My Heart Is Drawn to Jade - Chapter 5

Over the next few days, every sharp object in the castle was put away. Knives, breakable glass, vases—all gone.

Apparently, they were afraid I’d amuse myself by stabbing myself again.

Then Vansern discovered that I kept going out into the courtyard to bask in the sun.

Yes. The sun.

I was a vampire who liked sunbathing.

Vansern was speechless.

A great black cloak dropped over me, covering every inch of my body. He picked me up and teleported us indoors.

I nestled obediently in his arms. The skin on the back of my dangling hand had been burned raw by sunlight and was already repairing itself. Soon, it scabbed over.

Interesting. Sun damage healed much faster than silver wounds. Silver really did deserve its reputation as a vampire’s fatal weakness.

But when I looked up into Vansern’s expressionless face and saw the lingering anger in his violet-and-gold eyes, I swallowed guiltily.

“Um, Sihe? It’s only a little sunshine. It won’t kill me.”

Back in my world, my quality of life had been abysmal.

After escaping the organization, I’d borrowed ten thousand yuan from a buddy and rented a place in an out-of-the-way urban village. Rent was four hundred a month, or about five hundred with utilities. That ten thousand had kept me alive for nearly a year.

Every day, I’d sat blankly in the doorway, looking at the cramped, dim, damp alley and the shabby apartment blocks. A walking corpse, rotting in a corner.

One of my fellow test subjects, Sheng Qi, couldn’t bear it anymore. He bought me a villa near his own and transferred several million yuan into my account.

Then he forced me to go hiking, take photographs, exercise, get some sun, and generally look after myself with him.

I had no words.

Eventually, it became a habit.

We’d bring out two little rocking chairs and a table and sit in front of the villa, soaking up the sunshine. Sheng Qi usually liked tea. I preferred goji berries steeped in hot water.

The sun was warm. It felt wonderful.

Here, as a vampire, sunlight came with pain like skin being scorched by fire. I didn’t much care. I healed quickly. My body could take it.

Vansern said nothing. He carried me into the main sitting room, kissed my lips, and set me on the sofa.

“Are all humans this difficult to look after?” he asked, sounding troubled.

“I’m actually pretty easy. It’s very hard to kill me.”

Even as I spoke, the scar on my hand disappeared.

Vansern stroked the back of it with his fingers, his voice tender but disapproving.

“But it hurts you. Promise me you won’t go outside during the day. Sunlight does serious damage to you.”

I went still.

It did hurt. I was just used to it.

After more than a decade of brutal human experiments, it would have been difficult not to be.

His violet-and-gold eyes filled with regret.

“I wish I hadn’t turned you into a vampire.”

“I let you,” I said earnestly.

If it had been anyone else, a second before his fangs reached me, I’d either have beaten him to death or stabbed him with the cross.

I blinked and hugged Vansern, coaxing him.

“Sihe, can I drink your blood? Please?”

After that day, other creatures’ blood had become repulsive to me, both physically and mentally. Never mind drinking it—one look made me want to throw up.

But Vansern…

The long, pale neck beneath his silver hair smelled irresistible, like a soft, delicious cream cake. Every time he held me, it took enormous willpower not to bite it.

He wasn’t much better. Whenever he leaned into the hollow of my neck, hunger and conflict spread a haze of red across his violet-and-gold eyes. His fangs emerged, as though he might bite me at any moment, before he forcibly stopped himself.

The physical attraction was definitely mutual.

“No,” Vansern said. “Your rank is too low. Those few drops the other day were already your limit. Once you receive my First Embrace and become a Bloodkin like me, you can drink as much as you want.”

I fell silent.

He leaned his whole body against mine and said lazily, “Once the sun sets, I’ll take you to the nearby market.”

I nodded, curious about this world of fantasy and magic.

“Sihe, are you a Bloodkin prince?”

Sunlight made my skin ulcerate. It didn’t seem to bother him at all.

“Yes. I’m the prince of Clan Nocturne.”

“Are there other clans?”

“Besides Nocturne, there are Sanguis and Tenebris. All three command very powerful magic. The other Bloodkin are of little concern.”

I took his hand and kissed his fingertips. I had no idea how powerful he was, but praise couldn’t hurt.

“Wow, Sihe. You’re amazing!”

A faint blush colored his beautiful face, and he pecked my cheek.