Chapter 47 THE FIRST TASTE
Chapter 47 THE FIRST TASTE
THE FIRST TASTE
SERAPHINE'S POV
The hunger was dawning on me without any warning.
I had thought it was just ordinary hunger but the way the pangs curled in the stomach and faded with time, I knew it wasn't just a craving for food.
This hunger turned into a sharp pain then a burning ache that started in my chest and spread through my veins like fire looking for something to consume. My mouth went dry in an instant, my throat felt tighter with each passing minute, and my heartbeat thundered so loudly I was sure the walls could hear it too.
I didn't want to believe it at first. How could I be craving blood?!
The thought slipped into my mind fully formed, but I recoiled from it, pressing my back against the cold stone of the chamber. I shook my head hard, trying to push it away, but the urge only grew stronger.
My senses sharpened until every sound scraped against my nerves. I could hear guards pacing far beyond my door, I could smell the iron tang of old weapons and I could feel the pulse of life moving through the palace like a living thing.
“Stop,” I whispered, though I didn’t know who I was talking to. Was I talking to myself or the ghost inside me?
The ghost laughed at me as though it was mocking me.
I noticed that the voice of the ghost was not one anymore, but many, it sounded now like it was layered, echoing and whispering from different corners of my mind.
\-You’re starving- it said. -You’ve been starving for lifetimes.-
I staggered to the door and dragged my nails across the stone. “Please,” I begged in a broken voice. “Let me out. I just need air. I just…”
The hunger twisted tighter, clawing up my throat until my vision blurred. Images flashed through my mind, images of fangs tearing flesh, the warmth of blood spilling over my tongue. I gagged and pressed my hand to my mouth, horrified by how real it felt.
\-The cave- the voices urged. -Go back to the cave. To the queen. To what you were.-
I slid down the door and curled inward, shaking. “No,” I said, my voice was weak but still firm. “I won’t go. I won’t.”
For a moment, the voices became silent, and the sudden quiet frightened me more than the noise. Then, I heard footsteps echoing outside the chamber. My head snapped up immediately and every muscle in my body went rigid.
Someone was there.
I smelled them before I heard the door unlock.
What the hell was a.... werewolf doing in Drakoria? I smelt the presence of a werewolf standing at the door.
The door creaked open, and light spilled across the floor. I squinted, raising a hand over my eyes, struggling to adjust to the light. I let my hand down slowly and that was when I saw her.
Kaelia stood in the doorway, her posture seemed relaxed, there was an amused expression on her face. Beside her was a man I’d never seen before. His eyes glowed faintly, and the scent rolling off him was unmistakable.
I was right, he was a werewolf. What was a wolf doing with Kaelia?
Fear hit me all at once. I scrambled backward until my spine hit the wall. The voices had also shrank, pulling away like startled shadows.
Her gaze flicked over me with sharp interest, lingering on my trembling hands, the way my breath came too fast. “Well,” she said lightly, “that’s interesting.”
I swallowed hard as my throat continued to burn. “Don’t come closer.”
She smiled wider, clearly pleased. “You’re changing,” she said. “I can feel it. You’re almost there.”
The man beside her shifted uneasily. “You told me she was weak,” he murmured.
“She is,” Kaelia replied without looking at him. “Just not in the way you think.”
Her eyes met mine, and something cold passed between us. “Kill her,” she said simply to the man.
The man hesitated for a moment.
I saw it in the way his jaw tightened, the way his hands curled into fists. His eyes flicked to mine, and for a split second, I saw a mixture of doubt and fear there.
“Do it,” Kaelia snapped at him.
He growled and launched himself at me.
Everything happened too fast.
My body moved before my mind could catch up. I surged forward with a strength that didn’t feel like mine, my feet barely touching the ground. I caught him midair, my hands locking around his shoulders with crushing force. His eyes widened in shock as we slammed into the wall behind me.
The hunger inside me roared when I touched his flesh.
I didn’t hesitate as my mouth found his neck, and my teeth sank in. Warmth flooded my senses.
Blood filled my mouth and the ache in my chest vanished instantly, replaced by a fierce, terrible clarity. The voices inside me surged, triumphant, singing with delight. I drank instinctively, my grip tightening as his struggles weakened.
I pulled back with a gasp, blood dripping from my lips.
The man collapsed at my feet, he was still alive but he didn't move, his chest rising and falling faintly.
The room went quiet.
I looked up slowly at Kaelie.
She was staring at me, her eyes were bright with fascination. Her lips parted in a soft laugh. “Oh,” she said, almost reverently. “So that’s how close you are.”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, horror crashing over me as the taste lingered. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding, but beneath it all, the hunger still whispered, I hadn't satisfied it yet, I had only awakened it.
Kaelia took a step back, she moved like she was calculating her movements.
“I guess I have to make some changes to my plans,” she murmured. Then she turned on her heel and walked out, her footsteps didn't sound like she was hurrying away, her laughter echoed faintly down the corridor. This was some kind of amusement to her.