Ke Leya didn’t want to drink blood, but her body wouldn’t obey.
Vanessa’s arm stayed right there, the blood from the wound flowing slowly.
Ke Leya’s fingers dug into the cushion beneath her.
She bit her lower lip, already tasting a faint sweetness.
That was her own blood, and it did nothing to relieve the craving inside her.
Vanessa pushed her bleeding arm forward a little, stopping just within Ke Leya’s reach.
Blood dripped onto the dark cushion, spreading into a small, dark wet patch.
“Drink,”
she said.
Instinct finally shattered the crumbling will.
Under Vanessa’s calm gaze, Ke Leya leaned in.
Her fangs pierced the skin beside the wound, sinking in more easily than she’d imagined.
She swallowed involuntarily—once, then twice, then a third time…
Instinct took over completely.
Her hands lifted unconsciously, grabbing Vanessa’s forearm for better access.
Vanessa let her hold on.
The blood loss brought a slight dizziness and a drop in body temperature, but she didn’t even furrow her brow.
This adorable vampire wasn’t skilled at feeding.
She made a strange little sound now and then.
‘She’s so cute.’
Vanessa thought out of nowhere.
‘I think I kind of like her.’
She didn’t move, letting Ke Leya continue.
The dizziness and weakness from blood loss were replaced by a rising warmth as the hot blood flowed in.
Along with it came a strong drowsiness, like a taut string suddenly snapping.
Her consciousness began to blur.
In human terms: Ke Leya was sleepy.
So Ke Leya’s feeding slowed, turning into unconscious sucking and nibbling.
Her tongue occasionally brushed the wound, bringing a faint tickle.
Vanessa knew it was about enough.
She reached over with her other hand, gently cupped Ke Leya’s chin, and forced her to let go.
Ke Leya, dazed, lifted her head with the pressure.
Her eyes were glazed over with a shimmer of moisture, unfocused, looking at Vanessa with confusion.
A trace of unlicked blood lingered at the corner of her mouth.
Vanessa wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, clearing the dampness.
Then she picked up the prepared bandages nearby and, with practiced ease, began wrapping her own wound one-handed.
But her gaze remained fixed on Ke Leya’s face.
Ke Leya was so sleepy her eyelids were drooping, her body going limp and tilting to one side.
Only Vanessa’s hand holding her chin kept her from collapsing.
“Listen, Ke Leya.”
As consciousness floated, Vanessa’s voice rang out.
Ke Leya struggled to lift her eyelids and looked toward the source of the voice.
Through her vision, Vanessa’s face was blurry.
“Don’t you dare like Elizabeth,”
Vanessa said as she wrapped the bandages, her tone flat.
“She’s a bad person. She only wants to turn you into an obedient toy. Nothing she did to you was because she liked you.”
Ke Leya listened hazily, Vanessa’s voice sounding like it came from far away.
Like?
Elizabeth?
Bad person?
These words drifted into her consciousness.
She instinctively nodded in response.
“Mm.”
A vague nasal sound, like a sleep murmur.
Vanessa finished wrapping the bandages and tied a simple knot.
She lowered her arm and instead cupped Ke Leya’s cheeks with both hands.
Ke Leya rubbed her face against Vanessa’s warm palms.
Vanessa’s heart pounded as she looked at the completely trusting expression.
She thought she might have fallen in love at first sight.
Vanessa leaned close to Ke Leya’s ear, her breath brushing the flushed earlobe.
In a volume only the two of them could hear, she spoke clearly, word by word:
“I like you.”
“So you have to like me too.”
Ke Leya was too sleepy to think clearly.
She only felt a tickling at her ear, the warm breath making her even more drowsy.
She hadn’t caught the specifics, but sleep drove her to nod in agreement to whatever the request was, so she could fall asleep right away.
So she nodded again.
This time the movement was bigger, her silver hair brushing against Vanessa’s wrist.
“Okay…”
She answered vaguely, her voice soft and weak.
Then the last bit of strength supporting her gave out.
As soon as Vanessa heard her response and loosened her hands, Ke Leya flopped forward, her forehead bumping against Vanessa’s shoulder with a soft thud.
Her body slid down with gravity, her head tilting until her chin rested on Vanessa’s shoulder.
Her breathing soon became even and long.
She was asleep.
The girl’s warm breath gently puffed against the back of Vanessa’s neck.
A few strands of silver hair slipped into her collar, soft and cool.
Vanessa froze for a long moment, then raised her arm to wrap around Ke Leya’s thin shoulders, pulling her more securely into her embrace.
Her other hand hesitated, then finally dropped lightly, patting Ke Leya’s back with some awkwardness.
The woman in the gray dress sat across from them, her gaze flicking between Vanessa’s face and Ke Leya sleeping in her arms.
Her lips moved.
“My lady,”
she said in a low voice, hesitating.
“She’s still a vampire…”
“I know.”
Vanessa cut her off, not lifting her eyes, just adjusting her arm slightly to make Ke Leya more comfortable.
“Anna, don’t worry. I’m not under her spell.”
Anna looked at her without speaking, but her eyes showed she wasn’t convinced.
Vanessa wasn’t usually like this.
The Vanessa she knew was calm and decisive, never showing mercy to vampires, and certainly never holding one in her arms.
“It’s just using her,”
Vanessa added.
“No need to say more. I have my own pace.”
Anna nodded silently, asking no more questions.
She turned her gaze to the night scenery flying past the carriage window.
The carriage jolted.
Ke Leya let out a vague whimper in her sleep, rubbing her head against Vanessa.
Vanessa’s hand, which had been loosely around Ke Leya’s back, instinctively tightened a little, her palm pressing against that thin spine.
Using her to break the Cycle—that was Vanessa’s original thought.
Vanessa closed her eyes.
Anna was right.
She was doing something dangerous.
She opened her eyes and looked down at Ke Leya’s sleeping profile.
But if breaking the Cycle meant hurting the girl in her arms…
‘I’m sorry.’
She said to a future version of herself in her heart.
‘The Cycle might really be impossible to break.’
Vanessa’s fingertips gently brushed a strand of silver hair from Ke Leya’s cheek, tucking it behind her ear.
The movement was light, not waking her.
She lifted her eyes to Anna, who had looked back over again, and spoke calmly:
“Proceed to Windy Town as planned. Keep an eye out for any tails on the road.”
Anna looked at her, then at Ke Leya sleeping peacefully in her arms, and finally bowed her head.
“Yes, my lady.”
Vanessa said nothing more.
She leaned back against the carriage wall, adjusted her position so that Ke Leya was completely resting on her shoulder.
The carriage moved on through the night, rocking side to side.
Vanessa watched for a long time, then lowered her head and brushed her lips against Ke Leya’s forehead.
A touch, then gone.