Something odd happened to my face. Some of my mimic muscles had been electrified, and now the corners of my lips stilled in a permanent smile. It wasn't uncomfortable to wear, just strange. Furthermore, the smile spread more fiercely across my mouth every time Ash looked at me. I was almost certain that I looked idiotic, but I didn't care. The way he made me feel recompensated for all the awkwardness.We didn't do anything indecent. Ash held my hand or stroked my hair. At least one of his arms was constantly around me as if he needed to be certain that I was close. I submitted gladly, enjoying this unfamiliar state. I think I might be experiencing the closest thing to happiness.Unfortunately, our blissful morning didn't last long. Calvel came to deliver more urgent news to Ash. I didn't ask what it was about, but judging by Ash's severe expression, it couldn't be anything good. After a brief conversation, he returned to sit beside me while Calvel waited by the open door."I need to l

I woke up restless and tensed. The vision I had in my sleep felt like entering someone's memories, as if someone had allowed me to see glimpses of their past. I wondered if it was real. It felt real. It was almost as if I traveled through space and time to witness the moment Estelle met Ash. Although, I couldn't say that I was comfortable watching the two of them... I wondered why I was forced to see it. Was it because I was curious about her before I fell asleep? Well, the problem was, now I had even more questions than I had before. I spent a lot of time in the shower, trying to wash off all the lingering anxieties, but it didn't help. Especially the way Ash looked in that vision at Estelle, which engraved itself in my mind and sent me wave after wave of sourness. Perhaps the reason why I felt this way was that when Ash noticed me, I foolishly assumed that he treated me special, that I was someone unique to him. Now I couldn't shake off the feeling that I could have been yet another

Ash's fiery gaze stayed on me the entire time we were in the car. He held my hand in his, his thumb constantly tracing lines across my palm. My whole body shivered, and I secretly wished we never made it to the castle. I wished that we had lost our way, lost our driver, and found ourselves somewhere alone.I bit my lip as another shudder pierced through me, heating everything within me. I didn't take my hand away. I didn't want him to stop whatever he was doing. God, I wanted him to never stop touching me."You're so beautiful," he whispered, and I all but moaned. I could see his gaze wandering down to my neck and then to my cleavage. I could see the tips of his fangs flashing in the faint moonlight, and I pressed my thighs together. "I will be very indecent when we get to the ball. Bear with me," he warned.I swallowed hard. I must have become the horniest woman on the planet since I thought I wouldn't mind him taking me in public. I craved him, and my desire grew by the second.The

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

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