"Mmm~ Is that it?" Rachel asked, then brushed back the hair that was over his eyes.
"Are you tired?"
Gabriel was now fully healed, and even his arm had grown back. But he felt lightheaded more than anything. The past hour or two of his rampage played out in his mind, reminding him of just how many vampires he had killed without meaning to.
But he didn't feel guilt. If anything... there was this weird sensation in his chest that made it seem as though their lives were insignificant. He knew that it wasn't there before, so could it have appeared because he became a vampire?
More importantly, the blood he just drank... It was so delicious. It tasted just like the blood he drank in his dorm room, which made him realize she was the person whose blood he drank in the first place.
Now that he drank it, he felt his earlier hunger disappear. Though, when he backed off a little and looked at her, he realized she was slightly skinnier now. Her cheeks were more hollow, and her lips were parched. Though the smile she wore from before was still there.
"I'm a little tired... What was that?"
"It's just some post ceremony nonsense. Us vampires call it baby rage. You fall into a frenzy and start attacking anyone and everyone around you. Only the blood of the person who turned you can calm you down."
She then pointed at herself, her fingers trembling slightly.
"That's where I come in."
Gabriel felt odd seeing her this vulnerable, since he knew that she was much more powerful than him. If this was the old him, he would've killed her here, but now, he simply sat down beside her and leaned against her shoulder.
Seeing this, Rachel was left speechless, so Gabriel spoke instead.
"These emotions and impulses, are they normal? I feel hungry, and I also feel really bored. It's never been this bad."
After a brief pause, Rachel finally replied:
"A-Ahem... Well, think of it as the price for power. When you become a vampire, you grow stronger and gain many abilities. In exchange though, your senses grow much sharper, and your emotions are intensified."
She met his gaze.
"If you hate someone, you'd hate them even more. If you love someone, you'd love them more than you could ever know. A-As for the hunger and boredom, it'll ease up if you keep drinking my blood. Speaking of, could you help me stand, I'm feeling a little sluggish."
Gabriel stared at her for a moment, then rose from the ground. Instead of helping her stand, he went ahead and picked her up in a princess carry, surprising her once again.
Though he also surprised himself, as he realized that he was not only taller now, but he was also strong to the point where he could lift a hot woman like Rachel without even feeling an ounce of pressure on his muscles.
"Where's your room?" he asked.
"Just keep walking straight," Rachel replied, her smile deepening.
"Hey Gabriel, now that you live with me, what kind of things do you like? I mean... I have a lot of money, so I want you to feel more at home."
He tilted his head, and while carrying her to her room, he pondered over her question.
What did he like?
Before, he just liked collecting Vampire Hunter guns. Shotguns, machine guns, pistols... He liked even building his own guns, whose blueprints he would later sell for some serious money.
But collecting Vampire Hunter weapons in a vampire's home was beyond disrespectful. Even if his emotions were unstable, he wasn't an idiot.
So instead, he decided to go with something more childish... Rather, something he used to do when he was a child.
"I used to collect vintage keychains, I guess? Back when I lived with my parents, I used to go into vintage stores and swipe every keychain that was found in the last war between humans and vampires 140 years ago."
Rachel chuckled. "That's so cute. I used to collect plushies when I was younger too. So vintage keychains, huh... I got it. I'll make sure to have a few delivered to our home by the end of the week."
"Our home?" Gabriel repeated.
"Well, we're living here now, aren't we?" Rachel said, pouting slightly. "My servants are my servants, so they don't count. Since you're the only person I brought back here personally, you live with me, and so that means this is your house as much as it is mine."
"Huh..."
'She's sort of cute when she's not trying to kill me.'
The two of them chatted about random things, such as his favorite shape of vintage keychains, as well as her favorite type of plushies. It was a weird conversation he never expected to have with a vampire, but it allowed the time to pass quickly, to the point where he didn't even realize he was already standing in front of her room.
"That's my stop. I think I can walk, so you can let me go now," she said.
Though Gabriel didn't let her go. Instead, he opened her door, and seeing the neatly decorated room with a separate bed for plushies, and even a whole room dedicated for make-up, he couldn't help but smile and set her down on her own giant bed.
"You know, I'm getting mixed feelings here." Her voice came out slow.
Gabriel shrugged, not dismissing her words. "So am I. I both know and don't know what I'm feeling, since everything's just hitting me all at once. So just enjoy the current me for now as I figure stuff out."
"Aha? In that case, do you mind giving me a hand?" Rachel asked.
He tilted his head. "A hand in what?"
She pointed at her collarbone that had a clear hickey on it from him sucking her blood earlier. Then, she pointed at his collarbone.
He immediately realized what she was getting at, but as if to make it even clearer, Rachel giggled and said:
"Sharing is caring, right?"