409 Balance to camouflage
Music Recommendation: Drive to Parkersburg- Marcelo Zarvos
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Eve sat in her room with Eugene, where there was an untouched glass of blood sat next to him. The sun had started to lower in the sky, ready to set itself to bring in darkness. When the room door opened and Vincent stepped in.
A relieved sigh escaped from Eve’s lips, and she stood up and walked towards where Vincent was and he hugged her. Kissing the side of her head, he pulled away and asked, “Alfie said there was something urgent.”
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“His blood tastes like a human,” Timotei remarked, who had comfortably stretched himself on the chair that was in front of the fireplace.
Vincent closed the door to Eve’s room and left her side. Eugene, who had stood up, felt a tension that he hadn’t felt until this man had appeared in the room. He asked Eve, “Did he die?”
“He did…” Eve replied from where she stood.
“How do you feel, Eugene?” Vincent asked, taking one step forward and he came to stand in front of Eugene, whose knees shook.
“I feel like my head is going to open… as if someone is squeezing it too tight,” Eugene answered with a bow, and he said, “I am not able to drink any blood… but I have been feeling thirsty. As if I am parched.”
Vincent picked up the candle stand that was on the side and brought it right in front of Eugene’s face, his dark eyes staring into the human’s eyes that were black. He responded after briefly glancing at the untouched glass of blood, “I am guessing blood and water didn’t work? Usually considered one of the beginning symptoms of a body undergoing corruption.”
Eve clenched her hands and asked, “Will my ability to heal help him?”
“To revive a dead person? No,” Vincent’s answer was blunt. He turned to look at Eve and said, “My advice is to not try it either. You will be wasting your energy. If the mermaids and sirens could bring back dead people, then every wealthy person would keep the sea creature as a pet with no regard to lives on the land.” Turning back, he looked at Eugene, he said, “The corruption usually shows up more apparently with humans turning deranged. But his eyes don’t seem dilated and instead they seem normal. What else do you feel?”
Eugene was going to reply, when he felt the heaviness on his shoulders grow as if someone had placed heavy stones to hang from it. Before he knew it, he fell on his knees as if weak, unable to stand.
Timotei, who had been lying flat on the chair, turned curious and tried to take a peek by standing up. But his body felt heavy as it was hugging the gravity. His head snapped left and right, staring at furry body.
When Eve stepped closer to them, she noticed Eugene breathing heavily and Vincent stared at the man before a slow smile graced his lips. He said to her, “Eugene doesn’t have a corrupted heart. He will live.”
“Then he’s a human?” Eve asked him in surprise.
“No,” Vincent answered, and he saw Eugene release a sigh of relief as if the heaviness had lifted off from his body. “He’s half vampire and half human. This usually happens when the vampire’s blood is fed at the end second before the body is completely shut down to a dead state.”
Eugene looked up at Vincent with wide eyes, and could sense the pureblooded vampire had done something. What was that? He asked in his mind.
Timotei finally pushed his paws and stood up, before blinking. Raising one of his front paws and wriggling it. The cat turned to look at Vincent, “Y–you. How could you…” he hissed in the end.
Vincent offered his hand to Eugene to take, who grabbed it and stood up. He remarked,
“It is rare when a vampire hangs in the balance between being a human or a vampire. You either know the vampires have turned, or they have turned deranged and dead, because they are hunted and killed. You will find that humans who were turned by pureblooded vampires have a high success rate of transformation, while the other vampires not that much.” He brought his hand towards his mouth and bit into his wrist before giving it to Eugene, “Take a taste, Eugene,” his eyes brightened as he said this.
Eve watched Eugene’s eyes dilate, and he was quick to drink the blood dripping from Vincent’s wrist. She asked,
“Does this mean he can drink only from a pureblooded vampire?”
“Only the first time,” Vincent replied to her. A few seconds later, Eugene pulled his face away from the pureblooded vampire’s wrist. Eugene’s eyes were bright red, and Eve noticed the fangs peeking from his parted lips. “He should be able to consume blood from humans from now on. Now that he is two in one body, he can choose to use his vampire body when he wants to stick to being a human. If you ask me, it is the perfect opportunity if one wants to hide their identity.”
Eugene could smell the blood wafting up his senses from the glass of blood placed earlier for him to drink. He quickly reached near the side table, picking it up, he gulped all of it as if he was thirsty. Once he finished drinking the blood, he licked his lips.
Eve pursed her lips and asked, “But from now he needs blood, doesn’t he?”
“Of course, my love. Even if Eugene does choose to live his life as a human, he will need to feed his vampire self that now exists and keeps him alive. Unless he decides that he’s had enough and doesn’t consume blood. Someone will kill him, because his body will start to crave and he might end up attacking people,” Vincent explained to them.
Eve and Eugene took in this information. For today, she was glad that Eugene was alive.
On the other hand, Timotei jumped from the chair and came to take a closer look at Vincent as if he had seen a ghost. The black cat then turned to look at Eve.
Vincent instructed Eugene, “I will tell Alfie to take care of your meals and you can rest in your room so that you don’t feel anxious around the humans. Your headache should get better once your body has absorbed the blood that you need.”
Eugene was grateful for Vincent’s help, and he bowed his head, “Thank you, Sire.”
“Timotei,” Eve said to the black cat, “Go along with him.”
The black cat snapped from its thoughts and followed Eugene out of the room. On the way, Eugene heard Timotei murmur something under his breath. He asked looking at the cat,
“What are you muttering about?”
Timotei coughed, before shaking his head, “Nothing at all. I was humming a song,” and it continued to walk next to Eugene.