Chapter 52: Intense Craving

West Wing Suite, Nightfall

Howard gently held Monica in his arms, smiling while staring into her beautiful blue eyes.

The green hair resting against her 1.3 meter frame caused her to glimmer in the moonlight. She had on a white dress that fell against the side of her chest, and a smile that seemed to cut through the darkness. However, in her eyes, a deep, penetrating worry seemed to be cast, causing Howard to tremble.

"I-I meant what I said today. If I die, you can date Harley," Monica bit her lip, holding in the angst she felt about having to venture into the Furnace basically by herself. "I-I'm also leaving you alone with girls for a few weeks! You promise me you won't kiss any of them, right?"

"I-I don't know. What if they kiss me?" Howard said, smiling and grabbing Monica's hand. "I-I won't kiss them. I promise!"

"You-you-you're something else! Your girlfriend is leaving you for a month, and that's all you can say! Ugh, just please… Please don't do anything stupid." Monica knew that her going to save Zack would be dangerous, however, what Howard was doing had to be hundreds of times more dangerous!

Howard had to go into the Furnace and pretty much tell Authoritarians thousands of times his size to let them enter into their territory. In the depths of the most dangerous paths, there always were big rewards. However, Barabin wanted Howard to walk in that path simply to save time! To her it was madness, but for some reason she knew Howard would be fine!

'You-you're so impressive. I-I'm terrified I'm going to come back and dozens of girls are going to be competing for you,' Monica thought, biting her lip before she gently kissed Howard once underneath the twinkling light. She felt like her entire world had been turned upside down in the few weeks and having to part ways with Howard didn't make things any easier!

After all, her and Howard had only been dating for at most a month! So many things had happened, but for the most part, it felt like a single day."Howard… Howard… I-I like you a lot," Monica kissed him again. "If-if you dare betray me, I'm going to be upset!"

"I'm more worried about you, Monica," Howard brushed back her green hair, causing streaks of moonlight to shimmer against her face, fighting off the shadows blocking out her beauty. "I-I know you got stronger, but you must listen to Una. She's-she's older than you. I also trust her too!"

Monica sometimes would do the wrong thing because of her anger. Remembering Monica training across from him a few days ago, Howard remembered the adamant look on her face when she was up against great odds.

Reslan had told him somethings about Monica to keep him training, including how she seemed willing to destroy herself in order to succeed. However, when she'd been training, she'd been around teachers. With her brother in the picture, wouldn't she be even more careless.

"I-I'm serious Monica! You better be safe! I-I will destroy everything if anything bad happens to you! I-I like you too much! It-it's painful!"

"Well, then, in a month, we can meet again," Monica kissed Howard one more time, before wrapping herself with his embrace. Feeling a powerful energy emitting from his body, she closed her eyes, feeling a sense of danger lurking in the future. "I-I promise. No matter what the future has in store, I'll only take out the good stuff! I know its the case because I have you Howard! Now! Don't you dare bite my neck! Goodnight! Loser!"

###

Outside, Barabin held Sally's hand, staring up at the moon in the sky.

Without a single star in the sky, the moon seemed nigh invulnerable. However, like all nights, it eventually get replaced with the sun.

Staring up at it, Barabin heard some footsteps approaching weakly behind him. It sounded like a subtle drum inching closer and closer. Looking down at his wife's eyes, he gently kissed her once and sucked up her beautiful warmth before turning behind him.

To his surprise, Jenny had appeared, awkwardly holding a cracked vile as her body trembled.

"I-I need help. You're Barabin, right?" Jenny put her hand over her mouth, falling onto the floor as her teeth kept growing more and more inside of her mouth, touching against her lips like strange baldes. "I-I had some of Howards' blood and I feel really weird. Can you help me?"

"Oh… oh no…" Sally stood up, gently allowing Barabin to arise. "She-she didn't. She didn't have his blood right now. Terrible timing. Doesn't that mean she has to--"

"Yup," Barabin shook his head, walking over to Jenny and pulling her to her feet. "She needs to drink Howard's blood for a week or she's going to go insane. Ugh, seriously? Jenny? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I stared at the vase for a few minutes," Jenny nervously trembled, remembering the powerful force that caused her to abandon all caution and drink Howard's blood. It felt like thousands of little hands pushing her from behind, making her abandon all caution. "However., then I just drank it to see if I'd spit it out. And I didn't. Now I feel like a fire is burning inside of me, and I keep seeing Howard. I-I want to bite him! I want more of that blood!"

"That's a shame. You could've bit Annibell and gotten control of lightning." Barabin looked back at Sally and made a gesture asking for forgiveness as he patted Jenny on the shoulder. "Come on. You have to sleep with Howard and Monica tonight. Otherwise, I'll have to tie you up."

"Sleep with them? Why?" Jenny nervously twitched, looking at Barabin's neck. "Couldn't I just bite your wife, or you? Why-why do I have to bother them?"

"Horned that drink blood are very rare." Barabin recalled the first time he had the desire to drink someone's blood. He had been working for a duchy as a writer near Old Montgomery. Back in the old days, being illiterate was extremely widespread and unfortunate unless you were born into a wealthy family or got lucky.

For Barabin, he got lucky by being born into a wealthy family and being lucky. He worked for a traveling sailor that peddled supplies from other countries. In order to get out of the port, he needed someone to write letters for him, and Barabin had been a clever hand to have on deck.

However, one night, when docked against the shore, Barabin had felt a sudden urge to tear apart the first daughter of his employer. Sinking his teeth into her neck, he didn't stop until her body vanished.

Years later, he discovered that the first person bitten by a Horned plays a very important role. If they are more attuned to Earth, then the Horned will naturally be able to build walls in the Furnace. However, at the same time, they will also crave the blood type of those they first bit more than anything else.

Unfortunately, rather than biting someone like Reslan who had enough blood to drowned dozens of cows, she'd bite Howard. This meant only one thing, she had to come with them on a very dangerous journey. After informing her of this, Barabin patted her on the shoulder, guiding her in the darkness of the West Branch.

"Howard will forgive you. However, Monica isn't going to like you sleeping in their room tonight. However, only by being close to him will you calm down. Don't worry, you won't fall in love with him. In addition, you will need to bite him once or twice a day with supervision. That is, of course, unless you die because something kills you. Someone like you that's so new isn't really supposed to enter the Furnace."

"I-I'm sorry," Jenny said, looking at the doorway to Howard's room. "I-I never meant to do this. Can't I just sleep out here for the night?"

"Nope," Barabin knocked on the door, hearing the snores of Monica greet him. "You got to lie on the side of the bed and hold his hand or you might start attacking students of the West Branch. We can't have that."

"Hello?" Howard yawned, opening the door. "Jenny? Did-did something show up in my blood."

"Howard, if you wouldn't mind, hold Jenny's hand all night. If she tries to do anything funny, you have my permission to kill her."

"K-Kill me! I-I'll behave," Jenny gulped and walked into the room, seeing Monica wake up and stare at her in disbelief. Covering her chest with the blanket, her shirt gently ebbing and flowing from the wind, Monica rolled her eyes, moving over and patting the bed.

"Ugh, I figured this would happen," Monica pointed at the spot next to her. "You can sleep on the other side of me. Hold Howard's hand over my body!"

Monica knew very well that Jenny most likely took the blood because she craved it, however, she didn't think she'd actually drink it! Seeing her trembling, she remembered what Barabin looked like with blood dripping down into his mouth. The same crazed look seemed to be hidden inside of her, but at the same time, she was harmless. Everyone in the base could kill her with a single slash.

"Anyways, get in bed. Howard, you can only hold her hand! I-I can't believe I'm doing this!" Monica gently pulled Jenny into the bed who seemed on the verge of tears. To describe this situation as difficult for her would be barely scratching the surface.

Walking into a couples bedroom, she felt like such a digress that even falling into a deep, vast darkness wouldn't be enough. Laying next to Monica, she wiped off her tears, looking at Howard before his hands gently caressed her own. At the same time, he kissed Monica, grinning and pulling her close with his other arm.

"I-I'm so sorry! So sorry about this! I-I didn't mean too! It's just the urge! It got too strong!"

"I'll protect you!" Howard said with a smile, "Holding my hand will calm her right, Barabin." Howard looked over at his teacher standing by the door and yawned, waving to him as he started to close the door while nodding. "I-I guess that means yes."

"Hmph, you can hold her hand because this is technically my fault. However, we're all going to sleep now! Howard, if your hand crosses my waist you're dead, do you hear me?!"

"It all starts tomorrow," Howard gently squeezed Monica's body, kissing her once more. "Please, whatever you do, be okay. I don't want to destroy everything for no reason."