I gasped while my hammering heart constantly reminded me how close I was to a state of complete panic. Yet, I needed to focus. I had to clear my mind and force some logic and rationality into my actions.
"Stop the car," I commanded firmly.
"I thought I told you, we have no time for it," Sariel grunted.
"You look like you are going to lose consciousness any second, so stop the damn car!" I roared.
"And who is going to drive?!" he fumed.
"I will," I stated, composedly.
"Do you even have a driving license?" He smirked.
"No, but I know how to drive," I replied confidently.
He sneered and kept driving. It seemed like he put so much confidence in his abilities that he had never even considered that he might need help from someone else. I had to take a different approach.
"Have you called Leo? Have you told him that you found me?" I asked, knowing that he would rather contact his right-hand man.
"No," he respon
I drove carefully. The last thing I wanted was to attract the police's attention. I didn't care much about getting a ticket for driving without a license, but it would delay getting into the Calvet estate, and Sariel's time was running out quickly. Fortunately, the road was empty. I took a turn onto a private road leading up a hill. I kept glimpsing at Sariel, watching him lose and regain his awareness while breathing heavily as the poison slowly corrupted his heart. I was terrified. I didn't know what I was doing. I only hoped that taking Sariel to the Calvet's estate was the right move. Perhaps I should have cut my neck and then placed my bleeding flesh underneath Sariel's teeth. Perhaps I should have done it, but I was a coward. The last thing I wanted was to force him, and I couldn't bear it if he started to hate me. That was why I was willing to do whatever I could to save him without doing a single thing against him. Using my blood was my last resort. Finally,
"Don't come any closer!" Sariel roared, pushing me away from his bed. "You know, this is the only way!" I cried out. "I know…" He turned his head away from me. I could see how he tensely clenched his jaw. I could see him gritting his teeth and doing everything he could to hold back his overgrowing bloodlust, yet it was a battle he was bound to lose. "The bookshelf… Look for Dante's Divine Comedy and pull the book out a bit…" He panted, pointing at the corner of his chamber. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I walked over there and found the book. Once I pulled it out, the whole bookshelf moved, opening a secret room hidden behind it. I gasped and looked at Sariel, hoping for more instructions. "Take the shackles…" he said faintly while stabbing his claws into the bed frame. "If I am to bite you, I need something to restrain my strength…" I walked into the room. As I entered, the lights turned on. There was a wall-size sh
I couldn't recall the last time I slept as soundly as that night. Perhaps it was due to my exhaustion and loss of blood, but nonetheless, it was a good sleep. I woke up naked. Silk sheets lightly caressed my skin. As soon as I opened my eyes, my lips formed a faint smile, which immediately added a flush to my face as the flashes of last night brought back everything that had happened. Uncontrollably, I covered most of my face to hide the blush, then I realized that I was in bed lying alone. I nervously looked around the room and sighed in relief as soon as I saw Sariel standing by the window. He was facing the sunrise. He was naked. All his amazing features and sculpture-like muscles were clearly visible. I caught myself admiring the view and couldn't stop thinking that he looked like an angel, the most perfect creature that I had ever seen. The light of the sun that found its way through the window grazed his skin. I gasped, wondering how he could stay there so calm.
Both Sariel and Will locked their eyes on me, anticipating my reaction, but I wasn't sure how to react. Half of my heart jumped for joy that I had something valuable to give Sariel, but the other half kept screaming that I had already been in this kind of situation. I hated being an item, someone's priceless possession. An owner would never have feelings for his "thing", no matter how precious, and at that moment I felt like I became literally a blood bag. "Wow… I have never fought that I would become someone's energy drink…" I muttered, smiling bitterly. "Lilith…" Will sighed, his hands reaching out to soothe me. "That's not—" "You don't get it, Lilith, do you?" Sariel burst out, cutting Will off, "You are the only one with my mark. You are my woman." He gazed confidently into my eyes. Once again, half of my heart called for a celebration, while the other half treated Sariel's words as another reason to be restless. "I just…" I sealed my lips
I entered a state of shock, gaping my eyes at Sariel and trying hard to comprehend his words. It looked like I was the only one who had problems with acknowledging my new position since everyone else bowed down to me after hearing Sariel's words. "What?" I muttered softly to Sariel. "You heard it well." He smirked slyly. "I don't even know what that means!" I argued in a low voice. "Don't worry too much. Leo will teach you everything you need to know." He smiled and stroked my hair. I smiled, feeling the panic rising within me. All those people standing in front of me showed me absolute respect. I had never received this kind of treatment from anyone. For a second, I started to wonder, would I have been treated in the pack in a familiar way if I were born as a wolf? Those thoughts immediately painted a bitter smile on my face, but I had to quit wondering and focus on my situation and new, completely unexpected position… Sariel held my
Only pure-blood vampire families deserved to have a noble title. Until recently, there used to be five noble, pure-blood vampire families. Of course, after the annihilation of the Adragnas, the noble families were down to four. The noble family was allowed to keep the title, as long as there was at least one pure-blood member living in the family. The Grimoards were currently down to three family members. Two of them were pure-bloods: King Mael and Princess Elora, and there was also a half-blood, Prince Kanan, who resembled more of a human than a vampire. After the assassination of the former Duke and Duchess, the Calvet name was held by only two members: Sariel and his sister, Dominique. The other noble families that could potentially aim for the throne were the Desai family and the Orseolo family. The Desais originally came from India, where they were once worshiped as gods. There were currently four pure-blood noble vampires in their family, yet all of them seemed relativ
Throughout my life, I had always tried to run away from danger, not step right into the middle of it. I felt the best thing I could do was to hide. I had never deliberately faced my fears. I was more than aware I couldn't win against my father and his pack, but that was when I was fighting alone. It all changed the moment Sariel stood by my side. I relied on his strength and influence, but I had changed as well. I became stronger and more fierce. When I fought with the wolf from the northern pack, it was something more than a desperate fight for survival. I fought because I had the right to be free. Even though I thought of Sariel's decision to take me to the noble gathering as something absolutely reckless, I knew I would be safe by his side. I didn't know exactly when I started trusting him so much, but deep down I was convinced that he wouldn't let anyone harm me. As soon as Leo finished his lecture and left, Martha knocked on my door. She brought me lunch
I woke up naked in Sariel's embrace. This time he left a different type of mark: love bites. He left them all over my body. He didn't drink my blood. He didn't need it. He simply wanted to be with me and was unable to hide how much I was glad about it. A stupid grin didn't leave my face as I lied in his arms, pretending to sleep just to prolong this moment as much as I could. Although my rationality kept sending all kinds of warnings, I chose to ignore them. I wanted to cherish this morning while it lasted without thinking if this would change anything within me or not. I just laid my head on Sariel's chest and listened to his amazing, slow heartbeat while breathing in his scent. "Are you awake, love?" His sleepy voice sounded like the sweetest reward for trying not to move in his arms for about an hour. "Um…" I nodded, hiding my flushed face in his chest once more. He chuckled and stroked my hair with one hand while the other pulled me closer against his nak
Fucking Adragna! I could barely stand sitting in front of the Marquess or his sons, knowing that they were the ones who planned the attack on my parents. I should have squeezed my fingers around their necks and watched smug smiles disappear from their faces in agony, and yet, I was forced to keep calm, pretending I didn't know because I had no way to prove it. Those fuckers were good at killing witnesses. I hated them just as much as I hated those mongrels from the Southern Woods Pack. I was the Duke and a future king. I had the strength to crush those bastards to dust, but I had to sit there doing nothing. Why? Because King Mael said so! This old vampire thought that it would be refreshing if our annual meeting were held in his mansion in the Blue Valley, completely ignoring the fact that it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. I couldn't stay there a minute longer. I didn't care if King Mael would be pissed. I wouldn't lose his favor anyway. I was the strongest of all the
"My friend will finally wear the crown!" Martha's enthusiasm nearly made my eardrums explode. Truthfully, I couldn't care less about the crown. It was the wedding dress that was freaking me out. Who would have thought that the vows "till death do us part" would actually mean being together for at least a few centuries? I didn't doubt Sariel's love or mine for him, but still… I still hadn't sorted out the whole "vampire issue". After a month of living as a super-duper-commoner, I knew that I didn't need human blood; drinking Sariel's blood was enough for me. I was ecstatic to find out that he didn't need to drink any other blood than mine either. Will told us that it was a "mates' thing", and that this dependence would bind us forever as well as make us stronger. Yet, it didn't solve all the issues that made me anxious. Commoners lived forever, literally, and nobles had extended but limited lifespans. Would I be forced to live without Sariel? The thought of that formed a knot
"Good morning, my Queen."I would never get enough of hearing it. Sariel made it sound amazingly enticing. His smiling eyes were eating every piece of me. The intensity of his gaze made me flush. We were both naked, although I couldn't recall the moment I lost my silk nightgown. Sariel's arms were wrapping me tightly, and our legs were tangled. The air around us was saturated with arousal, so electrifying that the mere spark could cause an explosion. As my eyes roamed down from Sariel's eyes to his lips, I saw a smug grin. One breath later, his hands cupped my buttocks, lifting me slightly so I could feel his erection against my sex. I gasped."I see you're all healed," I chuckled nervously."Almost…" he smirked. "Now I need a different kind of therapy."His lips blocked mine before I could say anything else. He pinned my hands down on both sides of my head and deepened the kiss with passionate, lush licks. As I surrendered to his caresses, his han
According to the legendWill found, the mate's blood had the greatest effect on the full moon. Well… no surprise there. Conveniently for us, the full moon was tomorrow. The problem was that the whole ritual was quite risky since it required unplugging Sariel from any monitoring equipment in order to grant us an intimate environment. The healing ritual should have been performed between the two mates alone, without any disturbances. I could actually agree with that last one. The moment when we exchanged blood last time, well... I wouldn't want anyone to be around when it happened. Still, I was restless. What if we unplugged Sariel because we believed the legend, and he would die because of this choice?I asked Will if I could read everything he found about that legend, and he agreed to bring me all the centuries-old books that had mentioned something like "mates" among vampires. The moment I began to read it, my heart started to pound. The words describing the bond
After coming back to the Palace, I was dragged away from Sariel. The King was unconscious, and the reign of the kingdom had to be settled immediately. I was led to the study, where I met Gabriel, a group of lawyers, and Leo. I had no idea what my role was in all of this, and I didn't care. I would rather sit by Sariel's bed until he woke up, yet Leo firmly held my hand, convincing me to stay. He told me that there was a certain protocol I, as the queen-to-be, should follow. Reluctantly, I gave up and decided to listen.One of the lawyers stepped forward. He held a sealed envelope. He showed everyone the unbroken seal, and then he opened the content. It was an emergency protocol. It was only supposed to be open if something happened to the King. Acknowledging the reason we were gathered in that room made my head spin. I was suffocating. I stumbled, taking a step back. It was too much. Sariel wasn't dead! I couldn't bear to do anything as if he had already died!"It's on
When I saw Jarred standing over Sariel, who was lying on the ground, my heart stopped beating. My King was bleeding heavily from multiple cuts on his chest, his shoulders, his arms… When I ran into the arena and stopped in the middle, everyone's eyes shifted to me. I struggled to take a breath as the tears flooded my cheeks. Jarred growled and gestured at two standing-by guards so they could take me out of there. Jarred should have known better than to send two rogue werewolves against me. As I roared warningly and pulled out my claws, the wolves stepped back, recognizing my strength.I knew that I couldn't interfere in Sariel's fight. I was no match for Jarred, nor did I want to take away Sariel's pride. The only thing I could do was to bring back his will and courage. I couldn't lose him when we had just gotten each other back. As he turned his head towards me, I met his eyes. Their fire was slowly dying. The view devastated me, but I was not allowed to give up.
I ran towards the screen, processing the situation. The arena was surrounded by a rising ring of metal constructions with wooden boards lying on them, creating a provisional place to stand or walk. A few seconds later, Sariel and Jarred were joined by the audience. They stood on each floor of the construction. They were Jarred's men: rogue wolves and commoner vampires, hiding their flesh under the thick hoods and robes. The outcasts. They were all chanting Jarred's name and spitting underneath Sariel's feet. I could hear their spiteful voices coming through the speakers. Hearing their hatred tore my heart apart, but Sariel seemed unmoved. My King stood proudly, glaring at his enemy while he enticed the crowd, fueling their furious shouts. "Where's Lilith?" Sariel clenched his fist, seeking my presence in the audience. Jarred raised his hand, silencing the crowd, before speaking, "My Sister is safe. She is resting in her room." He curved his lips into a smile, but his
I turned towards the door and observed the overly tall shape of a man emerging from the shadows of the corridor. As he passed the threshold of my cell, I stepped back, soaking my bare feet in the puddle of Ian's blood. My instincts forced me to keep the right distance despite the circumstances. His dangerous aura filled every corner of the room, making every breath more and more uncomfortable.A second later, I saw a man with wavy, naturally ruffled black hair. The irises of his eyes were green with light shades of gold, captivatingly glowing in his olive complexion. He had strongly underlined cheekbones and a sharp jawline, giving him a highly intimidating look. As he entered, his eyes were locked on me. He never spared a glance at Ian's bloodied corpse. He stepped forward, and I instantly stepped back. Once I did, his full faint-pink lips formed a wicked smirk. He walked my way until my steps back brought me against the wall.He easily towered over me, shutting me in
"Lilith." Someone cautiously called my name, pulling me back to awareness.Waking up was hard. It instantly brought me pain before I could even open my eyes. My mouth twisted in a silent scream as I felt my body burning from the inside. My senses were dull, and I could barely feel anything except the pain."Silver is still in your blood. Try not to move; it will be less painful that way," the low voice advised.As more of my consciousness came back, I found myself lying on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw my hands in shackles, restrained by chains on both sides of the bed. There was also a cold metallic collar on my neck. The advice I heard was accurate: the pain lessened as soon as I stooped to move, yet I needed to find out more to evaluate my situation. I slowly turned my head to the source of the voice and saw Ian standing beside my bed.I instantly frowned. "Traitor," I mumbled.He smiled wryly. "I merely chose to be someone better than a dri