I watched her body tremble slightly as she turned her gaze away. I didn't press her, and she didn't offer anything more. Maybe it just wasn't the time yet. Anyone would break after everything she'd been through.

I started to rise, brushing the dirt from my thighs, when I felt a light tug on my clothes.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice quiet but steady, her eyes fixed on me.

"Huh? Oh, I just wanted to get ready to leave. We've got a long road ahead, and I need to gather a few things from the forest before we go." I tried to pull away, but her fingers stayed firm on my sleeve. Seriously… this girl.

"But you're starving, aren't you?"

The question froze me. My throat went dry, and a faint chill crawled up my spine. She wasn't wrong. I was starving, but the thought of drinking from her again terrified me more than hunger ever could.

"No," I lied quickly, shaking my head. "I'm fine. I had a meal back in Ashvale, caught some poor guy. Drained his blood dry, mhm." My fingers hid awkwardly behind my back, as if that could make the lie more believable.

"Really?" She gave me the most suspicious look imaginable, already lifting herself from the ground as she carefully placed the sleeping hamster beside her. Seriously, was that thing even alive anymore?

"I don't believe you, Beatrice." She leaned closer, her golden eyes narrowing as her face hovered a little too close for comfort. "If you're really full, then why has your stomach been growling all morning?"

I froze, my mouth twitching into an awkward smile. Her fingers slid onto my shoulders. The warmth of her touch seeped through the fabric, sending a strange flutter down my spine. What was she doing?

"No, really, I'm okay, I—!"

The ground tilted beneath me as she suddenly pushed forward. I fell flat on my back, the cold forest floor pressing against my skin, the scent of moss and her hair mixing into something dizzying. "Hey, what are you—?!"

When I opened my eyes, her face was right there, inches away, close enough that I could feel her breath brush across my lips. The faint sweetness of it filled the space between us, making it hard to think. My mind went blank, my thoughts scattering like startled birds.

Hey, hey, hey, what is this? I'm not…

Without realizing it, I turned my head aside, my face burning so hot it hurt.

"You need to feed. Here."

I looked up at her, stunned. The determination in her eyes burned bright, unwavering. But did she really have to be sitting on top of me like this, her knee almost brushing against a place she definitely shouldn't? My breath caught, and heat surged through my body, pulsing like a second heartbeat.

Then, as if the situation wasn't already unbearable, she slipped one side of her robe down, revealing her bare shoulder. The faint marks of my past bites still lingered there, pale against her skin. The sight made my chest tighten until it hurt. I remembered the warmth of her flesh, the taste of her blood: sweet, heady, dangerously intoxicating.

The air grew heavier, the silence stretching between us. I could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat through her skin, soft but steady, calling to something primal inside me.

Saliva gathered under my tongue before I realized it, and I swallowed hard, fighting against the hunger that clawed at my throat.

Her breath brushed against my cheek, warm, steady, and far too close. My hands twitched against the soil, my instincts screaming for control. Everything in me wanted to pull her closer, to taste, to give in, but I couldn't. I couldn't be that kind of monster again.

"Elira," I whispered, my voice trembling, "Stop. You don't understand what you're asking me to do." I pressed my palms against her shoulders, trying to push her back, but she didn't move. Her hair fell forward, a silvery curtain that caught the light like spun glass. The scent of her skin filled the space between us, faintly floral, faintly human.

"I don't want this life," I said, my throat tightening. "I don't want to keep surviving by hurting you. I don't want to live off you." My voice cracked halfway through, weak and uneven. "You're my friend, not… not some blood vessel for me to use."

Her golden eyes softened, but she didn't move away. Her hand came up to rest against my chest, right over my heart, her touch light but grounding. I could feel the warmth of her skin even through the fabric, the gentle pulse beneath her fingers matching the rhythm of my own.

"Beatrice," she said quietly, "You'll die if you don't. And I can't let that happen. Not after everything you've done for me." Her words hit harder than I expected, not because of what she said, but how she said it, like it was the simplest truth in the world.

"I'll find another way," I murmured, my voice growing fainter as her presence overwhelmed every sense. "I always do."

"Then you'll just keep suffering." Her voice trembled, and her hands found their way to my cheeks, guiding my face toward hers. "You think I want to see you like this? Shaking, hungry, lying to me? I'm not scared of you, Beatrice. I'm scared of losing you."

Her words burned through me, melting the last of my resistance. I could see my reflection in her eyes, a creature torn between hunger and guilt. I wanted to scream that I wasn't a monster, that I could be more than this. But my voice wouldn't come.

"Elira… please…"

Her thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, and her lips curved into something gentle, almost sad. "If it hurts you that much, then do it for me."

Her shoulder was right there, pale and bare, the faint shimmer of old bite marks glowing under the sun. My hands trembled as I reached for her, my fingers brushing the soft curve of her neck. She didn't flinch. If anything, she leaned closer, her breath feathering over my ear as if whispering a prayer.

My fangs itched, the hunger twisting deep inside. I tried to fight it, but the scent of her skin broke the last barrier of restraint I had left.

"Elira…" I breathed her name like an apology, and before I could stop myself, my lips pressed against her shoulder. My fangs sank into her flesh, and warmth flooded my mouth.

It was sweet, richer than anything I had ever tasted. Her blood shimmered against my tongue, golden and alive, like liquid sunlight. Each drop pulsed with something divine, a warmth that made my veins tremble.

And in that instant, the forest disappeared. There was only her heartbeat, her taste, and the unbearable truth that I could never stop after this.

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