The Blood Contract
Chapter 95: I’ll accept your punishment

Chapter 95: I’ll accept your punishment

Left alone, Serena let the silence wrap around her like a cloak. The room was quiet. The hum of machines was gone, the rhythmic beep-beep-beep that had once anchored her to life no longer necessary. She drew in a slow, deliberate breath and exhaled just as slowly, feeling the weight in her chest lessen slightly, but not disappear.

Her memories were back now and complete. Every blurry edge sharpened, every shadow illuminated. She remembered Lucian’s voice beside her bed, low and rough, sometimes gentle, sometimes desperate. But that wasn’t what unsettled her. No, what bothered her was the fact that some of the things she recalled didn’t make sense, at least not logically.

Lucian had said things she was certain she hadn’t heard him say while awake. He had made promises that she hadn’t asked for, hadn’t even hinted at. Yet she remembered them as clearly as if they had been carved into her skin.

And then there was Darrell. The things he said, even if half of it had been cloaked in humor, weren’t lies. There was a truth behind his words, a knowing glint in his eyes, even if he’d masked it behind a teasing grin.

But the question in her heart remained why.

Why did he break down to that point?

She chewed on the question, turning it over and over in her mind like a stone she couldn’t skip. When her thoughts offered no satisfying explanation, she settled on the only answer that made even the slightest bit of sense: guilt.

It had to be guilt. That explained the tenderness, the promises, the sleepless nights he spent beside her bed. Guilt had made him say those things. Guilt had made him promise her the world.

But still... even as she told herself that, her heart tugged. An aching, fluttery sensation deep in her belly that no rational thought could settle. It was an odd, quiet ache that grew with every breath, spreading like warmth and weight all at once.

The room felt too big now, too empty. Cold, even.

Why wasn’t he here?

He’d been there every single day while she was unconscious. She remembered that clearly now. The sound of his voice speaking to her. The soft scrape of the chair as he shifted beside her bed. The silence stretching between them when he didn’t know what else to say but refused to leave.

And now, when she finally opened her eyes, he was gone?

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Then, as if summoned by her thoughts, she remembered. He had told her he needed to do something and would return.

But twenty minutes more, he was still nowhere near there. She soon drifted off again, the medication Marlowe gave her taking its slow, heavy hold. She tried to fight it, to stay awake and see him again, but her body surrendered before her will could argue. Sleep claimed her like a tide.

When her eyes fluttered open the next morning, the first thing she saw was not the man she longed for, but Marlowe. The woman stood by her bed with that same gentle smile she always wore.

"Good morning, dear," Marlowe greeted warmly, brushing her fingers lightly across Serena’s wrist.

Serena blinked away the remnants of sleep and managed a soft smile in return.

"Good morning, Marlowe," Serena greeted the woman back.

"How do you feel this morning?" Marlowe asked, pulling away to record something on the clipboard in her hand.

"Way better than I did last night," Serena replied, her voice still scratchy but stronger. She stretched a little, rotating her neck gently, feeling the tight pull of muscles that hadn’t been used in too long.

As she moved, her eyes caught something—someone—across the room. Her breath snagged in her throat.

It was Lucian.

He stood silently in the corner, arms crossed, his back pressed against the far wall. He looked like a statue carved out of shadow and stone, watchful, unreadable, but very much present. Her heart gave an involuntary somersault, fluttering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

She didn’t look too long. Not at first. She returned her attention to Marlowe, who had just finished removing the last of the wires and IV tubes from her body. The woman muttered something about getting breakfast arranged and quietly exited the room.

Now, it was just the two of them.

Serena sat up a little straighter, resting her back against the headboard. Her gaze slid over to Lucian again, her expression dry but direct.

"Are you here to simply stare at me, or have you come to fulfill your promises?" she asked, her voice laced with mock sweetness, but her eyes sharp with intent.

Lucian blinked, caught slightly off guard. "I don’t think it’s a crime if I decide to stare at you, is it?" he asked, pushing off the wall and walking slowly toward the chair beside her bed. "And... what promises are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes, lips curving into a smug smile. "Just a few days and you’ve already forgotten?" She paused, shrugging with exaggerated casualness. "Anyway, since I’m in a good mood, I’ll remind you. You promised to give me the biggest auto mechanic workshop in this city."

Lucian froze mid-step, then lowered himself cautiously into the chair. "You... heard that?" he asked, his face a perfect picture of disbelief.

"That," she said, tilting her head, "and all the other promises you made," she revealed.

Lucian’s brows furrowed. "Well," he started slowly, "those promises are no longer valid."

Serena’s smile faded into a frown. "What do you mean they’re no longer valid?" she asked, voice lowering with warning.

"When I made those promises," Lucian explained, "I attached a condition to all of them. I said if you woke up, I’d fulfill them. But you didn’t wake up."

Serena stared at him. "I’m awake now," she said flatly.

"You’re awake now," he agreed. "But not then. That time... you didn’t wake up."

Her mouth dropped open slightly. She stared at him like he had grown two heads. "I’ll just go back to sleep then," she said with a sarcastic bite. "Considering I’ve been cheated by you, I’ll make sure not to wake up next time."

Lucian gave her a sharp look. "Stop talking nonsense," he said, his heart twisting at her words. He couldn’t imagine going through what he went through the last sixteen days days all over again.

"Fine. I’ll fulfill my promises, all of them, but on one condition."

Her eyes narrowed. "What condition?"

"Marlowe has to lock your powers up again."

Serena looked at him like he had just spoken a curse. "That is not going to happen. Don’t even think about it. Don’t suggest it. I will not agree to it."

"Listen," Lucian said, trying to remain calm. "We can’t afford you going unconscious whenever you touch a sick person—whether you mean to or not. We need you conscious. Alive. Healthy."

She didn’t respond immediately, so he continued, "I understand you may need your powers in emergencies. That’s why I’ll asked Modi for the recipe to unlock them again whenever necessary. But until then... we have to keep them locked."

Her mouth opened to argue, but then closed again. Silence stretched between them. She stared at him, long and hard.

Finally, she muttered under her breath, "I never knew you could be this reasonable."

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

She looked away and sighed. "Fine. I’ll agree. But I still have to punish you for locking them in the first place without even telling me. As if I was your child."

Lucian’s lips curved into a small smile, the first real one that morning. It softened the sharp angles of his face and made something flutter traitorously in Serena’s chest. "I’ll accept your punishment," he said, voice laced with quiet amusement. "Let’s see what you come up with."

He stood with that same quiet confidence that always made the room feel smaller around him. "Your food will be brought here soon. I’ll see you later."

As he turned to leave, she swung her legs off the bed. The sudden movement made her muscles protest, but she ignored it.

"What do you mean, brought here?" she asked, shooting him a look. "I’ll be eating in the dining room."

He paused at the doorway, eyebrows raising. "Are you strong enough to go down?"

She gave a half-shrug. "I think so."

"Should I help you get up?"

"I can manage," she said firmly, lifting her chin. "I’ve spent enough time cooped up in this bed to last a lifetime."

He hesitated for a beat longer, as if trying to gauge whether she was bluffing. When he seemed satisfied, he nodded. "Alright. Just take it slow."

Then she waved a hand at him. "Now go away. I need to do some private things."

His lips twitched again in half amusement, half something else, before he stepped out and closed the door behind him with a soft click.