Estoria looked at him, at the question she couldn't feel before, but after looking at him, she felt an intense thirst, one so powerful that all her other thoughts went to the back of her mind.
She swallowed hard, trying to control herself, but it was unbearable, like she was at her last dry breath; even when water was in reach, she couldn't take it anymore!
"Estoria?" Aluxio asked, which felt like a distant voice in her mind.
In that moment, a thought crossed her head as clear as spring water.
I want to drink his blood.
That outrageous thought shocked Estoria. She quickly took her wrist and bit on it hard to stop herself.
Aluxio panicked, seeing the blood rush out from her wrist. "Estoria, let go! Bite on my arm instead. You shouldn't lose any more blood; it'll only intensify your desire!" He tried to take it out of her mouth forcefully, but her strength was no match for him right now.
Estoria felt like she had taken a buff potion; her strength was amplified in her struggle. She couldn't feel the pain, even though her wrist was tore open and bleeding so much.
Aluxio couldn't match her strength, so he quickly conjured a small red blade from his mana and cut his palm, fresh blood peeking out.
Estoria could smell the blood. She didn't know how blood smelled, but she knew it was blood and whose it was. It took her all the strength left in her to not drink that blood, which smelled so appetizingly sweet.
But it was of no use. In the end, Aluxio had placed his cut palm right onto her lips; the blood dropped and mixed into her own blood. When it reached her mouth, it was so sweet.
And this wasn't even his pure blood. Just how good is his pure blood?
Estoria couldn't hold on any longer. She had taken his palm, violently sucking it dry of blood.
It was too good, too addicting!
Aluxio winced in pain, but he saw her wrist, which was bleeding unstoppingly fast, and she was losing a lot of blood. He grabbed it with his other hand and started healing it slowly but perfectly.
After a few mouthfuls of Aluxio's blood, her consciousness started to struggle free, and she could finally see the situation. Aluxio had a pained expression on his face as he panted and tried to heal her wrist.
She paused, feeling guilt come over her. She cautiously looked at his hand, which was shaking and pale from all the blood taken out of it. She held it delicately. The blood still fresh around her lips was delicious, but why did she love it so much? Her own blood wasn't sweet but bitter and tasteless. But why was his blood so enticing to her?
She shook her head helplessly as she very carefully placed her lips on top of his cut and remembered the feeling.
Aluxio finished healing her wrist, but he felt light-headed and nauseous. He saw Estoria still holding onto his hand, but she wasn't drinking his blood roughly now; she was just pressing on it lightly.
Estoria lifted her head, and Aluxio saw his cut all healed, but his hand was still numb and pale white.
"Don't you dare ever do something like this again," Estoria's voice was intense with pressure, but it had a bit of softness in it.
Aluxio opened the curtains with his other hand and saw the moonlight shine on the tears on her face; her tears glistened even more brightly than her crimson eyes.
Aluxio wiped her tears with his thumb as he gently held her face in his palm. "How could I bear to see you hurt yourself?"
"You did the same thing!" Estoria shouted with anger and tears. "I hurt myself because I didn't want to harm you, but my attempt was futile because you did it yourself instead! Are you dumb? You think you're also an awakened dragon? I could have endured it!"
Aluxio held Estoria in his arms as she cried. "Would you not do the same if you were in my place?"
Estoria couldn't reply, but she knew the answer was the same.
Estoria looked up at Aluxio's face, and finally, she admitted it.
I like him...
Estoria could never clearly admit it before; it was always an unclear and blurry answer, but at this moment, it came to her as clear as day.
She liked Aluxio. And a lot.
Aluxio watched Estoria's pupils dilate and her gaze soften. He thought she felt better now, he sat her down on the bed.
Estoria watched Aluxio shaking as he sat down beside her on the bed. She placed a hand on his heart; it was weakly beating, unlike before; it was unusually slow and peaceful.
"Aluxio," Estoria's voice seemed to contain a lot of love.
Aluxio thought he was imagining it because he wasn't feeling well. He unconsciously felt like she was calling his name with such tender love that he was going insane.
He wanted to return before he lost even more of himself in this delusion, but he couldn't gather enough mana to teleport back right now.
"Aluxio," Estoria called out again, with that voice again.
Aluxio could only hardly draw out a slight "hmm," not daring to look at her.
Estoria stood on her knees on the bed and lifted Aluxio's face to look at him clearly in the bright moonlight. He looked even more pale than usual; his silver eyes more beautiful than the moon itself, the red strands of hair dropping onto the side of his gentle eyebrows and pink ears.
She stared at his eyes as he stared back; no one blinked as she pressed her forehead to his forehead.
"How are you even more beautiful than me? Your forehead feels nice and cool unlike mine," she said in a dazed voice.
"Estoria, you haven't gained your consciousness back yet. Lay down and rest," Aluxio really couldn't believe she was saying all this; she probably said it while she's not in her right mind. Once she gains her consciousness, she'll regret it.
Aluxio tried to remove Estoria's hands from his face and lay her down, but she didn't budge, and he wasn't feeling well enough to push her anymore; his breathing slowed, his head more dizzy than before.
When his eyes refocused, Estoria's gaze was still fixed on him, unmoving and stubborn.
"I want to kiss you," Estoria said, eyes in eyes.
Aluxio couldn't accept nor could he reject it; he was stuck in a storm as he felt his lips being softly picked at by Estoria's lips.
His lips were even sweeter than his blood, and Estoria was drunk on them as she pecked them again and again.
Aluxio also couldn't resist anymore. He fell down on the bed as he held Estoria's face and kissed her deeply; this time, he went inside in a rush, unable to control himself to be gentle with her.
Estoria felt Aluxio's urgent tongue enter her mouth, but she didn't struggle to keep up with him; she kissed him back even more passionately.
They were both equally hungry for each other; this time they rolled on the bed as the kiss deepened, and even their breaths became intertwined.
Estoria felt Aluxio's cold cheeks burn now, or maybe her hands were too hot. She had never felt this hot and bothered before, and it was taking over her mind as if she was becoming possessed for blood again, but this time, she didn't know what she wanted. She struggled to satisfy herself.
Aluxio was so dizzy he wasn't even sure if this was reality or a dream of his. He struggled to grasp whatever it was, desperately. He couldn't even breathe anymore, but he didn't want to let go of this person yet just a bit more, a little more.
They kissed for a long time until the moon became covered by the clouds, and the room was engulfed in darkness once more.
They finally let go of each other, their lips still tinged with the rawness, Estoria was under Aluxio now.
Aluxio felt so dizzy that he couldn't lift a single muscle in his body; his face was dropped in Estoria's neck, and he held her as he tried to still his breath.
"Aluxio, you're crushing me," Estoria said, her voice cracking a little.
"I can't move," Aluxio said in a pitiful voice.
Estoria felt surprised by his docile voice, and her love for him poured out of her heart as it tried to beat with the pressure.