NIGHTS OF HALLOW

Perdita’s fall happened so quickly she couldn’t hold her footing and rather fell on Sthena’s lap, whose head had been bent to the side and the mouth of Perdita now on the bared skin.

Perdita let out a low shrieking sound with her eyes wide in horror. Before she could take her mouth away from Sthena’s neck, she felt a flash of memory blur her vision and this made her mouth still glued to his neck.

Unable to move from her current position because of the memory that flash in her brain, Perdita stayed that way for another three seconds, and that was when she remembered everything.

She remembered jumping and attacking Sthena in her house in the village of Woodbridge before they lost balance and they fell on the chair while she sat on his lap and his hands firm around her waist with his head tilted to the side.

What had she done?! She recalled baring her fangs and s...sinking them into his neck! A...and she had drunk his blood!

Good gracious!

Perdita screamed in her mind. Her shocked face looked more horrified than they were before. Her green eyes looked as if they would fall flat on the ground and roll to wherever they could hide the embarrassment and horror she was currently facing.

”Are you planning to suck me dry this time?” Sthena commented. An obvious smile on his voice and face. From the look on Perdita’s face, he knew she remembered everything that happened on the day of the exorcism in Woodbridge village.

Perdita gasped and pushed at Sthena’s chest to get away from him, but Sthena’s hold on her waist tightened, keeping her locked in his embrace.

”W...what are you doing?” She mouthed breathlessly and in response, Sthena gave her an innocent oblivious look as if he didn’t know what he was doing.

”Aren’t you forgetting something?” He asked, his gaze keeping her in place.

”I...I,” Perdita’s eyes darted around the room as she tried to form any intelligent word that her muddled brain could construct but failed woefully.

After a while of contemplating and trying to control the several thoughts in her head, Perdita muttered in a small voice.

”I drank your blood?” It was not a question from Perdita. She wanted to make sure she was not imagining things which the look on Sthena’s face told her otherwise.

”Seems like we remembered the long-lost memory, hm?” Sthena replied with a smile.

It was true! God have mercy. Perdita screamed in her mind, while at the same time praying that somehow it was false. But it wasn’t. The memory of what she had done was vivid in her mind, and Sthena had also answered her question.

W...what in the world did I get myself into?! She lamented further as the realization began to sink in.

She had drunk blood. Blood that was not a cat’s blood. Sthena’s blood. The King’s blood. A royal blood!

They had vowed not to drink another blood aside from that of a cat, but not only did they drink the of a human through the pills, but she had also gone as far as to sink her fangs into someone’s neck.

So this was the reason why Sthena had refused to tell her about the memory she forgot. It would have been embarrassing had he told her that she drank his blood. He really considered her feelings, and this was one of the subtle little thoughts of him that made the respect she had for him grow every day.

”I...” Perdita began and cleared her throat to stop the heavy lump that was hindering her from speaking. ”I’m sorry for attacking you and for drinking your b...blood.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she uttered the last words. She finally turned to look at Sthena and felt him loosen his hand on her waist.

Perdita stood up from Sthena’s lap, her hand nervously clutched together while she waited for Sthena to speak.

Sthena looked up at Perdita and smiled, which caused yet another skipping beat of her heart.

He said, ”You don’t need to apologize for something you were not aware of.”

”But it doesn’t change the fact I drank blood,” Perdita replied in a small voice, guilty at what she had done. The fearless and cold look that was always on her face now looked so meek and gentle, like that of a rabbit.

”Still,” Sthena shook his head in disapproval of what Perdita said. ”You shouldn’t blame yourself. You were triggered that day by the smell of the exorcism ritual. Another person would have behaved the same, or worst turned more deranged and rogue.”

Perdita slowly nodded her head, but still, the embarrassment was pricking her heart and mind each time she remembered jumping on Sthena with her lips nibbling and sucking on his neck.

Out of nowhere, Perdita smacked her head to stop her thoughts, surprising Sthena.

”What’s wrong?” Sthena questioned and stood up to take a good look at Perdita to see if anything was wrong with her.

”Ah... Nothing.” Perdita sheepishly smiled. How was she going to explain the reason why she slapped her head was because her lips were...

Before Perdita could complete her thoughts, she heard Sthena chuckle over her head. She looked up with confusion and met his sly gaze.

Sthena stopped laughing and pointed at her face, ”Why are you looking like a hot tomato?”

”What?” Perdita rapidly blinked and touched her face. It was hot that she could feel the redness of it.

”You so red. Your cheeks, your ear, your lips looked flushed.” Sthena did her the favor of explaining how her face was.

Sthena didn’t wait for Perdita to digest and cool off the fire he added fuel to, he said, ”Are you looking this flushed because you remembered having your lips on my neck?”

”What?!” Perdita exclaimed again, as it was the only thing she could say in the embarrassing moment Sthena was having with.

”Oh, Perdita.” Sthena sighed as if disappointed. ”Why are you acting dumb all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you don’t remember having your lips on my neck, not once but twice, nibbling and sucking on it. Hm?”

If it were possible, Perdita would have dug the ground and buried herself in it, or better yet, disappear with magic. But she could do none of these things.

She felt her tongue-tied, unable to respond to Sthena’s words. What would she say? And keeping quiet would only mean she agreed to have those thoughts too.

”What made you think that’s what I was thinking?” Perdita questioned, trying to maintain a brave face, but her heart skipping a beat once in a while gave her away.

Her question seemed to have made the laugh of Sthena increase as he laughed once more.

”You can’t deny something that’s written boldly on your face, Perdita.”

”Those are only your perverted thoughts, Your Majesty.” Perdita rolled her eyes.

”No?” Sthena tilted his head. ”If my assumptions are false, can you tell me, My Lady, what you are thinking that made your face look so flushed to have you suddenly smack your head?”

Seconds passed with Sthena waiting for Perdita to speak, yet she couldn’t say anything. Her head couldn’t come up with a good lie.

”I think I need to leave,” Perdita averted her gaze and hurried to say.

”Where are you going?”

”I think I need to drink water to soothe my throat.” Perdita mindlessly answered and began to leave the room.

”Ah, too bad.” Sthena exhaled. ”I was thinking I could use some of your company but the body knows what it wants at the moment.” He grinned at Perdita who stopped in her tracks to hear what he was saying.

He continued with the smile still on his face, ”In case you need blood too, I am here. I am not stingy to share.” As Sthena spoke, he rubbed his neck with a knowing look that had Perdita bolt out of the room with speed.

”Rabbit,” Sthena muttered to himself with a mischievous glint in his red eyes.

Outside the room, Perdita walked as quickly as she could as if the floor she walked on was filled with hot coals. She dreaded if she stayed in the drawing room for the next minute, that the words of Sthena wouldn’t only burn her face but her entire being.

God! She haven’t seen someone as vague as he was with words. How he detected every move and thought of someone still baffled her.

She knew that now she remembered what she did, that he would always use it to taunt her. Now was the time she wanted to flee from this castle.

”My Lady,” A maid stopped her on the way with her head bowed.

”Yes?”

The maid raised her head and said, ”Lady Rosamonda wants to see you.”

Lady Rosamonda? Perdita questioned herself. What did she want?

”Where is she?” Perdita asked the maid.

”Please follow me, My Lady.” The maid bowed and began to walk in the opposite direction from where Perdita was coming from.

Perdita exhaled before she followed the maid to wherever Lady Rosamonda was waiting for her with some possible trouble.