Chapter 22: The Sovereign’s Mark
After the battle, the two of them made their way through the treacherous mountain path, continuing their journey toward the dungeon entrance. Eventually, they reached a dark cave that led down into the subterranean depths.
Carmilla stopped just inside the entrance, looking over at Malakai, who was as happy and carefree as ever. It was now or never. She had to perform the binding ritual immediately, before Malakai grew suspicious of her behavior. Who knew what he would demand if he found out what she was actually up to?
"...Um, Mal?" Carmilla called out, trying her absolute best to hide the nervousness creeping into her voice.
"Yes?" he responded, looking over his shoulder with a warm, easy smile.
"Could you go check out what’s ahead of us deeper in the cave? I have something I need to do, and I require full concentration."
"Of course. Anything for you, my lady," he said playfully, giving her a dramatic bow before heading deeper into the darkness.
"Huuu..." Carmilla let out a long, relieved breath. "Alright, time to get to work."
She hurried over to a flat, clear side of the cave floor and swept the small debris away. Kneeling down, she began to carefully draw the intricate familiar binding runes using her own blood and the last of the essence crystals she had gathered. But after she finished the final stroke, the crimson rune circle only glowed faintly before cutting out, fading in and out periodically until it completely went dark.
"No, no, no... damn it, I don’t have enough mana!" Carmilla scrambled backwards, her mind racing for a solution. In her mounting panic, she subconsciously began biting her fingernail.
"What are you doing?"
Carmilla snapped her head back in utter surprise.
Malakai was standing there, leaning against the cave wall. "Looks like you’re out of mana. Do you need some help?"
"I’m fine. I just need to wait a little longer for it to naturally regenerate," Carmilla lied, trying to act proud.
With a knowing smirk on his face, Malakai leaned down and let out a satisfied chuckle. "My, my, look at you... a starving little princess. Go on then. Take what you need, Master. I won’t charge you for this bite."
"Tch." Thoroughly annoyed and desperate, Carmilla grabbed his large arm, aggressively yanked up his sleeve, and bit down.
She sank her fangs deep into his flesh and drank his blood.
Every single sip she took made her entire body instantly heat up, making her head spin. Malakai had been telling the absolute truth when he said his essence was thick and pure; it tasted like a two-hundred-year-old refined wine brewed exclusively for royalty. She drank greedily, nearly draining him of his active essence before she finally pulled away, giving the wound on his arm one last, lingering lick to clean the spill.
"Better?" Malakai asked, his slitted golden eyes staring intently into hers.
"Yes, better," Carmilla stammered. She crawled back over to the center of her spell and slammed her hands onto the array, activating it with her newly acquired demonic mana.
Once the rune circle gained a sufficient power source, it exploded into a vibrant, blinding crimson light that illuminated the entire cavern. Malakai stared at the glowing symbols, and a soft, dark chuckle escaped his lips. He finally realized exactly what Carmilla was trying to do.
She had executed her trap, and Malakai had no way to stop the contract now... but it wasn’t as if he wanted to. In reality, this arrangement benefited him far more than she could ever realize.
Carmilla turned to look at him, expecting him to submit, but to her horror and surprise, he wasn’t fighting the magic at all. He wasn’t even in pain. He was just standing completely still with a satisfied, mocking smile on his face.
"Hm," he chuckled, his eyes flashing. "My, my... I must commend you for your generosity, Princess."
As he spoke, a glowing purple collar mark burned its way permanently into the skin of his neck. Yet, completely effortlessly, Malakai walked straight through her binding runes as if they were nothing but smoke. He licked his lips, stepping closer. "You do know that now that I’m officially your familiar, I can track your heartbeat anywhere you go, right?"
Carmilla’s heart began to hammer frantically against her chest as he loomed over her. Stumbling backward in shock, she fell flat onto her back. Malakai stood above her for a split second before bringing his massive frame down. He pinned her to the floor, but he strategically placed his hands directly above her head, keeping his chest propped up high. He was purposely leaving just enough space for her to escape if she really wanted to.
The gesture completely confused Carmilla. What did he want to do?
Trying to calm herself down, Carmilla tightly interlocked her fingers and pressed her hands against her chest.
"Ha ha. Why are you so nervous, Princess?"
"What do you want, Mal?" she breathed out.
"Nothing much. I just want to make sure you don’t die too soon," he murmured, his voice dropping into a dangerous, velvety purr.
"The next process will hurt a bit... but in a good way. The way you like it."
"What—?"
Carmilla was utterly baffled by his words, but unknowingly, her mind and body relaxed. The innate fear of him wanting revenge or trying to harm her completely vanished.
Suddenly, her thoughts were cut short when the all-too-familiar, scalding warmth of Malakai’s tongue trailed across her bare neck. When his fangs finally bit down, drawing her blood, the intense contrast of his sharp teeth and warm tongue sent a massive physical shockwave straight through her body.
As he drank from her, Carmilla bit her lip, trying her absolute best to suppress her moans. She was mostly successful, only letting a shaky, breathless gasp escape her throat.
When he was finished, Malakai lazily cleaned the wound with one last signature lick to her neck, wiping away any traces of her blood. He slowly backed off, letting her sit up.
Still thoroughly flustered and trembling from the encounter, Carmilla desperately avoided his golden eyes. "What... what was that for?"
"I did it to match our essence," Malakai explained smoothly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "That way, I can heal you directly in case your natural vampire regeneration ever fails you. Now that our essence is fully matched... I can feel your heartbeat, Princess. No matter where you run in this dungeon, I’ll always know exactly where you are."
Carmilla instantly turned her face to the side, covering her burning red cheeks with both of her hands. Her mind was racing at a million miles an hour.
’I am his master now. Officially. So why... why does it feel like I’m the one who just got marked? Like I belong to him...’ She bit her lip, her heart fluttering. ’I mean... I wouldn’t entirely mind it...’ ’Carmilla, what the hell are you thinking?!’ she screamed internally, mentally shaking herself.
Malakai silently stared down at her as she sat there, aggressively hiding her face and screaming into her own hands.
He blinked, a rare moment of genuine confusion crossing his face. ’...Did I go too far?’ He paused for a second, a smirk slowly returning to his face. ’Naaa.’
