Chapter twenty-seven: Pain and pleasure

Prince Tian Yi sat with his back against the thick roots of an ancient tree, hidden beneath the forest of the Yueling kingdom. He hadn't moved for hours. His eyes stared blankly ahead, watching the dappled sunlight fade into dusk.

"Why is this happening?. Why do I feel this?". He whispered again as if there was a companion with him that he was actually talking to.

But saying it hadn't lifted the weight on his chest. It only presses down harder. What kind of love was this, when his existence was a curse? He thought of Mei Lian's face — kind, fearless, beautiful — and how her presence made him feel more real, even if just for a while.

But he wasn't a witch. He was a cursed blood sucking monster.

The memory of the market stung like salt in a wound. Their words still rang in his ears. A bloodsucker, a pest, a beast in disguise.

His heart was still hot over how easily hatred bloomed in the hearts of people he had never wronged.

Back at the palace, the whole royals were looking for him.

The Queen's anger had shaken the halls. Witches trembled as she summoned every guard and witch. Her voice was sharp as a sword.

"My son was harmed in your midst, and not one of you stopped it. Trust me, if Tian Yu is found by his uncle before any of you do, I'll personally feed you to some monsters."

Princess Mei Lian was still searching for him. She had performed many tracking spell but she couldn't reach him. Maybe it was because his heart was too sad to reach for. Her usually calm face now showed traces of frustration and fear. She cried each time a spell to trace him failed.

Then suddenly she heard a whisper. It was coming from her heart. She heard the whisper clearly and it sounded like Tian Yu. He was crying. She then realized she was speaking to him telepathically. She then stood up and whispered his name. She felt it, she knew where he was. She quickly whispered some incantation and disappeared into the thin air.

Tian Yi's breath was ragged and his claws bloodstained. His once golden eyes now glowing red. He had fought more than thirty cloaked vampires sent by the king, his uncle. They had sense his location as a place where it was easy to kill him and took the opportunity. But he refused to go down easily. Something inside him had snapped open during the fight. Power surged—wild, unchained. He tore through them like a beast. It wasn't just the strength that terrified even the shadows around him. It was the thirst for blood. He was ready to kill anything that crossed his path.

The unbearable, gnawing thirst ran through his blood burning with painful desire. He'd never tasted blood before. But now the craving twisted his guts. He had tried to resist, but it overwhelmed him. He sank his fangs into animal after animal. Foxes, wolves, deer—nothing satisfied the ache.

He wandered the forest like a phantom, blood-streaked, trembling. His mind is slipping and his soul was fraying. He screams echoed through the forest.

And then—

"Tian Yi!"

A voice came. It was loud but soft and peaceful. It was like a light drawing him out of his pain.

Mei Lian burst through the trees with her heart thundering. When she saw him—wild-eyed, trembling, blood on his chin. Yet his terrible look did not stop her from running to him.

He growled, stumbling back. "Stay away…"

But she didn't. She threw her arms around him, holding him tight, as if the world would shatter without him in her arms.

"It's okay. I found you. I'm here."

His claws dug into the earth as he dropped to his knees. The fury, the hunger and the grief—all melted in her embrace. He broke down as tears streamed down his face as he clung to her, crying like the lost boy who couldn't find his mother. He suddenly calmed down and everything was normal again.

"I'm a beast, Mei Lian…" Tian Yi whispered, his voice barely held together as he leaned into her ear.

Her arms tightened around him. "The beast in you…" she murmured, "is what I love most."

Her breath brushed against his neck, warm and soft, sending a tremble down his spine. Her scent—faintly sweet like jasmine and night rain—wrapped around him, overwhelming his senses. The closeness and the trust in her voice stirred something powerful and dangerous inside him. He'd never felt this before. He felt a sudden hunger and a longing for her.

And suddenly, everything stirred again. His fingers twitched and slightly, claws forming where gentle fingertips once were. His fangs slipped past his lips, sharp and glinting.

"Go… Go away, Mei," he said frustrated. His body was trembling. "I don't want to hurt you."

But she still didn't move nor did she even flinch. She cupped his face gently, her thumb brushing just below his burning eyes.

"You will never hurt me, Tian," she whispered. "I love you… Just the way you are and I know you only want to protect me. But please… don't hide yourself from me anymore."

He stared at her breathing hard, torn between fear and longing.

Then suddenly, she kissed him and without knowing, he returned her kiss.

It was slow at first. He was uncertain like he was afraid she'd vanish. But when she returned the kiss, when her fingers slid into his hair and she leaned into him without hesitation, the restraint inside him shattered.

The kiss deepened—tender, desperate, aching. A kiss that spoke of pain, of years of loneliness, of love too strong to hold back. His arms circled her waist, pulling her close.

His breath trembled against her neck. "I can't… control it," he murmured. His voice was hoarse, torn between desire and fear.

But she didn't resist or back away. "Then don't," she said, her voice steady. Her hands held him closer. "I trust you, Tian."

With a low growl, his control finally broke. He leaned in and sank his fangs gently into the soft skin of her neck. She gasped—sharp pain and pleasure flashing through her—but almost immediately it melted into warmth. His lips pressed over the bite, soothing it with gentle kisses as if trying to apologize with every touch.

Clothes slipped away between kisses and skin met skin.

What had started as comfort became something more, something sacred and burning. Two souls, bound by pain and love, finally surrender to the moment. There was no fear now, no hesitation. It was only them and thier burning desire.

But what she didn't know was that she was marked. She was marked by the fangs of a vampire, marked by fate.

In real life....

Immediately after Yuyan read the part of Mia Lian marked, she felt itching in her neck where her birthmark lies. And she heard herself sniffing. Was she crying?, she asked herself.