Jasmine poked her head out of the pillow she was hiding under. She thought it'd be safer to isolate her thoughts, to ignore the pangs of hunger—and that, if given enough time, she'd be left alone. It was a foolish mistake, for it made that voice ring louder, sound more convincing. And when her mother was the point-blank target of those uncontrollable urges, Jasmine couldn't allow herself to be convinced. That was a limit she knew she couldn't cross and pretend nothing happened.

However, in the darkness of her room, where her mind threatened to crumble under its own weight, the Shadow had the veto to overpower her decisions, to hijack her train of thoughts towards a bloody destination. She was not safe by herself. That's why she gnashed her teeth and clenched the sides of her head, hoping to squeeze the Shadow out of it, "Please, not her..."

A rustle sounded out, followed by wisps of smoke bleeding in through the narrow gap of the window. A form condensed mid-air, his appearance extremely familiar under the faint moonlight.

Jasmine didn't need to turn the lights on to know her brother was there, casually walking around, his eyes fluttering from one piece of furniture to the next. His face was stretched in soft reminiscence. She was about to say something, but then his eyes landed on her. The words were squelched back down her throat as she gasped. A shiver zapped down her spine, like an icy finger running across her skin, making her heart throb and toes curl.

She knew it was him. But something was different, just like that time he was stranded in Archiland. Jered's presence swept through her room, solidifying, thrumming with so much power that even the Shadow in her head had shut up. The intensity behind that gaze stirred so many emotions inside her that she didn't know whether to feel guilty or horny, "W-Where have you been?"

"Here and there," Jered said, ambling over to her, "A penny for your thoughts?"

Jasmine retreated further inside the burrito of blankets she was nestled in, "Umh... sorry..." she said unconsciously.

"For what?" he sat down next to her, watching as she trembled, her bright eyes looking up at him, "Don't hide, or I'll be forced to join you under there."

A blush came to her cheeks, "I've been bad..."

He tilted his head sideways, genuinely curious, "How so?"

"I was hungry again... b-but this time I kind... of... wanted to eat mom," Jasmine twiddled with her thumbs as she snapped her gaze away, then her eyes flicked back to his face to gauge his reaction, "Are you mad?"

"No."

This time she ventured a longer look at him, "Really?"

"You wanted to eat her, but you didn't. You held back, didn't you? That's actually good to know," he said with a casual shrug, "The Shadow is not completely in control of you."

Jasmine released a soft breath, her knees curling up under the slew of blankets, "It was hard..." she admitted, "... for a moment I really, really thought I was going to hurt her."

He placed a gentle hand on her arm, and she bit her lip, "Are you still hungry?"

In response to that, her stomach rumbled.

"Yes..."

Jered rolled up the sleeve on his right arm—until it was past his elbow—and hovered his bare wrist under her nose.

"C-Can I?" Jasmine panted, though she didn't really wait for his approval. She dug in right away. Her canines elongated and bared out of her pouty lips, sinking into his skin. Her eyes rolled up as she spasmed violently, reveling in the magical, delicious blood of her beloved brother. Naturally, from the corner of his eyes, Jered caught Jasmine's thighs squirming against each other, frustrated that the friction gave her no pleasure.

However, unlike last time, she didn't sneak a hand down to fulfill her carnal needs. And it was not because she didn't want to. Jered had a good eyeful of her restless body, desperate to relieve itself without the use of fingers. Perhaps it was because her fear of scaring him away outweighed her desire to reach that pleasurable peak. In a twisted way, it made him feel proud to see Jasmine's face scrunched up in so much ecstasy. It made him feel good to know he could invoke such fervent desire in her.

He reached a hand out and tucked a chock of her glossy, blond hair out the way, "You can touch yourself if you want," he leaned down to whisper, knowing exactly the reaction bound to follow, "Just keep your voice down. We don't want mother to hear, do we?"

The way her eyes splayed wide open indicated that his words were akin to the gates of heaven opening up.

"Ohh ~ Brother..." Jasmine whined, her shuddering hand flashing down the gap in her blankets, "Yeeees ~" her hiss told him she had found whatever she was looking for.

Her velvety tongue lapped in circles around the veins of his wrist, teasing, hoping to crack that wall around the word 'incest', if only a little bit.

It was an open invitation to what Jered could enjoy if he let himself go.

He found her attempts amusing, to be honest. After all, he lived together with Lucy for over a year. And while his aunt tortured him most of the time, she knew how effective, and lethal, her curves were. At this point, the pocket dimension she teleported them into might as well have been a nudist beach resort. Not to mention the innumerable times she forced her nether juices down his throat with depraved glee.

Jasmine sucked so hard that her cheeks hollowed out, her eyes lolling around in a lewd display of how far down the gutter their family had gone. She pulled back to breathe, her swollen lips smeared with trickling blood and slobber. Then, after she secured enough oxygen to continue her feeding, she jammed her face back into his wrist. She had her moans toned down, until they were needy whimpers muffled by his wrist. Jered ran his fingers through her hair as he stared out of the window.

Every day, he was a little closer to unraveling his 'Sin'.

And then...

'Everything will change.'

---

When Jasmine woke up, Jered was long gone. She smacked her lips, relieving the wonderful experience of yesterday through the taste still lingering in her tongue. She looked around, noticing the lack of blood on her bed despite the messy ordeal. He must have cast a 'Cleanse' on it and on her before he left. It would surely explain why she didn't find any questionable stains further down her navel. She found that so sweet!

He didn't look disgusted or put off when she sucked his blood. This time, he stayed throughout her feeding, going as far as to encourage her to pleasure herself.

Jasmine clutched her pillow and buried her face in it, rolling around her bed in a fit of shy enthusiasm.

Did he finally accept her feelings for him?

Probably not. She sighed, facing the ceiling, still hugging her pillow, "Baby steps, Jasmine. Baby steps."

Eventually, Jered would come to terms with the fact that they were meant to be together. And she was willing to wait for as long as he needed. However, she hoped he would forgive her if sometimes she was a bit impatient. With an eager smile, Jasmine hopped off her bed and went through her morning routine.

When she headed downstairs, she was met with the silent, hardened eyes of her mother.

Breakfast was on the table, with Jered briefly glancing up at her as he buttered a toast.

Jasmine couldn't help the bright smile and readily made her way towards him, "Moooorning!"

"Morning, sweetie," Jane quit whatever she was cleaning on the kitchen sink and sat between Jered and Jasmine.

That was definitely a pre-planned move.

Jasmine didn't let that bother her. She flopped herself across Jered, and almost thought of teasing him again with her foot.

"I'm sorry for yesterday, mom..." she began in a guilty tone, "... I was not feeling well."

Jane didn't seem to mind it, "Oh, it's no biggie, dear," she waved a hand with a smile, "We can try again today if you're feeling better."

"Hehe ~ of course!"

"However..." her tone lowered, "Next time let me know, Jasmine. You locked yourself up in your room and didn't answer me. Do you know how concerned I was?"

"..." Jasmine had the decency to look down, "Sorry..."

Jane reached a hand out and nuzzled her daughter's cheek, "I'm not chiding you, silly girl. I just want you to be... more forthcoming... about your problems with me. Whatever they might be."

Jered alternated his stare between his mother and sister, "You two should go on a vacation together," he suggested off-handedly, though his eyes were set on Jane's reaction, "Things at home have been strained lately. I'm sure you're aware of that. For some reason, you're suspicious of something. And that's not going to assuage the atmosphere here. You know that, right? I have a lot of things to do in the meanwhile, so I can't join you. Mom, you should use this opportunity to... enjoy yourself with her."

"..."

"..."

A stretch of silence ensued, though for completely different reasons.

Jane found Jered's suggestion appealing. She was not against going on a vacation. What she didn't want was for her kids to be alone and unmonitored. But if Jasmine came along with her, then nothing would happen. And it was also a great opportunity to talk to her, to straighten things before they spiraled out of control. On the contrary, Jasmine had to hide an unwilling frown. To her, it almost felt like Jered wanted them both away—out of his way.

Not to mention her Shadow problem. She could hold herself back to an extent, but she had to eat regularly—something that would be immensely difficult to manage with Jane around.

"You don't have to worry," Jered continued, looking at both of them, though his words were solely directed at his sister, "Whatever you're thinking of. It will be fine."

Jane was convinced, "That actually sounds good," she nodded, turning to Jasmine, "What do you think, honey? We could go to a spa!"

"Y-Yes... that's great!" Jasmine forced a smile, "We can have heaps of fun!"

What was she supposed to say anyway? Jane's smile was so cheerful that she couldn't simply refuse.

"It's decided then," Jered got up, ignoring Jasmine's pout and crossed arms, "Let me know the details later ~" he chuckled, waved his hand, and he walked out.

---

"Not so fast!"

Jered barely made it out of the house when Jasmine caught up with him. He turned around, an easy smile on his face, "I apologize for not bringing that up with you earlier."

"I-It's not about that!"

"You're talking about your food issue, then?"

"Duh!" Jasmine wrinkled her nose, "I told you just yesterday that I came soooo close to hurting her! Why?!"

"And, as I said, there is nothing for you to worry about, Jasmine. I'll provide you with enough food to cover the whole journey," his smile widened, "And because I care about you so much, I'll give you my blood and flesh. I heard you say that it was the best you ever had. You weren't lying, were you?"

"..."

"Hm?"

"No..."

Jered pinched her nose playfully, "Then why are you frowning?"

"Because..." she bit her bottom lip, "... I don't want to be away from you, again."

"It's just a vacation. We'll most likely see each other in a week or so, depending on mom's schedule. And while you're there with her, you could talk to her, and dispel her doubts about us. I don't care if she knows, but if she finds out, she'll separate us. You don't want that, do you? You don't want to be away from me, right?"

"No..."

Jered inched so close to her that their noses were almost touching. Naturally, he made sure Jane wasn't peeping at them through the window, "You have to help me, sister. I'm working hard so you can be safe. You and mom. I promised it to you, remember? One day, it won't matter whether you have a fucked up, twisted entity inside you. No one will be able to utter a single word against it, because I'll be there, and I'll be the pillar for you to lean on."

She really wanted to close the distance between them and kiss him. She knew what his blood tasted like, but she was sure his lips would taste even better.

"Jasmine?"

"Huh?"

"You were spacing out."

Jasmine gulped, cheeks slightly red, "Ehh, I was just..."

"Thinking about something rather inappropriate," he finished for her, chuckling, "So? Can you do it for me, Jasmine?"

"Yes, Jered..." she said resolutely, "I can..."

He smiled.

"But..." Jasmine cleared her throat, her blush deepening, "Can I have something in return?"

"What?"

"Umh... your underwear... the one you're using right now."

"..."