Chapter 272 - A Seal for a Sanguine

*Eldovian Era 1713, 18th day of the 11th month*

Aegin almost chuckled at how the Priestess stiffened. She may have made the deal with him, but she had no idea what it actually entailed. Only that it meant he wouldn't kill whomever he pleased. Not that he would have anyway. Slaughtering the crew and those on board would mean he wouldn't get his trip to the West. But Devina didn't need to know that.

Instead, Aegin sighed and leaned forwards to give her enough details that she'd relax a little, "I'll make it simple. I take a few mouthfuls of blood from you every day, and I don't need to take a life once a week. You can eat as much food as you need at the buffet, have my share if you want. I don't need it anyway. And, you can sleep as long as you need. Seeing as I prefer to sleep during the day anyway, I don't see us using the bed at the same time often".

Devina remained frozen for a moment before she slowly turned back to him, "That's all you need? A few mouthfuls? Then why kill-"

"Because humans tend to talk," said Aegin, "If I had the allure I could...nevermind, give me your wrist and let's get this over with".

Aegin held out his hand and Devina stepped back, taking her hands behind her back. Aegin's hand dropped.

"Are you going back on the deal or-"

"Does it have to be from the wrists?" asked Devina.

Aegin frowned, "Well, no, I just figured that was the least intimate pl-"

"Not with me," Devina stated, "I...I suppose you're not aware but, my Life Lines are on my wrists".

Aegin's eyes dropped, taking in the way she'd made sure her sleeves were tied tightly, "Ah, right, well, any place is good really. Just tell me where".

Devina frowned, "You're not curious?"

Aegin raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Devina seemed to relax somewhat in her curiosity, "Most people would ask to see my Life Lines. After all, it's something that's quite a topic for discussion for normal folk".

"I think we established when you tracked me across a city that I was not exactly 'normal folk'," Aegin sighed, "You know that Life Lines are not exclusive to Order, right? Chaos has them as well".

Devina's eyes widened, "You have Life Lines? But they're granted by the gods, why would you have-"

"I'm still hungry, are you going to point me to a vein or am I going to have to go on a hunt?" asked Aegin.

Devina took a deep breath, then she sighed and pulled her collar to the side, exposing her shoulder, "There".

Aegin nodded to the bed, "You may want to sit down".

Devina frowned, "Why?"

Aegin stood, "Because my bite has the nasty habit of paralyzing it's victims. I don't mind catching you when you fall over, but I figured you'd be more comfortable sitting somewhere you can wait it out".

Devina frowned, "That's why that man collapsed wasn't it? Why he didn't stop bleeding?"

Aegin nodded, "From what I'm told".

"Told?"

Aegin just stared back at her. No way was he going on.

Devina sighed and took two steps before sitting on the end of the bed, she checked her collar then looked back at Aegin, a little bit of fear in her eyes.

"If it makes it so I can't stop bleeding, won't that put me in danger?"

"You'll be fine," Aegin said, "I wouldn't propose the deal if i knew you were going to bleed out, that would be stupid...actually, now that I think about it, it would be the second best option, but again, leaving tracks behind and all that".

Aegin took a step forward towards her and Devina flinched a little. He paused.

"Does it hurt?"

"Probably," said Aegin as he sat beside her. His eyes focusing on her vein as his eyes turned red and his fangs extended.

"Does it-Ah!"

Aegin clapped a hand over her mouth as his fangs sank into her flesh. He willed the wound not to hurt. As much as he disliked the woman. If she was going to be his meal for two months he wasn't inclined to make it so that she'd fear him.

He swallowed once. Two months. That was it. He would feed from her for two months then be done with her.

As he resolved this to himself, dragging more mouthfuls of blood in as he continued to hold Devina upright. He felt something shift in his Life Lines. A minute change, but it was there. When he knew that it was enough, he took a breath and slowly retracted his fangs, fighting the instinct to continue as he swiped his tongue over the wound.

He lay Devina gently down as he looked down at her.

"It'll wear off in a minute," he said, swiping a thumb over his lips to take away the blood he could feel dripping there. He s.u.c.k.e.d his thumb into his mouth then gave Devina a small smile as he felt his hunger withdraw a little, "Much obliged, Priestess, same time tomorrow?"

Aegin stood and headed for the door. As he reached it Devina's voice piqued up, "Where are you going?"

"Out for a walk. The night is still young," said Aegin, "Get some sleep".

***

What he'd told her wasn't wrong. Just a moment after he'd left, feeling had returned to all of Devina's limbs. She rose up slowly, sighing deeply. It had hurt initially, but as he'd drunk from her, the feeling of pain had seemingly dulled.

She'd felt a reaction from her Life Lines, no doubt protesting to what she was doing, but then he'd withdrawn, and licked the spot he'd bitten her. She'd been disgusted at first, until she'd felt her skin rapidly healing in that spot.

With a sigh, Devina rose and headed to the small bathroom, intending to wash up before she went to bed. After all, she figured it was best to sleep whilst he wasn't in the room.

The tiny mirror there revealed that the bite wound had been completely erased, leaving no trace she'd ever been bitten apart from her slight drowsiness.

Devina sighed, "So he doesn't have to kill. He just chooses to so that there aren't any witnesses. Arrogant Pig".

Devina turned to her wrists, intended to wash her hands and face with the water from the sink. She undid the cords that bound her long sleeves to her wrists and forearms, then pulled the fabric up her arm.

Devina froze.

For a moment, her mind went utterly blank as she stared at her Life Lines, then she rapidly pulled up her other sleeve. Staring at her Life Lines in horror, Devina couldn't help the scream building up in her throat, only for it to die in a chocked sob.

What had he done to her?

Her beautiful silvery white Life Lines, the emblems of her Life and Map of her very Soul, had turned a dull grey, and there, on the edges of the lines, had appeared tiny black points. Thorns. Black Thorns.

She'd been tainted. His Shadows, his Chaos, had utterly destroyed her pure light.