#ursula.writes

You don’t knock. Ever. Perhaps you should sometimes but you didn’t care. You barely got to see the man and you never complained about his life in the night. You applaud him for trying to balance out everything despite it being hard. It was hard on you, him, and the relationship you have spent years building.

You were his wife and his wife always came first even if Batman got in the way of that.

“Darling!”

You give Bruce a smile and a polite wave to the gentleman who sat in the chair across from your husband. “I do apologize for the sudden intrusion but I have to discuss something with my husband. Urgently.” You announce sweetly, locking eyes with Bruce.

His expression drops and he closes the folders, setting them aside. He glances over at you as he dismisses the older gentleman to schedule another time later in the day. He knew you were pissed but over what? What could have possibly upset his wife this time?

“Come here.”

You scowl. Stepping closer towards him slowly, you watch him use the remote to control the windows in his office, making them darker.

Growing impatient, he yanks you to him, your chest colliding into his as you adjust the way you stand and half sit in his lap. He sighs, tapping his thigh, “Mind telling me what’s so important, dear?”

You huff, flattening out your palms against his broad chest. You lean back just a bit to talk to him, Bruce loves eye contact, and you did too. It was one of the things why you were so easily outspoken. Your eyes spoke for you when you didn’t have words formed to spit out.

You fidget with the neck cuff of his dress shirt, and you purse your lips in thought. Finally shrugging, “Nothin’”

Bruce rolls his eyes, chuckling under his breath, his hands rub your back. “I can’t read your mind.” He murmurs, pressing a chaste kiss along your jaw. He hums, looking at you for a second before trailing kisses down your neck and back up.

His hands finally pull you into his lap and you let him. You let him sway you so easily as if it wasn’t what you came into his office to do. The tightness of the dress cutting into your parted thighs was a small discomfort but that suddenly stops when his hands roll up the dress. He murmurs your name, dragging his teeth down your chest.

“Is this what you want?” He tugs the dress down, over your breasts as he bites the flesh above your right breast. “For me to fuck you?”

You close your eyes, hands flying to support yourself, one of your hands pressing into the back of his head. A silent plea for him to continue. “What? No.” You sigh, biting your lip.

Bruce did not comment, biting the flesh across your chest. He didn’t even bother to unclip your bra, no, he didn’t give three fucks about your expensive bras. When you didn’t give three fucks about his meetings. He tugs the fabric down, smirking at the sound of it ripping as your breasts pool out.

Your fingers dig into his shoulder blades, bending back at the feeling of his mouth on your hardened nipple. He swirls his tongue around, making sure to look up and watch the way you squirm in his lap.

He finds it amusing. Always. Your neediness, your soft sighs, all the way down to the way you grind your hips into him made him grin. No other man in the world could make you feel this way and it empowered him. Made him feel worthy of loving you in ways that no one else could.

Bruce worshipped your body, mind, and soul. You were his as much as he was yours. He stands from his seat, his mouth still on you somewhere but you don't care. Your fingers tug at the ends of his hair, your back meeting the wall as the sound of his belt coming undone fills the air.

He makes no effort to pull your dress all the way up, keeping your thighs locked around his waist. He presses his face into your skin, grunting as his fingers find the lace under your dress. Pushing the tiny fabric to the side, he strokes his finger over your glistening cunt. His tongue swirling over your neck in a teasing motion, he grins to himself when you buck your hips in response.

Your fingers drag down the back of his head, digging into the muscle of his neck. “This what you want? Huh?” He mutters into your ear, his free hand pulling down the rest of his clothing. Bruce didn’t have time to take his time with you, no, he needed to fuck the anger out of you. Just the way you liked it.

You squirm against the wall, your breasts pressing into the fabric of his dress shirt. You don’t reply, you never did, especially when it came to getting what you want.

Bruce is gentle. He always made sure to be gentle and compassionate when it comes to the ideals of what went on in the Wayne household—especially their bedroom. But this was different. It was everything you needed and more.

He slides himself into you, not caring if you were ready or not. His eyes flicker up to your face, taking in the way your mouth gently opens in a small needy gasp. A needy gasp that makes him pull you down onto him fully in a deep thrust.

Your hands fall to his arms, gripping onto him, as soft sounds exit your mouth and fill the office. He did all the work, thrusting against you at an even pace making sure to hit each spot that made your eyes flutter shut.

His hands grip your hips, guiding you down onto his thick cock with his movement. You didn’t mind it. He was doing you a favor by doing all the work. His grunts were a melody to your ears, watching him with half lidded eyes.

Leaning into the wall even more, you were afraid it would start to crumble down with the weight from you both. Bruce wasn’t a small man at the slightest, honed with muscle head to toe gave him the ability to keep up with your wild sex crazed ideas.

Your nails dig into the fabric of the shirt, burying your face into the crook of his neck as he fucks into you faster. “Bruce—“ you bite his neck, trying to keep yourself from yelling out his name.

His fingers stroke the skin of your thighs, his breath fanning your face as you do your best to keep yourself sustained against him. He murmurs your name in a thick grunt, moving out of you before repeating the motion. His mouth trailing over your skin, doing your best to distract you from the ecstasy that made you press into him more.

You didn’t mind the silence, the loud grunts and slight muffled sounds of profanity filling the office. Bruce knew that the public space—a public space that was his office didn’t need to hear the coupling between them. Even if that meant fucking you breathless. He had half the mind to keep you against the wall but with the way your thighs shook, he knew you were near.

He looks down at you, his thumb stroking the side of your face. He admires the way your body moves on its own against him. The way your skin feels hot under his touch, his thumb traces the outline of your lips before a loud groan slips from his mouth. You bury your face into his chest, trying to hide the sounds that fell from your mouth.

Bruce takes his time. It was one thing he enjoyed, making sure to admire the aftermath, to chase the sensations that followed. He kisses you softly, “Using your words isn’t that hard, darling.” He says softly against the skin of your lips. His hands guide your hips up before he slides out of you.

You catch yourself from sliding down the wall, Bruce steadies you carefully before fixing your dress. You smile, sighing in content and relief. Your fingers fix his hair, humming softly.

He lowers his gaze at the way your breasts looked, taking a thumb and swiping over the two swollen mounds before fixing your bra.

“Your office girls think we’re getting a divorce. That’s why I came in here.” You finally admit, adjusting his shirt.

“We have one argument in the office and everyone thinks I’m going to be up for grabs.” He laughs, shaking his head as he fixes the sleeves of his dress shirt.

“Did you repeat my joke to anyone?” You raise a brow, fixing your dress.

He looks at you briefly, shaking his head very quickly. “Bruce.”

“I may have told my assistant. I didn’t strike him as the one to gossip!”

You rub your temple, groaning. “Your assistant works with women! He is as loose lipped as they are!” You scold with a frown.

“I’ll fix it.” He pulls you into a hug, peppering kisses all over your face. He smiles at your pouty look, placing a kiss on your puckered lips.

The kiss lingered for a second, a second even more before he squeezed your ass. You slap his shoulder, stepping back, and pulling your dress down, again, to make it fit the appropriate dress code. Not that it mattered anyway, you just fucked your husband in his multi-billionaire office with many of his admirers listening.

He watches you walk away, smiling at the amount of sass you carried in your walk. He knew you were one of hell of a wife. He whistles, the idea coming into mind. A sinful one—one that he knew would definitely have him still hard for the rest of the day.

“Come here.” He snaps his fingers at you, calling your name grinning like an idiot.

“What?”

“I need something from you.” He murmurs into your ear, squeezing your hip.

You smile, “What could you possibly need now, hmm?” You look up at him with squinted eyes.

You waste no time, bending over and slipping out of the lacy thong. “Dirty man. Dirty old man.” You mutter, stuffing your panties in his pocket, making sure some of it was hanging out.

“You know it.” He nods down at your dress and you shake your head, scoffing at the idea.

Your groan of annoyance fills the room, turning on your heel to make your way back towards the bed. You make sure to slap the cover of the leather bound book, watching Azriel’s jaw tick in aggravation. “I don’t know why you’re kicking me out.” You mumbled under your breath.

It was a tradition. You two always shared the Winter Solstice together. Spending time together staying up, reading, going over the gifts you were given. It was a simple thing you enjoyed when you were in his presence.

“Another time. Just not tonight.” He turns his head over his shoulder, looking you over once more. He squinted at your posture, it was tense almost as if you were hiding something.

You left before he could ask you what was on your mind. Walking across the hall, making sure not to step on certain boards that would wake the whole house. You didn’t sleep that night, tossing and turning as you tried to forget the way Azriel looked at Elain with such tender. A tender look he wouldn’t dare use on you.

But who were you kidding? You were just Rhysands baby sister who had no right to mingle with the shadowsinger. You should have taken your older brother's word when he told you to stay away from Azriel but you’re a foolish woman.

You weren’t really sure how you started to gain feelings for Azriel. It wasn’t something that happened over night, it was something that took years, centuries almost. Always afraid of the outcome of your consequences but you didn’t care as long as you were in his arms.

A mutual agreement. A situation where he only craved your touch and your scent. You occupied his bed every night whether he was seeking a need to fulfill or a friend. You were there, ready to give it your best. Give it your all to at least win his heart over but you knew it wasn’t that simple.

You couldn’t remember how many nights you wished a mating bond would snap so perfectly in place like a missing piece from a puzzle but it never came. You knew to never get your hopes up, to never wish upon a fallen star and hope you’d finally have the only person you’ve been waiting for.

You had skipped breakfast, not being able to even sit at the large dinner table and stare at everyone. You weren’t a fan of small talk and you weren’t a fan of knowing something you weren’t supposed to know. You blocked anyone out from entering that angry head of yours, knowing it was a big breakfast before the grand snowball fight and surely your missed presence was noted.

“You skipped breakfast.” Azriel appears once the wind settles against your skin. Your face starts to scrunch up in annoyance as he blocks out the little sun that was left for you.

“I’m self evaluating,” you wave your hand in the air, but he didn’t get the hint. He didn’t care. He stepped closer towards you, drawing his knee into your back, he pressed a bit but you didn’t budge. You weren’t above to give into his antics. “Azriel. Move.”

He pressed harder, just a pinch, enough to where you leaned. “You skipped breakfast.” He repeats, leaning down to flick your ear.

You shove his hand away, rubbing your ear in an annoyed grumble. “Wasn’t hungry,” you shrug, shoving his knee off. You fix your posture and sigh in relief. “Besides, it's always the same at breakfast.”

“We always attend breakfast after—“

“Yeah. Yeah. Well I wasn’t hungry, okay?” You don’t spare him a glance, giving him a cold shoulder.

He scoffs, taking a seat next to you on the cushion. His shadows sweetly sung into his ear as they tried to figure out what was wrong with you. “I was waiting for you so I could give you my pancakes as tradition.”

“I just wasn’t hungry, Az. I had a fruit salad before everyone was awake.” You show him the bowl next to you that had been scraped clean.

He studies your face, his fingers wrapping around your arm and in seconds you are in a different room. His room.

“Are you mad at me for kicking you out last night?” He asked you, shuffling off his boots. You raise a brow, confused as to where this was going.

“No.”

He chuckled, a tight lipped grin on his face. “That’s what someone in denial would say.” He mutters, stepping closer towards you.

You cross your arms over your chest, looking the other way. You weren’t going to let him win. This would be a low blow for you. You weren’t easy. “I’m not mad you kicked me out. We always spend Solstice together. I just figured you were going out.”

He clicks his tongue, the shadows whispering in his ears as he relaxes his wings. “Elain and I had a moment.” He blurts out, unable to control his mouth and the thoughts running through his head.

To Azriel it felt like a confession. Almost as if he was admitting infidelity to his lover, who promised each other to never seek the comforts of someone else’s warmth. He couldn’t keep what he had done a secret and how he fantasized that he wished you were Elain. It was time for him to come clean, to end this game of cat and mouse between the two of you.

You blink, acting surprised. You didn’t want to give it away. Fuck. You didn’t want to throw him under the bus with what you had seen. You merely blinked again. Unable to say something. He took it as a sign to continue. “We had a moment alone when everyone was asleep. She wanted to give me her gift in private and I acted with the intention of needing her.” He admits, drawing back away from you. Ready for the anger to emit from you.

You look down at your fingernails, the polish cracked and ready to be repainted. You weren’t sure what hurt worse: the betrayal of his mind or the way he looked at you as if you were someone else. “Did you kiss her?”

You knew the answer. He almost did. He was so close and Elain was ready for it. It made your stomach churn, her poor mate.

“No. Rhys stopped me before I could,” he sighs, looking away from you and out the window. The snow had just started up again. He had to be getting ready for the snowball fight not having this conversation with you beforehand. So much for kicking Cassian's ass this time. “I think we should stop this thing between us.”

Your eye twitches at the new topic. A distraction from what he had done. He wanted to downplay his action. You scoff, shaking your head. “You go around trying to kiss mated females, now?” You bite out, a disgusted look on your face.

Take the bait Azriel—take the fucking bait so this doesn’t hurt as much as it needs to be.

The shadows disappear at the sound of your voice. Azriel looks at you finally, eyes narrowed. “She isn’t deserving to be Lucien’s mate. You know this.”

“Don’t you rope me into your ideas of knowing what Elain wants and needs. You do not know her. You do not understand that she was forced to be created. The cauldron gave her a mate that wasn’t you and that doesn’t give you the reason to tempt her with your sexual desires of wanting her.” You plainly say, trying to keep your anger buried down. You weren’t sure where this would go but you knew it would sever the nonexistent bond between the two of you.

He huffs at your response. “Speaking just like your brother.”

“Because I know what is right and wrong—“

Azriel turns to face you, stepping towards you in a flash. “Do you?” He snarled in your face, causing you to grow wide eyed. “Because it looks to me the princess hadn’t gotten what she wanted and went after the only thing that was forbidden to chase.”

“Hypocrite.” You hiss, shoving him away from you as you get up from the spot on his bed.

“We aren’t done here.”

You ignore him. Heading for the door with an annoyed look on your face.

He says your name that would have worked on you in the past but you didn’t budge. Your hand on the knob. He says it again, this time softer and vulnerable.

You clench your jaw, shaking your head looking down at the way your hand gripped the door knob. He comes up behind you, his fingers traveling up the back of your arm. A sweet touch that wasn’t meant for you, not anymore.

“We can’t end it like this. Angry at each other. We’ve danced on broken glass for centuries,” he murmurs before whispering your name into your ear. He turns you around, his scarred fingers tracing your jaw. “I just can’t stop thinking about her.” He sighs, his hand dropping around your throat in a soft hold as he leans his head on your shoulder in defeat.

You close your eyes, sighing in disbelief. You wanted to be greedy but Azriel was your friend. Past the feelings you harbored for him, he was your friend and he trusted you. You stroke the ends of his hair, trying to distract yourself from the detachment you had to start soon.

“You shouldn’t even be thinking of her,” you mumble, your hands now at your sides. He lightly squeezes your throat, not enough to startle you but it was enough to make sure you didn’t press the topic any further. “Azriel, I’m saying this as a friend. As your friend.”

“What if Rhysand is wrong? What if—“

You shush him. Flicking his shoulder with a stern look on your face. “That is your high lord, Az. Defying him will cost you your life. If you even think about disobeying his word you know the consequences.”

He says your name before signing. “Do you think I would have a chance?”

You snorted. “Be practical. By the mother, you seriously need to find another female to lust over. A female that isn’t mated by chance.”

His hand glides down your chest and back up towards your lips. No matter what he said, he always loved the way your lips were shaped. Perfect and delicate just for him but they weren’t hers. He didn’t care that it wasn’t fair he was putting you through these emotions. His eyes flicker down to meet yours, his thumb tracing over your parted lips. “I already have one I lust over,” he whispers, his breath fanning your face. You needed to breathe. To step away from him. “But you,” he pauses, your name falling off of his lips in a seductive whisper. “You have been molded into what I want, you fill my needs. Tainting you with my imperfections is no problem but you aren’t her. I can’t break her. She’s too delicate.”

Your heart hammered into your chest, the wound that had been open for centuries had just started to burn deep inside of you. An insult—an insult that you would never recover from. You swallow, lips quivering as your hand twisted the door knob.

You don’t spare him a glance, tears closing your vision as you rush down the stairs bumping into Cassian at the end of the stairs. You ignored the hiss of pain and the curse words flying from his mouth as you winnowed your way out of the house.

Anything to get rid of the hole in your heart.

He nudges you, trying to get your attention focused on him. He hated it when you ignored him, it made him feel worthless.

He whispers your name, the shadows murmuring your name seconds later—anything to get your attention. “If you have it in your heart to forgive me.”

“You insulted me,” you murmur, looking down at your slippers. The black jewels glistening against the light coming from the curtains in your room. “You compared me to her with the intent of breaking me.”

Azriel sighs, rubbing his face with one of his hands. Trying his hardest not to throw out excuses to cover up the mistake he had made. He didn’t understand that his words had power—a power that made your world stop just for his to keep turning.

“I was letting you down easy. We can’t keep going like this. It’s one sided.” He glances at you, studying the way your brows knit in disbelief or was it disgust? He wouldn’t blame you if you were disgusted with his actions, you were a woman with standards after all. A high fae woman with standards at that.

“One sided?”

He locked eyes with you. Ready to admit that he knew you love him. He knew all along and let it carry on. He knew it was wrong, letting you carry on and thinking you’d have him fully and wholly. He takes your hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze.

“I know,” he whispers, taking his free hand cupping the side of your face. The touch was lost as it didn’t hold any warmth as it did in the past. “I know that you love me in ways I can’t replicate.”

It was as if comets struck Velaris. Your world stopped its unconscious orbit. Your hand slips out of his delicate grip that was now scorching to the touch. “No.”

He takes your hand again, this time dragging it across his chest to where his heart starts to beat at a soft rhythm. A rhythm you dearly missed. “I took note of the way your heart would beat anytime I would touch you. Be near you. When I would kiss you with the intent of just laying you down for the night. Not with the intent of loving you,” he murmurs truthfully. He looks you over, his fingers squeezing your own. “I knew for years. The yearning you had for me. I should have put a stop to us seeing each other knowing that it was destroying you.”

You break away from his touch. Looking away with embarrassment, utter embarrassment. It was as if you were a teenager again, getting called out for having feelings you had no control over. You wanted to cry, to hide, but you knew it would be no use. Azriel would find you even if that meant crawling through the depths of hell to find you first.

The shadows withdraw from him, swirling up your arm like cold icicles. Their whispers are full of worry, a worry that you’d do something brash. You scooted away from him, the shadows retreating back to their master as you wipe the tears that threatened to spill from your waterline. “You let me make a fool of myself. I was giving you my all and you knew that.”

Azriel swallowed, not wanting to back down. The way your voice was broken and small made him wince at the pain he brought forth upon you. An idiot he was for letting it get this far. For not telling you that he knew you were loving him in a way he wasn’t allowed to see himself doing back at you.

“It was wrong of me to let you live on like this. I should have told you sooner to save us both from the consequences. A sorry won’t cut it and I know that.” He murmurs, standing up from his place.

“Did you even think to change your mind before Elain came into the picture? Did you even think that one day a bond would snap in place for us? We have spent the last four centuries together. You’d think that would amount to something.” Your voice trembled with desperation, you didn’t want him to lie but right now a lie would save you from the feeling of having your heart torn out.

He says your name in one breath. Looking up briefly before thinking of what to say. “If the cauldron wanted us to be together. We would have already been mates.”

“It takes time!” You say a little too loudly but you were far past the point of caring. “It takes time damn it!” your voice quivered with disbelief in a soft whisper.

“Time that I don’t have! I’m not going to sit around and wait for something that won’t happen and neither should you! I am not worth being waited on!” He counters, stepping closer towards you. He knocked the wind out of you and you were certain you were going to pass out from the way he looked.

“You are worth being waited on! Can’t you see that!” You murmur, looking up at him. “You’re chasing someone who has a mate. A mate who desperately wants her attention and is giving that attention elsewhere.”

“Don’t say that about her,” his brows furrowed, he was ready to defend Elain with every ounce he had. “She didn’t ask to be one of us.”

You scoffed. Looking away, growing sick and tired of the back and forth. “No but she didn’t ask you to seduce her into nearly kissing her and she was going to let you do it! I was there—“ you shut up before finishing that sentence. Stepping away from him. You knew way more than he would like for you too.

“You were watching me?” Azriel uttered in pure disbelief, staring at you with a look you hadn’t seen before. “You mean to tell me that you watched Elain and I?”

You desperately pick at the skin of your nails, trying your hardest not to shrug it off, but this was a big deal—a big deal to Azriel. “I was but it wasn’t my fault that I saw you two. Just like how Rhysand saw you nearly kiss her!”

He squeezes his eyes shut, a long drawn out “fuck” reaches your ears. “You’re jealous.”

You scoff, looking away from him with a sloppy pout on your face. “No. I'm concerned. I’m not jealous.”

“Unbelievable,” he says under his breath, he turns around and heads for the door. “Can’t you see that I don’t love you the way you love me?”

You look at him before looking away. “I know,” you whisper with a shrug. “I know, okay?” You repeat again, plopping down on the cushioned chest.

“Then why haven’t you decided to give up?” He asks, standing there inches from the door. He no longer looks over at you, his eyes trained on the dresser in your room. The carved tree he had commissioned someone to do full of your jewelry. A gift he had gotten you years ago for the Winter Solstice but now he could barely look at it. He could barely stand the sight of it and how it was full of the things you loved.

“Because I hope that a bond will snap in place, Azriel,” you look down at your slippers, trying your hardest to come up with a good reason for him to leave you alone. “I can feel it.”

“You feel nothing but hope. You cannot force these things to happen,” he watches you stand from the chest. Regretting the way his voice rose with such intensity but by the mother, he was exhausted. Spent on a topic that shouldn’t even have started. You and him were only friends. Friends that had sex. Friends that helped each other. You were just his friend in the end. No attachments were meant to be formed. He kept his end of the bargain but you slowly had to fall in love with him.

He steps over to you, gripping both of your arms. “Even if a mating bond were to snap in place for the both of us. It wouldn’t be the match I want.”

You study him, the way his eyes held nothing but the truth. The shadows drew the two of you together, whispering to him before disappearing behind you. He had no reason to lie, his grip getting stronger. “You sound just like Elain.” You murmur in disbelief. You free yourself from his grip, a steady hand cupping his face.

He tries to pull away but you hold him there. You stare into his eyes, trying to decipher anything else he was feeling. Your free hand played with his scarred fingers, ignoring the way he tried to move away from you.

A strange sensation started to build up, the tension became unbearably suffocating. A strange friction in the space of your room felt like electricity crackling and popping. “Azriel,” You murmur in disbelief feeling something ripple down the bond between you and Azriel. A ripple that tugged the mental hold hard and strong. You pull away from him, clutching your chest.

He pulls away, stumbling back a bit. “Impossible,” he groans, rubbing his face. “There is no way this could be happening.”

Your face twisted into a deep sadness, a deep frown on your face to the way your eyes held nothing but an emotion he couldn’t recognize. It startled Azriel, he felt your pain, the heartbreak, the rejection. He felt a fragment of you but it felt as if he felt all of you.

A mate bond forged out of spite. A mate bond he is rejecting. He felt the tug but he didn’t tug back. This wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want you. He didn’t need you.

Before you could even say a word, he winnows out of your room, shadows linger before fading away. You stand there, staring at where he stood. You were at a loss, not sure what to do, what to say.

You weren’t sure how long you were standing there when Rhysand entered your room. You didn’t acknowledge him, still keeping your eyes on the spot Azriel had been standing in hours ago. Your brother may be the high lord and his duties were important, he didn’t have time to check on you constantly as he’d like. But Rhys was concerned about your behavior this past week.

“I felt a shift earlier. Mind explaining what happened?” He finally asked, squinting down at you. He takes note of the drained look on your face. He says your name with an ounce of authority. He wasn’t asking as your brother but as your high lord.

“A shift?” You shrug, finally moving from the spot you had been standing in. You retreat to the cushioned chest, finally taking a seat.

“I don’t have an ounce of time for games, sister. There was a shift,” he looks at you, taking a spot up against the wall. He crosses his arms over his chest, letting out a sigh through his nose. Your ears twitched at the sound, he was either annoyed or pissed. There was no in between when it came to your brother. “Did you do something?”

“No!”

Rhys went wide eyed at the way your shout riddled the whole room. Causing some of the drawers in the large dresser to come open. “Is this your way of saying you need someone else to talk to you? Mor perhaps? Amren? Nesta?” He starts listing off names. You shook them off. “Feyre? If you need me to grab her so you can tell her—“

“If someone rejects a mate bond what does that mean for the other person?” You cut him off, looking at your palms.

“With whom?”

You look over at your brother, tears forming in your eyes. You weren’t afraid but you were afraid of the wrath—his wrath. “Azriel.” You whisper, looking anywhere but at him now.

“Oh, how the fates are cruel to you, dear sister,” he sighed, pushing himself off of the wall. He makes his way over to you, making room for himself before pulling you into a one sided hug. He strokes the top of your head, letting you cry into him just like those tears when you were a child. He closes his eyes, sighing to himself. “He has his sights on someone else.”

You sniffle, not caring if your snot got on his shirt. “Elain,” Your voice is muffled but it was loud enough for him to hear. He squeezes you even harder in response, planting a kiss on the top of your head. “I already know.”

Rhys held onto you before you started to grow annoyed with his questions. Kicking him out of your room was the only good feeling you had experienced for the whole day. But Rhys didn’t care, as long as you were smiling was all that it mattered.

With some well deserved support and words of encouragement, Rhysand made it your goal to try to speak to Azriel away from prying ears. So before you went to bed you came up with a plan to have a word with Azriel no matter how excruciating it would be.

It was past midnight, not a soul awake as Azriel entered your room making sure to tread silently. He stood at the side of your bed, watching the way your chest rose and fell.

You were wearing a lilac night slip, it was your favorite color, a color he liked best on you. He leans a little closer to you, taking in the soft hint of the perfumed lotions you always wore before heading to bed. His hand desperately travels up the navel of your stomach, the opening of the garment exposing your skin to him. Just enough for him to feel you in a way that was tender.

His eyes were trained on your face, making sure you didn’t wake to him being an intruder. His hands stopped just before he reached your breasts, he closed his eyes, a shaky breath leaving his lips as he forcefully lifted his hand away from your body. The shadows swirled around him in excitement, begging for him to wake you. To apologize—to admit he was wrong.

His lips brush against the corner of your brow, planting a soft kiss there before his lips traveled down your cheek, planting an even softer kiss. He pulls away, holding in a breath as he covers you up. His scent of arousal was heavy in the air and he was thankful you were a heavy sleeper.

You hum, giving him a look that meant: fuck no. “You broke into my home.”

“There was a key under a flower pot.” He shrugs, propping his feet up on the old coffee table.

“A key not meant for you, Eris. I didn’t give you permission to enter my home,” you nudge his feet off of the table, crossing your arms over your chest as you stand in front of him. A look of pure annoyance written on your face. “So leave before someone finds you here. Then we will both be in so much trouble. I just might kill you myself."

His eyes went wide at the threat. A small smile slowly formed as his scent changed. A foul scent that made your head pound. “Gross.” You groan, kicking his boot as you step back from him.

Eris snorts. “What can I say? I love it when an attractive lady threatens me.”

You shake your head, rolling your eyes in the process as you stand feet away from him. Anything to keep yourself from throttling him out of your small cottage. The scent of his arousal grew stronger as yours was indifferent.

Eris sighs, growing annoyed that you wouldn’t take the bait. A bait he had perfectly planned to try, he knew something was off with you. It was everywhere in the cottage, it was almost tainting the very walls. You were deprived but of what? Eris couldn’t figure it out.

“You can leave now. Your curiosity has been solved.” You manage to finally say after a few long tiring seconds. You weren’t sure how long you had until you made a mistake. Eris was a time bomb just as you were.

He stands from the sofa, dusting himself off with a sigh. “Are you sure?”

“I’m as sure as I can be.” You mumble with an annoyed look. You kept your eyes on him as he stopped in front you.

“You never cease to amaze me with your loyalty.” Eris grins, showing you a flashy smile.

“Loyalty to whom? I have no loyalty.”

He snorted. Shaking his head, he taps your head. “Everyone knows that you have such a devoted loyalty to that shadowsinger. It’s a shame you won’t fuck another male in sight.” He huffs, pulling his hand back before you could tear it off like a rabid animal.

It was no secret. You knew people chattered and rumors were rumors. But you never expected for him to know. If Eris knew, who else knew of the escapades you had shared with Azriel in the past? You were sure you were careful but being overly careful in the night court always led to whispers. Whispers you were sure had spread and weren’t aware of.

You ignore him. Not saying anything, you knew better. It was all a part of his plan to rile you up. Anything to get under your skin just enough to where you would go out of your way to prove a point.

So proving a point was better than letting Eris insult you in ways you knew were coming.

“You still haven’t changed. I don’t know what’s worse. You or that fucking mouth of yours,” you grumble, flicking his ear as you lean closer. “Please leave. I’m only asking once. I’m not in any mood for your acts of service.” You murmur, taking a whiff of his scent with disgust as you pull away from him.

Eris grins, pressing his nose against yours, his eyes met yours—locked in a silent battle. You held your breath, eyes slightly softening as your body relaxed. “Eris. Go.” You mumble in one breath.

“Why?” His lips brush against yours, his eyes didn't flatter, only blinked as his pupils grew slightly bigger. “Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy the adrenaline of seeing someone else that isn’t him. It surprises me that you don’t get tired of the same cock.” He drags a finger down your chin, tipping your chin up so you could look up at him properly.

His movements were calculated. They were softer. So much softer than Azriel’s. You felt yourself slowly step closer into his presence. Ignoring the feeling in your heart to keep going with this man that wasn’t him.

With squinted eyes, your fingers land on his chest. Trying your best to break whatever was bound to happen. You weren’t just a random woman, you were the mate to Azriel, a possessive Illyrian male that was a part of your older brother's inner circle.

You knew better to let Eris Vanserra have his lips on your neck. You knew better to have your fingers twisting in his hair, trying your hardest to pull away from him. But it was you that initiated for him to press his lips against your neck without a care in the world.

“No kissing.” You hiss, pulling his face away from yours, glaring at him as he raised a brow at the damned command.

“Careful, night princess. You sounded like your brother there.” Eris mutters in your ear, giving your left ear a gentle kiss before traveling down your jaw cryptic and slow.

You close your eyes, trying to keep the shakes of adrenaline to yourself. “Good to know you think of my brother while kissing his baby sister.” You smart back, letting his fingers work to unbutton the noise you wore.

Your mind starts to draw blank, slowly closing your eyes as you try to think of it as Azriel touching you. But this wasn’t him. No. This was someone who took his time for his own pleasure, not yours. You missed him—you missed him despite the way it went down.

All while Eris was trying his hardest to work his way down your body.

Azriel was thinking of you while he talked to Rhysand and Cassian about you.

Azriel sat on the sofa, a troubled look on his face as Rhys and Cassian stood in front of him waiting for him to tell them everything.

He wasn’t sure where to start. Does he go back to where it started? Or does he just talk about the mate bond incident? He was troubled. He had no guidance. He didn’t have you here in the vicinity of the house to lean on you when needed.

“Your sister and I had a brief relationship of just…” he trails off trying to find the right word. “Uh..sex. Nothing else. It just was a friends with benefit thing we started—“

Cassian snorted. “Oh we know about that. We know how you two like to sneak off and come back all mysterious.”

That statement was enough to send Azriel into a plummet of anger and embarrassment but not right now. Not when he was in the hottest seat of all time. No insult from Cassian could amount to the amount of humiliation Azriel was feeling right now.

Azriel didn’t dare look over at Rhysand, who had just stared him down. He wasn’t sure if he was about to get his ass handed to him or something much worse. He wasn’t ready for it.

Rhys sighs finally. Leaning against his desk, looking at Azriel with disappointment. “I knew about it. I just refused to acknowledge it. My sister won’t let anyone pry into her private affairs. Especially when it came to you.” The high lord uttered with a shrug, Rhys didn’t have a leash on you. That’s one point that was made centuries ago.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

The two men shrugged. Keeping the snickers to themselves. “We were waiting for you to share Mr. Secrets.” Cassian mumbled

Azriel looked away, staring out at the window. The guys had a point, he wasn’t going to tell them about his escapades with you—it wasn’t a part of the gossip others needed to hear. “I feel like an ass,” he sighs, the shadows around him swirl. “I rejected her. I rejected the mate bond.”

“You didn’t reject her. She has to accept the offer of the bond first or have you forgotten how it works.” Rhys sighs, rubbing his brow, trying to keep himself from cussing under his breath.

Azriel doesn’t respond, looking defeated. He was the definition of a dog without a bone, looking all pouty and upset. He had lost his bone, the only bone he wanted to cling on to. He just didn’t know how.

“I thought you were caught up on Elain?” Cassian asks, sitting down on the cushioned chest in the office.

The shadowsinger was conflicted. Conflicted in a sense that left him questioning whether or not to spill the truth of how he actually felt. What he felt for Elain wasn’t forced. It was real. Genuine.

But what he felt with you was intoxicating. A drug he would gladly abuse. You were everything he wanted and everything he molded into needing. But it was the constant feeling of not being good enough. An ache in his heart was what is stopping him from loving you unconditionally and wholly.

“Az?” Rhys calls out, trying to get Azriel to come back to them.

“Yeah. Yeah. I am.” He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. The shadows start to swirl away when the topic of Elain is mentioned.

“But she’s with Lucien. So that’s not even on the table.”

Azriel whips his head finally towards Rhys, his statement was clear and full of warning. Azriel stood up, jaws clenched as his hands were curled into fists. “I understand that but something about her draws me in.”

Cassian rolls his eyes. Rubbing his face as he shakes his head in pure shock. Rhys scrunches his nose up in displeasure. “Move on.”

Azriel glares at Rhys. Simply feeling defeated from being cut off from explaining. If he was going to have them hear him out, he is going to do it now. “No,” he mumbles with a small bite to it. “I don’t understand why I want her. I know I can’t have her and maybe that’s why I enjoy the chase. She’s the only thing that has come from something that isn’t tainted.”

The room grew hot. Tension boiled over the rim as Azriel's cup was runneth full. He had disrespected you in ways that he didn’t even catch. He let his mouth run before his mind could think.

“Are you calling my sister tainted?” Rhys growled, stepping away from the desk in a motion that shoved it back a few inches.

There was a shift in the room, a deadly one that sent Cassians back rigid, looking at Azriel. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that, Rhys.”

Rhysand ignores Cassian. Stepping closer towards Azriel. He wasn’t sure what to do, he couldn’t run, that would only make it worse. If he fought back Rhys would end up hurting him to the point where he would be stripped of his title.

So he did what he thought would be best. Sending a ripple down the mate bond. A plea for help. A plea for you to come home and save him from receiving the ass beating of a lifetime.

You shove yourself away from Eris, gripping your chest. Your eyes glowed a deep purple, the mate bond rippling down your whole body. Something was wrong.

“Everything alright?” Eris says out of breath, fixing his hair as he stands straight up after being hunched over for minutes.

“I-I…” you stammer, buttoning up your shirt in a hurry, not carrying if they were uneven and half of your breasts were exposed. You needed to winnow back to where Azriel was. Your current condition didn’t matter except for his. You fix your hair, rushing past him slipping on your boots. “I just need to go.” You manage to say looking him over.

Not once did he kiss you. Only treasuring your body like a piece of gold in a dragon's keep. He was someone else’s flame to tame. You just stoked the fire out of boredom.

You give Eris a long sigh, turning away from him before winnowing.

Not expecting to winnow into a bloody fight was the last thing on your mind. You watch as Cassian tries his best to separate the two but is only shoved aside. You had never seen Azriel and Rhys so angry before. They always fought but never like this—never like they wanted to kill each other.

“Guys!” You try to yell over the sound of fists hitting flesh. They ignore you, finally winnowing out of the office.

You look over at Cassian, who sported a bloody brow. You rush over to him, looking him over. “Gods be damned. What the fuck happened?” You hiss, examining the wound.

He blinks at you, giving you a cheeky grin. Cassian didn’t like you worrying but most importantly he knew better than to let you get involved. “I see you were busy elsewhere.” He hints at the way your shirt was a wreck, a shit eating grin plastered on his face, despite the circumstances of the situation.

You pull away, turning around fixing the buttons. “Don’t dodge. You tell me what’s going on.” You utter in a growl, finally turning back around with a fixed shirt.

“Azriel saying stuff that’s out of line,” Cassian shrugs, rubbing his hands together. You roll your eyes at that comment. “Especially when it involves you.” He finishes, placing a hand on your shoulder. He gives it a squeeze.

“What did he say?” You try to swallow the worry in your gut, knowing that he sent that ripple down the bond for a reason and not by accident. Azriel truly fucked up.

“I can’t say. Just find them both before someone ends up dying this time.” Cassian pats your shoulder, giving you a frown, his eyes full of tiredness and weariness.

You nod, giving him a frown in return before trying to track Rhys or Azriel down the shared mental bonds. You have always had a mental bond when it came to Rhys, you two simply communicated with it to avoid conversations that were not needed. But the mental bond that you and Azriel had was different. This time it was more enhanced and meant something to you. It was a special bond that will last for centuries to come.

The mountain top was a terrible choice. You walked through the destruction of torn down trees and blood splatters. It was simply a warzone done by two men. Your mind was racing with the endless possibilities of what you will find. Not wanting to think about it any further, you walked further up the hill of the mountain, following the trail.

It didn’t take you long to find them, on the muddy ground throwing fists and curse words at each other. You stood there, watching Rhys throw Azriel back into the mud as blue syphons glow against the muddy earth.

“Are you both done?” You yell, your voice echoing down the mountain.

The tension shifted slightly. The men looked up at you but Rhys snarled in direction, picking up Azriel by the shoulder and throwing him inches away from him. The fight continued in seconds, they were actively ignoring you. Taking their fight further away from you. But you followed, anger bellowing in your body as you were ready to pull them apart.

It wouldn’t be the first nor the last time you broke fights. You were sick of them both hurting each other over something senseless. The reason had to be, right?

You let out a shaky breath, readying yourself for the ass beating you were about to receive for separating them both. Fist fights. Broken bones. Bloody noses. You’ve faced it all. Despite you being told to never come between their fights, it was brainless to even think about stepping in. But you didn’t care. Not anymore.

You wait until they have each other pinned down again. Muttering angry profanities at another as you finally step closer to them.

“Enough!” You snarled, yanking Rhys by his wing and kicking Azriel in the chest. “I said enough.” You growl, slapping Rhysands chest as he looks down at you.

You watch Azriel stand, wings curled in as blood and mud cover him from head to toe. “What are you doing here?” Azriel’s voice was hoarse from the amount of yelling he had been doing.

You ignore him, looking at your brother. You simply point to the large boulder off the side of the mountain. He doesn’t say anything else, his gaze softening as he turns to make his way towards the boulder.

As Rhys is making his way to the boulder, you finally turn your attention to Azriel. Walking towards him. “What the fuck did you do?” You hiss angrily in his face, ready to kick his ass for whatever reason comes to mind.

Azriel furrows his brows. Confused as to why you were yelling at him and not at Rhys. He steps closer towards you, looking you over just as soon as the scent hits him. A scent that he knew far too well.

He takes a finger, moving the collar of your shirt down. The small trail of love bites against your skin made him crumple the shirt and bring you forward towards him. His lips hit your ear, his growl sends a shiver down your spine.

“Why is Eris on your fucking skin?” He hisses, looking down at you.

You pry his hand free from your shirt, slapping his hand and away from touching you again. “Excuse me?”

Azriel presses himself against you, trying his hardest to intimidate you, but you don't back down. You were too angry to even think about what you were doing before this all had happened.

“You heard me,” He says coldly, as a hand grips your jaw. “What the fuck were you doing?”

You snorted, slapping his hand away this time much harder. “I could ask you the same! Nearly trying to kill each other and for what?” You shake with anger, shoving him back.

“And don’t say it’s because of me!” You painfully utter. You slowly lose yourself, shoving him with each step you take. “You’ve gotten reckless all because of this mate bond!” You yell at him, shaking your head. Your hands meet his chest even harder, ignoring the cracking. “You told me that you wouldn’t accept this bond!” You continue, ignoring Rhysands yells and Azriel’s arms try to stop you. You felt hot tears run down your face, sobs escaping your mouth as you shove him. “I’ve gotten reckless.” You sniffle, hiccuping a pathetic sob as he wraps his arms around you.

He stops you full force, just before the lookout comes to a deadly drop. He whispers your name, shushing you as he hands cup your face. You wrap your arms around him, burying your face into his partially dried muddy shirt. He closes his eyes, sighing to himself in relief, his fingers stroke your hair.

“You’re hurting. You have all the right to be reckless,” He murmurs, carefully walking you backward away from the ledge. “I did this. I know but you were with Eris.”

There’s the jealousy, again. The softness in his voice is gone as he mentions Eris. You pull away from him, wiping away your tears and ignoring the mud now all over you. “That has nothing to do with what you and my brother were fist fighting about.” You rub your brow, narrowing in on him.

Azriel looks over at you, sighing like a drama queen. “I insulted you and it wasn’t intentional.”

You huff, “Unbelievable.”

You wave him off, turning away from him you make your way to where Rhys stood. An amused look on his face, he was waiting for you to explode without the tears. Just raw anger.

Azriel grabs you by the arm, pulling you back around to face him. “Don’t.” You growl, you grab his hand, yanking him down to the ground.

Azriel groans, your boot pressing into the bone of his shoulder. He knew better than to test your limits, especially your anger. You played dirty and you fought way worse than Rhys, himself. He says your name in a drawless breath. Heavy and full of tiredness.

You ignore him, twisting deeper into the flesh of his shoulder. “You don’t want me. You need me. You could live without me and be fine,” you hiss, tears falling onto his face. “If you won’t accept this mate bond then I will no longer wait for a male who doesn’t want me.” You murmur painfully. Just before you could pop his shoulder out of place, you break away from him.

Azriel looks up at you with shock, unable to form any more weak pleas for you to listen. Anything to get you to stay a little longer. Anything to get you to see his perspective of not wanting to accept a bond and force himself to love someone he knew he wasn’t capable of loving. He knew he couldn’t make you see that light, not when the light in you was slowly dying out.

Rhys drops the smile he wore from afar, not expecting that to take a turn. You look past your brother, letting him feel all of your pain and anguish as you make your way back down the mountain.

You were the only thing that kept him on his toes. His wife. A woman that was ready for him in ways no one else would understand.

In the comfort of his home, you were his. Just as he was yours.

You don’t hear him come into the room, too busy reading the book in the middle of the bed.The night slip caught his attention immediately. The way your legs were lazily tangled in the crème colored sheets made his body grow hot.

He didn’t spare any time, shrugging off his cloak before coming towards the foot of the bed. He drags gloved finger down the calf of your leg, watching your body arch at the touch. He smiles to himself under the mask catching a glimpse of your ass under the see through slip.

“Don’t turn around.” He commands as you try to lay on your back to greet him.

You sigh, pouting into the sheets as you discard the book. “Why not?”

You hear a zipper come undone, causing you to swallow in anticipation. Your thighs squeeze on their own and you subconsciously curse yourself for being a needy thing.

He topples over you, laying you flatter into the large bed as you squirm. With a grunt, he presses his erection between the thin fabric of your slip and your bare ass.

You immediately press into him, biting your lip. A soft moan escapes your lip, “Thrain—“

“Not now, princess,” he strains loud enough for you to hear over the heavy mask he wore. He slowly presses harder, baring his weight using his arms to hold himself up. Without pressing into you even more, he rubs his erection between your ass. Sputtering out strangled moans like a man starving.

You squeeze your thighs together, one of your hands pulling up your night slip as he pulls down the restriction of clothing he wore. He drags a gloved finger over the fat of your ass before gently inserting one thick leathered finger into your cunt.

He watched you twist your back into an arch. Your fingers balling up into a fistful of sheets. He hums out in satisfaction, curling his gloved finger adding more pressure. “You tell me when.” He murmurs, putting his weight onto you.

You moan pathetically into the bed, drool falling out the corners of your mouth as your hips buckled back into him. He takes his free hand and grips the flesh of your ass, giving it a forceful squeeze before slapping it. Your legs lift up at the force a yelp of pleasure escapes your lips.

“I’ll take that as a now, yes, my love?” He asks sweetly in a thick drawl. You shamefully nod, giving him permission to continue. He forces your legs back down, pulling his finger away before laying you back down on your stomach.

You groan, eyes closing when you feel him teasingly slide into you, his thick cock always making a mark to remember how well he treated you. His movements are slow, adjusting to the new position he had fantasized about trying.

“Thrain.” You choke out, covering your mouth, hating how pathetic you sounded. He pressed both hands onto your back, thrusting into you deeper with a grunt.

He squeezes both of his hands into the plushness of your back end, baring his full weight onto you. It knocks the breath out of you but you loved it, pushing into him to make him go even deeper.

He whispers sweet praises that reach your ears, never daring to get any louder. Despite being in the comforts of your own home, you were never aware of who was listening.

You felt his breath tickle your ear, the coolness of the mask hitting the side of your face as he thrusted into you at a sensible pace. “Good girl.” He murmurs, his hands dragging down to meet your hips.

He makes sure to guide your hips this time, his thrusts getting faster and sloppier. Your legs curl up, trying to squeeze your thighs together, but he uses his knees to put them back down. Your fingers curl into the sheets, trying to catch your breath as he puts all of him on top of you.

Thrain stays there for seconds, feeling himself empty inside of you, making sure not to waste any of it. Your toes curl, back arching into him as you strangle out a moan. His name falling from your lips like a plea. He watches you ride out your own needy high, his fingers drawing patterns into your back once you are finished.

You heard him sigh, pulling out of you as one of his hands slapped your ass. You let out a noise through your closed mouth, trying to gather what had just happened but there was no time when he flipped you onto your back.

“Oh? But is it fair for you to grab me as you please when I cross that boundary? I just wanted to get the blood out of your hair.” You counter, huffing in his direction as you get out of the love seat.

He sighs under his breath, fixing his hair himself as dried blood comes off onto his fingertips. You never lied, he knew that. You had no reason to but he couldn’t trust you. You were a vampire, a leech, a monster, and you were the next of kin to become the queen once the old bastard who sat on the black rose throne died.

“I’ll get going before the party starts.” He finally gets up, adjusting his leather jacket as he starts to put his weapons back in the places they normally go.

“You can at least stay a while. I promise you can leave when you want. You never attend my parties.” You slip into your heels, sighing in relief as you fix your posture.

“No. I’m no longer on duty. I want to go home, clean my guns, and a nice bottle of whiskey is calling my name.” He looks at you with a sneer of disgust. There was no doubt you were gorgeous, good-looking, and easy on the eyes but you were a vampire. He knew of the sweet temptations and the allure your kind brought to humans.

“That girl is going to be there right? That one girl with the…is it the brown hair? I can’t keep up. You always go for the same vampires. All boring. No drama. No exciting tales,” you mumble with furrowed brows. Surely, more upset that he wouldn’t stay to enjoy one of your grand parties. You always made an excuse to host one, thinking he would spend the night with you instead. But alas, you knew that you were just someone he hated. Loathed. He would bathe in your blood if he could. “You can at least tell me the girl's name.”

He utters your name, flicking your fingers that inched towards the mark on his hand. A mark that you had solely given him to ward off vampires and to let them know that he wasn’t to be eaten. It was also a mark to see what vampires he encountered besides you.

You hiss. “No fun! You’re no fun, Sylus. Just tell me her name! We don’t repeat names you know so I may know her.” You rub your hand, ready to throw him into a wall. It wouldn’t be the last time you let your temper get the best of you. He had the scars to prove it.

“You do.”

Your eyes widen, smiling growing as you clap your hands. “Exciting! Tell me! Tell it!”

Sylus looks at you as if ready to scold you. A mere vampire clapping her hands in front of him like a child wasn’t on his list of things to see tonight. He didn’t care for the excitement. He could lie to you so easily and you’d believe it. The only thing he was allowed to do. You were gullible and that was the only feature he liked about you.

Sylus didn’t know the girl's name who occupied his bed once the sun hid behind the clouds. He didn’t care to learn it. He needed a distraction and the female was there—to distract. Nothing else.

He says nothing. He grumbles to himself as he makes his way to the door. “Fine. I’ll make sure to send your payment before dawn.” You finally plop down on the cushioned chest, watching him leave as he said nothing to you in return.

————

Sylus lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling as the fan spun around endlessly. He was alone. He had been alone for days now and it bothered him. His fingers curl into the sheets, hearing your laugh into his head.

“Shut up.” He groans, stuffing the pillow over his face as he tries to suffocate you out of his mind.

He sat up in bed, doing away with the plain white duvet covers. He rubs his head, leaning over to finish the last sip of the whiskey in his glass. “I know you can hear me, damn princess.”

But you were silent in his mind. Not wanting to take the ultimate Sylus rage as bait. You had better things to do. Better things that involved staring at the humans your servants had brought in. A small feast before winter came. It had been several weeks since you'd felt the cool taste of human blood fill your body and spirit whole. It made your body tingle with excitement.

And while you partied your way through the night with the young delinquent vampires. The elders were deciding on who to place on the throne.

————

“It’s midday, why’d you send word for me? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Sylus entered the large bedroom, a scowl on his face as he announced his presence which caused you to groan.

He takes a look around and notices that there were no signs of human remains in your bed, bathroom, or anywhere in fact. It was odd considering you loved your humans.

There were weapons lined out on the tables, bed, and the very walls. He was going to ask you why but he looked over at you. Your annoyed state told him everything he needed to know. Whatever you had called him in for was serious—serious enough to have you slouched in a chair looking hung over.

You sat in a large chair, hair pinned back as you wore a robe that barely covered anything from his view. “Sit. Just sit.” You sigh dryly, waving him off.

The room was dark with a hint of sunlight peering out from the blacked-out drapes. In which you did your best to ignore but you couldn’t just sit in the darkness and have a conversation with Sylus. An important one at that.

“What’s so important for the blood sucker to lose her beauty sleep?” He snickers, taking a seat on your sofa. He yawns one last time, fixing his hair as he relaxes.

You rub your temples, and the headaches start back up again. The tremors. The way you needed to kill something heavily filled your mind. “Can you help me escape?”

Sylus looks at you, sitting up in his seat. “Escape, how?”

“You know. This place.” You motion around the room. Implying that you wanted to leave for whatever reason you did not say. Sylus was the man for the job, he was capable of leading someone like you out of the cathedral and away from the prying eyes of the council.

“You’re being serious.” He chuckles, rubbing the silver cuff on his wrist. The seal mark glowed in the dimly lit room, he tugs the sleeve down over it and looks up at you.

“I need to leave. Now. As in right now while everyone is asleep.” You get up, grabbing the packed bag and setting it on the glass table.

You were in a hurry. You had hours before nightfall, hours that meant seconds in your time. “It’s light out.” He turns his gaze away from you, taking his interest in the oil painted portrait of yourself in a fancy Victorian styled dress. You looked younger, more vibrant, not as dull as you did now. He starts to wonder if you were human before you turned or was it the lack of human blood that affected the vampirism deeply.

“There are underground tunnels—“

“Used for humans.” He whispers, sending a glare to you. He watches you with squinted eyes, taking in the way you put on the clothing, even getting dressed was a temptation. He huffs, tearing his gaze away from you.

“And there is no doubt some of them are out on the streets right now.” You put on the hoodie, making sure to add a face mask to cover your face.

“Your point, princess?”

You put the backpack over your shoulders, not minding that it was heavy. You needed to pack some essentials, important things that mattered to you because you weren’t sure when you’d be coming back—that’s if you came back at all.

“My point is that I need to leave this fucking hell hole or the next time you might see me. My head will be on a stake on the front fucking lawn.” You threw a scrolled note at him. Watching it land directly in the middle of his face as it rolled off and landed on the glass table.

You don’t spare any time to explain to him the massacre that happened at your party here last night. You didn’t dare to speak about the friends you had lost and the vampires you had to kill to save yourself.

“They’ve sent people for your head.” He rolls the scroll back up, setting it in the blood pitcher. He watches the blood seep into the note.

“Not people. Assassins. The fucking coven of bitches that sit in their coffins in Romania sending their vampires to kill me,” you hiss in his direction, the frown fresh on your face as you pace around the room. “I have told them that I do not want the throne. I do not want to rule for the same bat-eyed vampires that have taken over this world. I can hardly even format war plans. I cannot rule over the entirety of the world.” You finally admit, sliding down to the floor.

A whiny princess. You were whiny and for the first time in Sylus’s life, he pitied you. Perhaps a little but he wasn’t going to tell you that. He sighs to himself, rubbing his thighs before standing. “Daylights dying,” he kicked your boot, extending a hand out to you. “Let’s go.”

————

The streets were busy and the humans acted as if they weren’t fighting a battle between night walker and day walker. They lingered in the alleys and buildings. You stayed close to Sylus, making sure not to make eye contact with any of the humans. It was a world you had created and right now you were the sheep and they were the wolves. Many of them carried weapons, patrolling the areas and following people wherever they went. Children stayed close to their mothers as they picked the vegetation off the trees and bushes that they had planted years ago.

“I can’t believe I’m walking in the sun.” You kept your head down, trailing behind Sylus as you kept all parts of your skin covered.

He held onto your gloved hand, guiding you through the small morning crowd. You don’t have to look up to know that he side-eyed you to respond to that absurd comment. A comment that could get you and him killed.

“Why did we—“ your voice gets cut off when you bump into his back. Your face collides with the leather jacket as he grips your hand. A crowd started to form in front of a building.

He pulls you into his side, making sure to embrace you in a side hug to make it seem as if you were his spouse. No one would turn an eye to that. Not when everyone watched four men drag two people out from the shadows.

You look slightly in the direction of the whispers. Your hand squeezes his hand in utter shock and anger. They were dragging out vampires that had been hiding out in the building to avoid the sun. You held your breath, looking at the two being forced onto their knees.

You try your best to look at the group of people that surrounds you. They started to cheer and yell profanities. Some even went as far as throwing things at the two who had rucksacks over their heads.

“This is what they do to vulnerable ones. Ones that don’t have the protection like you,” Sylus whispers, looking down at you but he doesn’t say anything else. Taking in the way your brows were furrowed, your lips were patted slightly, you were in complete shock.

He starts to pull you back from the crowd. “We shouldn’t have come this way.” He mumbles, nudging you to keep walking but you stand planted to the ground. Staring at the scene in a dark trance.

A man unclothed the two figures on their knees, causing a sound to escape your mouth. The sound alone caught the eyes of the two figures. A man and a woman, who had to be seasoned vampires. Unless they were newly turned and not used to the ways of your kind being hunted.

“Is that Sylus I see in the crowd?”

The voice from the man who stood next to the vampires snaps you out of the trance you were in. It was enough to send a chill down your spine. You clench your jaw, yanking his arm. “Don’t you leave me with these imbeciles. They’ll kill me!” You hiss in his mind as he chuckles dryly down at you.

He leans and pats your head. “Just stay here. Okay?” He whispers sweetly into your ear, gripping your chin in the process as he tilts your head up to meet his. The sun gently hits a small part of your exposed skin and you squirm, quickly ducking your head down as you cover the sizzling part with the sleeve of your sweater.

“Asshole.” You utter in a growl, kicking the back of his knee, watching him nearly fall forward as people make a pathway for him.

You stood awkwardly, trying to act like one of the civilians in the crowd. You swallow thickly, trying to catch wind of something else other than human blood in all corners. You try your best to focus on the lingering scent of Sylus, his cologne left a trail for you to use as he spoke to the group of men around the vampires.

Someone grabs the boy first, dragging him closer into the sun. The crowd cheered louder, some shoving each other to view the burning execution closer. Shoulders bump into you, causing you to fall into someone’s backside.

“Fuck! I’m sorry!” You desperately apologize, closing your eyes behind your sunglasses out of fear but the person doesn’t turn around. They were too engrossed in the screams from the vampire male that burned to care.

You watch in horror, blinking in shock, as you back out of the crowd. You had to leave, had to escape without being noticed. You knew Sylus would find you if you ran off, he always did but right now you didn’t care about that. You cared about surviving. Surviving the humans that were slowly being turned into their own versions of monsters.

The girl screams your name, causing you to slowly turn around as she screams your name again. This time in a language you understood. “Princess! Please! Help me!” She cries out, trying to fight off the men who held her down.

The skin of your lips tingled, the eyes of many civilians that stood with you in a crowd now were fully on you. Everything in your body shook, screaming at you to run but another part of you screamed to turn around.

Sylus yells your name through the crowd, causing people to whisper around you. “Run! Damn it! Run!” He yells before the crowd you were just standing in starts to look you over finally.

“You’re all covered up.”

“Let us see your eyes!”

“There is only one vampire princess whore with that name!”

The voices were growing louder, getting closer. You trip over a tree branch that was in the middle of the road, catching yourself just before hands pull your hoodie down from your head. You trip over your feet as you start to run. You didn’t know the streets well, you never left your room, hell, you never even saw the sun until now. If you had a beating heart it would have been sent into cardiac arrest by now with the way you tried to run and not bump into civilians who had no clue why a mob was chasing a woman.

And for once in your pathetic, miserable life you were fucking afraid.

————

You lurch forward, puking blood into the sewers as Sylus leans back against the wall letting the cigar smoke waft in the air. “I’ve been running for the past six hours! The least you could do is help me.” You groan, swallowing dryly as you try to stand fully. But your body told you otherwise.

He grimaces at the way you hurled. Your body was different then humans but yet you seemed more human then him. “Why should I?”

You stagger back, not having the strength to carry on as you land on your ass. You don’t even bother responding to him and the hidden anger in his voice. You had just put a red target on his back and ruined his name by exposing yourself when you were seen with him. Sylus had every right to be angry, he could kill you right here and you wouldn’t complain. You’d take the silver or the stake to the heart gracefully. Willingly at this point.

He kicks your boot. “Let’s go. We’re still in the city and they’ve probably locked down every corner just to find you.” He tosses the unfinished cigar into the sewer stream, grabbing you by the arm.

The smell of his blood made your mind act on impulse, sending him into the hard concrete flooring as you wasted no time straddling him. He grunts, grabbing your arms in an attempt to stop you but you were blood thirsty and he was free game. Your servant or not. Bond or not. You needed blood and he was the closest thing to the freshest human there was.

You hiss, the layer of fangs poking through your lips as you force his arms above his head. Sylus strains, trying to fight you off. He says your name in one belated breath, feeling your breath on his skin. “The oath. You can’t.”

“Fuck the oath,” you whisper, licking your lips like a child being rewarded their favorite candy. “I know when to stop.” You sigh, lowering yourself down onto him, your glowing eyes meeting his.

Sylus kicks you, causing you to lunge forward eating concrete. He tries to get up, trying to find his gun but you tackle him again. This time not knowing what your intent was, he tries to fight you off but you both roll into the sewage.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” He roars, trying to swim towards you.

“With all good reason but right now let’s try to run from the bastards behind us!” You yell back, laughing, looking back to see four vampires jumping into the waters to follow the both of you.

————

“Gods be damned. We stink so badly. I can smell it on your skin.” You shiver, sitting up as Sylus glares at you.

“What was that back there?” He practically howls in anger, rolling over on top of you, caging you in. “Huh? Answer me!”

You giggle, smile widening as you study his face. “You look like a wet cat and your anger is cute, silly human.”

He punches the soil next to your face, leaning closer towards your face. You swallow, holding your breath, and just maybe you would be able to control the aching hunger. “Do I need to tie you up and drag you to where we are going?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, Sylus.” You whisper, flicking his nose.

“Gross.” He rolls off of you and gets up. Not bothering to help you up as he makes his way to the tree line.

“Where are we going?” You had lost your backpack and other belongings during your chase in the morning. Despite you not wanting to part with it, you knew the humans took every last bit of item that was dropped from your bag.

He doesn’t reply, he doesn’t have the means too. He made sure to walk the path that had been created, a small line of dirt didn’t look out of place when it came to walking in the woods. To anyone it looked like a trail but to a surviving human it was a trail to the underground homes the human stayed in.

“Is there really a community down there?” You ask after a long deprived moment of silence. Your hair was dry, your clothes reeked and you were sure if you were human you’d be puking at the rancid smell that clung onto you.

He looks over his shoulder, lips turned downward in a frown. “I will answer all your questions once we’re inside.”

You nod eagerly, smiling as you catch up with him. He doesn’t acknowledge your presence as he takes your hand in his, ready to yank you closer in case something happens.

“I have a feeling you like holding my hand.” You squeeze his hand and wiggle your brows up at him.

“Shut up.”

“You didn’t disagree. It’s a yes, then? You like holding my cold hands. They’re small, is that why you like them?” You tease him even more, stepping over the brush as he squeezes your hand a little too hard. “Ow! I haven’t fed properly! So everything hurts, fuck head.” You start to whine too loudly for his comfort, as he nudges you intending to shut up.

“Deserved, princess.” He winks at you, a smirk on his disgustingly pretty face which made you hiss in response.

————

The entrance to the underground was disguised as an old gas shack. Vacant the way the shack was ransacked and vegetation has grown over it. Almost creating a wall of vines to protect anyone from peering in. Sylus shoves you in first, causing you to protest a bit but he looks around before heading inside the building himself.

Two older gentlemen in the building stood from the chess table. Silver bullets were lined and ready as they pointed guns in your direction. Sylus shoves you to the side, showing them a badge that he had pulled out from the inside pocket of his jacket.

“What of her?” One of the men asks, aiming the gun directly at you.

You wave nervously, chuckling. “Howdy!” You try your best to fake an accent. Laughing again before Sylus nudges you.

“She needs passage, Sylus or she gets no entry.”

You look at the older men. Frowning. “He found me hiding away in a home. I had a piece of board for a weapon and no way of surviving before he saved me.” You do your best to lie, feeling the sting creep up your throat and another rune searing into the skin on your arms underneath the clothing.

Sylus looks at you, grabbing your hand. “Let her come with me. The poor girl had gone through enough.”

You clench your jaw, looking down, as you try your best to focus on Sylus and his voice. He squeezed your hand, pulling you closer.

“Fine but make sure to take her to get a badge. Next time we won’t let her in.”

Sylus smiled, patting the shoulders of the men before one of them opened the sealed chute. You watch him go first, nodding his head at you to follow along. You say nothing to the men, as you nervously start to climb down the chute.

“Wow.” You murmur in awe, looking at the number of people that had small shops open. People walked down the small sidewalks acting as if they weren’t fighting to live their lives away from vampires.

Sylus grabs you by the back of your shirt collar, pulling you in the opposite direction. “Ow! Ow!” You wince slightly, trying to turn around.

He pulls you closer to him. “Act like a human when we’re down here.” He hisses in a thick whisper.

“And how do you suppose I do that?” You whisper back, glaring at him as he guides you down the narrow pathway.

“Don’t stare at people too hard. Talk normally without the unhinged formalities and for the love of God, stop walking like you have a stick up your ass.” He replies, taking a sharp turn.

You saw animals. Horses, pigs, cows, and so many more animals were in makeshift barns. People were trading items for food and even for animals. “My boots are wet, that's why I’m walking like I have a stick up my ass.” You’re pulled into Sylus even closer when the crowds get smaller and louder.

The people around you looked well groomed, their clothes and faces were clean. Everything about the underground cities were sterile. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the numerous guards that carried weapons in every corner watching the civilians.

The tunnels weren’t dark like you imagined them to be. They had lights, air, and even heat. It wasn't how you pictured it. The small pathways were colorful, full of different variations of people and their cultures. A nation that was torn apart by your kind, forced to come together despite differences.

Sylus finally guides you out of the crowds, taking you down a vacant street-like pathway that leads to houses. You blink in awe. “How were they able to get structure down here?” You whisper to him, taking in every house and the way each one was different.

“The tunnels were here before the vampires attacked. It was a secret service operation that had started in the early 50s.” He takes you to a house that was off in the back, the porch steps were steep and thick but that didn’t stop you from climbing up them.

You watch Sylus unlock the door, pulling you into the house before locking it. You study the home, it looked so huge on the inside you were amazed by the way everything looked. It was fully furnished and you took note of the way it stayed cleaned and untouched.

You start to wander off, leaving Sylus to his defenses as you come across one bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. You practically groan in relief seeing the bathroom. You wasted no time, flinging the dry and rank clothing into the bathroom sink.

Sylus was busy finding maps of the tunnels, spreading them out onto the kitchen table. He doesn't see you appear, focused on studying the routes to the next set of tunnels to travel to where he and his crew took over.

“What are you doing?”

He hums, looking up for a second. You were wearing an old shirt and a pair of boxers that were suffocating your figure. He raises his brows and looks back down at the maps. “We can’t stay here for long. People whisper and it spreads quickly.” He mumbles with uninterest in his voice as he flips over another map to examine.

You nod, looking at the maps as you study them. They were different, written in a way that you didn’t understand. They were all done in code and it started to click, the humans slowly made ways to outsmart your kind.

Your sharp nail hits the large map in the middle. “Is this your own little sanction?” You study the thick details, an artist took great care and time to make it strictly for Sylus and his group.

Your finger drags across the charcoal lines, lifting it to smudge the dust between your pointer finger and thumb. Blowing the ash off the digit and onto Sylus, but the action doesn’t make him respond. No. He just looks at you with narrowed eyes.

He sighs, standing from where he had spent the last hour sitting. He grabs your arm, ignoring the way you try to fight him off.

“Sylus,” you shake his arm, trying to make him face you. “I’m talking to you!”

He whistles to himself, grabbing something from the dresser drawer. He turns to you slightly, just enough for you to catch the handcuffs. “Hey! No! I’m not into that!” You try to pull away, but your body isn't in a state to fight back. It was weak and you were malnourished.

“Don’t fight me,” he murmurs, making you sit on the bed. You held your breath, his nose nearly touching yours as he leaned over you to raise your hands above your head. He scoots you back into the headboard, the cuffs fitting perfectly over your wrists. You swallow even harder, your eyes flicking to his eyes, nose, mouth, and back to his eyes again. Too close. Too close. “I don’t trust you.” He finally looks you over, locking the cuffs before getting off the bed.

You frown, “You’ve known me since you were 16. What do you mean you don’t trust me?”

No response. Nothing. He wasn’t going to respond, he had every right to ignore you. Everything in you ached and it was aching for blood. The lengths you would go to feel some blood on your tongue made you shiver.

But it made you think of the time when you stumbled upon a bleeding out 16-year-old Sylus. A boy that was running away from an army of vampires and had nothing to defend himself. A time where you healed a human under a condition that he was to serve you. Fifteen years later, he’s grown to be a cold gentleman and you were still the whiny princess that took time to train him personally, despite him trying to kill you every second he got.

You weren’t sure when you started to develop feelings for the man. You vowed yourself to never cross that boundary, but times were short and you were tired. Stuck in a body that wouldn’t grow, your soul would always be at the age you had stopped aging but in that heart of yours, it would start beating for Sylus.

————

Sylus nudges your shoulder, a small key in between his lips. The way he says your name is different, it’s muffled but it’s said in a way you’ve never heard before. You hummed, lifting your head from the odd angle it was perched at while you tried to save your strength.

He couldn’t help himself, his fingers fixing your hair as he made you scoot over. He sets the cuffs and key down onto the nightstand, careful to keep his eye on you at the same time. You don’t bother to even say anything, rolling over and curling into the pillow.

“Will you be able to leave in a few hours?”

His voice cuts through the chilly room like a vise. You clear your throat, wincing slightly at the way it felt like knives in your mouth. You grip the pillow to stop yourself from letting impulses control you. “Sure.” You reply in one breath, looking ahead as you close your eyes, trying your damndest to focus on the crooked bookshelf in the room.

The bed dips slightly, and your eyes look off to the side to see Sylus come closer towards you. He wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer into his chest.

“Did you hit your head when you were showering?” You squeak, startled by the motion. The willingness of his action. You felt your head spin and for better or worse, it wasn’t because of the lack of appetite.

He snorts, burying his face into your neck. Your fingers grip the sheets, closing your mouth due to your fangs pricking the skin of your lips. “No. Relax. Yeah?” He breathes into your neck, and he brushes his nose against your cold skin.

You swallow again, closing your eyes. “That’s hard.”

“Think of something.”

“I-I can’t. I can’t think of anything.” You admit, feeling your body grow hot. Your nails tear into the sheet, burying your face into your arm, hiding from the embarrassment. From the way his large hand lay across your stomach so freely without a care in the world.

You needed to run—run so far from him. He was pushing your boundaries, testing the waters between the two of you that left you crawling at the seams. It was as if your body froze, ready for a picture to be taken when his thumb swipes across your skin, the shirt you wore had lifted a bit and all thoughts of wanting to sleep left your mind.

You needed to ravish.

The body betrays the mind. You knew that but you didn’t think it would happen to you. Not when he was pressed up against you, using his own tricks to get you to succumb. Your hand shakes, your nails grew long and sharper, unable to control the rabid hunger that infected your body and its natural urges.

Placing the hand over his, you lift your head from its little bubble of shame, peering over your shoulder to see him watching you. “Look at you,” he huffs with amusement, bringing his arm that was around you up closer towards your breasts. You close your eyes, looking away. Embarrassing. Utter embarrassment. Letting a mere human, a servant, your servant touch you in a way that would cost him his head. He traces the outline of your lips with his thumb, smiling at you and the internal struggle you were facing.

“So weak. So fragile after two days of not feeding. Aren’t you ashamed?” He presses his thumb on your bottom lip, causing your mouth to part unintentionally.

He was right. You were ashamed. Ashamed to even be in this position. Ashamed to have him offer himself to you willingly. It wasn’t like you nearly tried to feed off of him forcefully hours ago but this time is different. It’s different because Sylus is doing the action for you. Saving you the trouble of getting your tiny hands dirty.

“This isn’t a good—“

He shushes you, watching his thumb prick your bottom fang. Your hand catches his thumb, squeezing a little more blood into your mouth. It was pathetic to hear the noises you made, you were starving. With eyes closed you feel the warmth of his blood reaching the tip of your tongue. His fingers brush against your cheek and nose as he makes sure you didn’t latch onto the digit.

Your tongue swipes over the small cut, causing him to pull his hand back. You shove his hand away, knowing if you pushed yourself even more you wouldn’t just take a few droplets of blood from his thumb.

“If I give you permission to feed. The oath agreement between us will be okay.” He adjusts lays on his back, tugging your hip in a silent command to straddle him.

You sit up, shaking your head. “No. I just can’t take from you.”

He scoffs, pulling the sheet over him. “You had no issue doing it when we were in the sewer tunnels. Why now?”

He had a point. A strong one. You wanted to strangle him for it. You wanted, no, needed blood. You were craving it in a way that was messy and unkind.

“I had some control.” You emphasized the word some in a hiss. Glaring at him with furrowed brows.

“You’ve never had control,” He states bitterly, giving you a slanted gaze. “You don’t even have control now. You’re shaking like a dog.”

You don’t respond, looking away from him. You try to roll over, ignoring the lingering taste of his blood. Your body was screaming for more but you knew better than to act on it.

He grabs your hand, placing it flatly in the middle of his chest. You look at the torn bed sheet, listening to his heartbeat. It was slow, a steady healthy pace. An h familiar pace you weren’t used to, a feeling you didn’t get to enjoy. “Look at me,” he murmurs, tugging your arm. His skin was warm and full of life. You shake your head, gods, you were acting like a docile little thing. You were a pure blooded vampire, a monster, you’ve killed people before but when you were right next to him—it didn’t matter, none of it did. “Look at me.” He whispers again, leaving your hand on his chest as he takes his hand to turn your chin directly in his vision.

Your eyes flutter shut, a small sound escaping your parted lips when his hand drags down your jaw, stopping at your neck. He dips his fingers under the shirt, tracing the lines of your shoulder blades. “Sylus.” Your voice shakes at the action, keeping yourself still.

“Shut up for once.” He laughs softly, leaning closer until his lips touch the side of your neck.

Your fingers dig into the sheets of the bed, his lips were like their own version of ashen root—warm and fierce. They were your irritant against your skin and they were sending your soul into a turmoil of want. You wanted this but it also felt so wrong to see him in a different light. The last cling of hope of not wanting to ravish him was gone. The temptation, it was all there. He was initiating and you were just letting him.

Just as he said in the past. You were all bark and no bite.

You relax at the feeling of his nose brush against the back of your ear as he lays you down swiftly. Your fingers dig deeper into the cloth of the sheets, not caring that they were being shredded. His fingers ghost over the small section of skin revealed from your shirt lifting.

“This is a bad idea.” You rasp, watching him with low lidded eyes as he looks up at you.

His fingers trail down your skin, watching you with such intensity you weren’t sure what to do. A creature of your stature was being tempted by a human. A human that tried his hardest to be closed off and unfeeling towards you. Perhaps, it was a dream—a dream that made you feel the rush and ecstasy of sex.

“You’re right. It’s a bad idea.” He murmurs, looking you over and the way you laid so utterly still for him. Compliant and still is something he has never seen from you.

With careful eyes, you watch him get up from his spot on the bed, looking out the window. You sat up, pulling your shirt down and swallowing. A moment of weakness, that’s all it was. Simply a moment of weakness that made you forget what the original plan was.

But you couldn’t stop yourself, crawling out of bed and walking towards him. Your fingers trace over the scars and hard muscle over his back, before going up and wrapping your cool fingers around the back of his neck. A shaky breath is all it took for you to pull Sylus’s head back, his back hitting your chest hard as your lips brush over the pulse point of his neck.

Your tongue swipes over the skin, nails digging into his neck, a needy sigh leaves your lips. Causing his skin to form goosebumps. Your tongue swirls the thick vein, closing your eyes at the feeling of your fangs poking the inside of your lips.

He whispers your name, this time with the intent of it surprising the own hunger he felt. “Princess.” He chokes on the word, your eyes watching his adams apple bob down and back up.

“Hm?” Your voice is feathery, soft, in a way you’ve never heard before. It nearly startles you out of the trance but your hunger was far greater than that. Your lips graze over the vein again, breathing him in and the sweet aroma of his skin.

Sylus and his blood was different from the average human. It’s different because he has your very own blood coursing through his veins. It calls to you like the whispers perched on your shoulder, telling you to take back what was once yours.

He doesn’t fight you, no, he lets your fangs sink gently into him. He lets out a shaky breath, hands gripping the wall in an attempt to steady himself. He’s had vampire females feed on him but that was in the comforts of his penthouse above. They were once humans, they weren’t born killers. They didn’t smell the blood of their princess in his veins. Not the way you did. This was a different feeling, one that sent him overboard and his body was silently folding in half to follow your command.

You groan, eyes rolling in the back of your head as you take what you’ve been meaning to take back. You pull away slowly, trying to savor every last drop. Not bothering to wipe your mouth, you lick the corner of your lips, sighing in content as your eyes watch the blood ooze out of the wound. It would take days for him to heal but you weren’t going to let his pretty body get scarred due to your negligence.

Sylus turns around, forcing your body back towards the bed. His hands found your hips, fingers pulling down the items of clothing you wore as you landed on the bed. You watch him intently, his senses heightened, his skin glistened with sweat. He was experiencing a different kind of high. One that only you could give him.

He didn't say anything, there wasn’t anything to say. His body, mind, and soul told you everything you needed to know. His lips trail down your body, one strong arm lifting your shirt. His lips land on the runes on your hip bones, kissing one hip before moving to the other. You look up at the ceiling, closing your eyes as you do your best to let him take command. It was hard considering you never knew what it felt like when someone was taking their time with fucking you.

But with Sylus, this was different. It was almost like he was savoring you in ways a husband would make love to his wife.

That thought alone makes you bite your lip, subconsciously opening your legs for him as you feel his mouth hovering over your core. He bites your cunt and it causes you to bend your knees, fingers curling into the sheets.

“Sy-Sylus!” Your voice quivers in a broken cry of pleasure, arching your body into his warmth.

His fingers dig into the swells of your back as he hums in response. His tongue swirls over the bud that has been pulsing since the second you’ve bitten him. It was enough for you to bite your fangs into your bottom lip. Clenching your thighs around his head. He works his mouth down, making sure to keep his eyes on you and the way he sent your body into a frenzy. A frenzy that was better than the bloodlust that was still evident.

He ravishes you in a way that nearly sends your body off the bed, his arms keeping your thighs apart, not ready to let you down that easily. His mouth was heaven sent and you knew for a fact you’d never admit to anyone that a mere human—your human was eating you out far better than you'd imagined.

He pulls away, briefly. His chin glistening in the low moonlight, he drags a finger down your stomach and it stops just before your slick cunt. He presses the finger against your sensitive bud, keeping his eyes on you as he does the action again.

Your brows furrow, holding in the noises he was wanting to hear. You knew he was waiting for you to break, ready to see you turn into a muttering, pleading mess from a mere human servant giving you pleasure far better than the average experienced vampire male.

You sit up, keeping your gaze on him. His finger gently slides into you but he smirks before pulling the digit away. “Are you normally this quiet?” He tilts his head, examining you before he slides his body in between your legs.

Your back meets the bed again, one of his hands holding the back of your head in place while the other lifts your thigh closer towards his hip. It didn’t take long for you to feel the prominent bulge perfectly hitting your bare cunt. “Your silence is noted, princess.” He nudges his nose along your temple.

“Shut up.” You try to sound angry but the way he pressed himself against you told you otherwise.

“What happened to this being a bad idea?”

You shrug, pressing your face closer into his neck, the bite from earlier had finally stopped bleeding but that didn’t mean it was ready to be healed. You groan, dragging your tongue across the wound, he shivers above you, his fingers gripping the flesh of your thigh.

Before you could get a taste his mouth was on yours, hungry and frenzied. Your arms latch around his neck pulling him closer—close enough to feel him even more. You didn’t care that his tongue forcibly entered your mouth, causing you to whimper and grind against his clothed erection.

He bites the bottom of your lip, causing you to pull closer into him. Your nails drag down his back, before slipping an open palm under his boxers gripping his ass, pressing him harder into you.

You were a creature of the night, born from lust and sin. A pure blood heathen that didn’t mingle with the humans but Sylus, he was different. Oh, so, different and he was yours. A servant, a soldier, but he was yours.

His touch was warm like the fires you grew up standing in front of. His kisses sting like the first time you’ve ever experienced being bitten from another. But what needed your attention was his cock and the way your fingers pulled down the rest of the clothing that adorned his body was enough to send shivers up your spine.

You bury your face into the crook of his neck, dragging fangs across his skin as your thumb traces over the slit of his tip. Sylus bucks himself into your hand, enough for you to grab hold of it. He utters your name with a clenched jaw, closing his eyes. You watch from the corner of your eye to see his jaw tick when you form a tight fist around his pulsing cock.

Your fangs prick his left peck, your fist sliding down his cock at a teasing pace before going back up. Sylus stills, his fingers gripping your hips, he felt his knees start to grow rigid, he was ready to collapse and fuck the last bit of sense he had into you.

But this was your game and he was nearly a pawn by the hands of you.

His princess.

His mistress.

His lady.

Just.

His.

The fangs didn’t bother him. They aroused him. He loved the way his blood trickles out from your perfect fucking mouth and onto his chest. He groans loudly at the thought of you going down on him with his blood covering your body. Sylus wasn’t aware that you were already one step ahead of him, your hand squeezing his aching cock before shoving him down onto his back.

You pull away from his chest, blood fresh as it travels down your neck and down the hill of your breasts. Your eyes glowed menacingly in the low light illuminating the room, your fingers drag down his chest before they lift.

“Your thoughts are plaguing me.” You murmur, lowering yourself around his waist. His cock hit the back swell of your ass and it took everything in you not to give in.

His hands met your hips, looking up at you with a smirk. His chest heaved up and down, the pain from the bites didn’t bother him, it elevated him. He tips his head back into the pillows, “So you know what I want and how I want it, don’t you?”

You squint, leaning forward, your elbows digging into his chest. “Do you really think you’re going to get what you want?”

He nods, his hands rubbing your hips before sliding up your body. He drags a finger over the swell of your breast, taking the bud of your hardened nipple in between his fingers. The squeeze sent your hips down against his, your body giving you easily. “I think my answer is clear.” He breathes out in a satisfied sigh, he flicks your nipple before his hands go back to your sides.

You bare your fangs in response, a small hiss fills the room before you sit back up. You weren’t sure why you were nervous. You had sex before, plenty of times, with numerous vampires at the same time. Except this was different, you were openly aware that you were about to fuck your servant bound by blood and bond. A sacred bond that is bound to form into something deeper and stronger.

Sylus watches you squirm in his lap, “Having doubts?”

No. You weren’t having doubts. In fact, you were ready but you weren’t sure if he was ready for the consequences that were to come.

Without responding, you gently sat up, lining your entrance with his thick cock before taking his tip slowly. A soft sound leaves your lips, thighs shaking at the sensation. You felt everything, his pulse, the warmth, and the way his cock lines so perfectly inside of you.

“F..Fuck.” He clenches his jaw, hands gripping your hips. He watches you fully slide down, taking every inch like the good princess you were.

It was a trance, a trance that kept Sylus breathless as he let you rock your hips against his. A motion that was like a dance—a dance he wouldn’t get sick of. He didn’t care about the amount of sounds you were making, he didn’t care about the blood that stained the bed sheets with each bite you took from him. He had lost all thoughts of time when you rode him.

“Sylus..” you slam down against him, groaning at the satisfaction. Gently adding a bounce to the friction and the sounds. “S’good.” Your body is slick with blood, his blood. Your words began to slur into mush, a thick mush of words as you bounced on his cock.

He grunts, wiping blood from your cheek. His fingers fix the small strands of hair that had started to latch onto your temples. Your eyes never left his and Sylus found it more intoxicating than ever.

He sits up, shushing you, his lips trailing around the shell of your ear. He wraps his arms around you when your fangs latch onto the bone of his shoulder. He kisses the top of your ear, squeezing you even tighter as he starts to thrust into you.

The action caught you off guard, causing you to pull away from him as blood spills from your mouth. Your arms frail out to hold onto him but he shoves them away. One hand squeezes the fat of your ass while the other takes the blood that drips off of your chin as he paints his fingers with it. He smears it onto your breasts, thrusting into your needy cunt even deeper.

You choke on words, fingers finding his hair as you tug his head back in a well deserved response. “Good girl.” He grunts in a tight lipped whisper, licking some of the blood off of your chin.

Everything around you was slowing down, causing your mind to race in a million thoughts. The runes on your arms started to burn, causing your nails to dig into his scalp. He thrusts even harder, his skin hitting yours in a raw motion. If you were human you would start to bruise but you weren’t human.

“The mark—“ you try to finish your sentence, trying your best to grab his hand that had the bond mark. To see if anything was starting to change but he had other plans.

Sylus dwells deeper, his thighs hit your skin, as he finishes inside of you with the sound of your name falling from his lips. He murmurs into your skin sweetly, kissing up your jaw before kissing you finally. Tasting his blood on your lips and tongue.

He fishes his fingers through your hair, whispering sweet words in your ear as he helps you slide off of him. He settles next to you, letting you lay your head on his chest. And maybe just for a moment, everything felt fine.

Fine enough to where you weren’t running away from your family and your duties. You didn’t help plan to end humans and their existence. You weren’t running away for reason, you were being threatened to die and Sylus was your only escape.

You try to catch yourself from spiraling into the waters of hell. Trying to ignore the runes on your skin as they get hotter, the black swirls grow thicker and longer. “The mark.” You finally whisper, looking up at him. You sat up, ready to examine his hand.

Sylus furrows his brows, looking at you. “What about it?”

You grab the hand that was around your waist and examine the mark. It was different, deeper, and it lingered up his wrist. The center of the rune matched your own on your hand.

It only meant one thing and in your world all things had meaning.