My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 39

A sharp pain pierced my head, forcing me to acknowledge that I was alive. It took me some time to open my eyes and a little more time before I adjusted my vision to the bright sunlight that stroked my face. As my consciousness was coming back, flashes from last night invaded my mind. In a sudden realization, my hands started to touch my neck, frantically searching for bitemarks. I couldn't find any. Thinking about my current state came second. I was lying on one side of a grand bed. It certainly wasn't my bed. I cautiously lifted the sheets and found out that my dress was gone, but I still had my underwear on me… my black lace, revealing underwear. I looked like I hadn't been raped nor bitten, but I had no idea where the hell I was.

I tried to get up. I lifted my head and immediately felt an excruciating headache. I wasn't sure whether it was the hangover, the drug's aftereffect, or both, but it hurt like hell. I sat up on the bed, my hands holding my head in one position. I slowly looked around. The chamber I was in seemed spacious, bright, and luxurious. There was marble combined with dark ebony and white gold, a sophisticated interior design, quite a manly one. The sound of falling water was coming from the bathroom. Someone must have been there. I thought it might be a good idea to find some clothes to wear before that someone leaves the bathroom.

I moved my legs to the side of the bed, trying to land my feet on the floor, but I could hardly feel my muscles. I clenched my teeth and, as my feet touched the floor, I lifted the rest of my body from the bed, trying to balance my way to standing. The second I let go of the bed, I fell down to the floor, face down. That felt pathetic. On the bright side, I found my dress. It was lying on the floor right next to where I landed. I grabbed the dress and made another attempt at getting up. This time I was more successful, although the dizziness I felt made me lean on the nearest chair. My headache struck again. It felt like someone was drilling into my brain. My mouth opened, giving out a silent scream. When the pain lessened, I realized that the sound of the water had stopped. I tried to stand up straight to put on my dress, but my body still acted in slow motion. I stood on my shaking feet while leaning on the chair's armrest and waiting until my inner ear labyrinth would help me stabilize my movements.

"You shouldn't get up yet." Sariel's voice came from the other side of the room.

I flinched and almost fell on a chair I was leaning on. After I regained my balance, I turned towards the bathroom door and saw Sariel standing in nothing but a towel, low tied on his hips. The drops of water were slowly falling down his ruffled hair, broad shoulders, and perfectly muscled chest. I swallowed, flushed by my flusteredness while he kept standing there, observing my clumsy movements.

"Your underwear looks even better in the daylight." He chuckled, looking me up and down.

Only then did I realize two things: he must have been the one who took my dress off… and that I was nearly naked! The black lace on my bra barely covered my hardened nipples. In a fit of panic, I grabbed my dress and covered my front with it.

"Your butt looks good as well." He snorted.

"What?!" I burst out.

I turned around and found a big mirror right behind me. Its reflection perfectly exposed my whole silhouette, including my lower parts. I gasped and stepped to the other side of the chair, so he wouldn't get to observe my see-through panties. The smirk on his face only widened. He walked closer, allowing me to see his hot-as-hell body in detail. I kept leaning on the armrest, swaying on my weak legs, and trying to process what had happened after I had passed out.

"W-what am I doing here in your room?" I muttered, nervously trembling.

"Lie down, Lilith." He sighed, seeing my physical state was far from good.

"No. Not unless you tell me, what am I doing here?!" I hissed while my dizziness made me stumble.

Sariel grabbed my hand and pulled me straight into his arms, pressing my body onto his naked, wet chest. It was the first time I had heard his heartbeat, one heartbeat to be exact since it beat unbelievably slow. At the same time, mine pounded a thousand times faster.

"I'll help you lie down, first," he said calmly, then led me back to his bed.

I had noticed that only the sheets on my side of the bed were wrinkled. That made me more certain that nothing serious had happened when I was unconscious and most likely, Sariel had slept elsewhere. I obediently lied down.

"Good girl." He smirked covering me with sheets.

He sat on the bed and carefully looked me up and down as if he was examining my condition. Unfortunately, my condition only became worse since I got to see him shirtless and up-close long enough to cause me a heart-attack. Surely my hormones would have exploded from every pore of my skin, and my arousal could have been sensed ten miles from the castle… if it wasn't for that awful headache.

"Now… can you tell me what happened?" I asked, mumbling.

"Nothing much. My sister did a childish prank on you, thinking she was helping me. Unfortunately, she overdid it with the dosage. Your poor condition is caused by that." He shrugged.

"And how is it that I am here, and not in my bedroom?" I inquired nervously.

"My bedroom is much closer to the dining room," he stated casually.

"And you were sleeping-"

"There are more than a few empty bedrooms in this wing. I came back here to take a shower and dress," he replied hurriedly, "Rest some more and don't get up yet. Martha will bring you something to wear and the doctor will check you up in an hour." He sounded concerned.

If it weren't for the fact that I knew how cold and calculated he was, I might have thought that he felt guilty. The peculiar expression he showed on his face made him almost resemble a human. Of course, he ruined it all by painting a sly smirk.

"I need to dress up, so don't peek." He chuckled wickedly, then marched across the room wearing nothing but a towel and wide opened the closet-room, which was right in front of the bed I was lying on.

"Is he for real?!" I panicked but got shamelessly excited at the same time.

He turned his head just to ostentatiously check if I was looking at him. My rationality took over before he did anything else. I hid my face under the sheets. I felt a sudden float of air, like a wind inside the room. It uncovered my face, and I couldn't help but look at the place where Sariel was previously standing.

"I thought I told you not to peek." He smirked, standing there, all dressed up in a black suit with a fitted jacket. It must have taken him less than two seconds to wear his clothes.

"I wasn't peeking!" I protested, "The wind… It just... Oh, never mind!" I pursed my lips while pouting like a misunderstood child.

He chuckled meanly then walked towards me, correcting his tie.

"God… he looks even better in that suit than… No. The view of his naked body was better," I pondered while looking him up and down.

"I need to go now." He smiled charmingly, "Rest well, Lilith." He glided to the door and left.

A minute later Martha knocked on the door and I let her in. My cheeks were still blushing while recalling images of Sariel's naked chest, and not even my aching head could make the redness go away. Martha looked me up and down then ran straight to the bed.

"You must be feverish!" she called out worryingly.

"Relax." I faintly chuckled, "I just got a little… nervous. I will be completely fine when this freaking headache stops."

She didn't look like my words calmed her down, but then her eyes widened with excitement and a wicked smile appeared on her face.

"Do you know that those dumb sluts from the east wing have gone insane?" She snickered.

"Why?" I asked, trying to figure if they weren't insane before.

"Someone saw the Duke yesterday and the rumors spread among the castle! Those bitches now hate you to guts!" she exclaimed.

"Someone saw the Duke… and why am I involved in this?" I looked at her with an awkward grimace.

"Don't you know?" She called out in a pure gossipy tone, "After you had passed out, the Duke carried you by himself straight to his bedroom, then an hour later he walked out looking exhausted, and drank most of the blood from the stock!"

"Oh, boy…" I mumbled, predicting new troubles to come.