A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 358: Do I Not Even Mean Anything To You?

Chapter 358: Do I Not Even Mean Anything To You?

Avelina got up on all fours, crawling to the edge of the bed. She looked at him, her arms trembling in deep confusion.

"D-Draven..." Her words came out in a whisper.

Draven, of course, heard her voice. He was not asleep but was rather bored, which was why his head was thrown back with his eyes lazily shut. He lifted his head and stopped his gaze on her.

His expression gave out his wordlessness, as he couldn’t even mutter a single word. They just sat, gazing at each other.

One was confused and lost, while the other was too stunned—too shocked to see her finally awake. He’d expected she might just stay unconscious till the next day, considering he’d waited for so long and there was no progress.

"Avelina...?" He shot up from his seat and hurried towards the bed to touch and check on her, but Avelina crawled back away from him, her eyes widened in bafflement and speechlessness.

Draven looked into her eyes, which had returned back to their hazel color, and blinked, not sure what was going on. Has she realized? Does she hate him already? His soul throbbed at the thought of it.

"Did you die too? How are you right..." Avelina pulled back on the bed and accidentally fell off the bed, drooping on her back. A hiss escaped from her, but the moment she saw Draven about to grab her, she flinched, standing on her two feet with a look of vigilance on her face.

Draven furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend what was going on. He asked, "Avelina, what’s wrong?"

Avelina stepped backward, her hands reaching out, telling him not to come close to her. She inquired, "Am I hallucinating? Where are—"

Her heart thumped wildly within her in a very painful manner, and she quickly clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, unable to breathe properly, and the moment her knees gave out, she slumped to the floor.

"What’s happening to me?" She gripped onto her dress, fighting to breathe. A huge lump had built up in her throat, and she couldn’t even seem to cry. She extended her hand out, as though reaching for Draven to help. The pain was unbearable.

Draven immediately grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her closer to him. He looked at her face, a sense of worry immediately riling within him at the sight of her eyes changing once again, turning a ruby color.

Avelina whipped her head up, looking into his eyes. "B-blood, Draven, please, it hurts!"

She tightened her grip on him, a bubble of tears welling up in her eyes. "G-g-give me, please," she begged.

Draven’s eyes flickered softly, realizing just how much he had messed up. He’d messed up really badly, and there was no way to reverse this. Should he have just let her go? But how could he? How would he ever be able to stand losing her?

He groaned in confusion and restlessness, gently beginning to caress her hair. "I know...I know it hurts." Of course, he knew. The pain their kind went through when they badly craved blood was almost unbearable.

Heaven knows how much pain she must be in.

He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, letting her bite into his arm. He stroked her hair in the process, wanting to calm her down with that opportunity.

A minute passed, and Avelina slowly stopped, lifting her head. She was breathing heavily, as though trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Why had she just craved blood so animalistically? Why did she even crave blood? What was going on? She was no vampire, she was human—a human!

"Draven," she said, looking at him with quivering pupils. "What is going on? What happened to me? Why am I—"

"I turned you," Draven answered, lowering his head to the floor. He did not even have the courage to look into her eyes.

"What?" Avelina’s breath hitched, and she darted her gaze around, bewildered. "W-what do you mean?"

Draven tightened his balled fist, not even knowing how to handle the situation. He had prepared for this, but it was still too hard for him to endure. "I am so sorry. I had no other choice."

"What are you talking about? What did you do to me?" Avelina moved backward away from him, her eyes starting to tear up. "Am I no longer human? Didn’t I...die?"

"You did," Draven responded. "And turning you was the only way I could bring you back and save you."

He looked at her, quickly moving closer to her, but Avelina stood to her feet, hurrying back from him.

"Avelina, allow me to explain!" He grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving further away from him. "I had no other choice. I know, I know that I could have let you die peacefully, but I couldn’t."

He furiously shook his head. "I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand losing you. I would have lost my mind, and I never would have been able to live without you. Please...understand me. I know that what I’ve done to you is unforgivable and selfish of me, but I just couldn’t let you go. I was not ready, Avelina."

Avelina stared at him, and her expression slowly darkened. "What do you mean?! This was all your fault in the first place!" She angrily snatched her hand from him. "You can’t live without me now? You can’t stand losing me now? But you were the one who forced me to leave in the first place. You pushed me away, and I died because of it."

"Now you are telling me this! You turned me to protect your own selfish feelings when you never thought of mine from the beginning." She began to cry, wiping off the blood on her lips. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you hurting me like this? Do I not even mean anything to you?"