I shifted in Ash's embrace and faced him. Seconds after he made his bold statement, his expression showed nothing but absolute confidence. He daringly kept his eyes on Morfran while my heart hammered like it was going to burst out of my chest. I knew that it was all an act. It must have been, but still, hearing him say that his heart belonged to me made all the pesky butterflies jolt and bounce in my stomach."You cannot seriously talk about the archaic blood bond?" Prince Metis suddenly interjected, stepping forward. "This ancient stuff has not been witnessed in over a thousand years!"Ash smirked. "And yet, I can feel the bond when I'm with Nala. I can feel it with every fiber within me."Alvara walked in front of me, frowning as she locked her eyes on me. "What you feel is her blood, nothing more!" she snarled before raising her eyes to Ash. "What we had was real! How dare you reject it!"My hands fisted as I looked at her. I seriously wanted to punch her, but with all my luck, I w
I felt as if time stopped... or that it was my heart that stopped beating. Alvara's lips stretched into a grim smile while her eyes widened in excitement. Metis's stare was fixed on me, his tongue disgustingly tracing the edges of his fangs.Ash's eyes blazed, and he straightened in his seat. "King Morfran, you cannot be serious about this." His voice trembled in barely containable rage."Oh, I am deadly serious." Morfran's eyes zeroed in on me. "If she wants to raise her social status, she must be prepared to pay the price. Fortunately, I find her quite"—he inhaled through his nose, sniffing my scent—"valuable."I looked at my hand with a still-rouging bite mark and then at the King and Ash. Perhaps giving the King a few drops of my blood couldn't hurt me... beyond the level I could bear, but he didn't mention how much of my blood he would drink...Ash leaned forward, shifting to the edge of his seat. "My King, please be reasonable. I am weakened, and you are the most powerful vampir
"Calvel! Calvel stop! We have to do something!" I struggled as he dragged me through the corridor. "They're going to kill him!"Calvel pulled me to a halt and pushed me against the wall. "What do you expect me to do?! Fight the entire royal army?! Ash knew the risks! He's been through it before!"I shook my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. "He offered double the amount of his blood, and Morfran himself said that it will probably kill Ash... Especially since he is going to inject him with silver after they take his blood."Calvel growled out a curse and dragged his fingers through his hair. I looked at him as he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "Nala, there's nothing we can do," he strained."B-but he will suffer!" I cried out. "What if he—" I stopped myself before I could finish."Nala..." Calvel grabbed my shoulders and lowered his head to level his eyes with mine. "We need to hope that he didn't overestimate his strength. He also drank from you not long ago. I only hope t
Ash's eyes flared as he lifted his head from the pillow. His nostrils widened as the drops of my blood slowly flew from the cut on my hand. I lied about not being scared—I was terrified because I knew that I would not stop him no matter how much of my blood he wanted to drink. I knew that he needed it to heal.His fangs flashed and grazed my flesh as I lowered my hand. I braced myself, knowing that this time his bite could be different. This time his instincts would lead him, and they would tell him to do what he should do to recover. He neither would be gentle nor care about me. I knew that. I accepted that."Nala," he rasped before licking the blood from the cut. His whole body shuddered, the chains on his arms and chest rattling. The way he lay there, resembling a wild animal with nothing but a pair of sweatpants on, tightened my chest. I closed my eyes, and then I felt it. His fangs pierced my skin, sinking deeply into my flesh. A shuddered breath escaped me as the pain radiated t
I spent the next two hours in bed with Ash. I couldn't tell when my embarrassment disappeared, and I started to enjoy being with him. We embraced each other and exchanged soft kisses. Every single detail of it felt new to me. This kind of intimacy was something I had never experienced before—absolute bliss.Giving my blood to him left my body exhausted beyond my limits. I could barely move. Ash took care of me. He prepared a warm bath with oils that were supposed to help me regenerate. Then he lifted me in his arms and carried me into the bathtub. He gently soaked my body in water and then sat by my side, watching me."You're beyond beautiful," he whispered, his eyes roaming up and down my body, leaving scorching trails wherever they landed."Don't say things like that," I muttered, trying to cover my breasts.He smiled. "But that's the truth. You might be the most beautiful creature in the entire Dark Realm."My eyebrows rose. "A creature?"He chuckled. "We all are creatures. I'm awa
"It's the Black Moon Pack," Hunter hissed as we watched the bulky men jump out of the cars that blocked our front and back.I swallowed hard. "What do they want?"Hunter chuckled dryly. "You, I guess."Then another man got out of the car—the scarred man I saw in Ash's office. He stepped forward and spread his arms wide. "There's no need for any of you to die today. All we want is the girl. Give her to us, and you may leave," he said as a dark grin curved his mouth.Hunter leaped out of the car and closed the door behind him. "You must be out of your mind, Beta Dex. Attacking Lord Malacious's fiancée? Drive away before you sign a death sentence on your entire pack."Dex stepped forward, as did the four men who flanked him. "I heard that Lord Malachious was thrown out of the King's castle like a piece of trash! He is weak, and he's going to pay for what he's done to me and my Alpha!"Hunter smirked coldly. "You shouldn't listen to the rumors. I can assure you that Lord Malachious is abs
"Nala!" A roaring, hoarse voice stabbed me with its power. The voice belonged to a man—a man I knew. Other sounds followed, but they were too distorted. A wheeze, a rasp, and then a loud wailing sound. They assaulted my ears when all I wanted was to sleep. I felt too tired. Unable to open my eyes and immobilized by the pain, I shut down the noises in my head. I wanted to drift into nothing."You need to drink!" The thundering sound jerked my entire body. I didn't like that order, but someone parted my lips, and then I felt thick, oddly sweet drops falling down my throat. A weak moan left me as the liquid heated my insides. More of it fell down my throat, and the fever spread to my limbs. "That's it, drink, Nala." The voice became softer, coaxing. "You will live," the voice told me. "I will not let you die."I might have smiled upon hearing those words. I swallowed another portion of sweet and thick liquid. It tasted smoky, decadent… It tasted wicked, but it also tasted like life. I dr
I shot the door behind me and finally got Ash's and Calvel's full attention. They both cursed as their heads snapped toward me. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Do you mind explaining to me what the hell you meant?" I strained angrily.Calvel sighed and spread his arms wide. "I gave you my blood to heal you. And, yes, I knew that you might have been too far gone and that you would wake up being… different afterward."I sucked in a shaky breath, my eyes widening. "Different… as in turned into a vampire?""Yes, that's what would have happened," Ash stated curtly."But nothing like that happened, and Nala is completely fine," Calvel argued, sending Ash a cold glare."Don't say it as if it wasn't a big deal," Ash hissed before turning to me. "The reason why I'm so mad about it has nothing to do with the fact that Calvel gave you his blood." He sent Calvel a brief but icy glower. "He could have accidentally turned you into a lowborn. Which means that you would suffer from permanent bloodt