"You may be ready for it."
His words resound in my head as I find myself in my bed the next day.
My head throbs as I try to grasp my bearings. Once my headache clears, I think about yesterday. The Blood Moon. The art gallery. His lips. My back against the wall.
All of it comes rushing into my mind at once.
I check my wrists.
My left wrist still has some remnants of his bite from last night, proving it not to be a dream. My right wrist still has the crimson red bracelet he gave me as a gift.
This is one hundred percent real.
I sigh as I get out of my bed. Hopefully, no one saw us.
If someone did, we would be in a lot of trouble.
I already stated it before, but vampire owners and slaves aren't supposed to be romantic in any way. If caught by the Blood King, it means instant death for both parties. The only beings able to challenge the Blood King are the Grand Dukes.
Xavier is the strongest Grand Duke.
This means he has the best chance of challenging the Blood King. Xavier is not the type to stand down to the Vampire King if it means losing what he most desires.
We have to keep this a secret forever, I think to myself as I brush my teeth. I finish brushing my teeth and head to my closet. I try on a beautiful red dress, which looks good to wear for the day.
It's a cloudy, cold day today, so going outside isn't on the menu today.
Victoria walks into the room and tells me the Grand Duke would like to see me in the dining chambers to have breakfast with him personally this time, as he has time off this morning.
She leads me to the dining chambers, where she leaves me alone as soon as I enter.
The Grand Duke is standing by my chair, leaning against the wall. There is no sunlight today as the clouds prevent any sunshine from coming through. The room is warm as he decides to light the fireplace to keep us cozy from the cold air.
He pulls out my chair for me, and I sit down, the red cushion comfy against my legs.
He sits down next to me as he slides my chair close to him again, our legs brushing up against each other. His hand rests softly on my thigh as he uses his other hand with a fork to eat his food.
"This early in the morning?" I ask him as I take a sip of water.
"It doesn't matter the time of day," he says as he uses his hand on my thigh to rub it affectionately. I don't stop him, as I like the reassuring feeling. The days back in the cell were horrible as the handler treated me like a worthless object.
However, when he uses me, he makes me feel wanted, needed, desired.
Even if he uses me in that way, it makes me feel conflicted on how much I enjoy it.
Thoughts nag at me. Has he ever done this with someone else before?
He seems to sense my worry. Vampires can't read minds, right?
"You are mine. Only you. In the past, present, and future. I have waited," he says to me affectionately. "You don't have to understand right now. One day you might."
"You calling me dumb?" I reply as I take another bite of food.
"Far from it," he says while smirking.
We finish breakfast. He pulls out my chair for me and kisses me on the forehead. He leaves, saying he has some work to attend to and he will see me later. Several vampire servants enter the room as he leaves, as they take our trays.
Instead of going back to the library, I feel like experimenting today.
"Excuse me, may I see the kitchen where you guys make food? You all make the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just would like to see where all the food is made," I ask politely.
The vampire servants agree to let me see the kitchen, as they say Victoria told them to let me do what I want within the castle. I think Victoria scares the other servants a tad bit.
The kitchen is massive, as vampire cooks run back and forth preparing food for dinner and snacks for later. The Grand Duke loves to eat and often, as he burns so many calories a day.
Apparently, high-level vampires burn more calories.
I get to talking with many of the vampire cooking staff as they tell me fun stories about the Grand Duke and what daily life is like at the castle. They all seem to truly love him as I get to know them.
If they only knew about us, I think to myself as I continue to talk to them.
After being in the kitchen for a while, I went back to my room to read the novels I picked up the day before. Minutes turn into hours as I look up and it's nighttime. I have dinner with the Grand Duke.
When we are about to finish dinner, he asks if he can come to my room, as he has a surprise waiting for me.
"I have something special to give you. After studying your figure, I think it would look perfect on my beautiful princess," he says as he looks lovingly into my eyes while gently playing with my hair as we sit at the dinner table.
I give in and say yes.
We head back to my room as he grabs my hand and takes the lead. He gently opens the door for me and leads me to my closet. He says wait for a moment and then pulls out a beautiful black velvet, faintly transparent gown with silver embroidery. In his other hand, a dark ruby necklace.
He commands me to wear it and I obey.
His eyes light up as he watches me trying it on in front of the mirror. Xavier comes up behind me as he helps me put on the necklace.
"You wear darkness well," he says while looking at my reflection in the mirror with his face next to mine. My heart skips a beat as I feel his fingers run down the bare skin on my back where the gown dips low.
"You make restraint, very difficult," he whispers into my ear.
His lips brush against the left side of my cheek.
I turn slightly left, my lips catching the edge of his mouth with mine.