I don't know why I ever thought things could be normal. I must have fallen asleep too, reading the manga, because I wake up to Virgil's pale red eyes staring me down hungrily.
I don't even have time to say anything before he bites me. But he drinks quickly. Too quickly. I can feel my consciousness wavering just from the sheer speed at which blood is leaving my body. I push weakly against his chest, but he just clings tighter. "Virgil," I croak. "Virgil, be careful-"
But he's not listening at all. I summon all the strength I have left, and bite him right back.
He lets out a surprised "Ack!" and finally stops. He stares down at me in bewilderment and hesitantly touches the spot where I bit him.
"You need to be more careful," I scold him. "Were you like this at home too?"
"Like this?" He tilts his head to the side.
I've got a bad feeling about this. "Have you ever drunk from a thrall without them passing out?"
"No, of course not. I don't snack."
I heave a sigh. "It's not about that. Look, it's fully possible to get a full meal without knocking out your thrall."
He just scoffs. "That's just people complaining."
I shake my head. "It's really not. Look, I'm hungry too. Why don't you come with me to get some food and you can ask the others?" I try to sit up, but my head spins. "Oh, shit," I whisper quietly to myself. He really did a number on me.
"Fine," he mumbles, "but only because you need to eat." He crouches down in front of the bed - I only now I realize he had moved me to the bed - and helps me onto his back. I can barely hold on, but he grips me tightly and I just concentrate on breathing.
When we come back into the main room, the other three are sat around the table, covered in some elaborate game.
Upon seeing me, Adrian huffs a sigh of disappointment and tosses a little red gem to Lucien, who catches it with a grin.
Dante laughs at the exchange. "Never doubt the master manipulator."
"As if you're not one yourself," replies Lucien with a grin.
Virgil sets me down in the chair gingerly and heads off to get some food - no doubt a cold bowl of recovery soup.
"What's that about?" I ask.
"Virgil's...problem is rather infamous in court," replies Lucien. "They have to send him fidelis sanguine thralls only, because he drinks too quickly."
"And I," adds Adrian sourly, "believed Dante when he told me about how fascinated Virgil was with you, and thought you could keep him from doing so."
"Well, you were half right," chuckles Dante. "She's still conscious, isn't she?"
"How did you get him to stop?" asks Lucien, leaning in with interest.
"She bit me." Virgil is back with - I guessed it - a cold bowl of soup.
The other three burst into laughter again.
"She likes being bitten, and to bite," laughs Adrian. "Maybe there's even more to this little bird than I thought."
"Stop calling me that," I mumble over my bowl of soup.
"What, you don't like it? But it fits you so well!" he says, twirling a handful of my hair around his finger. I try to lean away, but my balance isn't completely back and Virgil props me back up again.
Adrian continues. "You're just a little bird, trapped in a cage, unable to fly away. You even sang for us the first night!" He leans in closer, and all I can do is tilt the bowl higher to escape his gaze. "I'd love to make you sing in a different way, little bird~" he teases.
Virgil pulls me away, and I almost spill my soup all over my dress.
"She's mine for the day," Virgil says. "So don't touch." I make a face, but he can't see it as he climbs over the seat to cling to me from behind.
"Oooh, who knew you could be so possessive? You can't keep her forever, you know." Adrian says.
"No one gets to keep me," I huff, but Virgil interrupts me.
"Are you almost done?" Then, without waiting for a reply, he scoops me up off the couch. I hurriedly gulp down the rest of my soup and he carries me back to his room.
He's in a hurry now, and it's harder for me to hold on. I've only got one good hand to hold onto him with, and I nearly fall when he reaches the door.
"What's wrong? Is it really that bad?" he asks when he lays me back down on the bed. The world finally stops spinning.
I show him my hands in response. I can open and close my left hand, but my right hand is forced open by chains from a lock on my wrist. "I can't use my dominant hand at all right now," I sigh.
"Why would they do that?" he asks.
"To keep me from drawing and writing, of course," I say sourly. He doesn't respond at first, so I look over at him. His eyes are glowing with interest.
"Wh-what?" I stutter. "It' not that unusual, you know."
"True, but you know the source material," he says with excitement. "That makes a world of difference with commissions, you know, and-" He pauses. "Wait. Who has the key for that one?"
I know it without even looking. It's a poppy. "Lucien," I answer.
His expression immediately sours. "Oh. I'll never convince him to take it off." But then his eyes brighten again. "But you might."
"I- what?"
"I'll be back soon," he promises. "I'm going to join the raffle game tonight," he adds with a grin. And with that, he disappears.
I don't have time to think about what he said, as I can feel the enchantment symbols heating up on my skin. I slip unwillingly back into healing sleep.
I wake up blearily to the sound of Virgil humming when he comes back in. He practically leaps onto the bed, snuggling into me happily. I can't help but giggle. "What did you do?" I ask.
"I won," he says with pride. "Well, I didn't win, but I made sure Lucien did."
"Win…what?" I ask, even though I think I already know.
"The thrall raffle," he answers casually. "But you're still mine for the night, so no running off."
"You didn't ask him to unlock me in return for helping him win?" I ask dubiously.
He's silent for a moment. "I didn't think of that," he says in a small voice, then squeezes me tighter."Just be quiet, or I'll lock your voice away. Oh, and I brought you some more food. Humans sure eat a lot."
He helps me sit up, and rests his head on my shoulder as I eat. Or at least he tries to, until he starts nibbling at my neck and I have to push him away. I have enough strength to throw away my own trash, but he pulls me back into the bed quickly when I come back. "I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks," he mumbles, burrowing his head into my back. I chuckle quietly and fall asleep quickly.