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Chapter 2 - A deal

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"Is this the end already?" A flicker of disappointment crossed my face.

"What more do you want?" He sat across from me, looking at me helplessly. "I've already told you several stories…"

"Your stories are truly fascinating… Were all of those people you captured before? Did all of those things really happen?" I leaned forward, my eyes sparkling with excitement and insatiable curiosity.

He gave a contemptuous shrug, his gaze turning cold and intoxicated, as though he were savoring sweet memories of the past. "Of course they're all real. Every single one of them was a magnificent painting, a captivating film. Their despair, their pain, their pleading — all of it was so beautiful, so intoxicating." He closed his blood-red eyes for a moment, then opened them again and gave me a wicked smile. "But don't think you'll be any different. Your ending will just become another one of those stories. Perhaps… you'll give me a brand-new story? You seem like an interesting human. You show no fear even in the face of the mysterious and unknown." He swirled the red wine in his glass; the rich liquid gently rocked under the dim light, glowing with a seductive hue. He took a small sip, seemed to ponder for a moment, then looked at me mockingly again. "Life is full of fear and darkness, and I dwell within that darkness. I am the eternal nightmare of you ignorant creatures — and your final destination."

I fell silent, thinking. He seemed a little irritated. Perhaps because I hadn't reacted the way he expected, or perhaps because that proud, vampiric arrogance in his nature had been provoked. Suddenly he appeared right in front of me in an instant, his tall figure blocking the light. Golden curls brushed lightly against my shoulder. His faint breath grazed my ear, carrying a casual teasing tone, while his eyes radiated bloodlust and danger.

"Don't forget your place. You're merely prey whose life and death I can decide at will — a speck of dust in the desert, gone with a single breath, traceless and invisible." He playfully blew a puff of air against my ear; I couldn't help but shrink back slightly. Seeing my reaction, he looked extremely pleased and continued to taunt me:

"See? This is humanity. No matter how different your personalities are, when faced with real danger, you still instinctively feel fear and want to flee. Even though you act like you're completely unafraid of me, brimming with interest and curiosity," he opened his mouth, fully displaying his lethal charm right in front of my face, "can you still stay this calm when facing death? Will you, too, beg me desperately in despair, just like all the humans before you?" He let out a soft laugh, watching me closely, hoping to catch even a trace of despair or terror on my face.

I snapped out of my thoughts. "…Your fangs are really sharp."

The smug, teasing expression on his face instantly collapsed into a series of black lines.

"…What did you just say?"

I looked at him earnestly, suddenly feeling the urge to laugh for some reason. "I said, your teeth are really sharp."

He stared at me blankly, clearly not expecting that response at all.

"You're really not afraid of dying?"

I gave a small laugh, trying to cover up the sound of my heart pounding wildly. "I am afraid. But I'm more afraid that you'll stop telling me stories." I said it as lightly as I could.

He frowned. "Human, know your place. You're just dinner I captured. I'm not some storyteller here to entertain you."

I propped my cheek on my hand. "Then why haven't you drained my blood right away like you did with all those people in your stories?"

He coughed a few times, his eyes flickering. "…You're not ordinary food to me. I have my own criteria, and I've chosen to tolerate your existence for now."

Before I could reply, he turned away. The black cloak behind him swayed gently, like the silent wings of a huge bat — elegant and mysterious.

"…I really haven't met many humans like you," he said slowly, a trace of contemplation in his voice. He took another sip of the red wine, then turned back around. His blood-red pupils swept over me like searchlights, leaving me nowhere to hide. "In you, I see a shadow of my younger self… that insatiable thirst for the unknown, a curiosity so strong it can even override humanity's most primal fear… That quality is actually quite interesting. So I've decided to keep you around — for the time being." He looked at me coldly, then slowly walked over to the sofa.

I seized the opening and quickly asked, "When you were young, did you also have that so-called 'curiosity'?"

At my words, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold, indifferent smile, but he didn't directly answer.

"Let's just say… I advise you to be careful with that intense thirst for knowledge."

"Why?"

He raised an eyebrow, then said mockingly in a calm tone, "You really are ravenous." He stepped closer, leaned down, and his voice carried a warning edge. "What I mean is — some things you shouldn't ask too much about. Asking too much won't do you any good." He bared his fangs. "Or… shall we make a deal?"

"What deal?" I asked, voice trembling slightly as I tried to hide the panic slowly rising inside me — even though I already had a vague guess what it was.

Under the dim light, a sly, playful smile spread across his face, seductive and dangerous. "Trade a portion of your life for this enticing story. How about it?"

My heart jolted as if someone had struck me hard in the chest.

"If you're hungry, just say so."

He gave a faint smile, but in the dim light it looked somewhat horrifying.

"Feeding is only part of it. I simply want to teach you that not everything can be obtained just because you have that stubborn curiosity. So…" He returned to the table, set down the wine glass with a crisp clink against the surface. "This deal — will you take it?"

I gritted my teeth. "…Fine. Deal."

A triumphant smile bloomed on his face; the deep red of the wine reflected off his wicked features, as though he had known all along that I would agree.

"Excellent."

He closed in on me, step by step, gradually blocking out what little light remained. I couldn't help swallowing hard.

In what felt like a single instant, he pinned me down onto the sofa, rendering me completely immobile. The soft cushions now felt like deadly shackles. I could feel his rough, hungry breathing; he could surely feel my wildly trembling heartbeat. In that moment, the desire in his eyes was laid completely bare — no longer the elegant vampire, but a ravenous wolf baring its teeth.

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