Chapter 165: 165-A shield
Varitreya pulled her closer until there was barely any space between them. Their breaths brushed against each other’s skin, warm against the cool air.
Her movements were strangely gentle, almost reverent as though she were holding something she desperately desired but was handling with the utmost care because she couldn’t afford to break it.
The truth of that thought struck Varitreya with frightening force. She had reached for Addessa without thinking, not merely to deceive their watcher, but because Addessa was the one person she wanted beside her when the ground beneath her life began to crumble.
The realization frightened her more than the unseen observer did. "It’s funny... now that I look back... I realize, you’ve always been by my side," she stated. "Is that your fortune or mine?"
Addessa’s mind went blank before all of her flooded with panic. ’Did your mother erase your brains too?’ she was tempted to ask out loud.
She could feel the courtyard beyond Varitreya’s shoulder, the unseen gazes of the vampires around them pressing against her skin.
Addessa couldn’t tell which frightened her more: the possibility that they were being watched or the fact that Varitreya’s touch felt so dangerously natural.
In that moment, Varitreya spoke as though nothing unusual was happening. "If I remember correctly, your nineteenth birthday must be in a week from now."
She twirled Addessa. The movement was flawles, smooth and effortless like something she had done a thousand times over and was used to it.
Addessa barely had time to process what was happening before Varitreya guided her through the motion and drew her back into her arms.
The blackblood looked completely floored and utterly confused. "What is happening right now?"
Her feet moved before her thoughts could catch up. When she collided softly with Varitreya’s chest, a sharp tremor ran through her, and her fingers instinctively curled against the fabric at Varitreya’s shoulder.
She hated that her body had responded before her mind had given permission and unfortunately, they weren’t alone.
The rest of the students returning to campus had stopped. One by one, heads turned, drawn by the sudden spectacle.
Conversations died mid-sentence, eyes widened in every direction and jaws dropped.
The princess? The germaphobe princess who rarely touched anyone? Touching her warden?
And not merely touching her, the sight looked so intimate, so effortlessly romantic, that several students couldn’t resist stealing another glance.
"Oh my god, are we seeing things?"
"Don’t tell me that they became official during school break?"
Another chipped in, "They spend almost every hour of every night and sometimes day together, it is a given that feelings sparked between them!"
"Is this a dream. Someone pinch me," a young Blueblood shrieked. "Ouch!" They cried when someone actually pinched them. "So worth it," she let out after calming down.
Some of those who secretly shipped the pair looked ready to celebrate. Their ship was sailing, they shared glances and held it in but deep down they knew that their blood mirrors were going to blow up that night.
Others who secretly desired either Varitreya or Addessa felt their hearts crack at the sight.
"Why Addessa? I am also amazing. Why can’t it be me?" Some blackbloods whined.
"I guess it’s the princess. How can I possibly compare to her?"
Meanwhile, Maisa, Lumi, and Zolani who had been walking ahead heard the sudden commotion and turned around and froze at what they saw.
They, too, stared with just as much shock as the others. As much as the five of them were blood-bound through their fate bond, it had been a while since any sparks had flown between them.
This was unexpected. Very unexpected.
"Okay, I am officially convinced that they’ve been bewitched," Maisa let out.
The sight of Varitreya and Addessa so close to each other should’ve sparked some emotion inside her but for some reason, she couldn’t feel her heart react at all.
"Is this also another effect of those medicines?"
Addessa finally became painfully aware of the dozens of eyes watching them. Panic flashed across her face, hot and immediate.
Heat climbed from her throat to her cheeks, while the hand at her waist seemed to tighten with every second she failed to escape.
She placed a hand gently against Varitreya’s chest. "What are you doing? Let me go!"
Her voice came out thinner than she intended. The words sounded almost helpless beneath the pounding in her ears.
Varitreya didn’t let her go, she lifted one hand and traced a slow line from Addessa’s ear down to her nape, her fingertips lingering against the sensitive skin.
Addessa’s breath broke. Her shoulders jerked, but Varitreya’s arm held her securely in place. The touch was light enough to seem innocent and intimate enough to make her skin burn.
"You’re beautiful," she complimented the blackblood.
Addessa shuddered. The soft touch sent an involuntary tremor through her body and the emotion was far too intense to remain contained within her.
Through their bond, the sensation rippled outward, spreading through the connected mates like a spark racing along a fuse. Everyone felt it, everyone except Maisa.
She remained disconnected from the bond, completely unaware of the emotional wave that had just passed between the others.
Addessa stared at Varitreya, her face heating beneath the attention of the entire courtyard. She could feel the bond carrying the tremor away from her, exposing the confusion and unwanted thrill she could barely keep from showing.
Varitreya smiled brightly. The expression felt reckless and almost terrifying in its sincerity.
Her heart was pounding hard enough to hurt, but she refused to look away. If she was going to use this moment as a shield, she would make it convincing. If she was going to place Addessa at the center of every watching eye, then she would give them a performance none of them could dismiss.
"May I have the honor of being your date to your birthday party?" She dared to ask.
The whole courtyard fell silent as everyone held their breaths and waited for Addessa’s response. For one breathtaking second, the entire courtyard seemed to stop breathing.
Every vampire who had heard the request felt as though they had suddenly stepped into someone else’s daydream. Even the vampire being asked looked like she couldn’t quite believe what she had just heard.
’What in the name of the mother is happening?’ Addessa screamed inside.