Chapter 81

“I never truly intended to eat your flesh.”

“…”

So you did. You could have said that before I wasted a wish. Isaac entertained the thought only briefly.

“However, I did intend to drink more blood.”

As Kaiyan lowered his head toward his collarbone once more, Isaac swallowed his complaint. If he was to be bitten and drained anyway, avoiding the agony was hardly a loss. Perhaps because Isaac had wished for the pain to cease, Kaiyan bit into his chest with unusual roughness.

“…”

Isaac’s body jerked, a sharp breath escaping him. The unfamiliar sound made Kaiyan pause, his head rising to look down at Isaac.

Flustered under the prince’s direct, expressionless stare, Isaac swallowed. What was that? It didn’t exactly hurt…

Kaiyan slowly lowered his head again and bit into Isaac’s neck. This time, his teeth sank in gradually.

Mm…

A short sound slipped from Isaac’s throat. It did not hurt. Instead of pain, the sensation seemed to shift, flowing in a completely different direction. Gooseflesh rippled over his skin as something languid stroked through the inside of his body. It felt… good. Isaac’s breathing quickened.

Ah.

When Kaiyan sucked at his neck, Isaac’s body jolted. The voice that escaped him sounded low and husky. For a moment, the teeth at his neck seemed to bite harder before the prince finally lifted his head. The instant Kaiyan released him, the sensation subsided as though it had never existed, the abrupt quiet feeling like waking from a dream.

“The medicine appears effective,” Kaiyan observed.

Isaac blinked up at him. “Yes. It is somewhat… different from what I expected.”

The words emerged like a sigh. This will not do. It feels dangerous. Not feeling pain was welcome, but this replacement sensation was subtly perilous and deeply inconvenient.

“If you have had enough, perhaps we should stop for today.” Isaac attempted to sit up, carefully disguising his unease, but he failed.

“No.” Kaiyan’s low voice sounded beside his ear. The prince pushed him back down, his weight settling heavily over Isaac once more. “I have not drunk enough.”

The whisper disappeared into the skin of Isaac’s neck. The pressure of teeth piercing him felt unexpectedly gentle, and the slow suction that drew out his blood resembled a deliberate, soft caress. It felt good. Warm water seemed to close pleasantly over Isaac’s thoughts, and without realizing it, he reached up and wrapped his arms around the body pinning him down.

Kaiyan appeared to glance at him but said nothing, merely sucking more strongly at Isaac’s neck. Isaac’s arms tightened involuntarily around him. With Kaiyan’s frame filling his embrace, Isaac was surprised; the prince looked slender from a distance, but held this close, he was far larger and more solid than Isaac had ever imagined.

“…I thought you would be harder.”

Kaiyan’s lips moved against his neck, and Isaac thought he heard a faint murmur of surprise, but before he could ask what the prince meant, Kaiyan buried his face back against his skin. The languid sensation of blood leaving him resumed. It felt pleasant, as though his entire body were submerged in warm water, drifting slowly with the current.

Soft waves brushed repeatedly across his skin. It was almost like… yes, a gentle caress.

The instant that thought entered Isaac’s mind, he flinched. Kaiyan’s lips had traveled down from his neck to his chest, touching a small, hardened nub. The unfamiliar stimulation made Isaac jerk, and Kaiyan bit down, sucking hard. Isaac inhaled sharply, his body bucking by reflex. Only then did he realize how sensitive the gentle sensations had made him.

Kai…

Isaac had never imagined that having his chest sucked could feel so unmistakably sexual, nor that his body would heat up so quickly. He tried to rise, but failed again as the weight pinning him down grew heavier. Kaiyan’s breathing had become rough, each low exhale sounding like the restrained growl of a predator. His teeth sank into Isaac’s chest, and Isaac heard him swallow the blood near his heart, gulp after sweet gulp.

The pull against his flesh intensified, Kaiyan’s tongue pressing against the small peak of his chest. The arm locked firmly around Isaac’s waist tightened, and everything began to feel like a dream. The blood draining rapidly and the almost painful strength of the suction felt vivid, yet his consciousness remained clouded. It was a dream composed only of rough breathing and feverish sensations. Suddenly, Isaac remembered another dream, the one in which Kaiyan had appeared, the one in which they had shared carnal pleasure.

His heart slammed against his ribs. Dangerous. He did not know what exactly was dangerous, but the warning came with startling force. He should not let himself sink any deeper into this. Yet stopping felt impossible when the warm, gentle current surrounding him was so pleasurable.

Kaiyan’s breathing grew progressively harsher. Unlike earlier feedings, when drinking blood gradually calmed him, his hunger now seemed to sharpen with every swallow. The arm around Isaac and the hand gripping his waist tightened, and as if answering him, Isaac’s heart pounded harder as well. The thudding beat and their breathing tangled until he could no longer distinguish one from the other.

Then…

“…”

Light seemed to explode before Isaac’s eyes. At the same moment, something stretched taut inside his head snapped, and his vision went black.

…Mm.

Isaac made a faint, powerless sound and went limp. His consciousness receded as if he were fainting, darkness swaying over him as the room spun. It was as though a lamp that had been shining like daylight had abruptly gone out. The dreamlike pleasure scattered in an instant. This was…

“…Blood… not enough…”

Anemia. When Isaac suddenly sagged in his arms, Kaiyan stopped and rose sharply over him, his face darkening as he looked down with frightening intensity. Isaac barely managed to mumble the words, and Kaiyan’s eyes twitched in disbelief.

「Oh my. He lasted quite a while.」

「The handsome one really kept drinking. He looked ready to suck him dry.」

「Three days of starvation would not explain that. More like a week.」

「Why does a prince always act as though no one ever feeds him?」

The cats in their tiger guises chattered beside Isaac’s head.

「Does Muddlehead even have half his blood left?」

「Probably more than that. Humans supposedly die after losing only a third, and he is technically still alive.」

「Though he does seem about to die.」

“Blood… give me blood…”

Isaac forced his spinning vision toward the tigers and moved his bluish lips. Kaiyan had certainly taken far more than usual, and death by blood loss felt alarmingly near.

「Blood for sale~」

「At an absurdly low price, refilling lost blood with just one wish~」

“Give it back… quickly… I really think I’m dying.”

If I could move even one finger, I would grab those whiskers and shake them. Isaac lamented inwardly.

「He seems to be thinking something suspicious.」

「Perhaps we should not restore him after all.」

The tigers pressed their heads together and whispered among themselves. Even so, they fulfilled Isaac’s final wish. The darkness consuming his consciousness receded, his vision steadied, and clarity returned to his head. At the same time, the hazy, dreamlike sensations vanished, though the memories remained painfully vivid: his heart pounding, warm currents flowing inside him, and a heavy yet gentle stimulation exploring him from within.

Pleasure. And alongside it, embarrassment. No, awkward mortification might be more accurate.

Isaac leaned crookedly against the sofa and glanced toward Kaiyan with only his eyes. The prince had taken a seat and was watching him. His thoughts remained unreadable, yet for some reason, he looked displeased, which bothered Isaac immensely.

“Mm… did you drink enough?” After long consideration, that was the first thing Isaac managed to say.

Kaiyan’s eyebrow lifted faintly. “My stomach is full.”

Only his stomach? Isaac considered the implication, but found no answer. Kaiyan rose to his feet. Whenever he drank his fill on the new moon, he habitually washed his entire body with water afterward. As the prince headed toward the bathing chamber, Isaac finally allowed the tension to leave his shoulders.

「The medicine worked perfectly, didn’t it? It did not hurt at all.」

「You looked as though you enjoyed it greatly. Would you like to buy more next new moon?」

「Medicine for sale. Excellent medicine at a very reasonable price.」

“…”

Isaac grabbed the first object within reach and hurled it toward the voices behind him. One shoe flew past the tigers, which dodged with supernatural ease, struck the wall, and dropped to the floor.

「We grant his wish and he still complains.」

「What an ungrateful child.」

Their grumbling growls followed. Once Isaac was alone, his heart gradually calmed. He exhaled and looked out the window. Magic had isolated the room from the outside world, so he could not leave until the barrier came down. Still, he could vividly hear the dense leaves rustling beneath the wind under the black night sky.

The air truly was thick. It felt alive.

「The night of the great new moon is approaching.」

One tiger raised its head and sniffed the night. 「All creatures that favor darkness grow more vigorous with every passing day.」

「Everything that moves at night does,」 another added.

「It will be soon.」

The final tiger thrust its massive head beside Isaac’s ribs and spoke with grave weight. 「The tinderbox.」

「Bring us the tinderbox.」

Isaac lightly patted the enormous head and looked up at the night sky. As they said, the time was approaching. Haylen might remain mild, but time passed here as it did everywhere else. Winter would eventually come. If the three creatures missed their chance, they would have to wait another seven years before returning to the homeland they longed for.

“How can I provide Lord Kaiyan with something useful?” Isaac murmured as he thought. Only one accomplishment would truly satisfy the prince: capturing the magician, or rather, the witch occupying his body. Isaac might be able to contribute greatly, if only he possessed enough vitality.

“That is the problem.” He scratched his head vigorously. Having eyes capable of locating the witch meant nothing if using them killed him. But what about now?

Tonight was the new moon. Isaac’s condition reached its peak on this night; with more vitality than at any other time, he should be able to use his sight longer than before. How much longer?

He had been assessing his body when Kaiyan returned from the bathing chamber. Water dripped from him as he walked over and sat down. He still looked displeased. Usually, after drinking Isaac’s blood on the new moon and dousing himself in water, Kaiyan returned brisk and composed. Tonight, however, he seemed entirely different.

“Did my blood taste bad today?” Isaac asked cautiously.

Kaiyan looked puzzled.

Isaac continued, “You appear displeased.”

The prince studied him for a moment, then shook his head. “No. It was delicious. The taste was beyond reproach, but… something was lacking.” A faint crease appeared between his brows. He seemed to be considering what that missing thing might be.