Chapter 16: The Feast Without Guilt
They navigated the winding forest path like two wanderers caught between dusk and damnation, their silhouettes bathed in moonlight as they drifted kilometers away from the slumbering village behind them.
"I’m thirsty..." Rose whispered, her voice hoarse, lips dry and cracked. Her eyes shimmered faintly under the moon’s pale gaze—an unnatural gleam betraying the hunger gnawing at her from within.
"Right, I forgot we have that problem..." Corven replied, chuckling dryly. The sound lacked warmth, more reflex than relief. "Just a bit more. We’ll find prey eventually."
She moved closer to him, steps slower now, her arms folded across her stomach as if to soothe the ache building inside.
"What about before...?" she asked, her tone a blend of hesitation and hope. "Can’t you share some of your blood with me?"
Corven shook his head, the motion brisk, but not unkind. "No. I don’t have much left."
His fingers grazed the healing bite on his neck, a faint sting still lingering where her fangs had pierced his flesh.
’If the system’s right, I’ve got nothing left in the tank. Not risking one drop more.’
His steps slowed slightly as the memory crept up his spine, but he kept walking.
The silence between them stretched—until salvation revealed itself like a mirage breaking through the darkness.
Smoke.
Rising steadily into the night air, curling above the treeline like a signal fire.