce had bitten him as gently as he always did, and it had hurt more than getting his throat ripped out would feel.

"No." His answer came after a short spell of silence, his purple eyes holding depthless emotions.

Dulce didn’t hear his response though, the Vampire lying limply on him, his head nestled against his bare chest. Kath’tan gathered up the Vampire, holding him close, but only for a moment before he froze and gingerly lifted his night shirt.

The rapidly healing bruises on that pale skin were no longer as surprising, but it didn’t dim the horror Kath’tan felt. He stared at his hands, Dulce was by no means weak, he was simply too rough.

He had planned to sleep with Dulce tonight but now he found that he couldn’t sleep, his hands hovering over the Vampire in deep trance. He sat listlessly for most of the night, Dulce’s steady breathing anchoring him.

-+-

The next morning, Dulce woke up alone. It was a sunny fall morning, the gentle sunlight making the warmth on his face glow. He was surprised not to find Kath’tan in his bed when he woke up but he thought nothing of it.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror while he bathed, the marks on his neck were gone, unconsciously healed while he was blood drunk. Slender fingers trailed across his unblemished skin, his knuckles tinted red from his recent feeding.

He didn’t dwell on the healed bruises, cleaning up to get ready for the day. When he left the bath, he realized that it was later than he thought, it was nearing noon, the cloudy sky deceiving.

Dinner had been had the night before so there was no need for breakfast, which was fortunate because he had slept right through breakfast.

Dulce right away got on the move, remembering that he had agreed to go fishing with Asael. The weather was still pleasant now, but it could change at any time.

He went right to Asael’s room, glancing at Ruoxi’s door as he went past. He had not the faintest clue when the Demon would return, but he tried not to think too hard about it.

Behind the door, Ruoxi was sprawled on his bed with a jar of flower wine. Granted, he was already supposed to stop drinking, but he had returned to see Dulce fast asleep with warmth infused into his skin and his hair disheveled and he had returned right to Huayuan to get more wine.

Asael was fully dressed when Dulce showed up on his door and without another word, he warped away with the Vampire, not taking any chances. If the others tried to impose, he wouldn’t hesitate to drown them in the pond.

The weather was even more pleasant by the pond, the softest rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover. It provided enough warmth to chase away the autumn chill without beating down uncomfortably.

Fishing equipment was already laid out by the pond, a single picnic blanket this time. Taking a moment to recover from warping, Dulce stepped forward with a smile, "Everything is already prepared."

Asael’s piercing gray eyes softened as he sat on the blanket, taking a fishing rod without bait.

Dulce mimicked his actions, there was a barrel of water to hold fish so he could actually, properly fish. He prepared his line and then sat down on the wide blanket next to him.

"It’s such a pleasant day for fishing." He made quiet conversation while waiting for a catch.

Asael didn’t mind the conversation, his expression even more peaceful as he watched Dulce reel in catch after catch.