"Let me… bite you…"

OH, GOD!

What the hell had I just said?

No… wait.

Did I really say that out loud?

When I get like this, I tend to hallucinate a little. Yeah. That had to be it. It definitely had to be that. With stiff movements, I slowly pulled my hands away from my face, trying to convince myself those words had only existed inside my feverish head.

But then-

"...Huh?"

The look of absolute confusion on Nen’s face completely destroyed my hopes.

… I said it.

I-I really said it.

"God…"

I covered my face again, rubbing it hard with my burning hands.

Damn it.

Why did I have to be born with this miserable blood?

Nothing good ever came from it.

What would my parents think if they saw me like this?

Twisting around on a medical bed over a little blood like some vulgar addict. And even worse… in front of a commoner.

A Wiebke should never look like this.

Never.

I couldn’t allow myself to become a disappointment.

No!

I can’t be one!

I won’t be!

"Shit…!"

"Carlotta…?"

I’d lose the promise they made to me when they adopted me. I could never allow that!

Fear pierced through my chest together with the burning fever.

I’ll never let them think I’m a disappointment!

"Carlotta! Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!"

Suddenly, hands grabbed my shoulders and lightly shook me.

The contact pulled me out of that spiral.

I barely opened my eyes. It was Nen, way too close. So close that her scent hit me again, delicious in a dangerous way that made me feel starving.

"...M-Mock me…" I muttered, my voice trembling. "Go on… say it… I’m some disgusting freak…"

The words came out far more fragile than I wanted to admit.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Waiting to hear laughter.

An insult.

Anything.

But instead-

"Jeez… relax, girl. I’m not gonna do that."

The mattress dipped softly beside me.

I opened my eyes. The little stray cat was sitting next to me on the bed, looking at me with an unexpectedly gentle expression.

That confused me more than any insult could have.

Why? Why wasn’t she taking advantage of this?

I’d spent weeks humiliating her. Annoying her. Treating her like garbage. So what could possibly make her look at me like that? So kindly.

"Okay."

"...Uh?"

I blinked.

"'Okay' what…?"

She looked away for a second, scratching her cheek nervously.

"Well… uh… bite me."

… My brain stopped working.

"Wow. That sounded way worse than I expected," she continued quickly, laughing awkwardly. "Meh, whatever. I don’t really get what kind of weird fetish you’ve got, bu— Ow!"

She immediately cut herself off when I shot her a murderous glare. It wasn’t a fetish. I wished it were only that. At least then therapy could fix it, but this was different.

"I mean…" she murmured, quieter now. "I don’t think you’d ask me that just on a whim, right? Besides, Carola said she went to get blood for you… so I guess somehow you can recover your blood if you bite me… or something, right?"

"...Yes."

The answer came out almost inaudible.

Because, sadly… she was right.

Part of it was true. This hunger I felt, together with these irrational urges to bite her, only existed because I was weak. Because my body was desperate to taste that enchanting scent. Nothing more.

I had replenished my blood before, but never… never had I reacted like this.

I had never felt so anxious over someone’s scent alone. Never had I felt such absurd urges to bury myself against someone’s neck.

To feel her… HER BLOOD! Just her blood.

But no, I refuse to do it!

Depend on my enemy? Please. That’s too pathetic. I’d rather get worse and die than throw away my pride like that.

"...I don’t need to…" I tried to say. "I can endure it until— ah…"

A brutal spasm tore through my abdomen.

My body curled slightly into itself as a sharp pain climbed from my stomach to my head.

I felt my pulse pounding behind my eyes as if someone were striking my skull from the inside.

Shit. Maybe I was much worse than I thought.

Or maybe… the problem was her.

Because the closer Nen got…

The stronger that scent became.

The harder it was to think.

And worse still… the more I wanted to touch her.

How is this possible…?

Ever since I woke up, I hadn’t been able to stop feeling this hunger because of her.

It was absurd.

Every time she moved closer, the scent of her blood filled my lungs and something inside me slowly started falling apart. As if my entire body forgot how to think and only remembered how to crave.

What did this girl have?

Why did her scent make me so… hungry?

I squeezed my eyes shut.

God… no. My pride… my precious pride… I don’t want to lose it…

But…

I-If it’s only a little…

I couldn’t believe what I was about to do… If this went wrong, I’d rather die or kill her.

At this point, either option sounded acceptable.

"A-Are you sure…?"

The catgirl swallowed hard.

Even so, she nodded.

"Yeah. Just look at yourself! I feel like you’re gonna collapse any second and then Carola’s gonna kill me for letting you die… B-But tell me something first… W-Will it hurt? Because I’m really not good with pain…"

Her voice tried to sound casual, but the faint tremble at the end betrayed her.

She was scared.

And yet she was still here.

Offering herself.

My chest tightened strangely at that display of kindness.

"No…" I murmured. "And I swear if anyone finds out about this… I’ll kill you. No matter what, you die."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"Got it. My lips are sealed… Though, uh… how exactly do we do this? Are you gonna bite me on the...?"

"...On the neck… please…"

"...Obviously. I should’ve seen that coming."

I waited for rejection.

I waited for her to back out at the last second.

But once again, she did the exact opposite of what I expected.

"'kay."

Just like that.

With almost ridiculous softness.

Nen slowly lifted a hand to her hair and brushed aside the dark strand covering the right side of her neck.

The white light of the infirmary fell directly over her smooth brown skin.

Her veins pulsed in a way that let me hear how nervous she was.

Looking closer, I realized she was blushing, and every breath leaving her lips was far too forced. She was afraid.

The blood in her veins pulsed as if it were calling to me. Such a… seductive sound.

"Here… though I guess you’re too weak to sit up… Okay, wait, I’ll come closer."

"...Eh?"

Before I could react, Nen leaned over me.

The mattress sank beneath her weight.

Part of her body pressed against mine, and the heat passing through our thin uniforms nearly stole my breath.

T-Too close.

Her chest brushed lightly against mine, enough to make me aware of every movement of her breathing.

And her neck rested right in front of my lips.

Perfectly exposed.

My throat burned.

Slowly, I moved my face closer to her skin.

Was I really going to do this?

With her?

My pride… I was going to throw it away like this?

No… I can’t do it! But…

I inhaled slowly.

The sweet metallic scent of her blood hit me all at once.

No.

I couldn’t keep making excuses anymore.

I wanted it.

I wanted to taste the blood of this girl I despised so much.

… What the hell is happening to me?

"Here I go…" I whispered. "It won’t hurt."

When my lips brushed against her neck, I felt her shiver.

That tiny tremor ran through my entire body.

And then I heard her heart speeding up. Pumping delicious blood hard beneath my mouth. My own pulse betrayed me instantly, beating violently against my chest as if it wanted to sync itself with hers.

Get ahold of yourself! She’s our enemy, remember?! I’m only doing this to heal myself.

That was all.

Just that.

Trembling slightly, I parted my lips and pressed my fangs against her warm skin.

The sensation shot through me like electricity.

From the tips of my teeth all the way down my spine.

An intense shiver.

And suddenly… I lost my nerve.

All the determination I had gathered vanished in an instant.

I froze.

My fangs barely pressing against her neck.

Unable to continue.

"Y-You know…" Nen murmured with a trembling voice, "you could… I dunno… hurry up a little. This is pretty… f*cking embarrassing. Just do it already. Don’t be a coward when I’m the one about to get bitten an- Ah…"

The tiny whimper—or rather, moan—escaped her lips the instant I finally sank my fangs into her jugular vein.

It was a short sound.

Soft.

But my body reacted as if someone had lit a fire inside me.

"AH!... A-Ahm… ahem… I mean… wow, these sheets are really nice! Or something like that… Uh… can you hear me, Carlotta?"

Nen started babbling nonsense to hide the sound she had just made.

But I didn’t care anymore.

Nothing mattered. Hell, I wouldn’t have cared even if she insulted me!

The warmth of her blood filled my mouth.

Warm.

Thick.

Exquisite.

The best blood I had ever tasted in my entire life.

When I swallowed for the first time, a deep warmth bloomed inside my body and slowly spread into the deepest parts of my being.

My breathing grew heavy.

"Mmm…"

"Ah…"

The Nen tried to pull away slightly, but I reacted on instinct. With force, I tightened my grip around her arm to stop her from moving.

I didn’t want her to pull away.

Just a little more… please.

The girl’s pulse quickened even further.

And every heartbeat sent another wave of that bloody delicacy straight into my mouth.

I welcomed every drop desperately.

Sucking harder.

“Ngh!”

The warmth of her blood felt pleasant.

Even the heat burning inside me was beginning to feel delicious. My head spun. Everything felt slow. As if nothing existed except her trembling breaths, my lips against her neck, and the wet sound of my own hunger.

But eventually, I needed air.

Ever since I started, I hadn’t separated from her skin even for a second.

Not even to breathe.

That would’ve meant wasting precious time instead of tasting her.

My lips slowly left her neck.

And then I saw her.

Her face was completely red.

Her eyes glossy.

Tiny tears shimmered at the corners as she struggled to catch her breath.

And that expression… made her look dangerously appetizing.

No, wait, what the hell am I thinking?!

“T-That… ahem… that should be enough, right? It’s… over now…”

The Nen looked at me while still panting.

“…Over?”

The question slipped from my lips in a hoarse whisper, still lingering against her warm skin.

The taste was still there.

Sweet.

Far too sweet.

My breathing brushed against Nen’s neck while the warmth of her blood slid down my throat like a burning current. I could feel every one of her heartbeats echoing inside my head, mixing with my own, dragging my thoughts somewhere hazy.

I didn’t want to pull away.

That was the problem.

I didn’t want to.

The tip of my tongue accidentally brushed the tiny wound I’d left behind, and another shiver ran through the girl’s body.

“A-Ah… h-hey…”

Her voice trembled.

That did something to me.

Something dangerous.

My fingers, still wrapped around her arm, tightened slightly more. Enough to notice the softness of her skin beneath my hands. Enough to feel her pulse racing even faster.

More blood.

More warmth.

More of that unbearably delicious scent.

Damn it. My head was burning.

The infirmary remained silent, lit only by the white ceiling lamps. The distant sounds of students walking through the hallways barely made it through the closed door. In here, there were only two ragged breaths. Hers and mine.

Nen swallowed.

I heard it perfectly.

Almost instinctively, my gaze drifted back down to her neck. The small reddish mark on her dark skin looked far more visible now. Provocative, even.

She’s tempting me again…

My hunger reacted instantly.

“Carlotta…?” Her voice sounded nervous this time. “H-Hey, you can stop looking at me like that… like some abandoned puppy! That was enough already, wasn’t it?!”

No.

It wasn’t.

Not even close.

How could it possibly be enough after tasting something like this?

That flavor… was far too addictive.

I still wanted more.

Before I could stop myself, my body moved on its own.

Using the strength slowly returning to my limbs, I wrapped both arms around Nen and flipped our bodies across the cot. The sheets crumpled beneath us with a dry rustle.

I had her pinned beneath me.

My legs brushed against hers. One of my hands still held her arm while the other rested beside her waist against the mattress.

She looked… No… she looked exactly like prey trapped beneath a predator.

“C-Carlotta! Hey, crazy chick, get off me! I said bite me, not… all this!”

I ignored her protests.

I leaned my weight onto her body to stop her from escaping while I shifted my knees to either side of her arms. I wasn’t using all my strength… but enough to keep her still.

And it worked.

Nen tensed beneath me. Her breathing turned erratic.

Slow.

Hot.

Delicious.

I gently held her chin and turned her face to the side, exposing her neck once more. The infirmary’s white light illuminated the dark skin of her throat, where the faint red marks from my fangs still remained.

My chest burned.

My fingers slowly traced the line of veins beneath her skin.

I could feel them pulsing.

Alive.

Waiting for me.

“H-Hey…”

“Shhh…” I whispered near her ear. “It won’t hurt… just a little more… please…”

“…J-Just a little…” she murmured nervously. “And you’re gonna pay for this…”

I lowered my face.

Inhaled.

The metallic sweetness of fresh blood escaping through those tiny wounds hit me all at once. My head spun. The heat returned stronger than before, melting through my body like poison sinking deep into my very being.

My breathing grew heavy.

Hungry.

Then—

Clack.

I sank my fangs into her neck again.

“Ahm…!”

This time, my tongue slowly brushed the wound the moment I bit down.

Kathryn shuddered violently beneath me.

Her body reacted instantly.

Her fingers clutched at the sheets. That tiny movement made me pause for a second just to look at her.

Her face was completely red. Her eyes watery. Her uneven breathing looked helpless. Like a small animal caught in the claws of something far more dangerous.

And that sight… excited me more than it should have.

How awful.

How dangerously awful.

I bit her again.

Then licked the blood slowly spilling out.

Then sucked harder.

Every reaction Nen gave fed something dark inside me. Her tiny whimpers trembled somewhere between pain and something harder to describe.

And the more I heard them… the more I wanted to continue.

I couldn’t get enough of it. I needed to see her even more ruined.

“Ah…!”

That sound.

God.

It was even better than the blood.

The heat inside my body spread even further, melting away my thoughts. Trying to ease that unbearable warmth, I started moving slightly back and forth. I no longer cared about my problems. My surname. Expectations. Fear.

Only she existed.

Her neck.

Her scent.

Her blood.

“Mmm…”

I gave the mark one last lick and, almost without thinking, ended up placing a small kiss over the wounded skin. My way of apologizing for the bite mark…

…Wait.

A kiss?

My mind finally started working again.

The marks from my fangs were still visible on her neck.

My lips were still pressed against her skin.

And I… WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING ON TOP OF A COMMONER?!

“…What the hell am I doing?”

Horror hit me all at once.

I immediately pulled away.

The sheets slid messily as I backed toward the edge of the cot. My breathing was still uneven.

There were stains of dried blood around her neck.

For one second, panic pierced through me.

Did I kill her?

But then I saw her chest rising and falling quickly.

She was still alive.

Wait… it’s not like I really attacked her, right?

She let me do it… didn’t she? She was the one who practically offered herself to me.

Yes. That’s what happened.

I-I’m the victim here!

“A-Ahem…” I tried to compose myself, though my voice came out ridiculously strained. “A-Are you alright, Lady Adelheid?”

Perfect.

I needed to regain control of the conversation.

Act normal.

Elegant.

As if I hadn’t completely lost my mind seconds ago.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT?!”

…It didn’t work.

I expected Nen to get up and hit me.

Or scream. Or start crying. But she did none of those things.

She just stayed lying there.

Completely red.

Looking closer, I noticed even her ears were bright crimson. The moment she realized I was staring, she grabbed the infirmary blanket and wrapped herself into a trembling little ball.

…Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

This situation was absurdly awkward.

“Go fuck yourself, seriously! I didn’t expect you to be that kind of pervert! At this point I don’t even know if that thing about needing blood was real or if you just wanted to bite me because of some weird fetish!”

“W-What?! How dare you speak to me like that?!”

“Nah, screw you! You can’t act like that in this situation! You’re the pervert 'ere now! Pervert! Degenerate noble!”

“And who exactly are you calling that?! I-If we’re being technical, I only did one thing! You’re the one always saying indecent nonsense! You’re the pervert!”

“Takes one to know one!”

“Oh, how mature.”

“And you’re some weird vampire!”

Wait… what does vampire mean? Is that some kind of commoner insult for people like me?

DID SHE JUST INSULT ME?!

“Say that to my face again!”

“I DON’T WANT TO LOOK AT YOUR FACE RIGHT NOW!”

Our argument kept escalating until—

Clack.

The infirmary door opened.

That immediately caught both my attention and Nen’s, who finally emerged from her blanket cocoon.

It was Carola.

Thank the heavens. If it had been literally anyone else… there would’ve been no possible way to explain this scene.

The nurse raised a small blood bag with a proud expression.

“Guess who got the blood! Oh, you’re already standing. And I see Lady Adelheid is still alive and in one piec-”

She never finished the sentence.

Because both Kathryn and I threw the first things we could grab straight at her face at the exact same time.

---