Sour blood

<< a/n: Follow me on Instagram - @dream10a_author >>

A frown marred her face when she felt a scorching warmth behind her before she shouted happily, "I can feel the warmth! It is finally working!"

"What is working?" Came Theodore's question from behind her and Vanessa head snapped to look at him.

Her eyes trailed up from his shirt, where two of the top buttons were left undone, revealing part of his chest, to meet his inquisitive gaze.

Theodore's eyes were illuminated by an orange-red color, making him even more of an enticing tyrant king.

Vanessa, who appeared to be lost in her own world, took a moment to realize that the warmth she had initially felt had come from the burning wood Theodore held in his hand.

Her shoulder slumped in disappointment at the realization. "So, it was just you playing tricks with my mind."

"Do you think there is a way I can bury my parents now?"

"No," he replied curtly.

A sigh escaped her lips, and one could see the fog that also spread into space. 'I should have known that he would not help. How I wish I could turn him into a juggler's statue for a moment.'

She smiled at her own thought. But if that ever happened, the world would have ended by then.

Seeing her smile over something, Theodore inquired, "Mind sharing what's so intriguing?"

"It's nothing."

They walked further into the town, and when they reached the town square, Vanessa's eye went wide in shock.

The sight in front of her was nothing like she had imagined. The bodies of the villagers were scattered on the ground. Some were burned, while others had missing limbs or a bullet hole in them.

While Vanessa stood rooted to one spot because of the shock, Theodore squatted down to examine one of the bodies and then moved to check another.

When he came to stand in front of Vanessa, where her eyes were moistened with unshed tears, she stared unblinkingly at him.

And he surprised her by saying, "It is all right to cry your pain away; I won't stop you."

She said, "Is that what you tell yourself?"

His lips threatened to pull into a smile. "No, I personally won't advise crying, but humans have a weird way of relieving themselves of pain." He shrugged.

For a moment she didn't have to think about the amount of lifeless corpses she'd seen, and a hint of curiosity sparkled in her eyes. "Vampires don't cry? How do you tell that they are in pain?" She asked enthusiastically.

"They almost never cry, and it definitely isn't that hard to tell; just allow me to drink your blood, and I will drop the secret in return." He gave a sly smile, one that revealed part of his fangs.

Vanessa unconsciously stepped back, away from him, and this action alone made the smile on his face broaden.

Theodore leaned closer to her, keeping his face just a distance away, and her eyes stared at him in the darkness, wondering what he was up to.

"Now I'm curious as to how it tastes. Perhaps it's more juicy than anything I've ever tasted."

Her eyes flew wide, and she hurriedly said, "I d-doubt that. It definitely tastes sour; I don't think it would suit your palate."

Theodore straightened up, and he remarked, "You are right; I wouldn't want to infect my palate with your sour blood." He stepped away from her before walking past her with a mischievous grin.

Anger bubbled in her mind, and her hands clenched themselves into a fist. She had only said what she had to, so that he wouldn't sink his fangs into her skin. But now, why do I feel annoyed by his words? She thought.

Trying to calm her conflicted mind, Vanessa took a deep breath before exhaling the air through her lips.

Vanessa's gaze shifted to look at the bodies, and her brows furrowed as she held a thoughtful look.

She quickly hurried back to catch up with the king.

"What do you think about most of the townspeople being killed in the town square?" Vanessa wasted no time in asking when she caught up with Theodore.

She found it odd how everyone had gathered at the same place at the time of the massacre. And not to forget, how easily everyone was killed.

Theodore turned to look at her, and without giving her an answer immediately, he questioned back, "What do you think?"

"That they were falsely informed..." She trailed off in her words, not sure.

"Touché," He paused then continued to walk, and Vanessa was quick to follow him. "At my guess, someone from the inside must have helped them."

She frowned at his words. "Why do you say so? Any of the humans could have spread the false news."

"Were you not wondering how every one of the witches and witchers were easily wiped out?" Theodore inquired with Vanessa. "The bodies back there showed signs of being fed with a weak-willed potion."

"The water lotus." She remembered because it was the only plant she knew that could make a witch weak when they attempted to cast spells. "It can't be."

The lotus plant was not easily obtained, and it was only available to members of the town's in-group; it was only used to punish criminals.

"The plan to massacre the town was not done in one day." He turned to look at Vanessa, making her stop walking as well. "You must not have realized, but we are standing in a circle drawn by a witch. The entire town was marked." He revealed.

Vanessa's jaw dropped at the revelation. Where she was hoping for things not to be true, everything else was going awry.

They both went to look for signs of the drawn circle at one edge of town, with Vanessa wanting to find out for herself.

And there was nothing more she could hope for after seeing things for herself. But the question was, who could have betrayed them along with Sullivan.

They had not stepped out much when they saw someone come to stand in front of Vanessa's house.

'Who is that?' She raised her head to look at Theodore, who also watched the person.

Theodore commented, "It looks like we are not the only ones visiting."

With a light snap of Theodore's finger, the flame in the lamp was blown out, and Vanessa didn't have the levity to be awed or wonder how he did it.

because she caught a glimpse of the person's face at the same time.

"Thomas?" She said it in almost a whisper, but Theodore heard it. When she unconsciously moved her feet, the weight on her body suddenly became too much, and she ended up on her knees with her breathing turning heavy.