Artemis groaned softly as she laid on her side, her head throbbing painfully. She scratched at her scalp, her eyes fluttering open — only to meet a pair of piercing red eyes staring back at her.
"Did you enjoy your nap?" Alexander smirked, clearly amused as her face slowly drained of color. Artemis immediately realized she was still very much in trouble.
"Y-Yes, Master," she stammered, swallowing hard. Her gaze drifted downward, and she abruptly noticed he was shirtless. Her cheeks burned crimson.
Alexander chuckled and sat up casually.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, reaching behind her to set a tray of food between them. Only then did she realize how ravenous she was — her stomach grumbled loudly in response. She nodded timidly and reached for the spoon, but he caught her hand.
"What are you doing?" he asked, brow arched.
"I-I'm trying to—"
"There's no need for that. Open your mouth."
Artemis blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Did I stutter?" he teased, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"But I can... eat by myself," she mumbled.
"I don't mind using other means to feed you," he added, a dark glint flashing in his gaze.
Artemis jolted, immediately opening her mouth without protest. She had no interest in finding out what those "other means" were.
Chuckling, Alexander fed her, clearly satisfied. She looked away, chewing slowly, her entire face aflame.
He watched her eat in silence, an unfamiliar warmth unfurling in his chest.
After a few moments, he spoke, voice low. "Are you ready for your punishment, bunny?"
Artemis choked on her food, coughing violently. She grabbed her water and took hurried sips before staring at him in panic.
"Wh-What?"
"You didn't think I'd forgotten, did you?" he said with a chuckle that sent chills down her spine.
"I... I thought—"
"It's been a while since I've had fresh blood," he said nonchalantly, as if commenting on the weather.
Artemis went rigid, her blood running cold. Her appetite vanished instantly.
Alexander noticed but still offered another spoonful with a smirk. She hesitated before accepting it, mechanically chewing, dread pooling in her stomach.
Setting the tray aside on the bedside table, Alexander stood and moved around the bed. Artemis watched him warily, her body tensing.
He turned toward her with a slow smile and climbed onto the bed.
"Wh-What are you doing?" she squeaked, scooting backward.
"What does it look like?" he teased. "You're allowed to run if you want. It makes your blood pump faster."
Without warning, he grabbed her ankle and yanked her toward him, making her squeal.
Alexander loomed over her, his gaze darkening as he looked at her neck. His throat worked as he swallowed hard.
Has she always smelled this good? he thought, fighting the primal growl threatening to escape.
Artemis trembled beneath him, sensing the shift in the air. Alexander leaned down, smiling softly.
"Relax," he whispered. "This won't hurt at all."
A blatant lie.
Her eyes watered, but strangely, she wasn't as terrified as she should've been.
Alexander's gaze dropped to her pink, parted lips. Something primal overtook him. Without thinking, he captured her mouth in a kiss.
"Mhm!" Artemis gasped, eyes wide.
He gazed into her eyes as he kissed her — gently, almost reverently. After a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed. Alexander deepened the kiss, savoring the softness of her lips.
When he finally pulled back, he kissed her cheek, trailing kisses down her jawline. Artemis burned under his touch, her body betraying her, her lower abdomen fluttering uncontrollably.
Alexander kissed lower, grazing his lips down her neck and to her collarbone, pausing at the mark etched beneath her skin. His gaze lingered on it, curious, but he leaned in and kissed it tenderly instead.
Artemis shivered, the sensation making her toes curl. She tried — and failed — to distract herself by imagining him doing this with countless other women, but the thought refused to stick.
"Don't think, bunny," he murmured, lips brushing her skin.
"It won't hurt. Trust me," he whispered again, capturing her hand and pinning it gently above her head.
Artemis let out a shaky breath, refusing to open her eyes.
Alexander kissed his way back up to her neck. Pausing, he hovered there for a heartbeat — then his fangs elongated, and he sank them into her.
Artemis gasped, eyes snapping open. The bite was sharp but not as painful as she had feared. She felt the puncture, but it was strangely bearable.
Alexander's lips sealed around her wound, and he drew in her blood.
The moment her blood touched his tongue, Alexander froze. His brain short-circuited — it was unlike anything he had ever tasted in all his centuries. Sweet, potent, utterly intoxicating.
He swallowed greedily, deepening the bite. Artemis whimpered weakly beneath him, her energy slipping away.
"M-Master..." she called out, her voice faint.
He gripped her tightly, still drinking. Her breathing grew shallow, her body trembling.
"A-Alexander..." she whispered his name — her first time calling him that.
It was enough to snap him back to reality.
He pulled away instantly, heart hammering. Artemis lay pale and glassy-eyed beneath him, barely conscious.
He stared at her in stunned silence, guilt flickering through him. He had taken far too much.
Lowering his head, he licked the blood trickling from her neck, his tongue sealing the twin wounds, which faded into near invisibility.
"Told you it wouldn't hurt," he murmured with a small, guilty smile.
Artemis wanted to punch him square in the nose — but she had no strength left. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, trying to recover.
Alexander settled beside her, watching her chest rise and fall.
He didn't know what to think, couldn't even process the turmoil inside him. Her blood had left him undone — speechless, desperate for more.
Unable to resist, he brushed his thumb against her lower lip, pulling it gently before slipping his thumb into her warm mouth. His red eyes darkened, his body reacting instantly.
With a low growl of frustration, he withdrew his thumb and rolled onto his side, breathing heavily.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, struggling against the growing hunger — for both her blood and something far more dangerous.