Bitten By Love

Twenty-Four

Akiko's POV

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," I said nervously, hiding behind the wall.

"You'll do fine," Uruha said. "And anyway, you need a good drink of human blood before your first day at college."

After two months, I had finally recovered my full strength, and Uruha had suggested he take me out for my first feed.

"So who should I target?" I asked, peering around the wall to see people walking out of the club.

"Anyone who looks drunk. That way, they won't remember what happened. You might taste some alcohol in their blood, though."

"Ugh." I shook my head. "I've never really liked the taste of alcohol...but I'll have to make do."

After a few minutes, a young man staggered out of the club. He was obviously very drunk.

"Here goes nothing," I said to myself, and pounced on him.

Uruha helped me pull the man behind the wall, and held my hand as I sunk my fangs into the man's neck.

When I was done, I wiped my forehead, which had beads of sweat on it.

"How was it?" Uruha asked me, laying the man on the side.

"His blood tasted okay. A hint of alcohol, but for the most part, it was kind of bland."

"Hm..."

"Your blood tastes much better, to be honest."

The second I said that, I clapped my hands to my mouth in horror. He wasn't supposed to know that!

Uruha smiled. That was all he did. He just smiled at me. It wasn't a creepy smile, it wasn't a seductive smile, it wasn't a gentle smile. It was a mysterious smile.

* * * *

"Akiko, don't forget your sunglasses next time," Uruha said, passing me a glass of water.

"Yeah, yeah..." I groaned. I'd forgotten to take my sunglasses with me on my first day of college, which meant that the sun hit my eyes and they ached all day.

"It's fine to take them off indoors, but when you're outdoors..."

I groaned again, and buried my face in his chest.

He rubbed my back soothingly as he picked up the day's newspaper.

Third POV

Uruha opened the newspaper, and this was what jumped out at him:

Town retaken by government officials, over 50 dead in riots.

The article was about Akiko's hometown. The local government had overcome the protestors, and were back in control. 55 people had been killed, and 30 were reported missing.

Akiko was on the list of the missing.

Uruha looked at his girlfriend, who had read the article with him. She had tears in her eyes.

"I hoped for many years that everything would be okay," she whispered. "I wanted things to go back to normal without violence. I just wanted a happy ending."

Uruha could feel tears at the back of his eyes. Ever since he and Akiko had exchanged blood, there was this strong emotional bond between them. He could feel her pain and sorrow, and it hurt to see her in this state.

"I'm so sorry, Akiko," Uruha said, holding her in his arms. "I will try my best to help you...but you should know...some stories don't always have a happy ending."

...and that's the end of Bitten by Love!! I hope all of you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Don't worry, though, Uruha and Akiko will be back! They won't be the protagonists, but they will definitely have a strong presence in the next book...which is gonna be Aoi's story. I'll post a preview soon!

Thank you for supporting Bitten by Love! I'll continue to do my best in all that I write.

Love,
S :)