CHAPTER 21 WHEN HUNGER TURNS TO HEAT
"Contact Claire. She might be able to get some," Lucy urged in a worried tone.
Johan didn't wait. He used the system's communication function and locked onto Claire's coordinates. She wasn't at school, which made things easier.
Within moments, he was at her home.
The guards and maids didn't stop him. They all assumed Johan was Claire's boyfriend. He wasn't in the mood to explain or play along with the illusion. Time was running out. He walked straight in.
Claire's room was quiet. She turned at the sound of the door.
She had dressed herself beautifully today. Her makeup was light, almost glowing. Her outfit flattered her curves with just enough grace to seem casual, yet intentional. Johan didn't notice any of it.
"Did you get the blood?" he asked, straight to the point.
Claire's expression faltered. His presence was overwhelming—eyes glowing red, body trembling slightly, voice laced with something… darker.
"N-no. I didn't know it was urgent. The delivery takes about an hour…"
"I need it in ten minutes," Johan snapped.
The room turned cold. Claire backed away unconsciously.
She had seen this version of him before—on that terrifying day. A memory she hadn't fully recovered from.
He's losing control again.
Her lips trembled. She tried to speak, but only silence came out. She looked like she might cry.
Johan's fists clenched. His vision blurred. His fangs had begun to pierce through his gums, and his body ached with a hunger he didn't understand. His gaze fell on her neck. Her throat. Her heartbeat.
He could hear it.
And the more he focused on it, the louder it became. His instincts clawed at his will. He tried to resist.
Claire stumbled back as he stepped forward. Her foot hit the edge of the bed, and she fell onto it, trying to crawl back.
Johan came closer.
Control it. Don't lose yourself. Not again.
But I need it. I need blood.
And then—Claire bit her lip, just slightly. A single drop of red slipped down her chin.
That was the final straw.
Johan lunged.
Claire gasped as he pinned her gently onto the bed. His lips brushed her neck—then sank in.
She trembled—not in pain, but from a strange, numbing warmth that spread through her entire body.
Johan drank deeply. The taste was intoxicating. He felt like he was floating, drowning, flying. Her blood was unlike anything he had ever tasted.
His breathing slowed. Her skin was warm beneath his touch. The world faded, leaving only the two of them on that bed.
Claire's hands, trembling at first, slowly gripped the back of his shirt.
There were no more words between them.
Only the sound of breath, the soft rustle of the sheets, the light pressure of hands exploring unfamiliar feelings.
Their bodies pressed closer.
He didn't know when it shifted from bloodlust to something else. He didn't know when the hunger turned into longing.
Their lips met.
What started as a desperate moment of survival… became something else entirely.
Later...
Johan sat on the edge of the bed, shirt half-draped over one shoulder. His breathing was calmer now. Claire lay beside him, pulling the covers slightly over herself, her face flushed, eyes half-lidded.
Neither of them spoke for a long while.
Then Claire murmured, "Was it… just the blood?"
Johan didn't answer immediately. He looked away, his expression unreadable.
After everything that happened between them, a silence settled over the room.
The moonlight that filtered through the curtains painted soft silver hues over their resting forms.
Then Lucy's voice echoed quietly in Johan's mind.
"Do you… consider what happened between you two as something special?"
Johan opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. He didn't answer immediately. His breathing was steady, calm—too calm.
"No," he finally said, voice flat. "It wasn't anything special." He replied.
He turned slightly, resting his head on his arm.
"It happened in the moment. That's all. Don't start getting any strange thoughts." He replied to Claire.
Claire, still lying beside him, heard his words. Her heart clenched, but she didn't look away. Her eyes glistened, not just from exhaustion, but from something far deeper.
"I don't understand how you can be so cold," she whispered.
A tear rolled down her cheek, catching the moonlight as it fell.
"Even after everything I did to you… even after how I treated you before... I still think I'm falling for you."
Johan turned his eyes to meet hers. His face remained unreadable, emotionless.
"I don't care," he replied.
"And you shouldn't either. Don't waste your time on feelings. Focus on growing stronger. That's what matters."
Claire smiled faintly, a little sad but strangely at peace.
"You don't have to pretend to be so heartless all the time," she said gently. "I don't know what happened to you in the past. I heard your parents died in the war. Maybe you never had anyone left to care about... maybe that's how you became like this."
She brushed her fingers across his cheek.
"I was once someone twisted too… someone who hurt others just to feel in control. But you… you were different. You never looked at me with lust or fear. You only fought back, even when I tried to break you."
She chuckled softly.
"Maybe that's why… maybe that's why you're the first person I've ever really fallen for."
She exhaled quietly, tiredness catching up to her.
"Now that the curse is gone… now that I'm free… I want to cherish this. Even if it's one-sided."
Johan didn't respond.
His eyes drifted shut again, but his mind didn't quiet.
Claire nestled herself closer, resting her head against his chest. Her breathing slowed. The warmth of her body pressed gently into his side.
Johan stared at the ceiling for a while longer, thoughts spiraling in silence.
Why didn't I push her away?
He didn't have an answer.
If this had been the old him—the one from just weeks ago—he wouldn't have allowed anyone this close. Yet now, here she was. And he was… tolerating it.
No… I'm thinking too much.
He closed his eyes, letting the silence take over.
Claire's soft heartbeat against his chest echoed gently into the night.