"I don't need another woman, so I don't need your heart." Jack continued to walk.

Shock showed across Eris' face but was quickly replaced, as she crawled behind her god, "I don't have to be your woman. I only want to be your pet, and you misunderstand what my heart is..."

Jack, again, stopped and turned back to look at Eris, who had crawled her way up to his feet.

"Do I look like I am in need of a pet?" Jack asked now annoyed.

"My god... As for women... How can you not need another? That's like saying you don't need more money or more power... There is no such thing as enough women."

"I'm a god. I can be the judge of that." Jack wondered how he misunderstood what her heart was...

Eris paused, as Jack's flaming eyes peered into hers, and for the first time saw hesitation flash across them.

[This yandere knows reluctance? What is she on about?]

Eris pulled her upper robes apart to show her chest, as Jack again got a full frontal. He didn't look away but also wondered if this Vampire was an exhibitionist on top of her other fetishes.

Eris took her right hand and placed it over the left side of her chest above her heaving bosom. She drew on her courage, as this would be the first and last time, she did this. She pulled back her right and with a look of determination, she made a bladed hand and drove it into her chest above where her heart should be.

Blood with flakes of gold splattered onto the bottom of Jack's robes, as he heard the sickly-sweet sound of bone's cracking! Jack stood still watching the gore unfold in front of him, as he witnessed the Vampire Princess wiggling her hand back and forth to gouge into her heart!

Jack looked up to see her expression and saw it was with pain... This masochist was not enjoying this...!

After a count of three breaths, Eris griped inside her chest, which was now a large bloody hole. Bright red blood, with gold flakes, poured from her, as it stained her robes and the ground around her.

After grabbing tightly, and Eris double over from her kneeling position, where she held herself up with her left hand, she pulled twisted her hand, and pulled out her still-beating heart!

She held it in her hands, as she watched it continue to beat, she collapsed onto her left elbow, and fell over onto her back still in front of her god, still in front of him.

Eris held out her shaking arm, now holding her heart outstretched to her god, as she spoke, "My h-heart... is yours, your pet's heart..."

Jack finally snapped out of his dazed state, [This isn't the time for fatalities!]

He kneeled on the ground quickly, and as he was going to shout at the stupid little Vampire Princess, he was again astonished to watch her chest start to heal from the inside out... He could see in the gaping wound that a new heart-formed, but it was a gray color, and not like the crimson and gold one she held in her hand.

"Explain to me... What is this, and why have you done it?!" Jack was angry due to his confusion, as he raised his voice.

Eris smiled weakly, as she heaved her breath. Relief from the pain she just endured began to wash in, as her chest began to heal.

"This... This is my... My true heart. As long as my heart is in your hands, you hold my life. Crush my true heart, and I die... As long as you hold my heart, I cannot die, but to your hands only." Eris' color began to come to her face, as her chest completely healed over.

Jack reached out and took the beating heart from Eris' hands. He held it, as it quivered in his hand and brought it up to look at, as he stood back up.

He felt it pulse in his hands... It felt good to feel a beating heart again...

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

[Where in the hell am I going to put this...?] Jack mused for a moment, as a thought came to him... He did like the feel of it beating.

Jack pulled his robe to expose his rib cage, as he stuck the beating heart into his chest cavity. With his intentions, the heart was suspended inside his rib cage where a heart should be held in place by gold chains that latch to his bones and sunk into the heart.

Jack pulled his robe together, as he reached down and helped Eris to her feet. As he did so, Eris held up both her hands, while speaking, "Carry me."

Jack mentally furrowed his brows, as he picked her up. It wasn't like this was the first time he carried her...

[I hope Emily doesn't see this.] Jack thought to himself, then he cursed within his mind for throwing up a flag... Not everyone was like Leslie!

Jack carried the Vampire princess using his left arm, while he patted, the soul jar on his right, as he continued into the heart of the Garden. He spoke to Eris, "Why did you do that?"

"I... I've given you everything I have... Now you can trust me." Eris spoke, as she enjoyed being held by her god.

"I can't say I fully trust you, because I don't know whose puppet you are... Your life might mean everything to you, but to your father, who I assume is a King, or to someone else that might be your master, you are a pawn."

"Hmph! I am no one's but my god's pet... I've given you everything, what more do you want from me?" Eris became slightly ill, even with her god. Why didn't he trust her!

Jack paused his step to glare at the thing in his arms, "You've only told me a bit about yourself, and you rip your heart out for me... I do not deserve such from someone I don't know. So, you are going to have to bear with me for a while." Jack spoke aloud but felt kind of like a hypocrite... He knew Leslie for only a day before he took her as his Consort, and knew Emily for about a week before he made her his second Consort...

[Maybe if you weren't bat shit crazy, I could trust you a bit...] Jack thought to himself, as he was tired of walking, he began to float and fly to the center of the Garden.

"But... I've waited and wanted you my whole life... It hurts that you reject me... All that I am and will be, will be yours! Whatever you want, I will become! If you want a General, I will lead. If you want a soldier, I will kill. If you want an advisor, I will direct. If you want a servant, I will serve. If you want a slave, I will kneel. If you want me to be all of these, I will learn..." Eris looked up, and rubbed her god's face, as she felt chills in her body, from the touch of his bony face... He seemed to ease the ache in her chest from her new heart.

Jack landed in the middle of the Garden in an expansive area, surrounded by black and white roses, and large briars.

He looked back down to Eris in his arm, "So, your life is mine, but who are you? Maybe later you can tell me who you are first before I decided what I want you to be... Don't forget who you were just to please another, even if they are a god."

Jack floated to the side, and gently place Eris on the ground to the side of the wall of flowers. Eris sat on the dusty stone tiles that lined the inner Garden in a daze. In all her life, she had not stopped to question who she was... Ever since the day her mother died in her arms... She only had a single goal in life.

Jack went to the middle, and took out his Laptop, as it floated in front of him. He flipped it open, to see that he had five minutes left for the ritual crafts to be calculated by Tux.

[What the hell am I going to do for five minutes?] Jack wondered to himself, as he decided to pay his soul jar.

"Hmmm?" Joan was rattled after being patted so hard, this was unlike his normal patting.

"Joan, what do you think of the Vampire Princess?"

"Is that what she is? I wondered as I haven't seen red blood in a long time. I know you said that yesterday, but Vampires haven't been seen on the continent since the before the Lich King era." Joan spoke in a rough voice.

Eris was far enough away, that she could hear her god talking, but she didn't know to who, or what was said... She was mostly still pondering over who she was... She would have to leave where she was and venture across half the center of the Inner Garden to hear him, even with her hearing.

Jack wasn't bothered by talking in front of Eris either, he knew she couldn't hear him since he could hear her. Even if she could, he wasn't worried as sitting within his rib cage was the woman's heart. He would have Tux later run as many tests on it as he could... He had some ideas for this heart.

[Does everyone use the Lich King as the bookmark of History???] Jack wondered, as he began to speak.

"Yes. It seems she's one of their princesses."

"One of? What makes you think she isn't the only one?"

"No King is going to have their only daughter venture out."

"She seems a bit off, so their King could be getting rid of her."

"True, but I'm sure he would have other children."

"Of course, my God-King," Joan replied respectfully, yielding.

"So, you also think she's off?"

"...My God-King... Listen to me... I lost my mind, and only recovered when you cured me of my madness, right?"

"Yes..." Jack wondered where this was going.

"I don't think you can cure her... Or..."

"Or what?"

"She is the best actress I've ever seen. Either way, I would be wary of her."

"Noted," Jack spoke, as he placed his hand into his robes and between his ribs. He touched the beating heart within his bones... The steady rhythm reminded him of a time when he had one.

Eris who was still in thought felt a tightness in her chest, as she looked up to see her god's back. She smiled, as she knew he was touching her heart...

[Maybe he doesn't hate me. Then it's only a matter of time...] She thought to herself.

As Jack was gently touching Eris' heart, he heard his laptop sound.

[Just at the right time!] Jack nodded, as he withdrew his hand.