Weak

Weak
Draven’s Pov

I didn’t want to leave her alone, not after what happened tonight. But I had no choice. The intruder needed to be dealt with, and I couldn’t risk Reyna’s safety. She was locked safely in my room, but I couldn’t help feeling a cold knot in my stomach. I didn’t trust anyone, not even the people I had worked with for centuries. My mind kept racing, thoughts of Reyna constantly coming back to me. I should have told her more, protected her better, but right now I had to focus on what was in front of me.

The fight was brutal. I tore through the dark halls of the castle, hunting the intruder, feeling my strength beginning to slip away. My body was tired, too tired, and the blood I had been surviving off—animal blood—wasn’t enough. I needed more. But I refused. I had sworn it off long ago. The scent of human blood always haunted me, calling me to give in, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself become that monster again.

When I finally caught the intruder, I didn't hesitate. The kill was swift, but it drained me even further. I had barely enough strength to return to my room. My steps were heavy, each movement reminding me of how weak I was becoming. The pain of hunger gnawed at me, but I pushed it down. I couldn’t let Reyna see me like this.

I opened the door to my room and saw her sitting there, her eyes wide with concern. She jumped to her feet when she saw me, and I could feel the worry in the air. Her concern hit me harder than I expected.

"Draven..." she said softly, her voice trembling. "What happened to you?"

I looked at her, struggling to form words. My throat felt tight, my chest heavy. I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn’t. She didn’t need to know about the darkness inside me. Not yet.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, walking past her toward the bed. “I took care of it.”

I sat down, letting the exhaustion take over my body. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping the weakness I felt would go away. But it didn’t. I felt Reyna’s presence beside me before I even opened my eyes. Her touch was gentle as she cupped my face, her fingers warm against my cool skin.

“Draven, why do you look so weak?” she asked, her voice so full of concern.

I couldn’t lie to her. “It’s nothing. Just the fight, that’s all.”

But she didn’t buy it. I saw the doubt in her eyes, the way she searched my face for the truth. I sighed and let my head fall back against the pillows. My body felt heavy, too tired to keep up the facade.

Before I could speak again, the door opened, and Lucien walked in. He looked at me, his eyes narrowing as he took in my condition.

“You need to drink,” Lucien said, his voice sharp. He walked closer to me, his gaze flicking over to Reyna. “You’re weak because you refuse to feed. This will keep happening unless you start drinking human blood again.”

I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening at my sides. "I told you, I’m not drinking human blood."

Lucien didn’t back down. “You’re stubborn. And it’s killing you.”

I met his eyes, the truth of his words sinking in. I felt the hunger deep inside me, the way my body was begging for human blood. But I couldn’t—I wouldn’t—give in.

Reyna, who had been silent up until now, spoke, her voice hesitant but firm. "What’s going on? Why is Draven so weak?"

Lucien glanced at her, then sighed, as if it was obvious. "He hasn’t drunk human blood in decades. He’s been living off animal blood, and now it’s finally catching up to him. But he refuses to drink from humans. He swore it off, after everything that happened."

I didn’t need to hear that. I didn’t want Reyna to know how deep the darkness went.

Reyna’s gaze flickered between me and Lucien, confusion and concern written all over her face. And then, without thinking, she said it. “Draven... drink from me. I want to help.”

My eyes snapped to hers, heart pounding in my chest. Her words hit me like a shock. “No,” I said firmly, but she didn’t back down.

“You’re weak,” she said, her voice soft yet insistent. “I’m not afraid of you. You can drink from me. I want to help you.”

Lucien’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Reyna, you don’t know what you’re asking."

But I could see it in her eyes—she wasn’t scared. She wanted to help, to give something of herself for me. It was a kind of trust, and it unsettled me.

“I can’t,” I said quietly, my voice raw. “I won’t.”

But the more I looked at her, the more I felt myself breaking down. I had sworn to never go back to that darkness, to never hurt someone like that again. But the way she was looking at me... the way she trusted me... it made me question everything.

I felt Lucien’s gaze on me, sharp, almost judging. “Draven,” he said, his voice quieter now, “you’re dying inside. Don’t let her be the one who pays for your pride.”

Reyna was still looking at me, waiting, hoping. My heart raced. The tension in the room was thick, but I didn’t know what to do.

The silence stretched between us, and I couldn’t ignore the ache in my body, the hunger. But I had promised myself I wouldn’t go back there.

Not yet.

As I lay there, Reyna’s soft hand still on my face, I could feel the weight of her gaze pressing against me, like she was trying to see straight through the walls I had built. Her concern for me... it felt like a silent promise, one that I wasn’t sure I deserved. The hunger was unbearable, the pull towards her so strong, but I resisted. I couldn’t bring myself to give in to the darkness, not again. But with her so close, her warmth wrapping around me, I wondered if I was already losing.

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