Bloodlust

Chapter 5

Serephina wished she had stayed asleep, 'cause taking a class right after the ceremony had definitely not been in the schedule. Great Willa's second kept motioning to the board where she had drawn the cycle of the Bloodlust. How it had started; why was it started; who had been the first couple to take on the Bloodlust. Everything, from zero to where they stood now.

Nicolas was sitting next to her, attentive and silent. He had said nothing and asked nothing. She wanted to scream at him, shake him--anything. She needed to see some kind of emotion reflect on his face.

Anything.

"And you know now that you will be spending all your time together for these past four days to see how your body reacts to one another," Amora, Great Willa's second, continued, looking pleased with herself. She flung back her long, dark skirt as she stepped closer to where they were sitting. 

"So we'll be staying as an experiment for you?" Serephina provoked.

Amora gave her a dull expression. "We haven't had a pair of Rumion in ages, this will need to be recorded and tested in order to understand it."

"What do you need to understand? That we need each other's physical touch to not die? As a source of air?" Serephina gazed sideways at Nicolas. He was looking right back at her. Eyes locked she said, "I think we already know that." She turned back to Amora. "And you do too."

Amora glared at Serephina with such hate in those brown eyes. Did Great Willa know that Amora would look at her like that? With such disrespect? She doubted it.

Nicolas cleared his throat. "What my Rumion is trying to say is that we don't understand what is expected of us."

Amora snickered. "Well to produce a stronger race for the gods to take under their wing."

Serephina felt as if the floor slipped from underneath her. Produce? A...child?!  Who even knew if the gods still watched over them? If they even cared whatsoever about this blood-bond thing! A million thoughts crossed Serephina's head as she tried to register exactly what they were asking of her. 

"Wait a minute. You expect us to..." Serephina stopped to even her breaths. "...conceive a child?!"

Nicolas shifted on his seat. She felt herself blush as she found that Nicolas didn't object or say a thing.

Had he known?

"It is part of the of the process, yes."

Serephina took a deep, brave breath. "And what if we denied ourselves that satisfaction."

Nicolas puffed, gaping at her. Amora raised a brow, disbelief shimmering in her eyes, eyes she turned to Nicolas as if to say Is she for real?

Amora snorted. "The longer you resist the blood-bond the harder it will become."

"I didn't say we would resist the blood-bond, just that part of the Bloodlust bond," she clarified, evading meeting Nicolas' eyes. She could feel them on her and she was afraid of what she would see in them. Deception? Maybe anger? Serephina could help but wonder.

"Is it obligatory?" Nicolas suddenly asked, tearing his eyes away from her. "To conceive the child?"

Amora looked starstruck. "Well not right away...but yes, of course!"

"We were never told this!" Serephina should have bit her tongue.

Amora gazes made her eyes blaze with fire. She sucked on her teeth and then it exploded: "YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THIS! THIS IS AN HONOR, SEREPHINA, NOT A HEFT." She reached Serephina, glaring into her face. "You shall honor the gods, you ungrateful little—"

"Watch your tongue," Nicolas' firm command silenced Amora. She turned stone white, lowering her head and stepping away from Serephina. "Serephina and I shall decide whether we will or will not have this child that we were never told we had to conceive." While Nicolas talked he stood up and took Serephina's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Now if you would be so kind to escort us to our rooms, we would really appreciate it."

He turned towards the door but whispered over his shoulder. "If you want for Great Willa to know nothing of your actions you will shut your mouth and lead us in silence." Serephina was too stunt to say anything; she only watched as Amora nodded timidly, led them down the hall, and up the crystal stairs.