The Vampire's Bride

"It looks like you're in trouble. Can I help you?" A young man kneeled besides a hooded person.

The night was young and the air was cold. Leo Azazel was walking down the streets with his so-called friends. They were about to head home when they stumbled upon a hooded person, staggering until the person fell to their knees.

Leo was the first one to approach the person and asked if they were alright.

Titling his head, he saw that the person is a 'she' and was someone they all knew. "You're Mal—"

A voice was heard, cutting Leo's statement. It was just a single word but Leo immediately knew what she meant.

"Come on, darling. We need to get you out of here," Leo whispered, knowing that his friends were far from them. He placed her right arm over his neck. There was no struggle nor reply from the woman. Only a small grunt and the same word.

"Blood..." It was louder yet weaker than when she first said it.

Leo knew she was in danger but he cannot let anyone learn of her situation. He could hear murmurs from behind him.

"That Azazel is helping someone?"

"It is somewhat unbelievable!"

"The ignorant prince decided not to ignore someone! And what's worse is that the person is not a beauty but a normal one!"

Leo knew what they meant. He was known to be apathetic in his campus. A handsome but apathetic prince. And he wanted his image to stay as it was. With no choice, he decided to go for a short act.

Swiftly getting his phone, as he used his left hand to support the woman, he pretended to be in a call with someone, purposely raising his voice for them to hear, "Ah, hello, Auntie? Yes, good evening. Can I ask if she run away again? Oh, you had a fight? Yes, I found her. I will bring her back as quickly as possible, Auntie. No worries. I was passing by when I saw her. Yes, see you soon. Goodbye."

Putting his phone away, he looked at his friends who stared at him with confusion. "I'm bringing a friend back home. You guys can head home first. See you in school."

Without waiting for a reply, he picked up the woman in bridal style, leaving his friends who were dumbfounded by what they saw.

Did Leo just carry a person? And he had other friends than them? They heard him correctly... right?

After a few steps, Leo released a breath he did not know he was holding. He looked at the woman who had her eyes closed. One could think that she was sleeping but Leo knew she wasn't. She was gaping her mouth like a fish, silently whispering the same word over and over again. "Blood."

She slightly, but not fully, opened her eyes and looked at Leo, or at least that's what he thought. Leo couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty. Shaking his head, Leo looked forward.

"You'd better not 'cause any more trouble than this, missy. You owe me one."

Leo felt his words were cursed. As soon as he finished his sentence, he felt a stinging pain on his collarbone, just below his neck.

He growled a bit before glaring at the woman who just bit him. He felt a thick, sticky liquid dripping down his collarbone, soaking his shirt a little. He knew it was his blood.

He pushed down his eagerness to take her lips as he saw his own blood dripping down her mouth. He smirked as he looked at the ignorant woman, "I'll make sure you repay what you owe, darling."

[...]

Leo finally reached home, managing to hide the woman who still had her fangs on his skin. The butler was in pure shock seeing that the young master let someone bit him. The butler glared at the back of the person that Leo was carrying, not knowing that it was a woman. He glared until he felt a suffocating presence. He looked up to see the young master glaring at him as if telling him to mind his own business.

Seeing this, the butler decided to act professional, following his young master's order. "Young master, would you like me to bring the person to our guest room?"

Leo shook his head. "Quickly, bring me a cup of coffee and hot chocolate. Also some snacks. Tell my father that I already ate and I will stay in my room," Leo ordered, not wanting anyone to touch the hooded person.

The butler followed behind Leo as he spoke, "The master is out. He went on a business trip and will be back within a week."

Stopping in his track, Leo was thinking of something deep. The butler, upon serving the young master since the young master was young, knew that he was hurt.

Leo clicked his tongue before heading to his room as he mumbled, "That damn old man."

"I will be right back with the drinks and the snack. Do you have other requests, young master?"

Leo thought about it for a while before turning around and ordering his butler one last time, "Nothing else. After giving the drinks and snacks, I do not want anyone to disturb me, understand?"

Dumbfounded by what Leo said, the butler was not able to reply. His mind was processing the last sentence the young master said as he caught a glimpse of the face of the person that Leo was holding.

Seeing this, Leo shifted his body to hide her face and repeated his question, "Do you understand, Brian?"

"Yes, young master. This butler will see to it that no one will bother you for the rest of the night."

Closing the door behind me, Brian walked a few steps before looking back at the door.

He could only think of one thing. Did Young Master find the Future Young Madam?

Meanwhile, in the room, Leo noticed that the woman he was holding had stopped s.u.c.k.i.n.g his blood for a while since he entered his room. He gently sat on the bed, not wanting to wake her up.

A few knocks were heard followed by Leo's cold voice, telling them to enter. A maid came in with a tray of snacks and the requested drinks. It was placed on the table near the bed. After dismissing the maid, Leo's serious aura disappeared.

He looked at the woman who was snuggling in his c.h.e.s.t. He felt something was wrong with his c.h.e.s.t as he felt a sharp pain. He tightened his grip on her body, to avoid her from falling, as he sat with crossed legs.

Without taking the hood of, he knew he had found his needle in a haystack. He had doubts of who she was when they first crossed paths. His eyes would unconsciously follow her whenever she entered his line of vision.

If it wasn't her that he saw on the streets, he would have left the person. But when he realized who it was, he knew he had to bring her with him.

"Who knew we would meet in such a way, Mallory?"

In an instant, a nickname flashed in Leo's mind. His Staggering Princess, Mallory. Laughing at his words, Leo, using his right hand, reached for the coffee when he felt a sudden, vigorous movement.

He looked down to see a pair of eyes shaking with fear. He knew she was scared yet he could not help but be fascinated by her eyes. He could not help but stare back. He wanted to tease her but by doing so, she would be frightened with him. He could not make a regretful move at that point. He could only stare, waiting for the other person's next move.

Noticing how she just stared back, he decided to start a conversation to calm her down.

"How ar—"

He could not finish his question. No. It was not that he couldn't. She wouldn't let him.

"Why are you here?"