Chapter 7: Warmth

I entered this world with my mind intact with the idea that I'd return after fulfilling my promise to Divina and Claret. I kept convincing myself that my attraction to King Tobias was just a passing fancy—that maybe when I returned to the human world, I'd forget about him.

Maybe after scamming his nine million, migrating to a different country, and starting my own business, I'd forget about this world and him. But right now, the way I looked at him, how I unbelievably witnessed my hunger and thirst, how could I escape this fate with him?

Na para akong mamamatay sa sandaling mawala siya sa aking mga mata?

The moment I stepped into this world, I couldn't imagine myself living with them—the creatures, the laws, and even the responsibility of a leader.

Dahil sino lang ba ako para umako ng ganitong klase ng responsabilidad sa mundong hindi ko kinamulatan? I might have appeared as someone who just accepted her fate in this foreign world, but inside me was my determination to escape.

Ngunit tila unti-unti na iyong naglalaho sa aking isipan at ang tanging laman nito'y ang lalaking pinagmamasdan akong lumuluha sa harapan niya.

I stared at my own shaking hands, my nails were sharp with King Tobias's blood on them, the hot tears were streaming down my cheeks, and the taste of his blood in my mouth felt like the first touch of water after days of thirst.

I want more, please. I want more . . .

My own voice was screaming as if it had its own tears and pain inside my mind.

I wiped my bloody mouth with my arms. "I'm sorry, I can't stop myself. What should I do? Help me . . ." I asked desperately.

Tobias' body was filled with fresh bites, his own blood, and marks of my nails on his arms and chest. I felt like a bloody murderer.

Halos hindi ko na maintindihan ang mga sinabi sa akin ni Tobias, at ang tanging tinanggap lang ng isipan ko ay ang ilang salita niya. "Your little fangs will not hurt me. Never."

Nang muli akong niyakap ni Tobias at lumapat sa aking ilong ang kanyang leeg, agad ko nang natagpuan ang aking mga pangil sa kanya.

He didn't even flinch, and he was calm as he gently caressed my thick, bushy hair. When I pulled my fangs and looked at his face, he tilted his head to offer the other part of his neck. "Here . . ."

Yumuko akong muli at kumagat sa kanya. He was consistent with his gentle hands roaming around my back.

I already wanted to stop myself, but the moment his blood touched my lips, I couldn't control myself and asked for more. Sa dami ng dugo niyang naglalakbay mula sa bibig ko patungo sa lalong nag-iinit kong leeg hanggang sa aking dibdib, tila higit pa akong nauuhaw sa kanya na halos hindi ko na magawang tanggalin ang mga pangil ko sa leeg niya.

I could feel how my eyes glittered like a burning fire, the way my fangs wanted to mark him more, and how my thirst felt as infinite as I sucked his blood.

Alam kong nararamdaman na iyon ni Tobias dahil tumigil na sa paggala ang kanyang dalawang kamay at bahagya nang gumagalaw ang kanyang katawan.

He gasped, but he didn't push me.

And when I thought he was about to touch me again, I noticed how he covered his own mouth to stop himself from making a sound. I felt how his heartbeat was starting to weaken.

Marahas kong itinuon ang dalawang kamay ko sa dibdib niya at itinulak ko ang sarili ko papalayo sa hari.

I was surprised with my sudden speed and strength when my naked body hit one of the huge vases, now broken with the flowers on the floor. Even the sudden distance between us was undeniably the effect of his blood within my body.

I was breathing heavily, clutching the bed sheet with my body, with my eyes begging for him again. But I should do something!

I am killing him. I am draining the king of Parua Deltora!

King Tobias sat slowly in his bed, clutching his neck while looking at me. "Come here, Kezalli."

Umiling ako. "I am killing you, Tobias. Your heartbeat . . ."

Sinulyapan ko ang palapulsuhan kong kinagat niya, ibang-iba iyon sa napakaraming kagat niya sa katawan.

Unti-unti na akong natatakot sa sarili ko. "W-what happened to me? I know that your blood will make me stronger, but I felt like a monster. I am killing you. Gusto kitang ubusin, I don't want to share you, I don't want to think that someone will look at you, I want to lock you with my tiny arms, I want to feel you more . . . am I getting crazy? What did you do to me?"

Halos sabunutan ko ang sarili ko.

"I feel the same."

Umiling ako sa kanya at muling umatras. "No . . ."

"I know how to control. I can survive your thirst and hunger, but I know that you will not survive mine. I am stronger. So, come . . ." Inilahad na muli ni Tobias ang kamay niya sa akin.

Muli akong umiling sa kanya. I heard his heartbeat. Nanghihina ang tibok ng puso niya at tinakpan niya na ang mga labi niya para hindi ko marinig na nasasaktan siya.

He was lying.

He sighed. "Alright. I will stop you if you lose your control again. Come . . ."

Nang hindi pa rin ako umalis sa posisyon ko, agad nawala si Tobias sa kama at natagpuan ko na lang ang paglutang ng katawan ko mula sa malamig na sahig ng silid na iyon. Binuhat niya ako.

"The broken vase might hurt your feet."

Mahigpit pa rin ang hawak ko sa puting bed sheet na may mantsa na ng pinagsamang dugo namin, ngunit alam kong higit na may bahid roon si Tobias.

Nang inakala kong muli niya akong ihihiga sa kama, ibinaba niya ako sa harapan nang malaking cabinet niya.

"Why don't you open it?" he whispered.

Confused, I followed him and slowly opened the enormous cabinet with my two hands, and when I pulled it, I took two steps backward, my hands flung on my mouth to cover it with my widened eyes, looking at my own reflection.

Bumangga ang likuran ko sa katawan ni Tobias na nakatindig sa likuran ko. And with the gentle sway of his hand, I saw a moving water and how it pulled our ancient mirror hiding inside his cabinet.

"Y-you were hiding it here?"

"I heard that a newly arrived goddess in this world needs more time to adapt. I think your body still needs the presence of the mirror near you. And I can't risk hurting you; that's why I hide the mirror in the place where you will stay more while discovering this world—our room." He bent and whispered again, now with our eyes locked with our own reflection in front of the mirror.

Kusang lumuwag ang kamay ko sa hawak kong kumot at humagpos iyon sa aking buong katawan patungo sa aking mga paa.

I saw how my naked body turned completely different with Tobias' arms around me and his face now leaning on my bushy long hair. "Isn't my queen so . . . beautiful?"

Habang tumatagal, tila higit na lumalambot at humihina ang boses ni Tobias sa aking tainga, kabaliktaran ng aming mga matang tila gumagawa na ng sariling mga apoy.

If we were in a different situation, or if this happened after I fulfilled my promise to Divina and Claret, would I be able to just stare at my reflection with the idea that I could just easily run and cross the mirror in front of me?

It was freedom I thought I'd always ask for.

Ngunit nang sandaling iyon, ang tanging nagawa ko lang ay higit na ihilig ang katawan kay Tobias at pagmasdan ang sarili naming repleksyon habang sabay na nagniningas ang aming mga mata.

"Will you leave me?" muling bulong niya.

I closed my eyes as I tilted my head for him to kiss my neck. "Kezalli . . ."

Umiling ko. "I will not . . ."

I felt how he smiled between his kisses. "You have to swear in front of our mirror."

There was a tiny voice inside my mind that kept telling me that Tobias knew how to offer his cards—he knew that I'd never say no in this situation. Now that I felt so vulnerable, the only straw I had was his warmth.

Mababaliw ako sa sandaling tumawid ako ngayon—sa sandaling isipin kong mawawalay ako sa kanya.

"You have to swear it . . ." he repeated.

I nodded.

I don't have any idea how I could ever swear. Should I utter words or use my possible vampire gift for the mirror to acknowledge it?

How . . .?

We have to mark it together, my love.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang marinig ko ang boses ni Tobias sa isipan ko. Marahas akong lumingon sa kanya, at sa halip na magsalita siya, bigla ko na lang naramdaman ang dalawa niyang kamay sa pisngi ko.

He cupped my cheeks, and he pulled me as his lips claimed mine. My toes tipped as I hungrily answered his kisses. I almost hung myself on him, as I kept begging for his attention.

"Bite me, please . . ." I begged him.

I knew that his bite near my pulse was not enough. Ako na mismo ang siyang naghawi ng makapal kong buhok at pilit iyong inilagay sa kabilang balikat. "Here, please . . ."

Nang sabihin ko iyon, muling yumakap ang mga braso niya sa baywang ko. Inihilig ko ang sarili ko sa kanya, at nang nanulay ang mga labi niya sa leeg ko kasabay ng paglandas ng dulo ng kanyang mga pangil, mas dumiin na ang pagkakahawak ko sa kanyang mga braso.

But before he even sunk his fangs, Tobias shoved his wrist into my mouth—giving us our own reflection with our glowing eyes while sucking each other's blood.

I felt the sudden change in Tobias as he took his every gulp from my neck—the hunger, the possessiveness, and the desire. I saw how his other hand cupped one of my breasts, the way our bodies uncontrollably reached the mirror, how my hands pressed on it, not willing to leave but to support my melting body, and how he pushed the back of my hand against the mirror, and how he uttered my name inside my mind. "Kezalli . . ."

"The other side . . ."

When King Tobias bit the other side of my neck, he offered me his other wrist, and as we savored each other's blood, our bodies were screaming and asking for more.

I could hear the dripping of blood from his right hand, the thick movement of the remaining blood on the right side of my neck, the way we gulped each other's blood, and how my nails were turning sharp again.

I knew that I'd lose my control again. "Tobias, I'll drain you again . . ." I begged him to stop feeding me with his blood because it was addictive for my body, but he was not entertaining it.

Inangat ni Tobias ang kamay kong nakahawak sa salamin at kusa niya iyong ipinahid sa leeg kong may bahid ng sarili kong dugo. My hands and long nails were now filled with my fresh blood when he pressed them against the mirror again, mixed with his from the bloody hand that had been bitten by my fangs.

And that's when I realized the king's way of stopping me from draining his blood—my mouth opened, and I moaned when I felt him inside me as he shared his warmth with me.

Tobias gasped. His mouth was partly open, and his eyes were burning red. The mirror moved as his hands with prodded veins tightly gripped the mirror frame with his left hand, while our bloody hands were intensely pressed against the mirror.

I tiptoed to meet him more until I felt my left cheek on the mirror. He was biting my ears, and my nails were creating claw marks on the mirror, and as I created those marks, the mixtures of our blood crawled with it—leaving our mark.

I moaned his name, pulled his hair for kisses, arched my body for him, and begged to be touched and claimed. We were gasping for air, our eyes were ignited, and our bodies were not willing to stop.

Tobias stopped kissing me, and the way he took me turned slower, not as a sign of weakness, but something like teasing. He bent down, and he gently whispered in my ear.

"This is how you swear, my love. This is where you belong, on this side of the mirror—beside me. Your claw mark and our blood together will always remind you that you'll never have this warmth in the human world. Only with me."