"Tell me what's wrong."
It had taken me some time to get a hold of myself. I focused on the tissue in my hands as I nodded at Alexander's words. Even as he sat beside me on the bed, I still couldn't bring myself to look at him. Where was I supposed to begin? As soon as I tell him I had spoken to Micah, Alexander would be furious. And yet, if I didn't . . .
"How was your day?" I asked hoarsely.
A stunned silence followed my question. "Better than expected," he answered after a while. "I got in contact with Mr. Keys. He's been surprisingly helpful."
"I see he is moving up in the world," I whispered. "Now, he's also a lawyer for royalty."
"I guess," Alexander answered humorlessly.
Biting my lip, I took a peak at him from the corner of my eye. If anything, Alexander looked like a completely different vampire. His hair had lost its luster and so had his complexion. Was he really feeding? Was he getting any rest? A pang of guilt shot through me.
"A-Alexander," I began.
He turned towards me and the words died on my lips. No matter what Micah wanted me to do, starting at Alexander, I couldn't. Was that selfish? Alexander was in this state because of me. It would be better if he wasn't near me. But a part of me knew that I couldn't leave him alone like this. He was hurting even if he would never tell or show me. Everyone had turned against him. His family had abandoned him. I couldn't do that to him.
"Finally, ready to talk?" he asked.
I swallowed thickly. "Are - are you okay with - all of this?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, my heart started racing. Even as I wiped my palms on my pants, my hands wouldn't stop sweating.
"What kind of question is that?" he asked. "Who in their right mind will be okay?"
"S-so, you would take an opportunity to get out of this situation?"
Alexander frowned. "Rin, what exactly are you getting at?"
"Well, what if - do you think I might be distracting you from -?"
Alexander's hand covered my mouth. He leaned in closer. "If I was wasting my time, I wouldn't be here. Got that?"
Ah. He was angry. Not being able to speak, I nodded against his hand. Satisfied with my answer, Alexander removed him hand. This wasn't turning out the way I thought it would. I had to tell Alexander the truth.
"I - I think it's best if we don't see each other anymore," I blurted out.
I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting but there was only silence. Tentatively, I opened my eyes and glanced at Alexander. He hadn't left. If anything, he didn't look surprised.
"Is that what you want?" he asked emotionless.
My heart squeezed. "Wouldn't - wouldn't it be better?" I whispered. "You get to focus on clearing your name."
I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I knew I was the worst, doing this to Alexander. The thought had come to me beforehand. If I didn't break up with Alexander, how would Micah know? The answer had been simple. He probably had some listening device in my room. He was probably listening to our conversation.
Feeling cold, I hugged myself. I couldn't even escape Micah in the privacy of my own room. Suddenly, my blanket fell over me, turning everything dark.
"Is this you speaking or Micah?"
My heart lurched.
"I guess that answer that."
"N-no," I stammered. "I - was just thinking about it."
All of a sudden, I found myself on my back. The blanket prevented me from seeing anything, but the bed dipped on either side of me. What was he doing?
"Don't worry about him listening," he said. "Your room is clean."
My eyes bulged. I tried to yank the blanket off me, but I ended up making it worse. Alexander chuckled and after a few seconds, I took a deep breath of fresh air. Alexander's face hovered over me. My face burned. I turned away.
"Was he listening from the beginning?" I asked.
"Yes," Alexander answered, "but I took care of that. It's probably why he's so pissed off. I'm not letting him do what he wants."
"Then how did you know I called him?"
If look could kill, I would be dead already. Even though looking at him, I knew he was beyond furious.
"I suspected he must have contacted you somehow, but I never thought you were stupid enough to call him!"
I flinched at the anger in his words. "I'm sorry," I squeaked out.
"You better be."
I kept my gaze firmly on the floor as I nodded. "But, if we don't do as he says-"
"I'm am the Vampire Prince," he reminded me. "No one tells me what to do."
Right.
"Whatever he does, I can handle it," Alexander added. His voice was right by my ear.
I froze.
"Don't give in to his demands," he continued. "Got it?"
"But-"
"Got it?"
"Okay," I whispered.
Something soft brushed against my neck. I shivered. Why was he so close? What was he planning on doing? Was this because he hadn't fed? My heart lurched rapidly at the thought.
"Relax," he said in a pained voice. "I'm not doing to do anything to you."
My face was ready to catch on fire. It wasn't like I was afraid. Alexander wouldn't hurt me. If anything, I didn't know what I would say if he asked for my blood. I trusted Alexander.
"It's okay," I heard myself say. "I don't mind."
Silence.
Then, "you can't say that to me right now," he hissed out.
This time, I did look at him. Alexander's fangs peeked from underneath his lips. He looked away, but I grabbed his face making him look at me.
"Have you even fed at all?" I asked.
"Rin-"
"Have you fed?" I repeated.
This time, it was him that refused to meet my eyes. My stomach dropped. He was starving himself. Well, it wasn't like he had a choice. His food supply probably came from his father. It also wouldn't do any good if he went to fed from random people on the street. That would just make everything else.
If he didn't feed, didn't that mean something could trigger -? I didn't want to even think about it. There was something I could do. I mean, it's not like I would mind it. Alexander was different from before. Most likely than not, he would outright refuse.
"I'm fine," Alexander said. "I don't need blood to survive."
I raised an eyebrow at him. That was total b.s. and he knew it.
"I should get going," he continued. "It's getting late and you should sleep."
Even as he said this, he didn't move.
"If anybody saw you, they'd think I'm a terrible person for making you starve," I whispered.
"Don't say such ridiculous things."
"It's true."
"You don't know what you're asking."
"Th-en," I said, clearing my throat. "If I accidentally starting bleeding from my finger, would you make sure it's not infected?"
He didn't like that one bit. "Don't you dare," he growled.
"But you're going to starve," I blurted out. "If you continue to not feed - won't you die?"
"Not necessarily," he replied. "I'll go into hibernation -"
"And then die if you don't get blood," I said finishing his sentence. "I don't want that to happen."
"Rin-"
"I don't know why you're being so stubborn. Weren't you literally ready to suck me dry when we first met?"
He flinched. "That was different," he began.
"You've fed on countless people before," I continued. "Why is this time any different?"
"Because they weren't you! I can't just - just feed from you."
A part of me melted. I found myself smiling. Alexander turned away. I think this was the equivalent of him blushing.
I sat up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I trust you," I whispered. "I know you won't hurt me. We both know you can't continue to starve yourself. I don't want you to waste away. You're the Vampire Prince. You have an image to uphold."
"What image?" he asked.
I grabbed the front of his shirt. "I don't know what Micah will do when he finds out I didn't break it off with you. I don't know what's going to happen and I'm scared."
Alexander pulled me closer.
"If you were to get captured - " my voice broke. I took a deep breath. No tears. "At least show everyone that this is just another scandal. You have to l-look your best."
Alexander cupped my face in his hands. His lips brushed against mine and traveled the length of my jaw. I shivered. He stopped at my neck. Squeezing my eyes shut, I clung to him. He laid us down on my bed.
"There's going to be some pain," he whispered.
Keeping my eyes shut, I nodded. There was a pinch of pain and then nothing. Warmth flooded through me. Pressure built behind my eyes.
Something cold brushed against my skin. I shuddered and felt another pinch â he was sucking on the skin. He suddenly cuddled against my back. The right side of my neck was numb. I couldn't turn my head.
"Are you done?" I asked.
He nodded. "I didn't want to take too much."
"It's definitively feels different from getting blood drawn," I said hoarsely.
"Don't insult me."
I cleared my throat. "D-did I taste good?"
"Exquisite."
I smiled to myself.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"You're welcome."
As we laid in the silence, my chest grew heavier. I couldn't begin to imagine what was going to happen next. Alexander said he could handle it and yet, why didn't the bad feeling go away?