I also wasn’t very keen on drawing too much attention to her tonight. She was mine, and as long as the other kingdoms were still preparing for a possible war, I needed to make sure to cause no extra trouble.
“Ladies, excuse me. I need to declare some things first before I come back,” I told them. The biggest lie ever, but who cared. Soon they will find someone else to screw with.
My gaze wandered around, seeing my brother’s long purple hair as he made out with some man in the corner of the room. I couldn’t recognize the face behind his purple mask, but his hair was a golden blonde. He resembled Nathaniel, but I wasn’t sure if he’d ever risk bringing him here, knowing what Dandelion would think of it.
And then my eyes were glued toher.
Only some meters away was she standing, wearing a silvergown with puffy sleeves and an embroidered corset with more glitter than a herd of unicorns together. I did not have enough time to let her choose a dress, so it became my friend’s task, and it shouldn’t surprise me that he picked outhisfavorite colors. My love was an absolute feast for the eyes, the most breathtaking person in this room—and she belonged to me.
“You look like a lost puppy,” I remarked.
She turned around to face me, and I smelled the alcohol on her lips. Only an hour later than I promised to pick her up, and she was already drunk. I was so angry. I had warned her about all the goblin men being here tonight and the vampires that could not wait to get between her legs.
“I’m not lost, I’m having fun,” she responded, and my gaze dropped to her luscious hips, which began to sway with some man I didn’t know. He twirled her around and touched her ass.
“Hey,” I protested. In a second, I gripped this man’s head and forced him to meet my eyes. “If you ever touch a woman that does not belong to you, I will kill you slowly and painfully. Do you understand?” The man nodded and vanished in seconds.
“Oh, how do I look in this dress?” Her question took me by surprise. Didn’t she register that this man just grabbed her ass, and I threatened him with death?
“It’s better not to express out loud what I’m thinking by looking at you.”
“Why?” Gods, this woman was too pure and innocent. She had no idea why all the men were lusting after her. Gwendolyn reminded me of the ancient goddessIele… untamed, the epitome of grace and wildfire, a creature born to make me beg for more. She didn’t know how utterly breathtaking she looked in that dress, like a moonlit faerie stepping from heaven just to bring me to my knees.
“Every man is undressing you with his eyes… and I’m one second away from ripping their eyes out for gazing at what ismine. So, unless you want me to fuck you right here on the floor in front of everyone else, you should come with me.”
“If you want me to come with you, you must catch me first.” She grinned and took off running through the crowd.
I was surprised by her playful behavior, as she acted quite guarded and hesitant most of the time. I wondered how much of the faerie wine she had consumed. It was better to find her before the side effects would get to her head. The vampire side of me loved to chase anyway—it was part of our natural instinct to catch and feed. With her, I never wanted to try it out. As a human she was too vulnerable and fragile… I was afraid that I would crush her.
Although I couldn’t feed from anyone else but her, she carried the only blood Icraved.
She ran outside of the ballroom without any sense of direction, fled into the garden and then across the stone pathway right into theHall of Illusions, a room built like a labyrinth of glass panes and mirrors, creating different reflections to mess with your brain. Not that we wanted to get mad here, but if any place in Carnivalland was chosen for it, it was probably this house. Too bad that my little demon had run directly into it without realizing what it entailed.
This place might have been a fun attraction for my people as they enjoyed it for entertainment and laughter. I would only use it for the thrill—to chase her, to catch her and to taste her until she screamed my name.
“Where do you think you are going, sweetheart?” I asked her, a low, playful rumble escaping me. I could already feel my vampire side enjoying the thrill of this situation. Due to my heightened hearing abilities, I was able to listen to her heartbeat and her fast breaths that told me exactly where she was.
“Baby, I’ll find you and when I do, you’ll be trapped,” I warned her, hoping she would come to her senses and that there was nochance of running away from me.
It was very quiet. The only sound were my footsteps echoing through the hall as I stepped deeper into the labyrinth to see where this haunting beauty had hidden herself.
“You can’t hide from me forever,” I called out.
I continued following the twisting and turning corridors of the maze, her breaths growing louder and closer with each of my steps.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, love. You’re mine.”
I caught a glimpse of movement in one of the mirrors—she was running straight toward me without realizing.
“Got you,” I said and gripped her waist to spin her around.
“Xavier, stop,” she yelled, and yet laughed. The faerie wine had really gotten to her head.
“I caught you, didn’t I? I’m your pawn, you can’t escape me, my little precious pet.”
“But I was dancing, I was okay...” she explained to me.
“You were dancing like a madman trying to get laid, and then you just ran away like a misbehaving imp.” I tangled my hand in her hair, forcing her gaze to meet mine. I could devour her whole, and it still wouldn’t be enough for me.
