Eve followed behind, walking out of the mansion. His hands were tucked into his pockets and he strode with pride. The coachman was leaning on the carriage, twirling a small stick in his mouth. When he saw his master, he spat out the stick before climbing onto his seat quickly. With a flick of the reins, he moved the carriage to park in front of him.
He climbed down from his seat and opened the carriage door, bowing with a curtsey. Sebastian stopped and turned slightly to look at Eve. She immediately understood his intention and quickly moved forward, accepting the coachman's outstretched hand to climb into the carriage.
She moved to the end of the carriage, her hands clenched on her lap. They were clammy with sweat, and she ran them up and down her dress. Sebastian took to his seat and the door was closed. With her eyes casted on her hands as the carriage began to move, she saw Sebastian moved his hands towards her and she looked up, he was holding up a white kerchief.
"Thank you," she muttered as she accepted the small cloth. It was damp, she noticed, and she folded it in her palms. She shifted her hair from her left shoulder to her back and used the cloth to clean her bloody skin. She winced as the cold material touched the fang marks, a sting that brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them back, carefully cleaning the crook of her neck. When she was done, she folded the bloody kerchief in her hand, reminding herself to clean it and return it to him later.
As she rested her hands back on her lap, her eyes shifted to look at Sebastian. He was gazing out the window and his hands were resting on the pane, his nails clicking together in the otherwise silent carriage.
Turning away from him, her thoughts returned to the vampire-witch's words. He had told her he knew why she was a human. She knew a lot about her family, about their ego and pride. She doubted her mother would ever have an affair with a human, but from what she had heard, they had taken refuge in human lands for decades. The situation was confusing, and the more Eve pondered on it, the more her thoughts became tangled. And so she let it go, unresolved.
The carriage jolted, snapping Eve from her reverie. She glanced at Sebastian, whose gaze was still fixed outside. If it weren't for his wide-open eyes, she would have thought he was asleep. His silence was more pronounced than usual, and it made her uncomfortable, making her realize how much she had grown accustomed to his usual behavior with her.
Feeling her throat dry, she reached for the water bag on the floor of the carriage. She unscrewed the top, brought it to her parted lips, and took a sip. The liquid had an unusual taste. At first, it was sour, but as she swallowed, it left a sweet aftertaste that made her drink more. She was thirstier than she had realized and continued to drink in large gulps.
What was this drink? Eve wondered, pulling the bag from her lips and sighing.
She took another drink, relishing the wonderful taste. But while she thought Sebastian was staring out the window, he was actually watching her through the glass.
"You didn't tell me you liked alcohol so much," he finally said, turning to look at her.
"Mm, alcohol?" She asked, surprised. When did alcohol taste so sweet? Her tongue peeked out of her mouth to lick the liquid from her lips and Sebastian's eyes fell on this. Her hands reached to clean the one that traced to her chin.
"It is specially made for vampires and I would ask you not drink again," he said.
The first time Eve had drank alcohol, it burnt her throat and she swore never to taste any again but this was different, she loved this and unable to resist, she brought the bag to her lips again, drinking from it and Sebastian sighed.
She was stubborn, he knew.
The wine was made from berries, another fruit called 'Cangale', and was mixed with rum. A glass was enough to make a human addicted and the effect would start to kick in. But Eve had taken more than a glass and when she tried to take another gulp, he moved closer and snatched the water bag from her.
Her cheek was flushed and she looked up at him, batting her eyelashes as she breathed in air from her lips. Why was she suddenly feeling hot? She raised a hand to fan her face and looked away from Sebastian.
She opened the window on her side and smiled as the air gushed at her face, moving the hair from her face. But she wasn't feeling any better. The corset she wore on her dress was tight also seizing breaths from her and she turned again to Sebastian.
"I asked you not to drink again. You refused." He said nonchalantly as he stared at her reddened face. It seemed the alcohol was taking a different effect on her, he noticed. Her hands were continuously rubbing her legs and she was shifting on her seat, clamping her legs together.
"Here, water," he offered her another water bag and she quickly downed the liquid but not all, she remained little in the bag. Sebastian collected it from her hands and she watched him drink from the same nozzle she drank from and her cheeks heat again.
What was all this?
She turned her face towards the window again which was when he speak, "I couldn't keep my words."
Huh? For what?
She turned back at him, "I had promised to protect you but I didn't. You had been bitten," he explained in a low voice and watched her smile, the first genuine smile he had seen on her. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Leif had been few minutes late.
"I was the foolish one to have followed him thinking he was a human," Eve muttered, while looking up to meet his eyes. The rage from earlier was gone and his eyes looked normal, staring at her softly. He caressed her face with the back of his hands. She looked like a ripened fruit, one that was ready to be eaten and he would but slowly.
"Do you think I would turn into a vampire?" She suddenly asked thoughtfully and a chuckle escaped from his lips.
"Do you want to?" He asked and she shook her head.
"There has always been a tale about a human turning into a vampire when bitten," she explained and suddenly realizing how close they were, she shifted back a little while waiting for him to reply.
"There's a different way to bite when you want to turn a human to a vampire. Maybe we would try it, when I gain more trust from you," his eyes glinted in mischief.
"But I trust you," she blurted out before lowering her eyes shyly, realizing what she said.
"Is that so? Then should we try turning you to a vampire now?" She could hear the excitement in his voice and she quickly shook her head. She wasn't looking forward to being pricked with fangs again.
He watched her shift again in her seat and drank more water from another bag, the liquid passing from the corner of her lips and trailed to her chin which caught his attention. She raised her hand to wipe it but he caught hold of her hand before she could and he leaned forward, his tongue moving out of his mouth and licked the water from her chin and the seam of her lips slowly.