Chapter 155: Feeding
Asia's fangs pierced into my flesh as she latched onto my neck. At first, she seemed shy, but then her arms tightened around me, and her eyes became slitted. Just like a snake.
"Asia?"
Her pulsing snake form continued to wrap around me like an anaconda feeding on its prey. She gulped down my blood as if she was dying of thirst. If I wasn't able to regenerate more blood, I would've died ten times over.
Her breath felt hot on my neck, her tongue brushing against my skin as she gulped down. It wasn't until several minutes later that she stopped to finally catch her breath.
When she did, her face was crimson, and she flung back her head, gasping loudly, her chest heaving with every breath she took.
"It's so good," she moaned in between gasps. "Finally, blood that doesn't taste like rusted iron."
"Take your time. I'll let you drink until you're satisfied."
The moment I spoke, her eyes widened, and an embarrassed blush crept up on her face. It was as if she forgot I was even there.
"I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me. I just—"
"Calm down," I placed my index finger over her lips, silencing her. "I was the one who offered you my blood, wasn't I?"
"Yes, but… Doesn't it hurt?"
"I'm used to it," I said as I reached out and wiped my blood from her lips and a small smile came on her face. "It looked like you enjoyed it."
She nodded her head.
"I wish I could claim you all for myself. This is the first time I actually have the urge to feed. Once, my father even bought me noble blood to see if I would like it, but still, to me it was no different from slave blood. It was really bitter. From then I mostly stuck with animal blood since it was a little more bearable."
"Sounds like you have an exquisite palate."
"...must be. But still, there is something about your blood that makes so it addictive. I know vampires that would kill to get a taste. Don't let our queen ever find you or she'll make you her slave for sure. I can't get enough, my body feels so incredible right now."
"Then you must drink up as much as you can. This is a one-time offer." I reminded her.
Asia nodded and, without any hesitation, sank her teeth into my neck. Strangely, I missed the feeling of someone drinking my blood. Though it didn't feel the same as when it was Isabella.
Isabella...
I wonder what she's doing right about now…
What kind of face will she make when I come to rescue her like a proper prince charming?
Maybe she'll call me an idiot and throw a temper tantrum. That sounds more like her.
Eventually, I started to doze off with Asia snacking on me. But before I did, I carried my hungry little companion over to the bed where we could have a proper sleep rather than on the floor. My mind slowly drifted away. Physically I wasn't tired but mentally I was drained.
At this point, I didn't even notice Asia's fangs anymore or that her entire body was wrapped around me.
Strangely, the snake half of her was soft and squishy, so I wasn't too uncomfortable. If I had to describe it I would say it felt like hugging a balloon filled with water.
...
The next morning when I woke up, the beautiful blonde lamia was passed out beside me. Though she was still wrapped around me, her fangs were no longer piercing my neck. She had a satisfied smile on her face as she slept. Snakes normally sleep after they've eaten, so maybe it was the same for her.
To my right, Isabella's mother was also there, passed out beside me. Her skin was paler than before, and she was looking a lot more frail. I slowly separated myself from the lamia and climbed out of bed.
I did some light stretches to ease the soreness in my limbs and just then, Cerberus climbed out of my shadow and bowed before me.
"Did you do what I asked and carry the corpses to Grey Waste?" I asked.
Cerberus released a low growl, confirming he did what I asked of him.
"GRR! GRR!"
"Your pups… You say they'll be born any day now. That's good. We will need some more reinforcements for what is to come."
"GRR!"
"Yes, I know they'll be babies and they'll need some time to grow, but this city won't fall within a few days. It will take some time, so they'll have the chance to grow."
To be honest, I had no idea how long my conquest of Purgatory would take. I just hope we'll be done within a year.
"Thank you, Cerberus. You have been a great help," I said, aiming to dismiss him, but he didn't budge an inch, only stared at me longingly.
'Such a big hound who's even building his own family and he still requires pets.'
Seeing as Cerberus had no intention of leaving as he stared at me with those monstrous puppy dog eyes, I reached behind his ears and began petting him. He growled loudly before licking my hand in satisfaction.
"Good boy,"
After that, he climbed back into my shadow.
When I was done stretching, I left my room and went down to the hall to hear what the topic of discussion would be today. Although I already had an idea of what it was.
Even though it was early morning, the air was thick with the scent of liquor.
Asmond stood behind the counter taking orders. He was clearly overworked as his daughter was nowhere to be seen. The inn was as lively as ever as groups of men entered while others left. While there were some passed out on the ground from the fun they had the night before. No matter where we were, some things never change.
I walked through the inn, tuning in to the conversations happening before settling beside a group of men discussing the thing I wanted to hear. I took the table right next to theirs and pretended to order a drink as I listened in on their conversation.
"I'm telling you, it really happened. The ghouls went on a massacre last night!"
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