Princess Eliana's heart hammered as she stepped into her private chambers atop Prince Sebastian's castle. The heavy doors closed behind her with a dull thud, muffling the distant echoes of celebration. Candlelight flickered across the stone walls, shadows twisting like silent spectators, and the air was heavy with sandalwood and roses.
Her closest maid, Liora, waited, trembling slightly, as she helped Eliana into the delicate silk gown prepared for the wedding night—black with crimson lace, soft against her skin, unfamiliar and intimate.
"It… it feels strange," Eliana whispered, biting her lip. "I've… never… been… like this before."
Liora gave a reassuring nod. "Breathe. You do not need to be brave for anyone else. Only for yourself."
Eliana's pulse thundered in her ears as Liora stepped back, leaving her alone with the flickering shadows. And then Sebastian appeared at the doorway.
His dark eyes swept over her, slow and deliberate, hunger and desire burning within them. Her cheeks flamed crimson under his gaze. He did not smile, did not speak—he simply looked at her, and the heat of his presence pressed down, magnetic, consuming.
Without a word, he strode toward her and lifted her effortlessly into his arms. Her pulse jumped, and a soft gasp escaped her lips, though she did not resist. He carried her across the chamber with the ease of one who owned the very air around him.
At the canopy bed, he lowered her just enough to meet her gaze. His lips captured hers in a deep, lingering kiss, slow and commanding. Her hands trembled, and her knees weakened as heat and desire twisted in her chest. She had never felt anything like this, and the intensity left her breathless.
He broke the kiss, eyes dark and focused. Slowly, he began to move to undo the straps of her gown—but then he paused.
His sharp vampire senses picked up the frantic hammer of her heart. The rhythm was wild, erratic, as if it would burst from her chest. Gently, he lifted the fabric and let it fall back into place.
"You will rest," he said softly, laying beside her instead, his presence warm and impossibly close. "I can hear your heart… beating like it might burst. You are new to this… and I will not take you with an uneasy mind."
Eliana's cheeks turned a deep crimson, and her lips parted in embarrassment. She averted her gaze, pretending to curl beneath the silk sheets. "Y-yes… sleep," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Sebastian's eyes softened just slightly, though his intensity never wavered. He pressed a hand to her arm, still feeling the faint tremor of her fear and anticipation, and let the night stretch around them—silent, heavy, full of unspoken promises.
Eliana lay there, cheeks burning, pulse racing, knowing she had survived the night without giving away her vulnerability to him. Only Liora would know her trembling heart, and that thought brought a small, secret comfort.
And as she drifted into a restless sleep, she realized that this was only the beginning—the night had merely opened the door to the world Sebastian had claimed her for.