Yurika sat on the bed and took off her shoes, massaging her feet. As nice as dancing could be, doing it while wearing heels wasn't too pleasant if it went on too long. She sighed. She had asked the vampire to dance more, and now she was paying the price. Why was she willing to make her feet ache? The answer was quite simple. The more days went by, the more she enjoyed the vampire's company and the hours they spent together. The girl preferred to dance with him, mostly because the activity involved some closeness between the two and limited contact, but the thing she loved most was being bitten by Ferid because in those moments the vampire truly held her close. And she couldn't deny how good that made her feel. She assessed the condition of her feet, but then decided to go to the library anyway; this time she wanted to read something different, she didn't want a book about weapons and demons, she wanted something more romantic.

Yurika looked around disconsolately. "Kurena... How do you think I can figure out where to find a specific book?" "Ask Ferid, he'll answer for sure." Yurika huffed and started looking at some books in the corner. The very idea of asking Ferid where to find a romantic book made her quite embarrassed. "Ugh." Yurika mumbled, running her fingers over a book. 

"Good evening, my little sheep... Is something ailing you?" The girl's heart began to beat faster upon hearing the vampire's voice. She turned slowly in his direction. He noticed with pleasure that he was wearing a simple shirt, a simple shirt that outlined his perfect body. "It wouldn't hurt if he took it off?" The demon's voice echoed, making the girl blush. "No." Yurika answered decisively, more to Kurena than Ferid. The vampire approached her and the girl stepped back against the books. Ferid put one hand next to Yurika's head and slid the other down the girl's neck, making her shiver. "I'm thirsty... Would you mind offering me your blood?" Yurika hinted a yes with her head, but Ferid pulled away from her. "Come, let's make ourselves comfortable." He told her as he sat down on the couch. 

Yurika made to sit next to the vampire, but he took her arm stopping her as he placed his other hand on his legs. "Come here Yurika." The girl watched the vampire's legs for a long moment, then decided to sit on him, red as a beetroot. Ferid smiled as he watched her. His Yurika was adorable and beautiful. He could hardly get tired of her. And that was a big trouble for him, but he preferred not to think about that for now. "Don't be shy." He pulled her closer and she placed her hands on his chest. The vampire brought his head to the girl's neck, licked her skin and sunk his canines in, clamping a hand on her waist. Yurika bit her lip, trying to suppress a moan, then clutched the vampire's shirt and laid her head on his. That brief initial pain was always replaced by a feeling of pleasure, and it felt even better when the vampire held her like this. She wished those moments could last forever. Even for Ferid that was a moment to be exploited, he couldn't always hold her like he did on those occasions and, this time, when he finished, he couldn't resist and gave her a kiss on the neck. Yurika was surprised by that gesture and, taken by a sudden tiredness, she laid her head on the vampire's shoulder. Ferid was concerned to see her let go like that. "Are you alright?" He asked her. "Yeah." Yurika sighed, feeling the vampire's arms wrapping around her body. Yurika slid a hand down the vampire's chest and Ferid felt a shiver at that touch. He swallowed. No one had ever had that effect on him before. The girl remained in that position for a moment, then slowly rose to her feet. "Sorry." She whispered, looking down. "Don't worry about it. Maybe it was my fault, I guess I went too far." Yurika stood up from the vampire's legs, but as she did so, she felt slightly dizzy from blood loss. Usually Ferid bit her in her room, this was the first time he'd done it outside and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to reach her unscathed. The vampire hurried to his feet. "I can take you back." And he approached her, but Yurika backed away. "No! I can walk by myself!" She blurted out. "Yurika, I'm saying this for you..." "Ferid, please. I'll go alone." The vampire sighed. "Can I at least accompany you? That way if you need me, I can help you." "You'd still come, right?" Yurika asked. Ferid smiled at her. "Of course. Come on, let's go. You first." And the two walked side by side.

Ferid sighed. "Sorry about before, I shouldn't have overreacted so much." "It's okay. As long as you don't kill me I think it's fine." But she didn't look at his face. "Ferid Bathory. I was just looking for you." Yurika's blood froze in her veins. Who could it be? Instinctively she approached Ferid and turned in the direction of the voice. The vampire standing a few feet away looked like she was more than a kid, yet something told her she shouldn't underestimate her. Ferid was alarmed but tried not to let it show. Krul shouldn't even suspect his interest in the girl, it would cause him too much trouble. So, he moved forward, leaving Yurika behind, knowing well that if the queen decided to kill the girl, he would hardly be able to defend her. And he didn't want the girl to die. "Good morning Krul." He said producing a half bow. "What brings you here?" "You know what I want to talk about." "Oh... That thing about the children and the seraphim again?" Ferid watched as the queen shifted her gaze to Yurika, not looking too pleased. "Who's that?" The vampire rose. "Oh, Krul. Don't tell me only you can afford a pet?" The vampire gritted her teeth. "Ferid Bathory, you should know that it is forbidden to bite humans." "Is that so? I thought one less spare didn't make all that much difference." "You should learn to control yourself Ferid, you can't just do whatever you want." "Come on Krul, you know how I am. I don't like being completely alone." Yurika noticed how the vampire was watching her and shuddered, then saw her smile. "So, you could replace her at any time. You know if something were to happen to her." "Of course." Ferid replied promptly, but his body began to tense. Yurika was surprised at the vampire's response. It had been immediate, and it was obvious that he hadn't had to think much about it. That meant he didn't care about her at all. She lowered her gaze, trying to digest the news. Krul approached her and the girl shuddered, especially when she realized that Ferid would do nothing to stop the vampire. "You bit her... You can see the mark." "I never denied that, Krul." The vampire sighed. "Well, it's certainly none of my business, but.... What is she to you?" Yurika's heart stopped, but not just hers. Ferid took a second too long to answer. "A source of food. Nothing more." Yurika closed her eyes, while Ferid didn't dare to turn around. Krul cast a brief glance at Yurika and then Ferid and raised an eyebrow. Not that she really cared what the vampire was doing, but she couldn't stand Ferid's behavior. However, she knew what the girl's fate was, she would probably die under the vampire's jaws. "Good. Can we go? I'm in a hurry, you know." And he left, heading for Ferid's study. The vampire turned around, taking one last look at Yurika, then followed the queen. When Krul left, he planned to check on Yurika, she seemed shaken up to.

Yurika watched the vampires move away and continued to stare down the corridor for a while, perfectly still. Ferid's words kept ringing in her mind. He had been relentless, without the slightest feeling. After all, what could she expect from a vampire? What had she thought? It all added up, Ferid couldn't have been interested in her, yet part of her hoped there was another explanation. Maybe the vampire had said those words to avoid putting himself in an awkward situation, maybe he cared about her. At least a little. She walked slowly to her room and once she reached it, she sat on the bed and waited, hoping that Ferid would return even though he had already bitten her. Yurika didn't know how long she had to wait before she heard a knock at her door. 

She felt her body tense. "Come in." "I'm sorry Yurika, the queen has detained me for a long time." The girl lifted her gaze to the vampire: his pale skin, eyes sparkling like rubies, and long silver hair. He was perfect. "Yurika, are you alright?" The girl nodded a yes with her head and stood up. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience earlier, I never expected her to visit." The girl wasn't listening to the vampire, for her concern was something else. "Are you listening to me, Yurika?" "Ferid... Those things you said to that vampire earlier.... Do you really mean them?" Yurika asked, keeping her gaze down, not finding the courage to look the vampire in the eyes. Ferid was surprised that Yurika was asking him such a thing. "What are you referring to?" He wanted to make sure he understood the girl's request. "To the fact that I am nothing more than a food source to you." "Of course." Ferid replied, smiling. Yurika's heart stopped, this was confirmation of what she was thinking. The vampire tilted his head to the side and stroked her cheek. "Were you thinking something different?" "No." Yurika whispered in a feeble voice, hating the vampire's touch on her face. She had to find a way to get away from him and she had to do it quickly. "Ferid I'd like to wash up if you don't mind." "No, it's okay, you can..." But, before the vampire could finish his sentence, Yurika darted into the bathroom. She took a deep breath and leaned against the door, letting herself slide to the floor as warm tears began to wet her face. Ferid looked at the bathroom door and placed the palm of his hand on it, bringing it down to the level of the handle. He remained motionless, unsure of what to do. Part of him wanted to go in, while another part knew it was useless. He heard the girl's uneven breathing and sensed her attempts to hold back her sobs. He couldn't bear the idea that she was in such pain because of him. She had probably had an emotional breakdown. He would have liked to console her and be close to her, but he couldn't, he wasn't the right person. Because, although he was now fully aware of how much he loved Yurika, that didn't necessarily mean that the same was true for her. He just needed to leave her alone and give her time to recover. He let go of the handle and left.

Yurika had been anxious the whole time, too afraid that the vampire would come in and ask her for an explanation about her behavior. And she didn't know what to answer, she couldn't possibly tell him the truth. He would probably laugh at her. After Ferid had left, the girl tried in vain to calm down, but those tears wouldn't stop falling. She decided to take a hot bath, perhaps that would help her to calm down. She waited until the bath was full, let her hair down and stepped into the warm water. She immersed herself completely and then brought her head up, resting it on the edge. She closed her eyes. She had never felt so bad, it was not a physical pain, but something else, something much stronger. She was in pain because she'd realized that Ferid would never match her, that she meant nothing to him. And it hurt like hell. Why? Because she now knew that Kurena was right. Ferid wasn't indifferent to her, and her constant desire to see him, to be close to him, to be held by him... There was only one explanation. She really liked Ferid: Yurika was in love, in love with Ferid, with a monster. She closed her eyes and continued to let out her tears.

Ferid wandered through the corridors again, thinking about Yurika. He couldn't quite understand the reason for her crying, after all, nothing had happened, despite Krul's unplanned visit. Especially since he knew that what he wanted more than anything else would never happen. Perhaps it might have seemed impossible, even for him it had been at first, yet that girl had managed to rekindle something inside him, the kind of interest he hadn't felt for too long, especially towards a human. All he had to do was think back to when he had seen her under Fuola Honte's fangs, probably if Yurika hadn't called him back, that vampire would have died. He sighed. After all, he had thought at first that his desire for her was simple, after all, how many times had it happened to him? Yet this time there was something different, something more than just physical attraction, it was something deeper. When he looked at her, when he held her close and when he saw a half-smile on her lips, he felt good, almost as if he didn't need anything else. And when he'd realised that something inside him was changing he'd ignored it, not thinking it could change, but now he was forced to think again. He had realized that what was happening to him was not passing, because he had feelings for her. Yurika had managed to make him fall in love. A simple girl had managed to move his heart, but it was too late to make up for the mistakes of the past and he could only be content with what little he had. It was little, but it was already a lot for him. Having Yurika by his side made him happy and if he had nothing else from her it didn't matter. Having her by his side was the greatest gift of all. He returned to his room and headed for Yurika's door. He stretched out his ear and listened to the girl's breathing. It seemed more regular, but there was still something strange about it. He stroked the smooth surface that separated him from the girl with one hand. Once again, he wanted to hold her close. He thought he could give her a present, a little surprise. He thought back to a dress he had seen recently. Yes, perhaps it was a little banal, but why not? He had to try to do something to bring her closer to him. And a simple present would be a good start. He went to curl up under the covers. Who knows, maybe one day he would have her in his arms.

05/02/2021