Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
CIPRIAN
Fuck, she tastes amazing.
Her blood. Her pussy. Her ecstasy.
I’ve seen females come before. But this is my first time being the cause of a woman’s pleasure. The first time I’ve actually understood the allure of watching a partner fall apart. The first time I’ve ever desired to indulge in the experience and feel the orgasm for myself.
Only it’s my fingers in her cunt now as she climaxes for me.
She’s no longer awake, just living in a dream of ecstasy.
It’s dangerous. Her heartbeat is less steady. Her breaths are shallow.
I need to stop feasting.
To stop drinking.
To stop forcing pleasure from her exquisite form.
But I want more. I’m not ready to give her a break. I need her to keep up. To live. To do this for hours, days, weeks, maybe even months.
And I want it to happen while my cock is in her slick warmth. Deep inside her. Where I belong…
My shaft throbs, my balls demanding that I take action. Strip myself. Shove myself into her wet pussy. And fuck.
Except I need her to be awake for the experience. Watch her eyes as I make her fall apart over and over. Hear her delicious screams. Her cute little whimpers.
Gods, I’m obsessed.
I lick her again, loving her citrusy flavor. It’s tainted with her blood. That decadent mixture is my new favorite drink. A blossoming addiction.
Only, it’s not as lively as it was before.
Because my pet is dying.
I growl. “This is why I needed you to eat,” I tell her, irritated that she didn’t obey.
But I’m even more annoyed with myself because I lost control and rushed the experience.
Feeling her clench around my tail for a second time proved to be too much for my patience.
I stood with her in my arms, then spread her out on the table.
Food and drinks were lost.
All I wanted was her.
So I ripped up her dress and pressed my mouth to her cunt… and sank my fangs into her clit.
I told myself I would be satisfied with a few swallows.
It was a lie.
Looking at her now, I realize I’ve taken far too much. More than I’ve ever demanded of my prey.
She’s going to die.
I stand between her lifeless legs, studying her trimmed mound and the mingling essence painting her pretty pussy lips.
My tail caresses her calf before traveling higher, my heart seeming to hammer in my rib cage.
This sight captivated me before, made my inner beast roar with triumph and need. So I fed. I indulged. But now…
I swallow.
I’m no longer captivated. I’m devastated.
We’ve only just begun.
She can’t fucking die yet.
This female is the first one I’ve ever desired to do more to than bite. The first female I’ve ever licked or pleasured or experienced in any other way than a quick strike to the neck.
She tastes divine. Like a bright, beautiful day. A renewed existence. Citrus trees bathing in the afternoon sun.
“No.” It comes out on a snarl of sound. “No. I do not accept this, pet.”
She will live.
She will eat.
She will prepare herself for me.
And she will fucking survive everything I want to do to her.
Lifting my wrist to my mouth, I sink my fangs into the skin and rip.
Then I push the gushing wound to her mouth. “Fucking drink,” I demand. “Then you’re going to sleep this off, and we’ll try again in the morning.”
Because I will be enjoying her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And anything else I desire in between.
When her throat doesn’t move like it should, I wrap my palm around her nape and drag her lifeless body up off the table. She feels fragile in my arms, the sensation at odds with the feisty temperament she exuded earlier.
My lips flatten. “I’m displeased, pet.” I hold her against me, bite my wrist again just to ensure it doesn’t heal, and press it to her mouth once more. “Drink.”
This time, I lace compulsion through the word. It’s intrinsic. Natural. Yet makes me wince inside because I can hear her expressing disappointment at me choosing an “easy” method for forcing her compliance.
Well, I prefer that over her dying.
So if she wants to chastise me once she wakes, I’ll allow it.
Then I’ll kiss her and fuck her against the wall.
Hmm, no, I think. No, I’ll make her eat first.
Or perhaps I’ll feed her my cock and give her my cum as an appetizer.
I consider that option as I watch her slender throat move. Instead of blood, I imagine it’s my masculine essence. Coating her insides. Bathing her in my presence. My claim.
I’ve never desired such an experience.
But with her, I would easily enjoy marking her in that way.
I shift my palm from her nape to the back of her head, loving the way her silky strands feel against my skin.
She truly is beautiful. Petite, too. Intelligent. Unique.
“You’re an ideal pet,” I inform her softly. “I like that you don’t fear me.” Of course, that may change now that I nearly killed her. But I hope not. “I didn’t intend to hurt you.” I mean it. “I got carried away.”
She can’t hear me.
However, my words are not really for her. I just feel like I need to voice them, to make everything clear. Perhaps more to myself than to Viviana. I’m… I’m not quite sure.
This is unprecedented.
I knew she was different the moment I learned of her existence. But I never dreamed she would live up to my expectations for her.
Fuck, I’m rather certain she surpassed them.
Which is asinine, as I’ve barely had my fill of her.
She passed out too quickly.
“Next time I tell you to eat, you will listen,” I inform her flatly. “That may not have saved you tonight, but it would have helped you last a little longer.”
In theory, anyway.
Although, I did drink a lot. More than I ever have before. Yet I still feel parched. Specifically, for her.
“We will work up to this together,” I decide out loud. “You will learn how to take me, and I will learn how to… pace myself.”
That feels like a reasonable compromise.
I study her face, noting the way the color has returned to her cheeks.
She’s still drinking, which isn’t truly necessary, but I rather like the way her mouth feels against my wrist.
My immortality will renew her strength, make her less breakable, and perhaps even create other, interesting effects.
This won’t turn her. That’s a lore that exists for vampire kind. Strigoi must be born. But blood exchange like this is a mating practice.
If I feed her two more times, she will become mine.
My gaze roams over her, my mind forming a picture of our potential future.
As my mate, she would bear my heirs.
“Mmm,” I hum, tracking my gaze down over her breasts, which are shapely and plump beneath the dress, to her flat abdomen. “I think I rather like the idea of you growing with my seed inside you.” It would claim her as mine in a whole new way. Plus, the breeding part would be most enjoyable.
With her, I think, my cock hardening again.
My erection finally waned after seeing her almost dead on the table. But now my need returns with renewed vigor, the idea of forcing my seed to take root inside her making me want to rouse her and tell her to run, just so I can hunt her like prey.
“Fuck, pet,” I whisper, still staring at her torso and imagining her carrying our child. “You’re bewitching.”
I finally remove my wrist from her mouth, then lean down to lick her lips clean. She responds by kissing me, her body automatically answering my call, just as it should.
Though, she’s still very much asleep.
“If you didn’t need rest, I would start breeding you right now,” I say against her mouth. “But you definitely require energy if I’m going to impregnate you.”
Saying it aloud makes my stomach clench with desire.
“We’ll see how much you can take tomorrow, Ms. Dalca. Test your limits. Determine if you’re worthy of a hunt.” I kiss her once more, dip my tongue into her mouth just to renew my claim there, then rearrange her in my arms so I can easily stand.
She curls into me, like she’s seeking my warmth and comfort.
It’s a movement that would normally have me dropping a mortal to the floor. But with her, I rather like it, so I purr for her in response.
It’s another instinctual reaction on my part, one reserved for a mate.
If Marius heard it, he would be duly startled—perhaps even more so than if I were to smile in his presence.
Well, it shocks me, too. Though, it shouldn’t. This female has intrigued me for years. Of course, I’m even more obsessed with her now that I finally have her in my arms.
“I cannot tell you how pleased I am that you’re continuing to fascinate me,” I tell her. “I was worried my infatuation might come to an abrupt end. However, you’ve proven to be… delectable.”
There are more words I would give her as praise, but I’m momentarily distracted in the kitchen as we pass through.
“Radu?” I say quietly, causing the intercom system to activate with an alert.
I wait.
“Yes, my lord?” a deep voice responds less than a minute later, the source of it coming from a speaker embedded in the ceiling.
“Can you please arrange an array of shelf-stable snacks and take them up to our guest’s quarters?” I ask my manor manager. “I assume Ms. Dalca will wake up hungry, and I would prefer her to have easy access to some sustenance.”
“I’ll prepare a tray for her, my lord.”
“Thank you, Radu,” I say. “And please provide her with water as well.”
“Of course, my lord.”
I nod, satisfied that he will get the job done, and continue onward through the main level toward the grand staircase in the front foyer. Flaring my wings, I fly us up to the second-floor landing, then walk the rest of the way to my pet’s quarters.
Her room already smells like her, all citrus with a subtle hint of spice—something I’ve only just begun to notice. Arousal, I recognize, more than familiar with that glorious fragrance now.
“You may not have realized your purpose in coming here, but your body more than accepted your fate, Ms. Dalca,” I murmur as I lay her on the bed.
Her fragility has lessened, leaving behind a strong female.
“My immortality looks good on you,” I inform her softly. “As does this gown. Alas, you’ll sleep more soundly in the nude.” I lean down to rip the fabric off of her, then pause to admire her gorgeous form.
Her nipples are a luscious pink, the tips beading as though begging for my mouth.
Or perhaps she’s already preparing for her purpose—to be bred.
An appreciative hum escapes me as I pull the remnants of the dress away from her, tossing all of the pieces to the floor. Then I bend over to kiss each breast.
“I think I’ll bite you here next, pet.” I drag my fangs across her peak, then lick the rosy tip. “Gods, you taste amazing.”
For a moment, I imagine how heavy her tits will become when producing milk for our child.
It’s a foreign fantasy, one I’ve never allowed myself to consider. Because I’ve never met someone I wanted to fuck, let alone impregnate.
But Viviana… she makes me want to dream.
I trace the underside of her breast with my finger, then test the weight of her plump flesh. It’s already the perfect size. Though, pregnancy would change her.
“You’ll just become even more stunning,” I decide out loud.
“We’ll discuss it more in the morning, sweet intended.
” I close my mouth around her nipple, giving it a little suck, then kiss a path up to her throat to lave her steady pulse.
“I can’t wait to make your heart race again.
” The words are a whisper against her ear.
She shivers beneath my touch, so I shift her around on the bed and bundle her in the blankets.
“Rest, pet,” I demand. “And wake up ready to obey. Or there will be consequences.”
I brush my lips against her forehead, then leave her to dream of me.
Tomorrow, her training will begin.
It isn’t easy being a Strigoi King’s intended mate. There are expectations. Rules. Dutiful requirements.
And, most importantly, there are trials. Not organized by me, but by my constituents.
That’s why I’ve been so selective about my companionship.
I need someone infallible. Someone unafraid of consequences. Someone willing to stand by my side.
Marius thought Viviana Dalca might be my “ticket home.”
I scoffed at the concept earlier, claiming she wasn’t a candidate.
But for the first time in centuries, I feel a glimmer of an emotion I thought long dead—hope.
Maybe Viviana is the one who will return me to my throne. Bear me an heir. Make me a true king.
Alas, the trials are not kind. They’re deadly. A means of Strigoi entertainment. And they’re not mine to manage.
If Viviana’s marked as my intended, then she’ll need to learn how to obey and assimilate. Or she’ll never survive in my world.
She’ll either become my mate and a Strigoi Queen.
Or she’ll fail.
And die.