Chapter 156: The Taste Of Betrayal
Ivan tilted his head slightly and asked in a low voice, "And where were you all planning to go together just now?"
Damien raised a brow and replied, "To look for you. Mind telling us where you’ve been?"
Ivan met Damien’s gaze before shifting his eyes back to Evelyn. His hand shot out as he grabbed hers and pulled her toward him. Eve gasped, resting her hands on his chest for support, and heard him ask, "Why have you been roaming outside the room so late?" He touched her face, letting his fingers brush against her cheek in a slow caress.
A faint colour painted her cheeks at his touch, but she continued to study him. Parting her plump lips, she said softly, "To look for you. You weren’t there when I woke up." Her blue eyes lingered on his handsome face before darting to the small drop of blood clinging to his neck. She swallowed hard and asked in a wary tone, "Where...have you been?"
Ivan’s lips curved slightly as he asked, "Were you worried about me?"
"Of course I was! I looked for you everywhere!" She shot him an accusing look before pressing again, "You still haven’t answered my question."
Damien and Cece stood off to the side, their sharp eyes fixed on Ivan. They couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but something about him was definitely off.
Ivan finally let out a quiet sigh. "I was hungry...so I went to grab myself a bite."
Eve’s brows furrowed. "But I went to the dining room and you weren’t there."
Ivan stayed silent for a moment before adding quietly, "I needed fresh blood."
Eve froze, understanding instantly what he meant, that he’d gone to drink from someone. The image of him sinking his fangs into another woman’s neck flashed through her mind, and jealousy reared its ugly head. Her voice came out unnaturally calm as she asked, "Who...who did you drink from?"
Cece and Damien exchanged a wary glance, both knowing that one wrong answer could land Ivan in serious trouble.
Ivan noticed the change in her demeanour and replied evenly, "A couple of human servers offered, so I went to one of the rooms to have my meal." He reached out to cup her face ever so gently. "Why do you look displeased?"
"Were they women?" Eve asked.
"What?"
"Were those servers women?" Her tone was icy and clipped, her breath catching as she waited for his answer.
"Does it matter?" Ivan asked flatly.
Eve gave him an incredulous look. "Yes, it does. You promised you wouldn’t."
Then her voice dropped to a whisper as she spoke, "You broke your promise...didn’t you?"
Ivan’s brow furrowed at Eve’s heartbreaking expression, and he didn’t like it one bit. He watched as sadness slowly filled her eyes. She raised her hands, gently holding his wrist, and pried his hand away from her face before stepping back.
Eve felt her heart shatter. Even though Ivan hadn’t admitted it, he hadn’t denied it either. The promise of not feeding from any female server might not have seemed like a big deal to others, but to her, it was about trust...trust that they would keep their word to each other. Yet here they were, and all she wanted was to run! Anywhere! Because it was getting harder to breathe with every passing second.
Watching her step away from him, Ivan felt a strange tug in his chest, as if his very heartstrings were being pulled by her pain. It hurt...painfully so, and for the first time since he’d woken up, he felt something close to remorse, even though most of his emotions still seemed muted or too intense.
One hour ago...
All he remembered was feeling extremely thirsty...thirst for warm blood from a person. He glanced at Eve sleeping peacefully beside him. Not wanting to alarm her, or worse, put her in any danger in the state he was in, Ivan quietly left the room.
Upon reaching the dining hall, he drained an entire jug of stored blood, yet the gnawing hunger within him refused to fade. That was when Mr. Warren noticed him and asked if he would prefer human servers. Ivan agreed and was led to a private room, where he specifically requested only male servers for fresh blood.
He was drinking from the wrist of one of the men when the door creaked open and a woman entered in her low-cut, crimson dress clinging to every curve as she sashayed toward him.
The woman was none other than Sylvie, sent by Prince Valen to seduce Ivan.
She purred, her voice dripping with honeyed temptation, "Your Highness, I was just passing through when I overheard the manager asking for volunteers to serve you. May I be of service?"
Ivan’s cold, crimson eyes flicked toward her as he pulled his fangs from the server’s wrist and said flatly, "Get out. I don’t need your service."
He turned back to resume feeding, but instead of leaving, Sylvie took another slow step closer. Without a word, she sank gracefully onto the seat beside him, pulling a small knife from her handbag. In one fluid motion, she nicked the side of her neck.
A thin line of blood welled up and began to trail down her pale skin, its scent saturating the air. She leaned in, pressing a hand boldly to his thigh as she tilted her head, exposing the bleeding wound just inches from his lips.
Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper against his ear. "Don’t be shy, Your Highness. I’m sure my blood would taste far better than that of these men here."
As she touched him, something inside Ivan snapped. His mood shifted violently, and his reaction came just as swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he released the male server’s wrist and slammed the woman by the throat against the wall. Her already-cut neck gushed as his grip tightened, blood spurting from the wound, some splattering onto his lips and a single drop sliding down his neck.
But Ivan was far too volatile to care. His voice dropped to a dark, menacing growl as he said, "What did I just tell you? Seems like you really don’t want to live anymore, do you?"
The male servers froze in horror before bolting from the room, rushing to find Mr. Warren and report what had happened.
Ivan’s red eyes darkened, swirling with streaks of black that made Sylvie choke in terror. Before she could utter a word, his grip on her throat tightened. Through gritted teeth, he growled, "I loathe desperate women like you the most, those who don’t understand when to quit."
Sylvie’s vision blurred as his hand constricted her neck. Her life flashed before her eyes, and her struggling slowly ceased until she hung limp in his grasp.
Ivan licked the blood splattered on his lips, then frowned at the bitter taste and spat it out in disgust.
He released the unconscious woman, letting her body crumple to the floor just as Mr. Warren entered the room.
Ivan fixed him with a cold, cutting stare. "Didn’t I tell you I only needed male servers?"
Mr. Warren froze, momentarily stunned, before trembling like a dry leaf under Ivan’s chilling gaze. "F-Forgive me, Your Highness," he stammered. "I didn’t know the lady would interrupt you like this."
Ivan’s irritation spiked again, his emotions spiralling out of control. He could feel the darkness within him clawing for dominance, and he knew there was only one person who could quiet the storm inside him. Now that his thirst was sated, he needed to return to her...his Eve.
He glanced down at the woman lying motionless on the floor, and in an indifferent voice, he said, "Take care of this mess. I’ve lost my appetite." Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped the blood from his face, then dropped it carelessly to the ground before walking away.
Once he left, Mr. Warren hurried to the woman’s side and checked her pulse. He exhaled in relief when he found a faint pulse. "Thank the gods she’s alive," he muttered. "Otherwise, Prince Valen wouldn’t be pleased."
Mr. Warren knew all too well of Prince Valen’s tastes; after all, the prince was a frequent guest, and Lady Sylvie was one of his women. He had been surprised when she suddenly arrived at the hotel, demanding to know Prince Ivan’s whereabouts. Now he realised his mistake. Had he kept his mouth shut, this entire unfortunate incident could have been avoided.
Turning to his staff, he barked, "Quickly, get her out of here and fetch a physician at once!"
Coming back to the present..
When Eve took another step back, Ivan reached out and caught her hand. "I didn’t, Eve! Why are you stepping away from me?" His voice held a trace of anger, but Eve didn’t back down.
"Then why won’t you answer my question?" she demanded. "Did you drink another female server’s blood?"
"I...I didn’t mean to-" Ivan began, but Eve’s gaze dropped to the floor. She didn’t want to cry, not yet, even as disappointment clawed at her heart. Betrayal stung deep, and she couldn’t help but wonder if their promises to each other had meant anything to him at all.
Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper. "Let go, Ivan. Let go of my hand."
