Chapter 2My Vampire Boyfriend's Blood Bag

"You better think this through. I'm the only one in this school who's willing to stick by you. If you reject me, you'll lose even me."

Looking back on it now, those words were nothing short of a threat. Instead, I mistook his poorly worded intentions for mere aloofness and pride.

Terrified of actually losing him, I nodded in a panic and agreed. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend!"

Only when he saw me agree did his expression slowly soften.

"You know, Laura, I'm a vampire. As my girlfriend, it's your duty to provide me with your blood. If you can't do that, then we might as well break up right now!"

Even now, I can't tell whether I actually liked Magnus back then or was just clinging to him like a lifeline.

I didn't doubt his demand for a single second, assuming it was simply a cultural difference between vampires and humans.

At first, Magnus would only feed on my blood once a month. Each time, he controlled himself so I wouldn't faint from blood loss, and my body could barely manage to handle it.

Eventually, though, that frequency was no longer enough for him.

It went from once a month to once every two weeks, and then to once a week. If I hadn't begged him desperately, and if my body truly hadn't been on the verge of collapse, Magnus would have even pushed for a daily feeding schedule.

"Laura, I'm so disappointed in you. As a vampire's girlfriend, offering up your blood is your duty. Your body is just too useless, though. You know damn well that without blood, I age rapidly. Do you really want to watch me turn into an old man just because you can't handle it?"

After I passed out yet again from extreme blood loss, he left me behind with that impatient scolding. He couldn't have cared less whether I was in any danger while unconscious.

However, when I woke up, the first thing I did wasn't to check my body. Instead, like every other time before, I texted him to apologize and make peace.

[I'm sorry, Magnus. I didn't want this to happen either. I promise I'll give you enough blood next time.]

[I don't want to see you age. It's all my fault. Please don't ignore me.]

In this relationship, I had always been the pathetic, subservient one, unconditionally meeting Magnus' demands. I traded my own sacrifices for his faint, superficial affection, and in doing so, I turned myself into nothing more than his blood bag.

…

[What kind of fit are you throwing now? Just because I looked after Ivy? I already told you, the only reason I'm nice to her is so she'll willingly offer her blood to me. At the end of the day, isn't that just to give your body more time to recover?]

[Everything I'm doing is for your sake. Don't you think you're being completely unreasonable? For the sake of your weak body, I've been enduring the backlash of my bloodlust this whole time.]

[I'll pretend I never saw this message today. But if you keep throwing a tantrum, we're actually breaking up.]

[Without me, do you really think you can survive at Monster Academy?]

My phone vibrated continuously as Magnus bombarded me with messages.

It seemed he and Ivy were finished. That was a little faster than I had expected.

If Ivy hadn't shown up, I might have stayed trapped in this cage disguised as love forever. Thinking about it that way, I ought to thank her.

To be honest, I didn't hate Ivy. She was the only other human in this school, and I had really hoped to become friends with her. So, even when Magnus gave her extra attention and care, I never objected.

It was just that Magnus was too good to her—so good that I couldn't ignore the painful twist in my gut and that they looked like the actual couple...

Magnus would personally bake chocolate for Ivy just because she mentioned wanting some. He would also stay by her side all night when she had a fever.