Contract Bound [Old Draft]

Chapter Nineteen

Darkness shrouded Belinda's vision when she jolted awake and sat up. Her eyes swiveled in every direction. As she began to remember what had occurred, she pressed her hand on the spot the arrow pierced through. To her surprise, not only was the arrow not there, there was also no trace of any wound.

Belinda's eyes narrowed as she managed to see every detail within the darkness that enveloped her surroundings. She was in a room that was not hers. A room with nothing but a bed pushed up against the wall.

Belinda stood and without thinking, she moved forward. Her body slammed against one of the walls, hard. She crumbled to the floor as many noises invaded her head. She pressed her trembling hands against it and tried to tune everything to no avail.

"You must concentrate...concentrate on one thing."

Belinda rose to her feet as she focused entirely on the voice of Fane. "What is happening to me?"

His gaze dropped to the floor. "You are no longer human."

A scream tore from her when she was engulfed in agonizing blazing pain. Her throat burned. Whenever she tried to swallow, it felt like she was swallowing pieces of glass that scrapped against her throat. She dropped to all fours. Her hands trembled as she lifted her heavy head to stare at Fane, who stood frozen like a statue, eyes glowing scarlet in the darkness.

She let out a humorless laugh. "Katherine got exactly what she wanted." Even speaking was painful. "I will not feed from you."

"You have no choice," he said, stepping closer before crouching beside her. "If you don't, you'll die." She lurched to her feet and managed to leave the room, not able to withstand the scent of his blood.

In the hall, she became blinded by the dazzling light and covered her eyes. Someone grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back to the room.

Zeref stood beside Fane as she dropped to her knees, her body quivering. "I'm not feeding from anyone."

"During the change, it's best you remain in complete darkness," Zeref began. "Any sort of light will bother your eyes for the first few hours."

Fane hesitated before handing her something, the lingering touch of their hands making her close her eyes at the sensations that shot through her body. Their gazes met, but if Fane felt anything, he showed no sign.

"This necklace will allow you to walk under the sun."

"Where are Bexley and Grayson?" She asked, eyes on the floor.

"They're sleeping in their room," Zeref answered. "Are you going to tell me the reason for—"

"It's simple isn't it?" She met Fane's gaze, trying her best to not falter. "I'm done pretending like I care about him." If her words hurt Fane, again, he showed no sign of it.

"When was the last time you fed?" Belinda narrowed her eyes before she realized Zeref was asking Fane. When Fane didn't answer, Zeref shook his head. "I don't like this at all—Not only can she lose all control, but so can you."

"We'll be fine."

"That didn't sound convincing at all." Zeref thought for a moment. "It doesn't matter—she needs to feed."

Without another word, Zeref left the room. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a glinting object in Fane's hands. He ran the blade of the dagger across his palm. The intoxicating fragrance of his blood hit her nostrils, making her inhale as she closed her eyes. She parted her lips, lost in the thought of tasting his blood.

Not really thinking, she broke the distance to take hold of his hand. However, she managed to stop herself and stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall.