Chapter Hunger
I stood before Sariel in front of his chamber. I was barefoot and wearing nothing but a shoulder-strapped silk nightgown. He scanned me from head to toe and grabbed my hand, intending to lead me into his room, but then he stopped before crossing the threshold.
"I have to close the curtains," he explained.
"No need," I smirked as I boldly opened the door myself.
His face betrayed shock, a similar expression I'd seen on Will. He stood in awe, watching me as I entered his sunlit room, confidently gliding towards the window. Once I fully exposed myself to the light, I turned around to face him. He chuckled, closed the door behind him, and slowly walked over to me. His smile widened the longer he looked at me. I could feel his relief. I could feel the tension that finally left his muscles, as he saw that the new life he had given me wasn't going to be a life I would live in the darkness.
"You've given me an amazing gift," I said, reaching out my hand toward him.
"I would have given anything to you." He captured my hand and kissed the top of my palm.
I glanced at him with a teasing grin. "Can I have you then?"
He pulled me closer and smirked, "You already have me, my Queen."
His last word wiped the smile off my face. "But I'm not the queen. I'm not even your legal wife," I corrected.
"Let's say that my marriage with Elora was annulled." He formed his lips into a wicked smirk.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He kissed my hand again and then led me to sit on his bed.
"Elora had never been pregnant. She faked her pregnancy and gave a false promise of giving birth to a perfect pureblood. She knew that the board of nobles was going to grant her lifelong protection if she did that. Of course, she knew that she could only fool everyone until I came back... That was why I was supposed to die on the battlefield so that she could keep pretending to be pregnant until she gained full control over the kingdom. However, the army of degenerates had been completely defeated, and with that, Elora's plan failed. She escaped from the Palace the day we won, doing exactly what I needed to officially accuse her of treason. Once it happened, our marriage ceased to exist," he said, gently rubbing my hand.
I smiled wryly, knowing that Elora was still out there somewhere, most likely planning some kind of revenge. Sariel must have been aware of it as well but didn't mind celebrating one victory before thinking of walking into another battle. I sat closer, leaning into him.
"You need to tell me how it all works... I have never been a vampire before, you know?" I muttered, sliding my arms around his waist.
He chuckled, "I can tell you how it is supposed to work for the commoner, but I'm quite certain it doesn't apply to you."
"Because the sun doesn't bother me?" I asked, leaning back to look into his eyes.
He grinned meanly. "Because you don't run around, devoured by bloodthirst, trying to suck everyone dry."
A cold shiver ran through my body. "Did you and Will expect me to behave like this?" I smiled nervously. "Yes, quite much." Sariel nodded.
"Then it's a good thing that there are no humans here that I could suck dry." I let out an awkward laugh.
"Well... vampires don't necessarily need human blood. We prefer human blood because it tastes better and is much more nutritious, but a vampire can drink another vampire's blood... The only problem is that it rarely satisfies the hunger," he explained.
"So... as a commoner, I should become a bloodthirsty creature, running wild, and piercing my fangs into everything that moves?" Saying those words aloud left a weird aftertaste on my tongue.
Sariel locked his eyes on me. "Every newborn commoner goes insane right after waking up. They are dying of hunger," he said, suspiciously examining my reaction to his words.
My muscles tensed. I felt anxious not feeling the need to drink blood. It instantly made me feel that I was lacking something important...
I shifted, correcting my seat as if it had become uncomfortable. "Then... there must be something wrong with me..." I muttered, lowering my head.
Sariel lifted my chin, positioning me to look directly into his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with you," he assured, "you are perfect... I think you are much more like a noble in every possible way."
I knew he wanted to comfort me, but his words didn't make my restlessness go away. "I don't even have fangs..."
He burst out laughing.
"What?" I frowned.
He gently stroked my cheek. "Let's just say that the fangs react to your mood. They grow when you are prepared to eat," he smirked.
His camouflaged answer didn't make me feel any less uncomfortable, but then I thought that I should feel lucky that I hadn't turned into a bloodthirsty monster. I sighed heavily, trying to put everything Sariel had told me in order when suddenly he stood up and walked to his safe. He entered the code and a minute later, he walked back carrying a glass filled with red, thick liquid.
"Drink," he ordered.
I took the glass from him and sniffed it. To me, blood used to have an iron-like scent and nothing else. Now, I could smell something sweet, delicate, and even flowery. I knew that it was the blood of a woman in her early twenties. How the hell did I know that? And, more importantly, how did Sariel get a young woman's blood in his safe?! I looked at him with question marks in my eyes. He snorted.
"Don't worry too much. It's from the blood bank. It's A+. Just give it a try." He shrugged, urging me to take a sip.
I brought the glass closer to my mouth and let the thick liquid flow through my lips and down my throat. Strangely, I didn't dislike its taste, as if I had been familiar with it for many years. Instantly, I felt a massive boost of energy, generously fueling every cell in my body. It felt amazing.
"Wow..." I muttered, looking at the half-empty glass.
Sariel smirked, amused by my reaction, then took the glass from my hand and finished, swallowing the rest of the blood in one gulp. There was something amazingly sexy in
that reminded me of when he'd sunk his teeth into my flesh for the first time. My arousal increased just by recalling how it felt. Then thought that my blood must taste different than before and wouldn't affect him the same way. My anxiety resurfaced in an instant. I began to wonder what it was going to be between us from this moment...
eway he did it, he'ds. Bet
"Are you hungry?" Sariel asked, pulling me out of the daze.
"What?" I muttered, raising my eyebrows, but then felt my stomach growl.
He laughed, "My amazing Lilith has nothing of a commoner. You were born to become a royal." He slightly lifted my hand and kissed the sensitive back of my wrist, brushing his lips against the faint blue lines o my veins.
I gasped when he did it. It sent an electric shock that made me squeeze my thighs, feeling the sensitive spot between them throb. I jerked my hand away from his grasp. Sariel's teasing made me want to throw myself on him and make wild and passionate love for hours... but I was still restless. I wanted him even more than before, but was it the same for him?
I exhaled my agitation and cleared my throat. "Don't commoners get hungry?" I asked, hoping to grasp all the rules of the new life I was living.
"They only care for blood. Their stomachs certainly never make lovely sounds like yours," Sariel chuckled. "Nobles are different. We need blood to regain our strength, but we eat one meal a day at least..." He scanned me carefully and then said, "I'm sure that Will is going to be thrilled when he hears that you are nothing like a commoner. He said you would become an incredibly special vampire."
I smiled shyly. Still, discovering everything about the new me gave me the same amount of excitement as fright. It could be easier if I was a "normal" commoner with the rules of my existence written in stone fo centuries.
"Go to your room and get dressed. It's a lovely day, so I will arrange some dinner for us on the patio." Sariel's grin helped me push away my nerves.
I nodded, and a minute later, I was putting on a dress from the chamber's closet. I bet it was Dominique who chose my wardrobe... again, but this time I didn't mind the sexy look those clothes were giving me. desperately needed something that could build up my self-confidence.
A few minutes later, I found myself
walking down the stairs of the main building of the Palace. I was
stepping gracefully in my nude Louboutins, wearing a white corset dress with a flared knee-long skirt. The dress had beautiful lace
ornaments that added a litt
V
sassiness to it. I let my hair loose, letting them brush my naked shoulders, and of all the make-up, I put only a little lip gloss. It gave me all the confidence I needed.
I had never been to that part of the Palace; I wasn't allowed to go there. The patio was opened to the main building's private rose garden. Once I saw it, I had to stop to admire it.
"Do you like it, my Queen?" Sariel came from behind me and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I love it." I gave him a warm smile.
He smiled back at me and led me to
a table prepared for us in the small bower, standing in the middle of the patio. I could feel his eyes on me with each step I took. The heat ran through me: My arousal rose again God... I wanted to eat him instead of dinnerbl swallowed hard, inwardly scolding myself for lack of self-control, but then it only became worse. I ineptly tried to focus on the food, but I couldn't. Sariel's intense gaze on me didn't help me either. I held my fork and knife so tight in my grip that my knuckles whitened. I shifted restlessly in my seat, like a cat in the heat. I had never been so far on the edge of losing control over my own body.
Sariel stood up and poured wine into my glass. He did it while leaning over me, letting me feel his scent more clearly than before. I was going insane. I drank the wine in one gulp before he got back to his seat. When he saw my glass was already empty, he chuckled, but then his gaze became more piercing and breathtaking than before. His pupils lit up in red.
"Are you hungry for me, my love?" he asked, his voice sending shivers across my body.
"W-what?" I laughed hysterically.
He smirked and seductively licked his lip. "I'm asking because your eyes are burning and... your fangs are out."
"Oh, God." My hand desperately rushed to cover my mouth.