Chapter 128-Can’t a girl do both?

Chapter 128: 128-Can’t a girl do both?

"Stay here. I’ll get you some blood to help you recover."

Varitreya’s voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable firmness beneath it. She carefully carried Maisa into another guestroom, away from the noise and lingering chaos of the training grounds and her previous wrecked room.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed. The room was quiet, dimly lit, and mercifully free of the violent sounds that had filled the her only moments ago.

Varitreya lowered Maisa onto the bed with unusual care. "Wait for me. I’ll be back in a minute."

Maisa nodded weakly. She didn’t have the strength to argue. Honestly, she barely had the strength to move.

Every part of her felt exhausted. It was not merely her body, but her mind as well. The battle had taken something out of her that rest alone might not immediately repair. Her thoughts felt sluggish, her limbs heavy, and even keeping her eyes open seemed like unnecessary work.

She simply wanted to lie there and forget about the fight and the strange cloaked figure. She wanted to live everything that had happened tonight in her past.

Varitreya lingered for a moment, studying her expression. "Rest."

Maisa gave another small nod. The princess finally turned and walked out of the room to find blood for her.

The door closed and silence settled over the room. Maisa immediately collapsed deeper into the mattress and released a long, shaky breath.

For the first time since the battle began, she allowed herself to stop pretending she was fine.

Her eyes drifted toward the ceiling. The memory returned almost instantly, the air and that terrible pressure.

The sensation of something invisible tightening around her until every instinct screamed at her to escape. Lumi’s power had been overwhelming, but what frightened Maisa even more was the realization that Lumi hadn’t truly been herself.

Someone had taken control of her, entered the mind of one of the academy’s most powerful elemental users and somehow pushed her abilities beyond what anyone had thought possible just to test her.

Maisa swallowed and that was the part she couldn’t stop thinking about. The enemy hadn’t merely been strong, they had been capable and determined.

They were capable of controlling a powerful vampire, amplifying her elemental abilities and turning Lumi’s own mastery of air into something terrifying for their own agenda.

And, worst of all, they had spoken about Maisa as though they already knew something about her future that she herself didn’t know.

The next queen of the vampire nation? Maisa closed her eyes.

"No..."

She didn’t want to think about that now. She only wanted sleep and for the world to leave her alone but even as Maisa tried to empty her mind, one thought remained stubbornly lodged in the back of it.

Whoever had controlled Lumi wasn’t finished with her and Maisa suspected that the battle tonight had only been the beginning.

"Knock, knock."

Addessa’s voice came from the open doorway. Maisa’s brows immediately knitted together.

Of all the people who could have appeared, the blackblood was perhaps the last person Maisa wanted to see.

Their relationship had become complicated enough with Addessa actively deciding to become her enemy. Since rejecting their bond and making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with Maisa, Addessa had seemed determined to make every interaction between them as difficult as possible.

Maisa slowly pushed herself upright. Her body protested immediately. She rubbed her tired eyes and stared toward the doorway.

When her eyes landed on Addessa, she blinked. Once, twice and thdn she wiped her eyes again.

Addessa was still there but something was different. Very different that it blew Maisa away.

The blackblood had abandoned her usual collection of intimidating leather outfits. There was no severe updo of her hair, no perfectly composed appearance that made her look as though she had walked straight out of a council meeting. Her long black hair was loose, falling naturally around her shoulders and she wasn’t wearing black.

She was dressed in a red bikini beneath a sheer crocheted cover-up of the same shade.

Maisa stared at her speechlessly. Addessa looked... stunning. It was almost unsettling to see her like this.

Without the leather, severe hairstyle, and rigid council aura, she looked far less threatening. Relaxed, even. Like an ordinary young vampire who had actually remembered that life wasn’t supposed to consist entirely of rules, meetings, punishments, and arguments.

Maisa couldn’t help staring. "What are you wearing?" the question escaped her mouth before her brain could stop it.

Addessa’s eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean?"

Maisa immediately regretted speaking. She could honestly picture Addessa wearing almost anything except this.

The blackblood seemed like the sort of person who would sleep in formal clothes if it meant being prepared for an emergency. Relaxation appeared to be something she regarded as an inefficient use of time.

"Tsk." Addessa clicked her tongue and ignored the question entirely and moved.

One moment she was standing in the doorway and the next, she was beside Maisa’s bed.

Maisa barely had time to react before Addessa caught her hand and pulled her upright.

"I’m going for a blood bath in the sacred blood pool," Addessa announced. "I need some company."

Maisa stared at her like she had lost her mind. "And you’re asking me?"

Addessa tilted her head as her eyes narrowed at Maisa, wondering if there was any working brain cells in her brain. As Maisa was the only other vampire in the room, who else would she talking to.

"Funny. I don’t remember saying please," she gave Maisa another tug. "Let’s go."

Maisa planted her feet on the ground and refused to move an inch. "No. I’m not going."

Addessa looked down at her as though her refusal was a joke she didn’t get. "When was it a choice?"

Maisa tried to pull her hand free. There was something suspicious about this invitation. It felt like a trap and not an ordinary trap, either.

It felt like a beautifully decorated doorway leading directly into the pits of hell.

"I’m waiting for Vari.."

"The last time I checked, you zinged with me too," Addessa cut her off effortlessly.

Maisa froze. It was unlike Addessa to talk about their zing, she hadn’t even confirmed acceptance of the bond and I it weren’t for the medicines she’d been taking, their time apart would’ve felt like hell.

Addessa’s expression remained irritatingly calm. "You seem to spend a lot of time with the others," her gaze sharpened. "Did you forget that I’m your mate too?"

’You’re the one who forgot it!’ Maisa screamed internally. Of course she hadn’t forgotten. How could she?

The black petal over her heart practically reminded her every time Addessa walked into a room. Still, that wasn’t a reason to walk to her death with a sane mind.

"I don’t want to go with you," she insisted.

Addessa’s lips curled into a small, dangerous smile. "Would you rather I stay here with you and wait for Varitreya?"

Maisa hesitated. A chill ran down her spine. She had this feeling that the offer would be way worse than going with her.

Addessa leaned closer. "Trust me. I’ll create such a scene that the princess won’t have a choice but to stop hovering around you."

Maisa’s eyes widened and gritted her teeth. Her cheeks were so puffed, she looked like an angry puffer fish.

Addessa smiled sweetly. "And then she’ll probably decide that staying away from you is the safer option," she gave Maisa’s hand a gentle tug. "Want to try me?"

Maisa stared at her. She couldn’t decide which option sounded worse. Going with Addessa and risking whatever suspicious plan the blackblood had prepared or staying behind and allowing Addessa to manufacture enough chaos to make Varitreya reconsider leaving Maisa alone. Neither option was particularly appealing.

Maisa sighed. "Fine."

Addessa’s smile widened.

"Lead the way," Maisa grumpily said.

"I knew you’d see things my way."

Addessa immediately dragged her toward the door. Maisa stumbled after her, still exhausted from the battle.

"And," Addessa added casually, "the blood pool has healing properties."

Her gaze dropped briefly to Maisa’s battered appearance. She shook her head. "From the looks of you, you need it more than I do."

Maisa frowned. "Are you looking for company or looking for trouble?"

Addessa glanced over her shoulder. That wicked little smirk returned. "Can’t a girl do both?"

Maisa groaned. She already regretted agreeing and they hadn’t even reached the blood pool yet.