Chapter 334: A night like no other
The next sun rose, but Arabella hadn’t gotten a shred of sleep that whole night. Not that it seemed to be that big of a bother as her eyes beat with life, clear and without a trace of fatigue.
Well, her eyelids were heavy, drooping as if begging for rest, but according to her own words, that wasn’t due to sleepiness.
"What about now?" Silas enquired for the seventh time, leaning over to glimpse her face.
"Nuh uh," she shook her head, raising her chin like a child refusing to comply with whatever their parents asked of them.
"Your eyelids are falling," he smiled.
"I am still not sleepy," the back of her head rubbed against his chest again as it turned from left to right.
"Well, what is it then?"
"It’s peace," her eyes flickered shut, "It’s pure delight,"
Indeed, with the proposition Arabella had made the previous night, Silas was able to feed to his heart’s desire without the fear of draining her.
With his blood in her system, she held on a lot longer than her usual, but that wasn’t all... Because when she reached her limit, the young woman quickly bounced back like nothing had happened after taking more of his blood.
It replenished her reserves quicker than a rich meal and a good night sleep could ever dream of doing.
What Silas wasn’t keen on at first, however, was feeding on her again, but she somehow convinced him to and they went at it, rinsing and repeating that loop of actions all night long.
"You still need your rest," he sighed, his arm pulling her further against himself.
"Actually, I don’t think I do, but...," she trailed off momentarily, "I wouldn’t say no to a delicious breakfast," she chuckled.
After those words, Arabella attempted to stand up, but to no avail.
To no one’s surprise, Silas held her in place and refused to let go as he’d done so before.
She settled back in his arms and peered up at him without saying a word.
"Nuh uh," it was his turn to act like a child.
"Please. I am hungry," she pouted.
"No, you are not," he declared with confidence and shook his head while staring ahead at nothing in particular.
"How would you know if I am hungry or not?" the pouting and pleading expression did not go away as she still looked up at him.
In response, he cracked a smile and moved a hand over her stomach and kept caressing it over the fabric of her nightgown.
"My sense of scent, hearing and touch tell me that your stomach is perfectly happy and full," he nodded before his eyes squinted, darting down at her stomach, "At least, it thinks it’s full,"
"What do you mean?" her eyebrows furrowed.
"Well, our organism is a complex system. A combination of functioning tools, if you will," he inhaled deeply, "They are regulated by the brain and as such are not aware on their own. They are told how to act or react or when to do so, again, by the brain based on some conditions. Right now, your stomach is quite tame, behaving as if it’s already had its fill,"
"That is interesting," her eyes lit up, "Are you fond of biology as a topic?"
"Not necessarily fond of it, but I’ve had classes on the biology of most creatures,"
"Biology was never part of my curriculum," her expression dimmed a bit, "Father said it was unnecessary for a young Lady," her face turned his way again, "I tried to read about it against his wishes, but I quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t my scene. I was never fond of blood and all... Then, some details, snippets from the topic spilled into my intimacy lessons, but only what was necessary,"
"And yet here you are today, sipping blood as though it can replace water," the smile he had on wasn’t the brightest.
Silas also made sure not to press on what she had mentioned... The parts about her father as well as the intimacy lessons.
"If there is anything the past few months have taught me, it’s that a lot can change in the shortest span of time,"
She quit trying to stand up and fully rested her weight on him.
Silence crept in between them. Not the awkward or uncomfortable kind. On the contrary, it was the serene type that allowed people to retreat back into their own minds and mingle with their frontline thoughts.
Silas was the first to break that moment, "Last night was unlike any other night I’ve ever experienced, but as much as I loved it...,"
His tone as well as the way he left the words hanging pinched at Arabella’s insides. She wished to hear the rest of his sentence right that instant.
"But what?"
When he took too long to proceed, she gave him a verbal nudge.
He took a deeper inhale before sighing, "But I do not think we should do it again,"
"Why not?" she sat up straight and spun her upper half to face him.
"I was reckless and selfish for feeding on you more than once in the same night. I should have stopped after the first time," his diamonds refused to meet her gaze.
"But it was I who insisted upon it! I wanted it! And... I loved it too!" The hastiness with which she spoke indicated urgency in her tone.
"That is exactly why I said I was being reckless," his eyes finally snapped onto hers, "I went with it because deep down I wanted more, knowing full well the consequences it could yield for you and that’s what makes me selfish,"
In reply, Arabella did not immediately speak but reached out and took his hand in hers first, "I will do whatever it takes to wipe these doubts and thoughts out of your mind. Anything at all," she paused for a few seconds until her expression shifted, her eyes widening and glistening, "Tonight, we will have the doctors test me again and when Madame Morgana returns. We can ask her to examine me for signs of witchcraft as well!" the words came quickly and with a lot of energy.
It was clear she believed in every syllable uttered.