Less than fifteen minutes after drinking Arthur's blood, Mia felt dizzy and lightheaded, her whole body limp, craving sleep.
"Then go to sleep," Arthur said, scooping her up in his arms. "This reaction is perfectly normal. You need time to adjust. My blood will slowly flow through your body and take it over."
"Is that how it works?" Mia nodded, letting Arthur carry her boneless form to the bed and tuck her under the soft quilt. "Arthur… how long will this… softness last?" she mumbled drowsily, just before slipping away.
"One day is enough."
"Mmm…" A faint murmur escaped her, then dissolved into soft, unintelligible whispers as she sank into deep sleep.
With her eyes closed, she thought she glimpsed a strange smile on Arthur's face… probably just her imagination…
"Mia… Mia…" In her hazy dreams, she heard Arthur gently calling her name.
She opened her eyes slowly and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing down at her.
"Is it… night already?" she asked, blinking at the room bathed in dim amber light.
"Yes, it's three in the morning," Arthur replied with a soft smile.
His silky white hair was loose, cascading over his shoulders. In the mingled glow of lamplight and moonlight, he looked impossibly captivating.
"I… I slept a whole day?!" Mia gasped, struggling to sit up.
Arthur gently pressed her back down. "It's fine. The more you sleep, the better. It keeps your body from feeling exhausted."
"But I haven't had dinner…" Mia thought this would make him let her get up. After all, Arthur always personally ensured she finished every meal and never let her go hungry.
"Skipping food today is fine. Eating might trigger a rejection response. Besides, my blood contains an appetite suppressant, so you could go seven days and nights without food or water and be perfectly okay," Arthur said with a smile, thwarting her attempt to rise.
Hearing this, Mia stopped resisting and settled back into the comfortable bed.
Seeing her obey, Arthur couldn't help but ask, "Mia, how do you feel now? Is your body okay?" He watched her closely as he spoke.
Mia focused inward, assessing herself. She no longer felt the extreme weakness from when she first drank the fox blood. Though her limbs were still slightly sore, a warm current was gradually spreading through her body. "I'm mostly fine now—just a little warm," she answered honestly, sensing his concern.
"Really?" Arthur's smile deepened. "Soon, you'll feel much warmer."
"Oh," Mia replied casually, assuming it was normal.
"By the way, Arthur, since I'm okay now, come to bed and rest with me," she said, scooting over to make more room for him.
"No, I'm not tired yet. Not sleepy," Arthur said with a smile.
"By the way, Mia, tonight's a full moon. The moonlight on a full-moon night is breathtaking. Want to see it?"
"Of course!" Mia nodded eagerly. After sleeping all day, she felt wide awake. If Arthur hadn't stopped her from getting up earlier, she'd have been out of bed ages ago.
Instead of letting her walk, Arthur carried her to the plush chaise by the window, where they could gaze at the star-strewn sky.
"Look, Mia. The moonlit night is beautiful," Arthur murmured, tilting his head back so she'd follow his gaze.
Mia found it odd that Arthur kept mentioning the moon tonight, but she cooperated, craning her neck to admire the brilliant, luminous orb.
"Wow! The moon really is bigger tonight, so clear, so perfect."
The full moon looked larger than any she'd ever seen.
On a starless night, the moon seemed almost lonely. Yet it poured out soft, enchanting, crystalline golden light, as if pleading to be noticed.
The moonlit night was cool, alluring, intoxicating.
Mia basked in its beauty, but her mind wasn't entirely on the moon. Her body was growing increasingly restless and hot. Strangest of all, under the moonlight, her skin felt scalded, burning fiercely.
"Arthur, I suddenly feel so hot," Mia squirmed, trying to slip out of his arms to cool down.
"Oh?" Arthur's eyes gleamed with a deep, distant sea-blue. He reached out and brushed her cheek. "Let me feel where it's hottest."
"Mmm…" The moment his fingers touched her skin, Mia let out a soft, pleasure-filled moan.
"Feels good, Mia…?" Arthur's voice was low, rich, laced with a seductive tremor—like a resonance from the depths of the earth, distant yet profound.
His intoxicating voice and gentle touch sent waves of bliss through her. She sighed contentedly. "It feels amazing."
"How about this?" Arthur continued in that bewitching tone, pulling her closer. His long fingers slid slowly from her neck down into the loose collar of her nightgown, wandering.
"Mmm, yes…" Mia sighed, eyes fluttering shut under the spellbinding caress. Her body instinctively pressed closer, craving more.
Arthur smiled. He didn't remove her clothes. Instead, his hands roamed over the fabric, exploring every familiar curve and contour of her body. Along her back, her chest, her abdomen, her arms… he traced every line, sometimes firm, sometimes feather-light, leaving no inch untouched.
"Mm..." Mia felt a moment of relief under his touch. But when Arthur's hand moved away, the untouched areas burned like fire, hot and painful... and empty.
"Arthur..." Mia could no longer endure this bone-deep sensation. She opened her arms and tightly embraced him.
She craved more of Arthur's caresses; she wanted to be satisfied... ah... this unbearable feeling, so strange...
"Arthur, I feel so strange..." She tried to open her eyes to look at him, but found them veiled by a thin film, making the person in front of her blurry... yet she knew Arthur was smiling at her.
"This isn't strange..." Arthur whispered in Mia's ear.
He pried open Mia's hands that were clutching him tightly, carried her to the bed, and laid her beneath him. "Because right now, my feelings are the same as yours, my dearest Mia."
Arthur lowered his head, extended his crimson tongue to lick Mia's face, then gently pulled down her clothes.
"Ah..." Even this light movement alone made Mia passionately want to cry. Arthur's tongue didn't linger in one spot but slowly moved—from her cheek to her neck, to her collarbone, then to her chest... Finally, he lightly licked one of the vermilion pearls on her smooth bosom before enveloping it with his lips and sucking gently.
"Arthur..." His actions sent a stronger wave of desire surging through Mia's body, nearly piercing her. She called out to the man making her suffer so, her voice carrying a sobbing tone.
Arthur focused on his movements, ignoring Mia's pleas that sounded like cries for help. After slightly withdrawing from the red berry he had sucked into firmness, he quickly turned to lavish attention on the other vermilion pearl. He didn't neglect the one still glistening with moisture either, gently kneading it with his hand.
"Mm..." Unable to bear the repeated stimulation, Mia arched her body in agony, her hands threading into Arthur's white hair resting on her chest. How could this be? Her body was out of control... burning with unbearable heat... she could no longer think.
A lightning-like surge of heat enveloped Mia's entire body. Like being electrocuted, she couldn't help but tilt her head back high. Her gaze inadvertently caught the full moon still hanging high outside the window, encircled by a faint yellow halo. With just one glance, her whole body seemed drawn by the clear moonlight, awakening an even deeper layer of heated desire from the depths of her soul.