Cora paused mid-step, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at Damien. Had she misheard him? Three days ago??
The vampire prince smirked, his head tilting slightly as if he found her reaction amusing. "I know I'm devastatingly handsome, little bird, but must you stare so blatantly?" His voice dripped with arrogance, and his crimson gaze gleamed with smug delight.
Cora sighed, adjusting the mask clinging to her face. "What are we going to do, then?" she asked, her tone laced with frustration.
Damien chuckled, the sound rich and wicked. He resumed walking, forcing her to follow. "You could always offer me a sip," he mused lazily, glancing at her with a devilish gleam in his eyes. "But since you won't, I suppose I'll have to find someone else."
Cora's fists clenched.
"You're going to drink from someone else?" she muttered, her heart hammering. "You wouldn't kill them, would you?"
Damien's smirk widened, his sharp canines glinting under the dim streetlights. "Can't make promises if it's someone else," he teased, his voice a dark caress. "But if it were you… I might hold back."
A slow shiver crawled up Cora's spine as she watched his transformation. His irises darkened into a deep, hypnotic crimson, and his fangs lengthened, sharp enough to pierce through flesh effortlessly. This was the first time she had seen him like this—fully in his vampire form.
God help her, but he was breathtaking. Dangerous, forbidden, intoxicating.
Cora swallowed hard and turned away. "If you think I'm going to let you drink my blood, you're mistaken."
Damien's gaze flickered with amusement. "How about you settle for an animal, then?" she suggested.
His expression darkened. "I'm a pureblood, little bird. I don't drink from things without taste." His voice was sharp, his pride evident.
He paused, his features shifting back to his usual impossibly handsome self. "Give me a moment," he murmured before vanishing into the shadows.
Cora exhaled and wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the dark alley he disappeared into. The events of the day replayed in her mind—the unsettling connection to the sea , but she had never even turned into a mermaid before?
The haunting images of a mermaid being devoured by vampires which she had seen in her dream slammed into her . A truth she wasn't ready to face clawed at her.
As if being cursed in a mask wasn't enough she was now connected to the sea.
Damien moved like a wraith through the darkness, his senses honing in on the rhythmic pounding of an unsteady heartbeat.
At the end of the alley, he spotted his prey.
A man—reeking of cheap alcohol and even cheaper intentions—trailed behind two young women who swayed in their high heels, their laughter slurring at the edges.
Damien watched as the man picked up his pace. Then, without warning, he grabbed a bottle from the ground and smashed it against one of the girl's heads.
The blonde let out a strangled gasp before collapsing onto the pavement.
Her friend, too intoxicated to react in time, stumbled backward as the man crouched beside his unconscious victim.
"You never gave me a chance," he muttered, pushing her hair from her face with a sickening gentleness. "But look at you now." He chuckled, scooping her up effortlessly. "Let's have some fun tonight, hmm?"
Damien who was deciding which human among them would taste better sighed.
Pathetic.
The prey hadn't even noticed him yet.
Damien pulled out his phone and checked the time. 1:00 a.m.
"Normally, I'd let you finish your little monologue, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," Damien drawled, stepping into view.
The man turned, eyes narrowing in irritation. "Who the hell—"
His words died in his throat the moment Damien stepped under the dim streetlight, his crimson gaze gleaming like molten rubies.
The scent of fear was immediate.
"W-why are your eyes so red?" The man stumbled back, panic setting in.
Damien didn't bother answering. With inhuman speed, he closed the distance, his hand wrapping around the man's throat like a vice. The human gasped, clawing at Damien's grip, his heartbeat spiking in terror.
Damien sank his fangs in.
Then he leaned in, his lips brushing against the man's ear as he muttered in irritation, "Trash."
The man convulsed, a strangled sound escaping his lips as Damien drained him effortlessly.
The taste was repulsive—bitter with the stench of filth and cruelty—but it would suffice.
He dropped the lifeless body with a look of mild disgust before shifting his attention to the other girl, who had watched the scene in horrified silence.
Damien crouched beside her, his voice a soft, hypnotic whisper. "You were attacked by a rabid dog."
Her eyelids fluttered, her mind sinking into unconsciousness.
He repeated the compulsion for the blonde girl before rising to his feet and disappearing into the night.
Cora was still lost in thought when Damien returned. She barely registered his presence until his voice, smooth and teasing, broke through her trance.
"Don't let today overwhelm you, little bird," he murmured, stepping closer. "I'll always be here for you."
Cora took a slow, measured breath before asking, "Is the thirst quenched?"
Damien's lips curled. "I wouldn't mind a sip…" He let the words linger, his amusement evident in his tone.
She shot him a glare.
Chuckling, Damien extended his hand. Cora hesitated but eventually placed her smaller one in his.
In one swift motion, he pulled her close, his arm coiling around her waist, molding their bodies together.
"W-what are you doing?" she stammered, her pulse fluttering.
Damien buried his face in the curve of her neck, his cool breath fanning against her skin. "Close your eyes, little bird."
Cora did as he said, and in an instant, the world around them shifted.
The cold night air was replaced by the warmth of her bathroom.
Just like last time.
But this time, Damien didn't step away.
His grip on her remained firm, his gaze burning into hers as he whispered, "I like you, Cora."
Her breath hitched.
"Not just in the way I usually get intrigued by things or like to play with stuffs." He pulled back slightly, just enough to see her expression. "But in the way a man desires a woman."
Cora's heart slammed against her ribs. "W-what?"
Damien's smirk softened, but the arrogance in his gaze never faded. "Don't tell me you didn't know." He tilted his head, studying her reaction. "I don't care about the mask. I want you to be my real girlfriend."
Cora's cheeks burned.
"Why me?" she blurted. "You're a prince, Damien. And I—I don't even know what I am." Her voice wavered. "This won't work, even if we start it would eventually end ."
He scoffed. "Who told you that? If I want something, I make it work. And I want you." His confidence was absolute.
Cora averted her gaze. "But you don't even know what I look like."
Damien's fingers trailed along the edge of her mask, his touch feather-light. "That doesn't matter," he murmured. "Because we'll figure it out. Together."
A slow smirk crept onto his lips.
"You're mine, little bird," he said, voice laced with certainty.
Because he knew.
The realization had struck him tonight cementing his suspicions.
Cora was Alicia's incarnate.
Which was both good news and bad news.
Good—because fate has brought them back together.
Bad because he never found out what had separated them in the first place.