Tempting a vampire

"Finn!" Luciana yelled as she sprang up from her bed. That was her little brother's name, and she just woke up from a nightmare where she saw him being stabbed. Sometimes she felt like she could feel the physical pain. But she believed that no physical pain could be greater than the pain in her heart.

Her chest heaved up and down, and she felt her eyes sting. She immediately reached for the side of the bed where she had kept her knife and grabbed it. She thought of cutting her wrist, but she didn't want the prince to see it and take her to the physician again.

Instead she decided to cut her upper arm, where her sleeves would cover, and he would not see it. If she bath and wash up, he would not be able to smell it.

She then began to cut herself from her upper arms upwards, even though she still felt the urge to cut her wrist.

After she was done, she found out that she had wounded herself a little too much, even up to her shoulder and back. She shrugged. At least it made her feel better. She then stood up to bath.

____

Raziel was busy in his study when he heard a knock on his door. He guessed it was Lorenzo.

"Come in."

To his surprise, the door opened and the red haired human entered.

"Good morning your highness."

"What is it you want this early Luciana?" He asked, as he dropped what he was doing to listen to her.

"I wanted to see you your highness."

"Here I am."

She then walked close to him, and took the seat opposite him without waiting for him to tell her to. Raziel noticed that, but he only smiled and shook his head a little.

"What do you want?"

Luciana looked up at him. "I want your protection your highness."

Raziel's eyes widened, and he almost couldn't stop himself from reacting more than that. That was a rather strange request, especially coming from her.

"You? Protection? Why?"

"There is someone I need to kill your highness." She replied honestly. "And I can't do it on my own."

Raziel stood up and walked to stand behind her. To her surprise, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Luciana every time I think I would never be surprised by you again, you bring up something new. Now you want me to help you kill?"

"No your highness. I want to kill him myself. All I need is your protection."

"It's ridiculous how you came to me for help with killing another person. What even made you believe I will help you?" The prince curiously asked her.

"You helped me bury someone I killed before. And you protected me thereafter. I don't know a better person to ask." She answered him straightforwardly.

Raziel chuckled slightly. "That's a lot of trust Luciana. I doubt if you realize it." He gave her a moment to think about it, and he noticed her frown as though she was questioning herself. "Who do you need to kill, or is it confidential too?"

"He's someone that hurt my family." She said, and Raziel noticed her clenched her hands under the table, and he knew that was her sensitive spot. Even the tone she used in speaking of them was different and heavy.

"What will I gain by helping you?"

"I will tell you about my experiment. I would also be loyal to you."

Raziel almost laughed. She spoke with so much confidence, like someone who had so much to offer.

"What am I going to do with your loyalty little girl? You can't go against me right now. I can kill you."

Luciana turned to him. "But you won't. Those were your own words."

"You have been tempting me Luciana." Raziel said, and Luciana turned confused. "You are bleeding."

"I am?"

"I can smell your blood strongly."

She frowned. She bathed and made sure she washed all the blood off.

"But I washed it off."

"You are probably bleeding again. Your malnutrition would not let your blood clot well, and now I'm the one suffering."

"I am sorry your highness. I should leave."

Luciana stood up, but when she walked past Raziel, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Where do you think you are going little girl?"

She barely kept herself from rolling her eyes at the way he addressed her.

"Out. I'm not doing you good by being in here with you."

"But I am thirsty."

Her eyes widened in realization.

"You want to drink... from me?"

"What do you think?" He pulled her close, and she looked directly at him, into his eyes. What had gone wrong with the prince?

"You shouldn't be so surprised. I am a pure blooded vampire. I easily get tempted."

"But you go to war. You should be used to the blood."

"This is different. I am always very focused on my mission in battles. But now, you are alone, blocking in my vision, the scent of your blood blocking my senses. All I can think of is sinking my fangs into your flesh right now."

Luciana didn't expect it from him, but she couldn't deny that she was feeling thrilled against her wish.

"Fine."

She lifted her wrist to him.

"No. I don't want this. You are wounded there. And I want the part where the scent is coming from." She noticed a lopsided smirk on his lips.

Luciana turned her back to him, then she pulled down the sleeve of her left shoulder, where she had cut herself before.

Raziel's eyes slightly turned to red as the scent of her blood became stronger. He couldn't believe how tempted he was.

"You don't fear that I will hurt you." He said.

"I am used to physical pain." She said in a low tone. "And I am the one offering."

He pulled her sleeves lower again to reveal more of her scarred back. Raziel wondered if she got the scars from the person she wanted to kill, or from the place she was bought before. He remembered her saying she was often beaten when she was bought as a slave.

He didn't realize when he placed one hand on her exposed back, and he ran his hand across her back. He only realized when Luciana released a sharp breath, and then she looked startled, as though she too didn't realize what she did. Then she closed her eyes, and remained calm.

"I am taking off your sleeves and you are not complaining. You are not scared that I might do something else to you?" He was genuinely curious. Most girls would gladly let me have his way with her, but he knew this one was different.

"You want to know the truth your highness? I really don't care about what happens to me. I am just trying to remain alive for now. I protected my innocence, and it led to the loss of my family."

Raziel frowned. Was that what happened to her? He only knew that she lost her father. He didn't know that her family was killed.

"So you care, you just don't want to admit it to yourself. You don't want yourself to feel, because..."

Luciana quickly turned to him.

"Don't say it. Just don't. Please."

"Luciana..."

"Please."

Raziel knew what she was doing. She wanted to numb herself. She didn't want to open her heart to feel anything, because she knew what she would feel was pain.

He saw her begin to scratch her hands, and he knew she was itching to wound herself again. The thought of her family triggers her to do such. He forgot about his own thirst for the moment.

"Where is the knife?"

"What knife?"

"The one you use in cutting yourself."

Luciana didn't answer.

"Tell me now."

She closed her eyes while her breathing turned heavy.

"You may leave." He told her, and she immediately scurried out, and into her room. She locked the door and took the knife to cut herself again. This time bigger than before.

But she wasn't done, when her window suddenly opened, and Raziel entered inside.

"Give me that now!"

"I need it."

Raziel regretted entering there as the scent of her blood was everywhere. He walked to her, and took the knife from her.

He wiped the blood on it with his index finger, and Luciana watched as he brought it to his mouth. He closed his eyes, savouring the taste. He couldn't deny that he liked it.

When he opened his eyes again, she was already on her feet. She walked to him and asked him to drink. Since he wouldn't let her cut herself, he could as well do it.

Raziel's gaze were already hooded, and he grabbed the human. He had managed to escape drinking from her before, but after tasting her, he wanted more.

And just like that, he dug his fangs into her flesh.