Of Blood and Desire

Chapter Four

I spent the rest of the day in bed sleeping. My dreams were pleasant, but they should have been nightmares. They were all about Nikolas. None of them made much sense. The only really grounding thing was him. I awoke a few times, confused and a little frustrated, but always went back under soon after, only for the process to repeat.

Loud knocks awoke me.

Blinking away my dream of red eyes and sharp teeth, I sat up easily, something that had been impossible just this morning. I glanced at the window on the side, seeing it was nighttime already. I was still in my room, still safe, with a good amount of blood flowing through my body.

I glanced at the door. For now, at least. Was Nikolas here to take more? So soon?

“Come in,” I said after straightening myself up a bit. 

The door opened to reveal a figure that was distinctly female, a fact confirmed when she spoke. “May I turn on the lights?” she asked.

“Of course, yes,” I said curiously. Was this Nadia?

The lamp on my bedside table and the mounted lights by the wall flickered on. I blinked, my pupils adjusting, and the woman walked forward with inhuman grace. And yes, I saw as she came closer, she was inhuman. It was the beauty and her pallor that gave her away.

She had long, blonde ringlet curls that bounced with each step she took and a kind, heart-shaped face that didn’t match what I knew she was capable of. Her eyes were red, confirming my thoughts, but not intense like Nikolas’. As I held her gaze for a moment, I saw nothing but warmth in them and a considerable amount of care. Though she only looked to be in her mid-twenties and looked nothing like her, she suddenly and very fiercely reminded me of my mother.

The woman came to a stop by the side of my bed, a friendly but cautious smile on her face. “Princess Clara of Finnway, it is such an honor to meet you,” she said and fell into a deep curtsy. 

I stared at her shock. There was not one ounce of teasing in her voice. She referred to me with general respect, a complete opposite to Nikolas’ mocking of me and my father’s titles. “Hello… um…?”

“Oh, excuse me. My name is Nadia.” She smiled. “I live here with Nicholas, and now, with you.”

Blinking, I continued staring. The longer I seemed to stay at this place, the more I was forgetting my station and manners, but I hardly cared at that moment. I was waiting for her fangs to protrude and smash into the other side of my neck. But she was just standing there.

“Hello?” I said again with uncertainty.

Her smile wavered for a moment but didn’t disappear by any means. “I’m very, very sorry to disturb your slumber, Princess Clara. I only came to ask if you would like to attend dinner, or if I should bring something up to you.”

“I’m not hungry,” I said honestly.

She did frown then, and the sight made me regret disappointing her. Her hands twitched nervously at her sides, picking at the fabric of a ruffled dark blue dress that was long and loose, only tight at the middle where a jeweled belt held it together. “You must eat, Princess Clara,” she said.

I shrugged, and my mind wandered to last night’s dinner. Would I be on the menu tonight as well?

Nadia bit her lip, seeming to wrestle with something internally before deciding against it, offering me a small smile instead. “Of course, as you wish,” she said and turned to head for the door. At it, she paused, looking over her shoulder. “Again, I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

I went to tell her it was no distribution at all, that it was nice, actually, to see vampires could be this pleasant, even if it was an act, but she was already gone.