“I’m hungry, Sebastian. I had intended to go over your research with you, to give you an idea of what I’m looking for.” She strode closer, the sapphire silk pooling against the floor around her feet like water. “However, I think my mind will be much clearer if I feed first.”
I wanted to snarl at her, to shove her away, but I knew it would do no good. In her service it was less likely she would drain me to the point of death, but it wasn’t unheard of, especially if I managed to piss her off. It didn’t stop my desire to rail at my place in this world. I wasn’t a damn food source. I was a human. A person. Did my desires even matter to her? My thoughts? She had said I could speak my mind here. Was it worth the risk though? Before the thought had even finished forming, my traitorous mouth was opening.
“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your meal. There will be plenty of blood for you at the family breakfast—” I paused for a fraction of a second before belatedly adding, “Mistress.” It didn’t cancel out the blasphemy of my statement, but it did add a modicum of respect.
Apparently my tongue didn’t care about the risk, and maybe it was better this way. If she was going to kill me after my outburst, at least I would finally have peace. It was better than becoming a leech, that was for sure. Better than being forced to spend every day waiting on her hand and foot, waiting for her to tire of me and turn me over to be tortured and drained. Hell, for all I knew she was one of the fangs who enjoyed torture, who would turn her teeth, her claws, and more onto me in order to enjoy the sound of my screams. Yes, this was better, and there was no way I was going to die cowering. I lifted my chin, my eyes catching her sapphire ones as I waited for her judgment.
The corners of her eyes crinkled as her plush lips tilted upwards into a smile. “There now. Speaking your mind wasn’t so hard, was it?” Her tone was ominously teasing, her laugh husky as she watched me. “Unfortunately, I told you yesterday I would feed from you this morning. I do keep my word. You have my protections, but that comes with responsibilities of its own. I will feed from you, Sebastian.” As if she could see into my soul, she cocked her head, searching my body, my face, reading everything inside of me in a way that made me want to lash out. She might own my blood, but not my soul. “I’m not one to torture my pets, Sebastian.” Her words were soft, as if she sought to calm and reassure me. “I don’t see a point in it. It makes a bond more difficult, which increases the time I have to spend gentling you, and it means I have to go longer between feedings while I wait for you to heal and your blood to replenish.”
“You can just let me work,” I reasoned, trying again. I wasn’t going to beg, but maybe, with logic, she would see what she was doing was wrong. Was corrupted. Was sexy. I could have slapped myself at that mental interjection, and I swallowed hard against the words, drawing her eyes to my throat.
“No, Sebastian. You can’t. This first full feeding will bind us with more than that bracelet you wear.” Her tongue darted out, licking across her lips in a slow, sensual motion.
“You’ll take my free will,” I snarled.
“Ah, but were you ever free?” She smirked at me even as I wanted to shake her. “It won’t remove your will, Sebastian. It will simply bind you to me, prevent you from spilling my secrets.” Prevent me from killing her. Though the words didn’t pass her lips, I was sure that would be part of it. What animal wanted something that would hunt it in its sleep? I’d heard of the binding magic, though part of me had assumed it to be false speculation, similar to the idea that vampires could control you with their minds. They didn’t need to do that, not when they controlled so well via fear.
“I won’t force you into my bed, but I will eat. It won’t hurt. You won’t even notice the lack of blood as I have no intentions to drain you. You are useful to me, and I would rather eat here than with my family.” Her nose wrinkled as she considered her words. “Though I’m sure I’ll still have to make appearances at family dinners to keep the peace.”
“So just eat later. Fasting is good for you.” Oh my God, could I be any more petulant? A peal of laughter ripped from her, making those curls dance around her.
“No, it’s really not.” Her smile dropped as she inclined her head. “Chair or bed, your choice. I will warn you that the sensations can be a bit… extreme. Since you are opposed to sharing my bed, a chair may be a less sensual option.”
“Chair it is then,” I growled, striding forward and dropping into the same chair I’d used the night before.
“Of course,” she acquiesced, following behind me. I thrust my wrist toward her, focusing my eyes on the books in front of me as my lip curled in disgust. “Oh no, my pet,” she purred, ignoring my proffered arm. “What I took last night was just a sip. Feeding from you will require your neck. It is by far the easiest location.” She moved behind me, her dress making a soft noise at it trailed across the floor. My shoulders tightened as I felt the heat of her body behind me, a heat that was far more subtle than with my human brethren or even the witches I’d been around. Was that because she was hungry, or did she always run cooler than I did? Was the binding magic triggered by the medallion on my wrist, or did she have to initiate it herself? The urge to ask these questions, to ask all of the questions about vampires that had burned inside of me for years, railed inside me. I was a scholar, and going without answers when they were right at my fingertips simply felt wrong. Her fingers trailed lightly up and down the side of my neck, raising goosebumps in their wake. I gritted my teeth against the pleasure that her touch was causing, fighting it back. I couldn’t give in to a vampire, no matter how good her touch felt. Remember, you’re just food to her. It’s going to hurt like hell when she bites you. She’s just trying to get under your defenses so you don’t fight as hard.
“Relax,” she murmured, her breath hot against my ear.
“When you’re the one about to be gnawed on, then you can tell me to relax,” I snapped at her, even as she continued to stroke my neck and across my shoulders, her slender fingers ducking underneath the collar of my shirt.
Her fingers were toying with the edge of my hair when she chuckled. “You really think I haven’t been bitten before, pet?” I froze in place as I considered her question. Honestly, that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Vampires didn’t feed from each other, at least not that I knew of. Added to that, she was the heir to the vampiric throne—even if she could provide blood to others, why would she when she outranked almost all of them? She pressed her fingers into the knots of my neck, working them loose as I considered the bomb she’d just dropped on me. “Vampires bite for many reasons, Sebastian. We bite our lovers to increase each other’s pleasure to a level that you can’t even begin to understand. We bite when we fight, and I’m trained to defend myself and those I care for.”
“You’re a princess,” I pointed out, my muscles relaxing under her massage. “What would you know of fighting, let alone protecting anyone else.”
“I’m not some human princess in one of your fairy-tale books.” Her lips gently grazed the side of my neck, though she didn’t bite.