Sora's PoV 

 

I woke up in the morning feeling my back on a soft surface and my body wrapped in a soft, velvet-like blanket. Huh. Strange... I only had a hard, wooden floor to lie on at home and a worn-out, rag-like, poor excuse of a blanket at home. I must be still asleep. What a nice dream this was. The place I was currently in was warm in contrast to the usual cold winds that managed to creep into my house through the gap between the worn-down, wooden door and the sometimes splinter-causing, wooden floors. 

 

 

 

Last night, Luhan had announced that the Feeding will no longer occur because I agreed to marry him. 

 

... OH MY STARS! I HAD AGREED TO MARRY THE PRINCE OF ARCANA! 

 

The initial shock I was supposed to have received from registering my actions just hit me now. I can't believe this. Why did I even agree to this in the first place?! What was I thinking? I'm just a poor, orphaned girl who works at Arcana's bookstore. I mean, this is not Beauty and the Beast! I'm not Belle, who passionately falls in love with the Beast and lives a happily ever after. My life story will probably be more like Juliet, who ends up dying because she agreed to marry her enemy whom she loved. Wait, do I love Luhan? 

 

I can't right? I mean, we barely met a few days ago, and I'm not the type to fall in love so easily. Although, I have to admit that Luhan is very handsome and gentlemanly. But still! I can't just love someone so frivolously. 

 

Panic set into my entire body as I felt the weight of my rash actions. My heart pounded loudly, maybe so loud that it woke Luhan up because he stirred in his sleep ever so slightly. I froze and tried to calm down my erratic heartbeat. If my heart rate were to spike up again, it could just wake him up. After all, vampires had super sensitive hearing that could hear even the smallest sounds like the heartbeat of their prey.

 

Prey. It must be what I am to him. I mean, here I am, a human filled with blood next to a probably thirsty vampire. Marriage must just be a formality or a contract binding me to him until I die from blood loss. I am just a food source under the title of mate. There was nothing else to it. I am just a moving packet of blood in his eyes. I mean, that's how it should be. 

 

But why does my heart hurt when I think like that?

... 

 

It's been almost a week since I came into the Arcana Castle, but Luhan hasn't tried to drink my blood yet. He also seems to be avoiding me as much as possible. I've been eating my meals, and showing myself around the building all alone. Call me crazy, but I'm actually worried about him. Every time I see him, he just smiles politely and briskly walks away without saying anything. However, in the past couple of days, he seems to be even paler than usual, and his smiles seem more painful than polite. Filled with worry, I went upstairs to his study. I knocked on the door, while carrying a cup of tea. 

 

"Luhan? Are you in there?" I called. "It's me, Sora." 

 

"Sora?" his voice asked hesitantly. I could hear him stiffen up from the other side of the door. 

 

Nevertheless, I continued. "Yes. You don't seem to be feeling well these days, so I brought a cup of tea to help you relax." 

 

"Just leave it by the door. I'll take it later. Thank you." He coughed violently. 

 

"Luhan?! Are you alright?"

 

"Yes, I'm perfectly *cough cough* fine." 

 

"No. You sound like you're sick. I'm coming in." 

 

"No! Don't, Sora! Stay away!" 

 

Regardless of his unwillingness to see me, I twisted the door knob open. When I saw him in the room, my hand slipped and the teacup crashed on the floor. However, it was nothing compared to the mess made inside his office. 

 

Torn up paper covered the floor, the wooden desk and chair was smashed into smithereens, and his back was hunched over in the middle of the mess while he was coughing. His face showed a bright color for the first time as his fit of coughs prevented him to breathe air. I rushed to his side, and rubbed his back as he kept coughing. It seemed to help because he stopped a few seconds later. He struggled to catch his breath, and when he did, I finally saw the horrible state he was in. 

 

His eyes were red and bloodshot, and there were bags underneath them. His hair and clothes had become disheveled. His face was sickly pale (even for a vampire) and his cheeks were still rosy from all the coughing. Furthermore, I could feel his body temperature was way higher than normal. 

 

I asked worriedly, "Luhan, what happened?" 

 

"It's nothing really," he lied. "I'm just a bit tired." 

 

I shook my head in disagreement. "Being tired causes all of this?" I gestured to his current state and the room. 

 

Luhan let out a shaky breath before saying, "Malnutrition. I haven't had any blood in over a year." 

 

"Then drink mine," I stated firmly. Whether I liked it or not, I had agreed to be his wife. I couldn't let him stay this ill. At this rate, he could die, and it would be my fault. I was his mate, so he had to drink my blood. 

 

I placed my wrist in front of his lips because it contained one of the largest veins in the human body. The ulnar vein should have a lot of blood for him to drink. 

 

"No. I don't want to hurt you," he refused. His eyes showed a deep sincerity that I have never seen before. How selfless could he be? He was on the verge of death (I think) and he was still thinking about protecting me. Luhan was too stubborn and compassionate for his own good. 

 

I knew he wouldn't drink it willingly, so I used a fragment of the broken teacup to slit my wrist. Then, I brought it up to his lips. After smelling the fresh blood, I could tell that he couldn't hold himself back anymore. 

 

"I'm sorry," he said softly before he the wound. 

 

He didn't hesitate to sink his fangs deeper into the cut after that. 

 

And due to blood loss, I out. 

... 

 

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I had writer's block for such a long time. Also, school prevented me from writing as well. I'm terribly sorry for this short chapter, but I promise to write make the next chapter longer, and release it sooner.