Dedicating this chapter to all my readers. This journey wouldn't be the same without you—actually, I'm not sure I would even still be writing this story without you guys. You're the reason I keep going and I want you to know that. I love you all <3
BRANHer tone told Bran to tread carefully, but then again Bran had never reacted well with being told what to do and that was probably why he stalked forward and gripped her, lifting her from the couch to her feet and planting his lips on hers, swallowing whatever she'd been about to say in a kiss. She opened her mouth and Bran almost sighed in relief at the welcoming action.He'd thought that she was going to fight him, that she was going to push him away because of what happened, so he was pleasantly surprised that she was doing the opposite by letting him kiss her. But she wasn't kissing him back. Well, that wasn't an issue. He would coerce her into the kiss soon enough. He slid his tongue into her mouth, instantly searching for hers and instead, what he got had him groaning into her mouth, the sound more pain-filled than pleasure-filled. She brought her teeth down on his tongue. Hard. And he tasted his own blood from the cut. A slap had his lips disconnecting from hers and a
MARIA"Another mate?""Hell, I don't know," the other man sighed. "I've never heard of a person getting two mates. Have you?""Just because it's never happened before doesn't mean it can't happen. You told me how you felt and only your mate can make you feel that way.""And what would you know about mating?" The other man turned the tables around. "Are you speaking from experience?""No, common sense," the first man barked. "What did the oracle say when you asked her?"Man two sighed. "Three words; ask the sorceress.""Fucking Amelia." Man one grunted without heat in his words. "What are you going to do now?""Damned if I know.""The oracle already told you what to do. You therefore have no other option but to do it.""I know, but—""What's it like having powers?"A frown found its way to Maria's face. Powers? Where had that come from? That question had absolutely nothing to do with the conversation they were having and also, the voice had sounded feminine. Small, yet firm and it als
MARIA"Ruth?" Corey asked with disbelief in his voice, eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost—which was apt if one actually thought about it because the ghost of his wife was literally standing in front of him. Ruth was tall and lithe, appearing almost fragile with the way she teetered on her feet. She had creamy brown skin, a shade darker than Corey's and big curly hair that Maria had to admit she admired. She had horns running down the sides of her head, small and pretty, not as big as Corey's but of the same length. Ruth was beautiful, lovely even, but she was also confused as hell. She blinked and staggered back a step. "C-Corey?" Her voice was a whisper, her face haunted. The expression on Corey's face matched her own perfectly. "I... Why can I see you? How is this possible?"Maria watched from her spot, completely enraptured in what was happening before her. She was torn between freaking out that the spell had worked—that she'd actually brought a dead woman into the world of the li
BRAN Bran was pretty sure that a few minutes ago when he'd asked the man standing in front of him to deliver a message to Maria, he'd been speaking, so except by some form of magic, his tongue had dissapeared from his mouth and he didn't have the ability to speak anymore, then he should still be able to speak. "Well?" Bran pressed. "Are you just going to keep standing there staring at me?"The only reason Bran wasn't flipping the hell out on the man right now, was because he was curious as to why it was him standing in front of Bran and not Maria. He'd asked for her to come to him and he'd been expecting her. Yet, here a guard stood instead of Maria. "I-I want nothing more than to tell you, Your Majesty. Of c-course, I would l-love to tell you." The smallish man stuttered and Bran found his ire growing by the second. "It's just that eh...her words were a tad...inappropriate—""Out with it!" The man jumped a mile-high in the air. "Very well." He swallowed, adams apple bobbing. "Yo
BRAN"It was good to have you here." Corey forced a smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "This house is definitely going to feel it now that you're leaving."Bran, too, forced himself to smile when it was the last thing he felt like doing. His head was too occupied with the woman standing a few feet away from them, and also, he was worried about his friend. Corey had shut down completely after finding out that his 'mate' was not actually his mate after all, which answered a lot of questions that people—including Bran—had been asking. Actually, he was quite relieved. He didn't want to speak bad about a dead woman but he'd never really liked Ruth to begin with. She'd been a bit stiff, always complaining about something and she'd also never been interested in the things Corey liked. But since he'd believed that she was his mate and that fate could not pair one with someone that didn't suit them, he'd decided to let it go. Well, what he said about fate was definitely not true. Ta
MARIAWas she dreaming? She was a thousand percent sure that she was. She had to be because what the hell was happening right now? It was only in a dream that Bran would carry her in his arms like this, like she was fragile as an egg, like she was something he cared about and cherished so much, like she was the center of his worlds. Yes, she was certain that it was a dream. And as if to prove to her that it was very much real and not a dream, Bran's arms tightened around her before he dropped her carefully on the ground.She'd lost her slippers at one point in the mud when it had caked around her legs and refused to let her go. She didn't want to but she'd had to abandon it if she didn't want to sink and that was exactly what she'd done. Now that she was looking down at her very dirty legs, she cringed, asking herself why she'd even thought walking in the dark was a smart idea. But then again, she'd been hurt. "Can you stand right here for a moment so that I can run you a bath?
MARIA Bran let out an 'oomph' from the impact of her body on his, but he was remarkably strong and only staggered back a step before recovering quickly and gripping her ass, hoisting her high on his body. She wasted no time in wrapping her legs around him, locking them at his back and with the leverage she now had, dragging herself up and down over his growing erection. The knot of her towel loosened and fell apart at the top which meant her breasts were now bared and her nipples dragged against the fabric of his shirt with every up and down movement she made. The sensation only made her all the more crazed and what she wanted most in that moment, was Bran's hands on her. Her hair, breasts, everywhere. What mattered was that he had his hands on her. "Touch me," she whispered against his lips, biting down on his lower lip and tugging. "Put your hands on me. Please."A ragged groan tore from Bran's chest and suddenly, his head shot forward, stealing her lips in a consuming kiss, bef
BRAN Was this what it felt like to sleep next to a woman? Or did the light feeling in Bran's chest have to do with the fact that Maria was his mate? He suspected it was the latter.Mere sleeping next to a woman should not have this effect on him. It should not be so pleasurable to the extent that Bran didn't want to leave the bed. He'd just returned to the castle after a very very long time away and he needed to sit with the men at the round table and have some important discussions—one of them being about the supposed vampire that had drunk from a witch—but Bran had not the slightest inclination to leave the bed. He didn't even want to shift from the spot he was lying on. And the sole reason for his reluctance lay with her body half on the bed and half on top of him. His heart clenched as he looked down at her, a feeling of happiness and contentment filling his chest. She slept soundly, her little breaths gusting across Bran's chest and her mouth, slightly parted. The upper part
I honestly do not know how to react properly to the fact that I just completed this book, but I am going to try my possible best and bring out all the words that are stuck in my heart. The Vampire King's Captive, Bran and Maria's story, has come to an end and I have never been more reluctant to let my characters go. Seriously, I found myself sitting in front of my laptop about to start writing in Maria's POV only for me to remember that I'm already done with the book. 😭I. Was. In. Pain. I have written about three books and this is the only one that I found hard to let go. I guess I'll just have to settle for re-reading their story and seeing bits of them in the next story in this series.Yes, you heard that right. It's going to be a series but whether you're going to keep reading depends on how much you want to get to know the characters(I really hope you read). The next book in the series is Corey and his mate's story, and the last book is Iris' story. I honestly cannot wait. I c
ONE MONTH LATERMARIA"Put the head in.""Bob your head faster.""Squeeze it—yeah, just like that."Flattening her tongue along the underside of Bran's cock, Maria watched his hands clench into fists, lost in the throes of pleasure and pain, his face contorted to match the emotions. In broad daylight when they both had things to be doing, such as Maria learning her new duties as a queen and Bran who was supposed to be having a meeting with his most trusted advisors, they had both snuck off into their room, wanting to take the edge off. One would think that with how hot their passion was, it would burn out quickly, but instead, it was like the more they had each other, the more insatiable they became for one another, seeking each other out during the day to get the most intense parts of their desires off before they would meet at night. But then again, maybe it was because they rarely saw each other during the day lately.Right now, he was leaning against the door shirtless, with je
BRAN Bran wasn't going to lie. When he'd walked into that crowd, he'd gone in with a plan B because he knew that he had wronged Maria terribly and the chances of her forgiving him—or even listening to him—were very slim. With his heart in his throat, he'd poured out his feelings, baring the contents of his soul in the words he'd spoken to her. He'd gone against everything he'd learnt and knew, using his words instead of his actions to show her how he felt. He had put everything on the line, professing his love out in the open for his people to hear, knowing fully well the risks behind it—knowing that she could refuse him and that the shame would have destroyed him, along with the pain.The news of what he'd done would no doubt travel far and wide across all realms, but he'd been prepared for it. As he had been prepared for the disappointment he would feel if she'd refused him. His plan B, had she refused him, was for him to tuck his tail between his legs and return back to his cast
MARIA"Don't go," The object of her suffering called out, his voice low and broken, filled with longing, want and all the things Maria couldn't bear to hear right now but wanted to hear still. "Please."Maria stopped, hyper aware that they were in the middle of a crowd and that everyone was looking at them. She wanted to run away from the onslaught of emotions that she was feeling, but a greater part of her wanted to stay, to go to the one man who could make her feel whole again. "Please," Iris added, weakening Maria's already tenacious grip on resolve. She felt betrayed that Iris had pulled such a move on her but deep down, Maria knew why she had done it and that was the only thing stopping her from feeling real anger towards Iris. Maria stopped but she didn't turn back around for fear of what she would do if she faced Bran again. She couldn't bear seeing him hurt and not go to him. Even with her back to him, she knew that he had walked closer to her. She was just that in tune to
MARIA "Why are you dressed like that?" It was the day for Iris' welcome party, and the host, currently standing on Maria's doorstep, was wearing a simple straight gown that reached her ankles. "What's wrong with my gown?" Iris frowned, pulling the material away from her body to examine it. "There's nothing wrong with it except for that fact that it's too casual to wear for your own party, don't you think?" Maria subtly stepped out of the way, making space for Iris to pass but she kept her feet firmly planted on the mat. "Oh," Realization flicked across her features and she waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. I'll change once I get to the castle. There's time."Maria nodded, now understanding why she was wearing that gown. She had probably showed up like this because she didn't want her gown to get rumpled or stained while coming here. Still, Maria hedged. "Do you want to come inside for a few minutes before we go?" Her eyes flicked to the car sitting in the drive
MARIAWe need a cook, Maria thought as she stirred the mixture in the bowl while fetching pans from the rack on the wall at the same time with her powers. Over the past few days, she had taken on the task of hiring a live-in maid, a cleaner that would come every two days and gardener, but she hadn't employed a cook yet. She had not been allowed into the kitchen when she was younger and therefore didn't know how to prepare a decent meal, so for the past three days—because while heartbreak couldn't kill her, she could very well die of hunger—she had taken up the task of cooking. To save her time, all she would have to do was envision the meal she wanted and it would appear in front of her, but she had recently come to see how important a cook was. She wanted to learn how to make at least a few meals and it didn't hurt to learn with a cookbook. That was what she'd been doing for the past three days anyway, and the meals had come out okay—most of the time. The doorbell rang through th
BRAN "If you value what is left of your miserable fucking life, you will tell me where my sister is right now."Bran might as well be talking to himself because there was no sign on the man's face to show that he'd just heard what Bran said. His eyes remained completely shut and his face, blank. Making a fist, Bran reared his hand back and sent his fist flying into the man's face, getting him right in his nose. The asshole jerked from the impact and groaned, his hands flying to his face to cradle his broken bone, confirming Bran's suspicions that the man actually was alive but was just pretending that he wasn't so that Bran would think him dead and abandon him. This was the man that had betrayed him. The man that had given confidential information to Ariti. The man that had indirectly contributed to him losing Maria. At the thought, his heart gave a sharp throb and an ache started at the back of his right eye. Hating the man even more for what he had caused him, Bran sent two mor
MARIA She searched all the rooms in the house, even went down to the dungeons to check but she still couldn't find who she was looking for.Then she came face to face with the door to the room she wasn't sure she wanted to enter. It's huge black mahogany door taunted her, daring her to push it open. To step into the room that she had not entered since she was a child. A room that was no doubt still filled with the presence of her late father. But she shouldn't be scared, should she? She was the Queen of Sorceri, and with every second that passed, the thought started to solidify in her mind. With a wave of her hand, she sent the door flying back and she stormed in, her eyes sweeping the dark walls of the room where a single portrait of Ariti hung. Her powers had the frame crashing to the ground face-down. The man in the picture was dead. It was fitting that the picture should be destroyed too.Her eyes searching the room, she saw a door behind a shelf. The shelf obstructed the door
MARIA"You must have done the calculations already, but just incase, I'll do it for you. Your sister is the female vampire from a royal bloodline and Maria, my clueless daughter here, is the Queen of Sorceri."After those words, Maria heard nothing else. It was like her ability to hear dissapeared and she could only think. Feel. What did her father just say? She was the Queen of Sorceri?How was that even possible? The Queen of Sorceri was basically the most powerful sorceress amongst the Sorceri and if she was that creature, then she was the most powerful sorceress in the worlds. But how could that be? She had never felt weaker than she did right now. And to think that her own father wanted to offer her as a sacrifice just to get his powers back. After using her to do all his evil work, he was going to kill her? Was she so worthless to him?Tears slid down her cheek continuously but no sound came out of her mouth. She was too astonished by everything she'd learnt today. First, fi