A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 356: Take My Hand, Avelina!

Chapter 356: Take My Hand, Avelina!

Draven moved closer.

"I never should have left you, I never should have let you go. I’m so sorry. Please don’t punish me like this. I’ll do anything—anything you want. Just...just come back to me."

He kissed the palm of her hand and buried his face in it, trying to inhale her scent. But there was nothing—nothing at all to soothe him. This was another hit for him. She was dead. She really was dead.

Draven looked at her face and shifted closer, cupping her cheeks in his palm. "You’re...so cold. Avelina, you are so cold."

Two drops of tears fell from his eyes onto Avelina’s face, and he pressed his forehead against hers, shutting his eyes. "Will you hate me if I do what I have in mind? W-will you despise me and leave me?"

There was only one way he would be able to bring her back, and that was to turn her into one of his kind. He would have to merge his blood with hers—it was the only way possible to do it.

But this meant...she would be losing her humanity. She could no longer be human.

Will she hate him for it? Will she despise him for taking the little humanity she had within her away? Will she no longer love him? Will he become a monster in her eyes too?

He punched the bed in frustration, afflicted and confused. What was he to do?

He would never be able to survive without her. He needed her to be alive and well with him. Grieving her death would be impossible for him—he might actually die with her. He would lose his mind and his sanity. He would lose everything.

Why? Why was he even feeling this way? He never felt like he could lose his mind or that he wanted to die alone when he lost his wife. So why...? What was going on with him?

Draven straightened up, lowering his head to look at his hands.

Love...? Was that it? Why had it been the first conclusion he’d come to? Why had it been his first thought?

Could it be that he was possibly...

He looked at Avelina.

...in love with her?

Draven flickered his eyes, taken aback. But how could it be possible? He was not capable of love.

Or could it have changed too? He was never able to cry, yet suddenly he was able to. Could it be that he could finally...how...

A soft breath fled his nose, and he grabbed Avelina’s hand, gently beginning to caress her fingers.

"Maybe, m-maybe, that explains why I feel this way...n-no?" he asked himself, smiling pessimistically.

This was love, wasn’t it? The inability to be without the one most dear to you. The urge to want to be everywhere with them, to hold them in your arms, and even to die for them.

He knew he would be willing to die for her if it was ever warranted. He would never think twice before doing so. All he’d ever wanted and appreciated was to see her smile and be happy.

He’d sent her home for that reason, but it didn’t end as he had expected.

Draven groaned tiredly, raising his eyes to glimpse Avelina. "I won’t let you die, even if it means you will hate me."

"I’ll be fine with that, really, so long as you are alive and well. You do not have to be with me, nor do you have to love me anymore. I messed up, and I ruined everything. It’s all my fault, and I would never be able to atone for the pain I’ve caused you."

"But..." He took a deep breath. "Allow me this much. To keep you alive at the very least." He caressed her cheek, his lips curling up into a soft, saddened smile.

"I-I...I loved you too late, didn’t I? I’m sorry." He exhaled, standing up to his feet.

He lifted Avelina’s body into his arms and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He proceeded over to the tub, which was half filled with warm water, and laid Avelina inside. He kneeled inside the tub, opposite her, and pulled her into his arms.

Draven was hesitating, unsure if he should do what he had in mind. There would be no going back once he took the first step.

A deep breath fled his nose, and he slipped the strands of her hair behind her to get them out of the way. With a deep swallow of the lump that had built up in his throat, he leaned in, elongating his fangs.

I’m sorry... Avelina. Forgive me. He sunk his teeth deeply below her neck and completely released his pheromones, his intention fixed on turning her and keeping her alive.

Blood profusely began to drip from Avelina’s shoulders, dropping into the clean water and slowly turning it bloody.

Draven tightened his grip, never stopping what he was doing. He had never turned a human before. Avelina was his first.

This method was only exclusive to the royal blood. Common bloods do not have the ability to turn humans, but the royal bloods, like his father and his half brothers, were very capable of it.

THUMP!! THUMP!! THUMP!!

Avelina’s heart suddenly began to pound, and with each passing second, the speed at which it beat grew rapidly. Faster! Faster! Much faster than a human heart could ever beat!

Her blood boiled ferociously, pumping with great intensity. The coldness of her body disappeared in the blink of an eye, burning hotter than average, and in the next moment, her heart, as though having exploded, stopped beating.

Blood began to ooze out of her nose, her ears, her closed eyes, and her mouth. A large amount of blood poured into the tub, completely turning the water red. The entire tub as well as the floor were total messes.

"More! More!" Draven growled under his breath, forcefully pulling his head back. He breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving up and down.

Drops of blood dripped from his fangs, smearing against his already bloody lips.

"Take my hand, Avelina." He spoke to her as though she could hear him.