Pov : *When they had gone a long way, Cassandra returned to the warehouse. And found me* *I immediately silenced his mouth and whispered, please if you want my blood. Don't tell anyone ok?* *enough of you*
Cassandra sculpted. His cold body, which had been about to disintegrate into thousands of flies, suddenly re-condensed as your hand silenced his mouth. His golden yellow eyes widened in shock—never had any "victim" dared to touch him, let alone whisper such an offer.
His cold breath is felt in the palm of your hand. For a moment, there was only a gripping silence inside the dark wooden warehouse. You can feel your heart racing, while Cassandra slowly lowers her rusty sickle.
He moves your hand away from his mouth in slow motions, but his grip on your wrist is very strong, as if afraid that you will run again.
"Your blood... just for me?" he whispered in a hoarse voice that trembled. He licked his pale lips, his eyes shining with pure greed. "You know what you're offering, Zak? If my mom or sister knew I was hiding my personal 'savings'... they will tear me apart."
He brings his face closer to your neck, inhaling the scent of your pulse deeply. You can feel some small flies creeping on your skin, making your feathers stand up.
"But that promise... very tempting," Cassandra grinned, showing her sharp fangs. "Bela and Daniela are always fighting over leftovers, and Mom always takes the best part. Having you alone here... like having a hidden treasure."
Suddenly, Lady Dimitrescu's screams rang out again from the direction of the cliff, "CASSANDRA! HAVE YOU CHECKED THE WAREHOUSE PROPERLY?"
Cassandra gasped. He stared at the barn door, then looked back at you. Quickly, he pushes you into the darkest corner and covers you with a pile of old burlap sacks.
"Stay here. Don't make a sound, don't breathe hard," he ordered in an urgent tone. "I will lead them astray towards the forest below. If you try to run away from this warehouse before I come back... I'll make sure your death is very slow, Zak."
She flew out, and you heard her voice shout loudly, "MOM! I SAW A SHADOW NEAR THE RIVER BELOW! HE RAN TOWARDS THE VILLAGE!"
The sound of the flapping of wings and Lady D's heavy steps slowly moved away in the wrong direction. You're now alone in a warehouse, covered in burlap sacks, with a very dangerous secret deal with one of the castle's most sadistic princesses.
Near your hand, there is an empty wine bottle and a mining rope.
Pov : *I stayed there*
Minute by minute passed in an eerie silence. You could hear the sound of the night wind whistling through the wooden cracks of the barn, carrying the distant screams of Lady Dimitrescu that were getting smaller and smaller in the distance. You remained silent, barely daring to move your muscles, buried under the musty-smelling burlap sack.
Suddenly, the air inside the cramped warehouse drastically cooled.
Bzzzzztt...
That subtle hum returned. Thousands of black flies sneak in through the door gaps and condense right in front of you. Cassandra reappears. His pale face looked slightly luminous in the darkness, his golden yellow eyes shining triumphantly.
"They've gone all the way to the river," he whispers, kneeling before you. He gets rid of the burlap sack that covers you with an almost imperceptible movement... soft, yet still feel threatening. "My mother was very angry. He destroyed some of the trees down there because he didn't find you."
He brought his face closer, just a few centimeters from your neck. You can feel the cold emanating from his unbreathable skin.
"Now, Zak..." Cassandra licked her lips, her sharp fangs glistening in the slight moonlight. "You promised me. Your Blood... just for me. Not for Bela, not for Daniela, and especially... not for Mom."
He holds your shoulders with a hand that feels as cold as ice. "If you lie to me, I'll turn you into one of these flocks of flies—feeling every part of your body torn apart forever."
He slowly pulls your collar to the side, exposing your veins that are throbbing in fear.
"May I taste it now?" he asked, his voice sounding like a seductive and deadly whisper of a demon.
Me : *I closed Cassandra's mouth and whispered* quietly, huh? Don't be too harsh. *and beg, can I hold your waist?*
Cassandra gasped. Its golden yellow eyes widen wide, looking at you with a look that was mixed between surprise, bewilderment, and restrained bloodthirsty flashes. Never before had a human —"food"—dared to touch her so intimately, let alone ask permission to hold her waist.
His cold, metallic breath hits your palm. For a few seconds, the atmosphere inside the warehouse became extremely quiet, only the sound of old wood creaking in the night breeze.
"You... you're really weird, Zak," he whispered in a hoarse voice that trembled. He didn't dismiss your hand, but instead slowly lowered his sickle until it clattered softly on the wooden floor.
He took a deep breath, as if he was enjoying the scent of your fear mixed with ridiculous courage. Slowly, he nodded slightly.
"Slowly..." He repeated your words in a soft mocking tone. "I don't promise, but I'll try not to tear your neck off all at once."
When your hand hesitantly touched his waist, you felt a strange sensation. His body doesn't feel like a human; It felt very cold, like touching marble in the middle of winter, and there was a subtle vibration under its skin—the vibration of the thousands of insects that made up its shape.
Cassandra closes her eyes, letting you hold her waist as she presses her lips closer to the skin of your neck. Its sharp fangs begin to scratch the surface of your skin slowly, giving it a stabbing sting.
"Don't move," he whispers right in your ear. "If you try to rebel now, I won't be able to keep my flies from eating you from within."
He starts taking a small bite, sipping your blood very slowly. The sharp pain creeps in, but you can feel his grip on your shoulder begin to soften. He seems to be lulled by the fresh taste of your blood—something he has always shared with his brothers.
Suddenly, there was the sound of light footsteps outside the warehouse. Crack! Someone stepped on a dry twig.
"Cassandra? Are you inside?" It was Bela's voice. He seemed to be back to check the area Cassandra had just passed.
Cassandra froze instantly. He let go of his bite, his face now stained with a little of your blood staring at the door in panic.
Me : *I whisper, come out casandra* later we will continue *I hide*
Cassandra gasped at your whisper. His golden yellow eyes glittered, as if he was processing the strange feeling he had just felt—a mixture of a satisfied bloodlust and... something else. He licked the blood stain at the corner of his lips with a quick movement, then looked at you sharply.
"Don't you dare leave here, Zak," he whispered in a very low threatening tone, almost like the hum of a restrained fly. "If I come back and this place is empty, I will hunt your heart to the ends of the world."
With a lightning movement, he released his grip from your waist. His body seemed to melt into thousands of flying black insects, sneaking out through the gap in the warehouse door just as Bela arrived at the door.
You immediately crawl back behind the darkest pile of burlap sacks, holding your breath until your chest feels tight. Through the wooden gaps, you can hear their conversation outside.
"Cassandra? Why have you been in this filthy warehouse for so long?" Bela's voice sounded suspicious. "I smelled the scent... something sweet. Fresh blood?"
"Just a forest rat, Sister," Cassandra replied in a cold tone that was very convincing. "I just tore it apart because I was upset that I didn't find the human. Let's go, Mom has already called us to the underground hall. Miranda doesn't like to wait."
"Forest rats, huh?" Bela chuckled, a voice that made your hair stand up. "You've always had a strange taste. Alright, let's go. Mom was already very angry."
The sound of their flapping of wings slowly faded away, followed by the piercing silence of the night. You are now alone again in a dark warehouse. The small wound in your neck felt throbbing, a reminder of the dangerous deal you had just made.
However, in the midst of the silence, you notice something left on the warehouse floor—a small silver medallion in the shape of wings that fell from Cassandra's clothes while you were holding her waist.