Suspicious, yet still hesitant, I decided to sit at the table.
I didn't know what might happen if I refused.
As soon as I settled in, I kept my eyes fixed on Flávia, unable to hide the discomfort and unease eating away at me.
Flávia, who noticed immediately, let out a soft, heavy sigh and clapped her hands once.
Almost like magic, some maids appeared silently and served identical portions on both our plates.
Without waiting, Flávia began to eat naturally.
I, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of emotions. To avoid putting that food in my mouth, I decided to speak:
— What do you want from me?
She looked at me with some frustration and sighed again:
— Bruno, my love… don't misunderstand me.
I tried to be direct because of your personality, but you really don't make it easy.
She paused briefly, then continued:
— Three days ago, you were hit by that car that drove onto the sidewalk at high speed.
If I hadn't saved you... you would have died.
I looked at her incredulously.
First, for calling me "love" — what was that about?
Second, for saying I would have died if it weren't for her.
I swallowed hard, feeling a bitter irritation rise in my throat.
I decided to press her, demanding a clear answer about what exactly she wanted from me.
But before I could say anything, as if reading my thoughts, she spoke softly:
— I love you, Bruno.
I froze. Before I could react, she continued:
— As a vampire, my life has always been monotonous… until I was thirteen. That was when I saw you, still a baby, in your mother's arms.
So cute and chubby… you immediately caught my attention.
There was a brief pause, and then, somewhat embarrassed, she confessed:
— I've watched you all these years.
Out of love, I never intended to interfere in your life.
But out of love… I couldn't let you die.
Confused and stunned, I was speechless.
My thoughts tangled between astonishment and disbelief.
Maybe a little because of the intensity of that sudden love…
And maybe a little because she called me "chubby" — a word that hit me like a punch.
After all, I spent much of my life hating my own face because of it.
It took me years to lose that facial fat.
And now… all this?
Did it all start there?
Bruno didn't know what to do.
Still reluctant, he didn't dare touch the food before him.
All he could do was watch Flávia eat silently, visibly embarrassed after such a direct confession.
While she slightly averted her gaze, Bruno just swallowed hard — but the taste was bitter, not from hunger, but from a silent question echoing inside him:
"Does she love me… or is she obsessed with me?"
It was hard to tell. Too hard.
And curiously, it was there, in that uncomfortable and silent moment, that Bruno felt a strange certainty:
Flávia didn't know what he was thinking.
For the first time since waking up in that castle, he felt his mind free from her influence.
And that, in a way, scared him even more.
After a few minutes of silence, Flávia finished eating.
Deep down, she had already guessed that Bruno wouldn't eat — and if he did, it would be a shock to his body.
Without saying a word, she stood up naturally and approached him.
She gently took Bruno's arm and led him to a nearby room, just a few meters away.
The space was small, cozy, and seemed prepared for what was about to happen.
Flávia then embraced him delicately and, with a calm gesture, tilted her head, revealing her pale and exposed collarbone.
The scent of her skin, the subtle sound of blood pulsing beneath the surface… everything seemed hypnotizing.
Bruno, still lost in confused thoughts, suddenly felt an overwhelming impulse — a hunger and thirst so intense they hardly felt like his own.
It was as if something primal, buried deep within him, was finally awakening.
But he resisted.
His eyes met Flávia's with reluctance and firmness.
No matter how much his body begged, his mind stood firm, defying that uncontrollable desire.
He didn't want to give in. Not now. Not like this.
He then asked, voice trembling and gaze lost:
— What is this? What did you do to me? I… feel hunger, thirst… I can hear your heart beating… and the smell… the sweet smell of your blood…
He gripped Flávia's arm tightly.
He couldn't hurt her — there was no way, given the absurd difference in strength — but that intensity came from the hunger growing like a beast inside him.
Flávia, in a low voice, almost whispering, calmly placed her hand over his and said:
— Bruno… you slept for three days after being hit by that car.
Your body is weak, and your soul still unstable.
You need to drink my blood to recover.
Hunger… hunger is the greatest enemy of vampires.
It drives us mad… it changes us.
He tried to resist. He really tried.
But that relentless desire, that sharp thirst, was stronger than any pride or control.
His eyes fixed, his fangs instinctively lengthened, and unable to fight it, he leaned toward Flávia's exposed neck.
His teeth pierced her skin easily.
The hot, intense blood began to flow into his mouth, and Bruno sucked without thinking, as if his existence depended on it.
Three minutes.
That was the time it took for the hunger to start easing.
For his mind, clouded by instinct, to begin clearing.
And then came the shock.
He pulled back, breathing heavily, eyes wide, and a thought struck him like a knife:
Did I give in...?