NOVEL WEB Chapter 61: Fiery Exchange
Virelle's POV
I had seen greater displays of power but something about Ethan's precision and timing at my riskiest hour struck a chord deep within me.
What is wrong with me? I shook my head, trying to dispel the intrusive thoughts. A bitter laugh echoed in the recesses of my mind as the irony of feeling like a damsel in distress when I prided myself on my independence and strength.
Ethan turned toward me his expression calm yet focused. His crimson eyes held a subtle warmth that contrasted sharply with the gore-filled clearing.
He stepped closer and offered me a small, disarming smile that felt impossibly genuine to me amidst the chaos surrounding us.
"Let's move, lady Virelle. We need to help your brother before it's too late," he said, his voice steady but carrying an urgency that brought me back to our perilous reality.
His words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing my wandering thoughts with the cold truth of the moment.
But before I could respond, a sudden wave of dizziness overtook me. My vision blurred and my body betrayed me as my knees buckled.
A warm hand, so unlike the cold touch of vampires snaked around the waist before I could hit the ground. Ethan's presence steadied me and his face came into view and his concern was etched plainly in his face as I saw the slight furrow of his brow.
"Are you alright, Lady Virelle?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine worry.
I met his crimson eyes but the world around me seemed to dim. It felt as though I were tumbling into a never-ending abyss, the shadows of death pulling me under.
Faces from my past flashed before me—my family, my parents, and their cold, indifferent expressions.
A surge of unwillingness bubbled within me. I wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of my fate, to demand the vengeance I craved.
Yet, just as despair began to overwhelm me, a strange and warm current surged through my body. It jolted through me like lightning and chased away the encroaching abyss.
The darkness evaporated replaced by an enveloping warmth that felt alien and yet comforting. A sensation I had never experienced before—one of profound solace wrapped around me like a protective embrace.
My eyelids fluttered open and I gasped softly, startled by the vividness of my return to consciousness. Something warm was touching my lips.
The sweetest and most intoxicating nectar I had ever tasted flowed into my mouth. My senses reeled as I realized it was blood, rich and potent, invigorating in a way I couldn't describe.
I finally regained clarity and looked up to find Ethan's wrist pressed gently against my lips. A thin but steady stream of blood flowed from a deliberate cut which fed me the life-giving elixir.
My gaze traveled from the source to his face, so close to mine that his crimson eyes focused on me with unwavering intensity.
A small frown marred his otherwise calm features. His closeness to my face sent a shiver coursing down my spine and the warmth of his blood coursing through me made me feel alive in a way I hadn't in years.
The pleasure was overwhelming, silencing my turmoil and filling the void within me with a fleeting, blissful calm. I suckled strongly with my mouth as my hand moved of its own accord, rising slowly to touch his face.
So soft, that was my first thought as my fingers brushed against his skin. A warmth radiated from him that felt impossibly human and for a moment, I allowed myself to get lost in the sensation.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly in surprise and that subtle reaction sent another shiver through me. My breath hitched as I realized what I was doing.
My hand lingered for a fraction longer before I froze, the weight of my actions crashing down on me.
What am I doing? My mind screamed the question but no answer came. Something unspeakable stirred and a heat seemed to flare inside my perpetual cold body for the first time.
I snapped out of my daze and pushed his wrist away from my lips with a sharp motion, the effort immense as the lingering taste of his blood tempted me to continue. With great difficulty, I forced myself to my feet and stumbled out of his grasp.
My heart thundered in my chest each beat echoing like a drum in my ears. My body felt unbearably light and it felt as though I might float away.
I turned my back to Ethan, desperate to compose myself but the warmth of his touch and the memory of his steady gaze lingered. I clenched my fists and bit my lip, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions surging through me.
My heart which had frozen for so long by resentment and bitterness, now beat wildly like wilddrums betraying me. I felt something stirring in my body and my eyes widened as a wet and sticky sensation seemed to spread around my nether regions.
This isn't me. My breath came in uneven gasps and my thoughts raced uncontrollably but I couldn't even form coherent thoughts as everything seemed to be in a mess.
Ethan's POV
I turned around after blasting the second blood slave to pieces and saw Virelle staring at me with wide eyes with a multitude of emotions betraying her face.
I walked towards her and roused her out of her stupor as I needed her help and joined hands together with Victor to defeat the bloated vampire who was most likely the owner of these two blood slaves.
She came out of her stupor but her knees buckled as she tried to say something and she fell backward. Without any thought, I flashed beside her and caught her by the waist. Then, I asked her about her well-being while I held her weak body.
Her red lips were pale and her eyelids closed. I didn't panic as I knew she wasn't in a life-threatening danger but seeing her already pale face become even paler like chalk made me worried.