I had to stay calm… because if I let a part of my vampire nature slip through, if she saw me not just watching her, but also wanting her in that dark, fucking unholy way, she would run away from me.
And I’d devour the chase.
I should’ve looked away. Should’ve left her alone in that damn bath and walked the hell out of there. Butno, I needed to bring her right into my arms, inhale her scent and feel her soft skin against mine. The towel barely covered her thighs, and all Iwanted was to stroke them and feel her sensitive flesh.
Fuck.
I turned away for a heartbeat, trying to swallow down my lust, to stop from awakening the beast rattling beneath my skin. My fists clenched, my nails biting into my palms. My body was tense.
I needed to stop the craving, and I had no idea how… because I had never drunk from another in that way… never felt the urge toclaimsomeone else with my teeth. This wasn’t just a thirst for blood… it was a thirst forher.
I wanted her so much.
Not the way humans wanted each other. No, it went deeper. I longed tomark her with my hunger, possess her in ways that shouldn’t be allowed, carve myself into her existence so deeply that the thought of another would feel likesin. I wanted to own her slowly, to let my hunger seep into her veins until she could no longer remember the world she knew before me…a world that was never worthy of her.
But she was too innocent to know what red eyes meant. Too soft to understand the darkness pacing behind my ribs.
For a moment, I couldn’t move. The compulsion of bending her over the bench and spanking her sweet ass in the middle of the bathroom was too inviting. The thought by itself brought me to the edges of madness. She was so close to me, her heartbeat a steady rhythm against the silence and darkness of my own, the scent of her blood filling my lungs with every breath she took.
Control.I needed to control it.
However, all I was thinking about was her.
Her eyes widened, lips parting to speak, probably to question me again, and all I could do was imagine how good they would feel around my cock.
No.I should stop thinking about such things.
With a sharp inhale, I tried to force my hunger backdown, wrestling it into submission despite being anything but submissive myself. I exhaled slowly, forcing my body to obey. I felt how the red slowly bled away, the green of my eyes returning…
Her pretty brown eyes blinked several times at me, possibly wondering if she was imagining the whole thing or drowning in madness herself. I didn’t want her to be scared. And although I could get off to pain and fear, they weren’t the emotions I aimed to stir in her delicate body. I wanted to touch her, to stroke the softness of her skin. Gwendolyn still looked unsure, as if something in her gut told her to run. Not that I would ever allow her to run away from here. She belonged to me, and I did intend to keep her.
“If I tell you what I am Gwendolyn… there is no going back… I’m not sure you’re even ready for it.”
My fingertips reached out to graze over the skin of her wrist. Just a touch, just enough to ground her, to pull her away from the questions in her head. I was almost afraid she would pull back her hand, but she didn’t.
“Are you afraid of me?” I murmured, tilting her chin slightly to look into my eyes. Gwendolyn was blessed with the most stunning brown eyes I’d ever seen, like they were carved by sin itself just waiting to ruin me. Fuck. It already started to happen. She could ask me anything with those eyes, and I’d give it to her. It was impossible to look away from them.
I brushed my thumb over her lips, so soft and soon to be touched by my own.
“Are you afraid?” I asked again, her gaze capturing mine just to undo me in this very moment.
“No,” she whispered so softly, and yet I knew she was lying. Shewantedto believe it. And for now, that was enough for me. As I watched her, I was still fighting the hunger burning beneath my skin, praying to my cock it wouldn’t do anything I would regret.
“Why could I hear your voice in my head when I saw the raven?”
I gazed at her, taking every inch of her tempting beauty in. Her eyes followed every one of my strokes against her skin. She had spent enough time hiding away in a place that judged her, in a world where people followed the norm to not speak out. But I’d never allow her to feel judged, not here,not with me.
Instead of giving her a reply, I carried her through the doorway, the warmth of the bath steam fading behind us. The fresh air cooled my skin as I tried to ground myself.
“Where… where are we going?”
“I think you should dress… before we discuss anything further.”
Every resident of this castle would be wise to keep their distance tonight. No one would lay eyes on Gwendolyn in that little towel. I wouldn’t allow it. That sight wasreservedfor my eyes only.
Before the chaos of my thoughts exploded, I placed her on my bed, picking out a piece of clothing for her. A beautiful black dress with a flowing silhouette that fell a little above her knees and was made out of a rich, dark silk fabric. The bodice was fitted and embroidered with shimmering lace in midnight-blues and greens and came with the fitting cape. The perfect way of hiding this sweet treasure for as long as possible. Because no one was as curious as the people who lived here. Her skin was still damp, wrapped in nothing but a towel. I noticed how she clutched the piece of fabric against her body, the towel pressing against the dress.
I stepped forward, crouching in front of her. I’d never bowed to anyone before, but for her I’d be on my damn knees and crawl like a little pet.
