"If the scavengers had sucked your soul entirely without eating bit by bit, then the soul would have followed to finally settle and form what she has turned to. Consider it more like a skin shedding from your body which is not needed," said Lucas to her, "It might sound selfish but the truth right now is, that soul that was once part of you doesn't belong to you. It has turned to a creature of the dead, something I would prefer you would never cross path with."
"Did she say something?" asked Belle curious.
"She behaved as though she was you. Taking your persona but what is dead will be dead. If I am not mistaken, she wanted to be you. To feel back alive like any other creatures that are at the bottom of the pool in the land of the dead but you should know that those creatures are have turned to nothing but an evil manifestation."
She felt Lucas pat her head. His hands gentle on her head and it almost had her lull to sleep, her eyes getting heavier and heavier, "Lucas..."
"Hm?"
"I am glad I have you. I know it's selfish," she smiled softly, "But I am happy to have you here next to me," came the murmur, her breathing starting to get calmer.
"Maybe I was meant to come here for you."
He pulled her closer, holding the girl in her arms with a peaceful expression on his face. He wondered how much the realm of the living was going to change him because the emotions that he was feeling only through the top layer, it seemed that in some time he would be sinking in it.
Belle was not a coy person who had ever tried antics when it came to attracting a man's attention. In the past, even when she did have a faint attraction towards one of the bachelor's in the town, it was Lucas who would make a background and would drive them away subtly to make sure they would not approach the girl every again.
When Lucas had arrived to pick up a soul he had only ended up in the Adams' mansion. One step that had pushed him here and more than a decade pa.s.sed.
It was Belle's persistence, the little girl who was like a little animal that kept nudging him over and over again until he finally turned his gaze on her. It was like a cat that kept pawing his leg for attention. He wouldn't lie there were days initially where he wondered how it would be to tie the little one so that she wouldn't cause any more trouble to him or her parents but then that was not possible.
Belle knew what she wanted but there were times she found it hard to express the worry she felt in her heart.
Like Belle who had only Lucas to rely on, Lucas had no one but her. There was no one else.
When Belle pulled away, she looked at Lucas, "I-I think I need to drink the blood quickly," because of the lack of food or blood in her system, her fangs were throbbing and coming out in view. She flinched as the pain in her body grew along with the need to drink blood right away.
An average vampire needed to drink blood regularly and Belle had already skipped three of her meals.
Lucas noticed how Belle's body was shaking which had never happened before. At least not since a few years ago when they had been to one of the Adams' acquaintance's house. It was when the children were playing hide and seek stepping into the forest that had ended up with Belle being lost until he finally found her.
"Belle?" Lucas called her name and Belle stood up from the bed.
"Something is changing," she said in pain and her eyes that were red slowly started to bring out a black ink that had started as a line which was now trying to stretch itself towards the end of her iris.
The soul in her body was already weak like a flame of the candle that was trying to keep itself from fizzling out, the lack of blood intake was trying to trigger a corruption, "Belle," Lucas said giving his hand for her to take, "Come here."
Belle returned back to Lucas' side and she saw him untie the tie around his neck. He took off the coat and vest he wore before starting to unb.u.t.ton his s.h.i.+rt at the top.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
She saw him pull out the glove that he wore on one of his hand that turned to the skeleton bony fingers that were long. He ran his finger between his neck and shoulder, "Don't you need blood?" he asked her.
It was a known fact that a vampire who was close to corruption was not supposed to drink blood from a living person because the chances of draining blood were high which would lead to death, "But you are a reaper," she said, her fangs had come out and he pulled her to his lap.
"Trust me on this one," he said looking in her eyes while the smell of the blood was wafting across her nose that she could barely resist now. Lucas had her sit down on his lap and he held her waist, "Go on..." he urged her seeing how she was trying to resist herself from drinking his blood but the scent was drawing her close to him, "We wouldn't want it going waste, now would we."
Belle couldn't hold back her thirst for the red blood that was trickling down Lucas' neck. It was far too tempting to resist anymore and she dived in to sink her fangs in his neck.
