Submitting to the Bloodlust

The Almost Kiss

Mauri POV



Seth kisses my mother on her cheek and then rounds on me. He leans in to kiss mine too and whispers into my ear, “Maurianna, you’re not supposed to leave my castle without me.” he backs away slowly and stares into my eyes.

“Why?” I ask.

This wasn’t part of the deal… or was it? He and I never discussed the details of the arrangement. I didn’t expect to be a prisoner to him and I will not allow that.

His eyes slowly take in our surroundings, and I follow his peripheral. Just like at the ball, the men stare with hungry eyes and the women scowl. He kisses my other cheek and then, standing to his full height, he lowers his voice, “Because you are not safe even when you think that you are.”

I peer past him and notice a man with him, a tall man, one who mirrors Seth in height. He has long blonde hair and is built like a God. He reminds me of the character who plays Thor. The man comes forward, grabbing my hand and kissing my knuckles, “Hello beautiful. I am Alaris, the leader of the Exitium clan.” His voice is seductive, oozing onto my body like warm honey.

Seth clears his throat from behind him, a silent warning to let me go, and he does, dropping my hand in an instant.

“Alaris, this is Olivia, Demon's wife.” Seth gestures to my mom. Alaris shakes her hand and introduces himself.

“And this is Olivia’s daughter, Maurianna.” The way Seth says my name makes me smile. It's a warning to Alaris but an invitation to me.

“It was nice meeting you ladies. Olivia, please tell your husband I said hello and that I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow. You two are welcome to come.” His greedy attention stays on me, soaking up every detail of my body and face.

“Thank you for your invite but we have plans.” My mom is quick with her response.

Thank god she can read the room.

****

As soon as we step foot in Seth’s castle and away from my mom, he attacks me.

He grabs me by the nape of the neck and presses me against the wall. It happens so fast that I don't even have time to put down my shopping bags.

Even though he is forceful with me, and the rings around his eyes are completely red, I do not fear him.

His warm body is flush with mine and I invite the sensations to spread, for his body to be all over mine. My mind already intoxicated by his presence.

“You do not leave this castle without me."He says through his clenched teeth. "I had to come find you. I do not like having to chase someone down.” His tone is filled with raw, animalistic anger.

“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to leave,” I counter. "That I am equivalent to your prisoner."

He dips his head down and slowly runs his nose up the vein on my neck. It's seductive and a whimper leaves my lips before I can stop it. “All those men wanted to taste you." He opens his mouth, scraping his fangs along my skin. "Your blood smells sweet, like a five-star dessert. It is not safe for you to be anywhere without me.” The rumble of his chest mixed with the sensation of his breath on my flesh brings goosebumps to the surface, reminding me how it felt to taste him.

I should be scared that a vampire's mouth rests on my vein, but instead, I’m excited. “Do you want to taste me too, Seth?” I accidentally say out loud my inner thoughts and self control blurred with lust.

His dark red eyes shift to mine, a hint of surprise sparkling beneath his anger. Our eyes linger on each other, seducing - tempting one another. The longer we stare, the more kindling that is added to the fine inside my core. The more I think about the things I want to do to this sexy man, the closer his face comes to mine.

Is he going to kiss me? Please for the love of god, kiss me.

Our attention is stolen when the click of the door knob turns inches from us. Seth jumps away just in time for a woman to walk through the door.

My body feels cold from the loss of his against mine. I wrap my arms around myself trying to replace the warm sensation that was lost too quickly.

The woman’s furious eyes are accusing as she glares from me to Seth and then back to me. She scans down my body, taking in every inch of me. “Who is this?” She asks Seth.

“What is it that you need Lilith?” His tone is still sprinkled with remnants of lust as he fights to withdraw himself from the same trance that I feel. Her name sounds familiar…. Lilith… Lilith - one of the leaders my father told me about.

“What did I just walk in on – Who is she?” her question matches the one in my mind.

What did she walk in on? Were we about to kiss? Was he going to drink from me and finally taste me? I’m just as confused as her. I want him to answer the question too. I glance his way with the same curious expression as hers.

He runs his hands through his hair like I have seen him do a hundred items since meeting him. “Fuck.” He exclaims under his breath.

Lilith's face turns red and her breathing becomes erratic. Seeing her reaction he demands her to come to him. When she doesn’t, he raises his voice, all patience gone. “Come here, Lilith.” Her feet begin to move in a way that looks as if she has no choice but to obey him. She stops in front of him, her chest heaving with fury. “

Tell me what you need, Lilith.” His tone is back to its normal dominant deep seductive tune.

“I came to see the sweet one who they speak of.” Her voice imitates a robot while he compels her. I watch every detail as he does it.

For some reason, his dominance and force to make her do as he pleases turns me on. I squeeze my legs together, mentally begging the tingling to stop.

She continues, “Alaris said she was under Demon's protection, but that he saw you whispering to her. I was curious about who she is to my king.”

The edges of Seth's lips curve into a sadistic smirk, “You lost your chance to question me long ago Pumpkin… As for what you saw, when you walked in, you saw me feeding from Jade. That’s where your jealousy blossomed from like usual. You didn’t see the princess when you came here. Do you understand me?” Slowly Lilith nods her head. He lets go of her chin and she drops it to the floor. “Leave!” his voice reverberating off the rock walls, causing her and I both to jump.

Like a gust of wind, she vanishes.

Seth turns my way and gestures for me to lead the way up the corridor. I’m hesitant at first, but once his eyebrow rise in a warning, I move. I don’t want him to compel me anymore. I will do what he asks without it. I have this strange need to obey him - to please him. I don’t know if it’s my vampire instinct that makes me feel this way since he is noe my king, or if it is some bonding effect of the feed. All I know is that there is this overwhelming s****l tension towards him that is going to suffocate me if I do not give in.

Seth POV

Fuck, this girl is strong. Her essence draws me in like she is the lighthouse and I am the ship returning home. I almost gave in to her calling. I almost let her Siren eyes seduce me. Damn, how bad I wanted to taste her – to kiss her.

What the hell is wrong with me? I have never lusted over a woman the way I am lusting over her.

When I was trying to find her earlier, it scared me that she was gone. I felt fear.

Twice now she has made me feel such a dormant emotion. And twice now she has unintentionally used her Siren powers to call me closer to her.

I know I messed up by feeding her. I’m sure she feels that intimate bond we now share, I know because I feel it too.

My veins ache when I see her little fangs. They want her to take from them. Hell, I cannot blame it solely on the bond and her Siren powers - I loved the way it felt when she sank her teeth into me. I loved the submissive look in her eyes when she waited for my command. I loved watching her desires be fulfilled by me, even if it was just for the feeding.

I want to explore her curiosity more. I want to learn how submissive she really is.

Fuck… just walking behind her and watching her body sway is making my d**k hard.

But she’s protected by the law, and now Lilith will be watching us - watching her.

Dammit. I should never have entertained Maurianna. She is too beautiful, too innocent, too strong. I have only known her for a few days and am already losing control.

She is supposed to be my means to bring my enemies to their knees, not myself. If she can make me want to break the law just to kiss her, then she can make my enemies hand over their power... But I'm afraid she will cause me to hand over mine instead.