Has no empathy
Each time I woke up, it got worse and I dozed off again. It was an endless cycle. My body ached and even breathing became a struggle. The next time my eyes opened, the sun wasn’t hitting the walls of the tower. Instead, I found myself in a dark room with barely any light.
As my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, I realized I was no longer in the tower. Confusion crept into my mind and it was a struggle to remember how I ended up there. The air felt different, less trapped and suffocating. The sheets were warm and soft to the touch, and there was a hint of fragrant lavender in the room.
“You’re awake,” Estella smiled at me as I turned around to see her. “That’s a good thing. You really need to eat something.”
“What happened?” I asked her, sounding a bit confused.
“You’re sick, dear. Your fever is getting better but—”
“No,” I shook my head. “Why am I here? In this room?” I clarified while looking around.
She neared me and placed a bowl of warm soup on the table near the bed. My stomach grumbled but I couldn’t think of food now.
“Lucien brought you here.”
“Oh.” My eyes rolled back. “So, he finally decided to show concern after putting me in this position. Where is he?” I questioned, my voice straining. I hated being sick, it truly brought the worst out of me, but this time, I was glad it did.
Estella moved back and stood still. “He’s outside. He didn’t want to disturb your rest. But I can ask him to come see you if that’s what you want.”
“No,” I quickly snapped, shaking my head. That was the last thing I wanted—or maybe not. “I’m perfectly fine like this and I don’t want to see him.”
She nodded. “As you wish.”
I sat up straight and grabbed the bowl of soup. “I need some more medicines. Do you have something stronger?” I asked before taking the first sip of the soup she prepared for me.
It was warm and delicious, perfect for my painful throat.
“I’ve only these medicines here. They usually work, but when they don’t, a little bit of vampire’s blood goes a long way,” she finished, a smile stretching over her face as she winked at me.
I drew the spoon away from my mouth and glanced up at her. “You drank his blood?” I questioned, out of complete curiosity.
“Well, it’s not often for me to get sick, but when I do, I’ve to heal as soon as I can or this house turns into shambles. His blood has healing properties. It takes away all of the pain and heals you within a few minutes.”
I stared at Estella in disbelief. Lucien’s blood? I understood drinking a vampire’s blood if it bit you, but to drink one’s blood just to heal was surely something. It was unsettling, but it was also smart. After all, who wanted to be sick?
I considered her words for a moment, the allure of it all.
“Can—would he give it to me?”
Her expression turned blank at my question. “I’m not—I could ask him.” She blinked thrice and I noticed it.
“Why did you hesitate?”
Her eyes darted away for a brief moment before meeting mine again. She moved to the side, closer to the door on the left of the room. “I’ll go get him and you should finish your soup. It’s going to make you feel better.”
Before I could say anything, she was already gone, out of the room, disappeared. My suspicions raised. There was something terribly wrong here and I didn’t notice it until now. Secrets. I could feel a bundle of secrets hidden inside this house.
The lines over my forehead deepened as I set the soup back on the table. An insatiable curiosity gripped me. I wanted to know everything suddenly—everything.
My eyes scanned the room. It was a lot smaller than the room in the tower, but it was more cozy here. The windows were big, showing the night sky outside. I didn’t even recall when I moved here. Was I even conscious?
The heavy silence broke with the sound of heavy steps approaching the room. I quickly sat up straight, my back pressed stiffly against the headboard as I waited for him—my mate. There was something about his presence that made my heart pound in my chest. Maybe it was my wolf, or maybe it was just the mate bond.
The door creaked open, revealing Lucien standing in the doorway.
“I was waiting for you’d call me, when you’d need me,” he smirked while walking inside the room and closing the door behind. “Although I must admit, I expected it to come at a more different time, like the evening of the full moon. But it seems you couldn’t resist seeking me out sooner.”
My lips lined straight. Estella wasn’t with him, and she also didn’t tell him what I wanted.
“You’re delusional.” I scoffed, my eyes following him across the room.
He closed the door behind and neared me. “How are you feeling now, my dear Aurora?”
“You made me sick,” I glared at him and let my frustration take charge. “You made me run for hours in the freezing cold. It’s no wonder I ended up sick.”
He stood a few inches away from me, his hands fastened behind his back and his eyes narrowed on me. Even from the distance, I could see the grin on his face. “You’re a werewolf. You should’ve been trained to run in the cold for days, unless you skipped your trainings. After all, you did get married to your Alpha, so I suppose that takes.”
My chest rose and dropped while I stifled back my coughs.
“Heal me.” I turned my head around, staring at the new wall in front of me as those weak words escaped my lips. I didn’t want to take favors from this man, but I surely didn’t want to remain sick for a moment longer.
“What?” He acted dumbfounded.
No wonder.
“Give me your blood,” I said, meeting his gaze. “And I’ll heal quicker.”
He scoffed, his jaw tensing. “No.”
“What?”
“I’m not giving you my blood—”
I raised up, eyes wide. My patience wore thin and rage seeped into my voice. “I’m your mate and I’m sick. Would you rather see me in pain than give me your blood so I could heal quicker?” I snapped at him, my voice growing louder.
I didn’t expect him to deny me. At all.
“I cannot give you my blood. You’ll be fine in a matter of a few days, and quicker if you rest—”
“Why wouldn’t you just give me your blood? You give Estella your blood when she gets sick, don’t you?” I cocked a brow at him and raised my hand in the air.
He stared at me for a silent moment and I tried to read his face, but there was barely anything on there except for—gloom. He didn’t respond.
“You call me your mate, but you won’t offer me the simplest act of care and compassion. What kind of mate are you?”
His expression remained the same, unmoved by my words. “You’re on your own. I’ll have Estella bring in your medicines. If there’s something you need, you can tell her while you get better.”
My jaw clenched as he began moving toward the door. Heat rushed through me. It was like a wave of anger, fueling my words as they escaped my lips. “Is that it? You’re just going to let me suffer?”
He paused at the door, his hand resting on the handle. “You’re exaggerating the situation. You’ll be fine with some rest and medication. You don’t need my blood and you’re not getting it, even if you’re dying.”
My frustration reached its peak. “Exaggerating? You have a fat fucking inflated ego and a lack of empathy!”