NIGHTS OF HALLOW

Emily, as soon Perdita and Sthena walked out of the room, released a deep sigh, feeling as if she had been treading on a hot slippery double-edged sword all along she explained everything she knew to Perdita. The fact the king was present in the room had added to her anxiety and made her sweat internally.

Exiting the room to follow up on the order of the King, Emily’s feet quickly led her to the direction of the kitchen.

On the other side walked Sthena and Perdita, a heavy silence hung between them. While Sthena bore a calm expression, Perdita on the other hand held a troubled look, her mind running with thoughts of how everything had led to what it was now. Every detail of her life was finally being put into a troubling puzzle.

A cold but reassuring hand of Sthena clasping her clenched ones had her turn to look at him. Her green eyes filled with questions she didn’t know how to bring up. She let Sthena hold her as he led her to his chambers, the silence between them still there.

Immediately the door of Sthena’s room clicked close behind them, he drew Perdita into his embrace. His broad shoulders engulfed Perdita’s slim figure in a warm embrace, holding her without saying anything, just letting the comfortable warm hug speak for them.

Perdita’s hands encircled Sthena’s waist in turn, as she found solace in his hug. The warmth and masculine scent of him intoxicated her senses as it helped calm her jittery nerves.

They stood, engulfed in each other’s arms, more like Sthena provided her the comfort and strength she needed at that moment.

Everything at some point would seem as though she was getting a hang of the problems in her life, but the next moment, she felt as though she didn’t know where to begin. But most importantly, for now, she knew how to access things from here on. With Emily her sudden Guardian Witch she found out about today, and Sthena by her side, she’d get to the root of all her problems.

A deep sigh slipped from Perdita’s lips as she exhaled, her eyes appeared glazed as her exhausted body.

”Come,” Sthena told her as he slowly disengaged from the hug. He then led her to the couch in his room and helped her sit. Turning around, he walked over to the wine rack where a good quantity of wines were packed and neatly arranged. His slender hand moved across each one, his eyes specifically looking for a particular wine in his mind.

His moving hand stopped on one of the bottles, and with a swift movement, he took it out from the rest and returned to sit beside Perdita on the couch with two wine glasses he had taken with him.

”I felt it might be a perfect moment for us to indulge in wine as it would help boost your dampened mood,” Sthena remarked as he placed the two glasses on the small table in front of them. With a light cork, he twisted open the wine bottle and poured an equal quantity of wine into both glasses. He took one and handed it to Perdita who has been quiet all along.

”Go on,” Sthena urged as he relaxed on the couch while watching Perdita swirl the wine without taking a sip from it. He was about to say something when suddenly Perdita gulped everything in her glass cup leaving Sthena in a moment of shock.

Perdita having swallowed everything at a go reached for the wine bottle and poured another glass. In a flash, it was gone too.

Sthena’s brows slightly rose in a concerned frown as he said to Perdita who was reaching for the third glass, ”You might want to take a moment between each sip lest the wine burns your organs.”

”Burns my organs?” Perdita questioned in between her drinking her fourth glass. Her green eyes were slightly turning red as she continued to down glass after glass of wine. The taste alone on her tongue felt like she was sipping heaven, the taste after the last one got better and richer in her mouth.

”Mm hm,” Sthena hummed in reply. He had taken only two sips from his glass while Perdita had already taken down four glasses. He licked his lips, savoring the wine that awakened his taste buds. He went on to explain, ”This wine is no ordinary wine.”

He paused, his eyes taking in Perdita’s flushed face as the wine was slowly taking its effect on her. The question in her eyes made him resume his explanation of the wine. He continued, ”This is a pureblooded vampire’s wine, made from the richest shadow fruit. A rare exotic red fruit with an intense sweet flavor.” Sthena stopped talking, taking a deliberate pause while on the other hand, Perdita was sipping yet another glass of the wine, her eyes now fully red in color.

Sthena’s lips curled into a sensual sinful smile as his dark glacial red eyes gleamed with a dangerous glint in them, his gaze never leaving Perdita’s face. He went on with his explanation, ”Also, it is mixed with blood and citrus fruit that gives it a tart taste. The pleasant sugary and fruity taste of shadow fruit and the sharp, sour, and acidic taste of citrus fruit combined create a harmonious and refreshing taste experience.”

”And what’s more? The blood and the sweetness of shadow fruit offsets the acidity, while the tartness cuts through the sweetness creating a delightful balance that makes you want to gulp down everything immediately. But in the end, it leaves you feeling tipsy and burning in hotness usually for average vampires whose alcohol tolerance isn’t that great like that of pureblooded vampires.”

”Oh...is that sooo?” Was the first sentence that left Perdita’s mouth as her fifth glass was empty, her speech sounded slurred as she said, ”The wine is too sweet, Sthena.”

”Yes, it is,” Sthena agreed with a nod while he slowly continued to drink his one glass. Before Perdita could reach for the wine bottle again, he had already moved it out of her reach. ”No more, darling. You’ve had enough.” He smiled at the end while Perdita’s now flushed face stared blankly at him.

”Seems your alcohol tolerance is low,” Sthena muttered under his breath when suddenly Perdita jumped in on him, the front of her body pressed against his.

”Pl-please,” Perdita slurred on with her pleading puppy eyes. She reached over, her hand circling Sthena in an attempt to take the wine bottle he had placed beside him on the floor. But then, Sthena was faster as he took hold of the bottle before Perdita could. He raised his hand upwards, away from Perdita.

However, Perdita persistent and unaware of her actions still reached upwards but was only able to grab Sthena’s hand, their position more compromising than before where Perdita’s breasts pressed hard against Sthena’s chest.

”Perdita,” Sthena called out, his voice an octave lower that reverberated against Perdita’s chest, and it had her heart skip a beat even though she wasn’t in a state to know exactly what was happening or what she was doing.

”Y-yes, Sth?” Perdita answered, shortening his name as she had lost the ability to make a complete sentence. However, the name which she had suddenly called Sthena caused his red eyes to darken as he stared down at the woman pressed against him where he could feel the softness of her breast on his chest. The rising and falling of her chest as she breathed wasn’t helping at all.

”Do you know what you are doing, Perdita?” Sthena spoke after a fleeting moment passed between them in silence, even his voice sounded husky as though he was also drunk. Only that he wasn’t tipsy because of the wine but because of the deliciously beautiful woman whose arms were wrapped around him and her body pressed against him.

Perdita blinked in confusion before a sultry smile broke through her lips as she replied, ”Of, of course, Sth. We are...”

”We are what?” Sthena probed, wanting Perdita to finish her words. His hands sneaked around her waist, keeping her steady and also close to him. It felt as if his rationality was on the verge of slipping through his fingers. All he wanted to do at that moment was to lick those sensual lips that were marked with the red color of the wine. To suck on them until they became swollen from his kisses. He wanted to mark his lips on the slender inviting skin of her neck. He wanted to...

Perdita’s voice broke through his ravaging thoughts when she went on to speak, ”We are drinking wine. Isn’t it?” She left a question at the end unsure of what she was saying and then suddenly giggled. ”Of course, we are drinking wine. And...and you’re so handsome.”

A smile stretched on Sthena’s lips as he regarded Perdita who was in his arms for a while. He questioned her, ”You think I’m handsome?”

”Of course, you are!” Perdita’s voice rose a little high before it went low again, slurred and sensually seducing in Sthena’s ears, ”Not only are you handsome, you smell so good I want to sleep in your arms all night.” As she finished talking, she suddenly leaned in and nozzled her nose on Sthena’s neck as she smelt him all over.

Sthena’s hand on Perdita’s waist involuntarily tightened around her as Perdita continued with her unconscious assault that he didn’t want to end. He used his other free hand and gently brought her face away from his neck so she could look at him. He asked, ”What’s stopping you from doing so then?”

At that moment, Perdita seemed to be conscious of herself and the question Sthena asked her as she shyly looked away, a deep blush adorning her cheeks. She licked her lips, an action which didn’t go unnoticed by Sthena, and then opened her mouth to speak. But before a word could come out from her lips, she suddenly fell limp into Sthena’s arms, asleep.

”Oh, darn it,” Sthena cursed as he leaned back on the couch, his face still darkened from being aroused by Perdita. He held her in his arms as she slept, careful not to wake her.

Just then, a knock on the door disrupted his already disarrayed thoughts. ”Come in,” He called out, and Emily followed by three other maids walked in with a trolley of food.

”Leave the food and go,” Sthena ordered, not wanting any possible noise to wake Perdita. The maids bowed and left, Emily slightly slowed her step as her eyes swept past Perdita to make sure she was okay before she left and closed the door behind her, leaving Perdita sleeping in the arms of Sthena.