Chapter 5 #2
Then suddenly I’m looking up at the Strigoi King from the floor.
My knees should hurt from hitting the ground. Yet they don’t.
Maybe I’ve lost my ability to feel.
All I can focus on is his intense stare and the flicker of red that appears in his otherwise black irises. I feel hypnotized. Lost. Utterly consumed.
“This is how I expect to be greeted, Ms. Dalca. Preferably with your lips parted just like that so I can feed you my cock as I please.”
His words send a jolt through me, one that seems to stir me from my delirious mental state. “Excuse me?” The words leave me even as a flurry of sensation warms my lower belly.
Because something about kneeling for him feels right.
And the idea of him feeding me his cock?
My thighs clench. Yeah, I like that a little too much.
Which is insane. Or maybe it’s magic. Am I enthralled?
Of course I’m enthralled. I’ve been enthralled by the myth surrounding his existence for years.
Count Negru’s grip tightens in my hair as the tip of his tail slips up my leg—beneath my dress.
My eyes widen, my body tensing.
Then I gasp when he strokes my hip.
“Cotton?” he asks, then tsks. “That is not what I expect you to wear. Satin, lace, or nothing. Understand?”
I blink. “What?”
He gives me a bored look. “It would be wise not to vex me with cluelessness, Ms. Dalca. We both know you heard me without issue. So be a good pet and remove that offensive material from between your thighs.”
My jaw… drops.
I… I’m torn between being offended and doing exactly what he’s requested. It’s confusing. It’s thrilling. It’s wrong.
“I don’t even know you,” I manage to force out.
Of course, the words lack heat since they’re not really true. I know everything about him. Rather, I’ve… I’ve researched him for a long time.
But I thought he was a vampire.
And I actually have no idea what to call him other than Negru. Maybe that’s his first name. I’m not sure because he didn’t really introduce himself. Just called himself a Strigoi King.
Then proceeded to start talking about kneeling and—
His grip in my hair tightens. “Human formalities don’t exist here.” His tail traces my underwear, the pointed tip making me shiver as it slides beneath the fabric. “This is my nest. My expectations. My kingdom. My rules.”
A gasp escapes me as his tail slices through the thin cotton strip, freeing it from one hip.
“You will obey,” he goes on as that triangled end glides along my lower belly. “You will feed me. Pleasure me. Do whatever it is that I desire. Because I’m the king here. And you’re my new pet.”
Fire licks up my spine as the fabric loosens on the opposite side, his appendage having cut right through the fabric with a tiny flick.
I’m frozen.
Not with fear.
Not with uncertainty.
Just… just frozen. Because I have no idea how to respond to any of this.
I knew he would be dangerous. Cruel, even. It was a risk I was very willing to take. Heck, it was a risk I desired.
I’ve dreamt of him a thousand times. I thought the fantasies were simply inspired by Gaby’s books. But maybe… maybe they were glimpses of the future. Of this Strigoi King making me his pet, just like he said.
His tail slides between my legs, taking my underwear down my thighs. I shiver, utterly captivated by his touch, his words, his commanding presence.
He stares down at me, his black irises swirling with crimson flares. “Am I going to have to compel you to behave, Viviana?”
I swallow, somewhat distracted by his question. “Strigoi can compel? Like vampires?”
His eyebrow arches, his fingers seeming to flex in my hair as his opposite hand reaches my panties, which are being held up by that sharp triangle tip. He grabs the fabric and brings it to his nose, his gaze temporarily shadowing as he closes his eyes.
Oh God. My thighs clench.
This isn’t… this isn’t…
I don’t…
I expected a powerful vampire. An alluring one. A reclusive creature I would only see from afar, snap a few photos of, and… and document in my thesis.
Not this.
Not some fantasy out of one of Gaby’s books.
Maybe I’m dreaming, I think, bewildered.
But, God, I hope not.
I want this to be real.
To be here. With him.
Even if I am on my knees and peering up into a pair of narrowed eyes.
He tucks my underwear into his pocket, then strokes my chin with his thumb.
“There will be no asinine questions, pet,” he murmurs. “In fact, I think it best if you only part those pretty lips when I request use of your mouth.”
Any other man saying that to me would have me wanting to punch him in the groin.
But this isn’t a man.
He’s a monster.
One I happen to have a lot of questions for, so I arch a brow. “That rule isn’t going to work for me.”
His long lashes flutter, a flash of surprise crossing his features. “You speak as though the rules are negotiable.”
“All rules are negotiable.”
“Not between us.” The light touch on my face turns harsh as he pinches my chin. “I’m your king now, Viviana. The one you worship on your knees. The one you serve. Now tell me you understand.”
My jaw clenches beneath his touch, my own gaze narrowing. The physical response is intrinsic. Asinine. And completely at odds with the tingling sensation warming my insides.
However, my mind has finally woken up, the thrall of meeting this creature slowly disintegrating behind a fresh, cool wave of reality.
As I told Marius earlier, I understood the potential consequences of meeting a monster. But I never actually cared.
Because the reward has always been worth the risk.
That hasn’t changed.
Which is why I grab his wrist now—the one connected to the hand holding my jaw—and very clearly say, “No.”
I won’t tell him I understand.
I won’t obey.
And I will not serve him.
“You might be a Strigoi King, but I haven’t agreed to be your anything,” I go on. “So if you expect me to behave, then I need to have a say in the rules. Otherwise, I’ll simply refuse to cooperate. And then you’ll have to compel me, which would be so incredibly depressing.”
His brow furrowed while I spoke, his eyes seeming to search mine.
So I decide to add one more statement before he delivers whatever verdict is brewing inside that ancient head of his.
“Please don’t disappoint me by taking the easy route, King Negru. It’ll degrade everything I’ve learned about you over the years, and I really don’t want that vision destroyed by something as boring as compulsion.”