Damien stumbled into his study like a maddened bull, the hem of his black coat whipping behind him as the wind blew mercilessly from the opened window. His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths betraying the quiet elegance he usually commanded.
He had barely managed to hold himself from taking her there and then. Her scent, her warm, milky skin had driven his senses wild.
His fangs protruded sharply, glistening in the pale candlelight, and his crimson eyes burned as though two pits of molten coals had been lodged in his skull.
He slammed the heavy door shut, causing the walls of the room to quiver ever so slightly from the impact.The scent of burning tallow filled the room, but it only aggravated him. His body ached with hunger, with need, with something far darker than thirst.
He lunged toward the ebony cupboard on the far wall, yanking the doors open with unnatural force.
Damien tore through them one after another, searching for the one vial that might hold enough human blood to sate him before he lost control.But the cupboard was bare.
"Damn it!" His voice cracked like a whip across the silence. He pressed a hand against the wood. His claws had already grown out fully, scraping deep furrows into the cupboard. His other hand trembled as he dragged it through his midnight hair, clutching fistfuls as if he could anchor himself by pain alone.
The bond. That cursed bond with Elena had started working. The King had told him about the effects of binding himself with his mate. It burned in his veins, pulling at him, demanding her essence, her blood, her submission. His jaw clenched hard. If he didn't control himself, he would do the unthinkable...
He closed his eyes, inhaling shallowly, trying to drag the raging hunger down but the monster in him only clawed higher.
And then
A hidden door at the far end of the study creaked open.
From the darkness stepped a figure cloaked in a red shadow with his face hidden by a hood. In his grip dangled the arm of a young servant girl. Her eyes were rolled back, glassy and white and her limbs were stiff as though her body had been drained of all her bones. She stood stiffly near the cloaked man looking possessed.
The figure's voice then came out light and humored as if trying to add more salt to the wound.
"Lost something, little prince?"
Damien's head snapped up. His blood red lips peeling back in a feral snarl that had been injured by his already outgrown fangs.
The figure nudged the girl forward making her body collapse onto the rug at Damien's feet. "I thought you might be… hungry."
The air thickened, heavy with tension and darkness. Damien's hands shook as he stared down at the servant, at the faint pulse beating weakly at her throat.
"I don't need your charity, Cassian. Get out!Now!," Damien hissed as he flung the girl across the room, landing her on the sofa.
The shadow chuckled softly, unaffected by the devilish look on his face.
"You don't want her? Strange. You look half-mad with thirst. Your hands are shaking and you know what happens when you leave your hunger for too long...." "It seems your precious bride already keeps you on a short leash." the shadowed figure continued as he walked slowly to the girl on the sofa, slinging her over his shoulder.
" Why should you weary yourself by a mere human girl? Quench your burning heart...brother"
Damien lost every ounce of restraint he had left. He lunged forward, sinking his fangs into the servant's throat with brutal force. Warm blood spilled across his tongue, hot and coppery, filling the void inside him with vicious pleasure. He drank without pause, his fingers digging into the girl's shoulders as if she were the only hope to life he had left.
Her body jerked once, twice then she went limp and fell to the floor dead.
Damien finally tore himself away. His lips glistened with a thin streak of blood that was both dangerous and impossibly handsome. His demonic aura weaved across the entire room, turning it ten shades darker than before.
The shadow clicked his tongue, stepping closer, and placed a hand on Damien's shoulder. "There now. That wasn't so difficult, was it?"
Damien's entire frame shook. He felt the unmistakable urge to hurl the figure into the wall and tear him apart for his mockery, but his body was still reeling with hunger. He could only clutch his hair and force his darkness deeper within himself. His eyes glowed wildly, interchanging between crimson red and deep violet.
"You're welcome," the figure murmured, before dragging the dead servant into the shadows and vanishing back through the hidden door.
Once the figure left, his knees gave way. He slumped to the floor in a heap, the blood staining his mouth but the monster in him silenced yet not satisfied. He let out a strangled roar, muffled by his palms pressed to his face.
Still shaking, he rose. His eyes were still burning red as he walked toward the open window.He vaulted through the frame in one leap, disappearing into the dark, moonless night.
Branches snapped beneath his boots as he tore through the undergrowth. The beast within him demanded more, more blood. He knew all too well the consequences of a royal blood restraining his hunger. The excruciating pain was worse than death or execution, enough to drive one to the cliff of creating an insane blood rampage.
He slaughtered wild creatures as he went, sucking each one dry of any drop of blood it had. Blood slicked his throat, though it lacked the intoxicating fire of human life.
When finally he collapsed to his knees on the forest floor, the first sliver of dawn touched the horizon. His chest rose and fell with slower breaths. He closed his eyes and leaned against the bark of a tree. For now, the thirst was dulled but he knew the relief would not last for long.
Binding himself to his mate and a human for that matter required him to drink from her. But he knew he couldn't.
Not yet...
..............
Elena stirred in her chamber when the door opened, inviting a barrage of women flocking into the room. A tall, hardened woman swept inside. She was the head maid and the royal mistress. Her gray hair was tied back in a tight knot, and black apron uniform was spotless. She bowed only the bare minimum before addressing her.
"Good morning, your highness," she said briskly. "Your training begins today."
Elena blinked,her eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Training?" she asked half asleep.
"You are now the prince's bride and therefore a royal," the stoic woman replied in a sharp yet polite tone. "You must carry yourself with grace befitting the Carstein name. Walk, bow, eat, speak—every detail must honor your station and position as a member of the royal family."
Elena pulled the covers closer around her, snuggling back to sleep. "I never asked for this. You are dismissed."
The maid's sharp eyes narrowed. "It was not a request, your highness. This is a mandatory activity for every new member of the kingdom."
Elena stirred back awake and turned to the woman offered a low bow once again.
Why didn't she obey my command? Don't I have that power anymore?.
Not wanting to drag the matter anymore, she decided to give in.
Her lessons included how to walk with the proper posture, how to eat, curtsey, bow and greet the royals. They started off with the basics for now. The head maid was very strict and pushed her to her limits while maintaining her respect to her as a royal.
Soon Elena found herself in the mirrored hall, practicing step after step under the maid's critical gaze. Her heavily laced gown dragged elegantly behind her as she struggled to maintain her posture, but every misstep earned a sharp click of the maid's tongue.
"Raise your head higher and straighten your spine. Again!"
Elena's legs ached and her palms sweated.
That was the fifteenth time she was ordered to start from the top, and this was just her first lesson for the day!.
"I can't—"
"You can," the maid cut in firmly. "You must continue, your highness."
Hours dragged by and the lessons only went from bad to worse. Her next one was on etiquette at the dining table. Elena was forced to balance crystal goblets, knife and fork positioned with precision while she ate elegantly. Each time she made a mistake or slipped up, she earned a sharp hit from the head maid's training staff.
It still confused her how a maid could have so much power over a royal.
Or was she a vampire too?...
Elena stared at her suspiciously before resuming her exercise.
By midday, Elena was already feeling faint and her head spun. She was dragged to the courtyard to practice how to walk when outside.
"Hadn't I already practiced this inside?" she whined when she heard the news.
"That was a different lesson entirely, your highness. Learning the proper walking way and posture is salient to the royal family."
Elena just rolled her eyes and walked away. Everything about this place was just crazy.
After an hour of practicing under the sun, Elena couldn't feel her own body anymore. She could feel her feet lightly brush the ground as if she wasn't even walking. She even began to suspect that the bond with Damien might have had something to do with it. The head maid noticed her weakened movements and uneasiness
The maid frowned as she neared her. "You are pale, my lady."
"I just need a break...and air," Elena whispered.
The maid's tone softened slightly for the first time that day. "Very well then. Take a rest in the eastern garden. But do not wander too far."
Elena nodded weakly and slipped away.
The garden welcomed her with fragrant roses and sprawling green hedges that immediately calmed her beating head. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, warming her skin and easing her burning feet. She exhaled and inhaled the fresh air, goose pimples appearing on her skin from the cool air.
But her relief was short-lived.
She had barely fallen on the luscious grass to sleep when a wave of dizziness washed over her, stronger than before. Her vision blurred, weakening her immediately. She reached for a marble bench but missed. Her knees buckled, and darkness swallowed her whole immediately.
A pair of strong arms caught her before she struck the ground.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."
Her lashes fluttered, but she was too weak to open her eyes fully.
The man smirked down at her, his golden hair catching the early afternoon light. He brushed a strand of hair from her face as his gaze scanned her entire body.
"You're even prettier up close," he murmured, studying her unconscious expression. "So this is the little dove he snatched up."
He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear.
"Tell me, sister-in-law, how long can my dear brother keep you safe?"
His laughter was soft and dangerous, echoing through the garden as Elena lay helpless in his grasp. He swooped her up in his arms and leapt far into the garden, far away from where the eyes could reach...