by Maya Nicole
Why had this room sat untouched, yet mine been squeaky clean? I needed to talk to the castle’s servants.
Val headed back towards me. He was even more attractive than he had been. Instead of a clean-shaven face, stubble lined his jaw, chin, and upper lip.
He took another step towards me and slowly raised his hand. I cocked an eyebrow, but then he grabbed the edge of the door and slammed it shut in my face.
Long Ago
I stood next to Reve, fiddling with my hands. It wasn't the most ladylike thing to do, but my mother was across the room.
Earlier in the day, my father had told me he’d found me a husband. Nonchalant as fuck, he was just sipping his coffee, and then he dropped the bomb on me. A mother fucking husband.
I nearly choked on my eggs.
I knew the drill with being a princess. I had no choices, no freedom. Still, there was a part of me that hoped that my father would allow me to pick my own match. Instead, I was just some pawn in his political game.
"Are you okay, sis?" Rev didn't look at me as he scanned the room.
He was lucky. He would get to choose his wife, the future queen, since he was powerful. I’d like to see Father try to force him to marry someone. Me? I couldn't do anything to protect myself.
Except run away. I could do that.
"Would you be okay if you were being forced to marry someone you didn't know? What if he's an asshole and bad in bed?" I crossed my arms over my chest. My mother was going to kill me if she saw my posture.
Reve let out a small groan and looked at me. "I don't want to hear about that kind of stuff from my little sister. I'm sure everything will be fine. The northern vampires are well respected. Val seems like a good enough guy."
Reve's reassurances did nothing for the fluttering in my stomach. Tonight, I would meet this Val for the first time. There was no date set for when I would have to marry him, but it would be soon.
Maybe I could make him hate me so much he’d reject me. Or maybe give him such a lousy blow job that he'd demand a different bride.
I looked down at my black dress and smoothed my hands over the lace fabric. I hated dresses, but they were a necessary evil for princesses. Pants were unbecoming of a lady. Not my words, but my mother’s.
"A vampire, though? Has Father lost his mind? They've been after power for centuries. What if marrying me is some kind of coup?"
As a servant passed by with a tray of drinks, I grabbed one from it and drank it before my brother could stop me.
It was discussed at breakfast that under no circumstances was I allowed to drink. When I had too much, I got a wee bit out of control.
All it took was one time of me drinking too much and dancing on top of a table, lifting the skirt of my dress, to make me be banned from drinking at parties. I couldn't help that I hated parties and needed a drink or eight to make it through the night.
Reve plucked the empty glass out of my hands and frowned. "That's the only one you're getting."
"You try being told you have to marry a vampire." I shuddered, and my fingers itched to reach out and take another glass as another servant walked by. "He's going to bite me and shit. What am I supposed to do about that?"
Reve grunted and took a sip of his champagne. "You'll deal with it. If he hurts you, you let me know, and I'll kick his ass."
I appreciated that my brother was fiercely protective over me, but he wasn't protective when it mattered the most. Like right then, as I stood waiting for my betrothed to arrive.
The second Val and his father set foot in the ballroom, the air in the room changed. A slight tension rolled through the room with their arrival. There were already vampires in attendance, but these vampires were ruthless.
Not the in your face ruthlessness of the southern vampires, but a quiet ruthlessness that always made you wonder what they were up to.
I wasn’t an idiot. I listened to the dinner conversations my father had with Reve.
My heart nearly leaped into my throat. Reve chuckled and elbowed me in the side. "He’s headed this way."
I really wanted to run and hide. Maybe no one would notice if I ducked under a table and stayed there for the rest of the night.
I'd only heard a little bit about Val. That he was gorgeous and had the bluest eyes that were out of place on a vampire. If he was so easy on the eyes, why did he need to be married off? Did he have a third nipple? A small dick? Oh shit, was he a eunuch?
The people around us seemed to part to let him through. Before I knew it, the tall, handsome vampire was standing directly in front of me. His eyes sparkled in amusement as they roamed my body from head to toe. He stopped briefly on my breasts before meeting my eyes. A smile spread across his smooth lips.
"Samara." He held out his hand to me. I hesitated and looked at the smooth skin and well-manicured nails.
I felt self-conscious of my own hands with the calluses from holding my carving knife. Maybe that would be enough for this entire arrangement to be stopped.
I placed my hand in his, and he brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles gently. Tingles ran up my arm and then straight down my spine to pool in my core. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't speak.
Damn it.
I had hoped the rumors had been wrong, and he would look and act like an ogre. Sure, many of my friends had said he was handsome, but people exaggerate all the time. I had imagined him with a big nose, ears with hair growing out of them, and pointy yellow teeth. Not that any vampires ever looked like that, but when you're forced to marry somebody against your will, your mind makes up a whole bunch of things.
Something had to be wrong below the belt. My eyes traveled south, took in the evident bulge behind his slacks, and then snapped back to his eyes. They were sparkling with a knowing glint that made the butterflies in my stomach start to swirl.
It was an awkward moment with me just standing there staring at him with wide eyes. I probably looked like a deer about to be taken down by a hunter. It was the "oh shit" moment when the deer realized he was fucked.
My brother sensed my unease and sudden inability to form words and held out his hand to Val. They shook in that way two alpha males do, squeezing each other's hands a little too tightly.
My palms were sweating, so I wiped them on my dress. Val noticed, and he grinned. "Would you like to dance, princess?" He held his hand out to me again.
I looked at Reve, who had a smirk on his face. He nodded his chin slightly as if to give me the go-ahead to go dance with him. Really what I wanted him to do was save me from this experience. He knew I was a horrible dancer. Every time I danced with him, I would step on his feet.
What was wrong with me? I definitely wasn't considered a shy girl but was acting like I had never interacted with other demons before.
I took a deep breath and put my hand in his. He smiled and then placed my hand in the crook of his elbow as he led me to the dance floor. This was going to be the worst first impression ever.
Did I now want to make a good impression?
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," I mumbled under my breath. It wasn't a comment meant for him, more for myself.
He threw his head back and laughed. The smile on his face was so contagious that a smile formed on my own.
"Are you talking about your sub-par dancing skills?" One of his hands rested on my hip, and he took my hand in his. We began to glide across the dance floor. "I've heard a few stories about you."
I scrunched up my nose and kept my eyes on my feet. I did better if I could see where they were. His hand cupped my chin and tilted my head up.
"I don't want to step on your feet," I squeaked.
"You won't. Trust me."
We danced several songs together, and not once did I step on his feet. It was a relief, but it was also unnerving.
We sat down in some seats near the corner of the room. The entire time he had ahold of my hand. I was comfortable in a way I never expected.
He leaned to
wards me and put his lips near my ear. "What do you say we sneak up to your room?"
My nipples hardened, and I bit my lip. Who did this guy think he was, wanting to sneak off? Who was I, getting turned on at the suggestion?
"I don't think that’s such a good idea." I'd only known this guy for maybe an hour, and he wanted to sneak off somewhere to defile me. He probably wanted to bite my neck and suck my blood. I wasn't about to be a snack.
"Suit yourself." He let go of my hand and stood. I looked up at him in shock. Was he really going to leave because I wouldn't sneak away with him?
What an ass.
Once it was acceptable for me to leave the party, I made my way up the winding staircase to the second level of the castle. I was exhausted from my day. After learning that morning that I was going to be married off, I'd spent almost the entire day worrying. Now, I was even more worried because he had just up and left.
I thought maybe he had gone somewhere and would come back, but the fucker actually left me. If that was how our marriage was going to go, we would have issues.
I opened my bedroom door, and there he was, lounging in a chair in the corner. I put my hand over my chest to try to keep my heart from jumping out of it.
“What are you doing in my room?" I stood in the doorway and balled my fists at my sides. Who did this guy think he was?
He stood and took a few steps towards me. I held my ground in the doorway of the room. I could only see part of his face in the shadows, but the part I could see was relaxed, and his eyes danced with glee.
"It took you long enough to come up here." He moved closer.
"If this is your way of courting me, your technique could use some work."
He stepped in front of me and brought his hand to my cheek. I desperately wanted to swat his hand away, but at the same time, my body wanted him to touch me. My face heated up as thoughts of him kissing me took over.
His eyes traveled to my lips, and his tongue darted out to wet his. Crap, I was in big trouble.
I'd only been kissed by a boy once. We were young and playing down in the servants living space. It had been a sweet kiss. One that children do when they're interested to see what it would feel like.
"You are a beautiful woman. I was half expecting someone hideous."
I rolled my eyes, and I couldn’t stop a smile. "I thought the same. Too bad you're an asshole."
He tilted his head back and laughed. "I'm not an asshole. I just know what I want. And I want you."
Before I could protest, his hand slipped around to my hair and pulled me towards him, his lips brushing against mine.
My eyes popped open to find Nico staring at me. He looked both amused and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint.
"You were moaning in your sleep." I could barely hear him, his voice was so low. "What were you dreaming about?"
I bit my lip and searched his eyes. I wasn't about to tell him I was dreaming about the first time I had sex with Val. Especially if he would do nothing to ease the ache between my legs.
I took in his broad tattooed chest. I yearned to reach out and touch the nipple rings.
"Sammy." His voice was husky with sleep, or was that desire? "Tell me what you were dreaming about."
"I don't want to get more turned on than I already am." I let out a sigh and put my hands underneath my cheek. "Remember? Sex is off-limits for us. Your rule, not mine, might I add."
"That doesn't mean I don't want to hear about it."
I raised an eyebrow and then moved my eyes farther down his body. The sheet was pulled to his hips, so I couldn't tell what was going on beneath that. I could only imagine if he was asking about my wet dream, what was happening down there.
"My eyes are up here, Peanut." He let out a soft chuckle and reached over to tilt my chin up. "I need a storytime before I can go back to sleep. Can you give me that?"
"You really want to hear about me sitting on another man's face? How he made me orgasm multiple times? How I am so wet right now that your dick would just slide right in?"
His eyes dilated, and his nostrils flared. What exactly went through his head when he looked at me? It wasn’t like either of us were celibate. He just didn't sleep with me. I, of course, understood why. To an extent.
It still hurt to be rejected when we fit together in each other's lives so perfectly.
"I need details." He shifted under the sheet, more of his tattooed skin becoming visible. He was definitely naked.
"Details?" I squeaked, my eyes locking onto his.
"Did he take your nipples into his mouth first? Tease you with his tongue?" I bit my lip as he moved his hand from his stomach up to one of his own nipples. "I bet you like that. Maybe a little nibble?"
I was speechless. I just nodded and watched as he flicked the barbell in his nipple and then pinched the skin. His eyes were half-hooded with desire. Why didn't he just scoot over in the bed and see for himself? I wanted to say as much, but I was frozen.
My pussy wasn't frozen, though. It was definitely not frozen.
"He teased you a little bit first with his fingers, didn’t he? To make sure you were ready for him. Slid them over your clit and then plunged one into your wet pussy?" His hands traveled down his stomach to the sheet that barely covered him. I watched in fascination as he pushed it down.
I made a small noise in my throat that was half whimper, half growl. I'd seen his dick before, but seeing it now, like this, when he was talking dirty to me, was a whole other thing. I started to wonder if he was drunk.
He ran his thumb over the piercing at the head. I licked my lips, thinking about running my tongue across it and about it rubbing against the walls of my pussy.
"Nico… What the fuck are you doing? I thought-" He reached an arm across the space between us and put his index finger against my lips to silence me.
"Don't talk."
He gripped his dick at the base and began slowly working his fist on the shaft. He moved it up and down slowly, his inhales and exhales matching the rhythm.
I squeezed my legs together, resisting the urge to reach down and touch myself.
"Touch yourself, Samara. I want to watch your face as you come." I bit my lip at his use of my name and his command.
His thumb swiped over his slit, taking a drop of pre-cum with it and spreading it over his shaft. I reached down between my legs and slipped my hand into my panties. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. All I knew was that I was burning up between my legs, and I needed to relieve the pressure.
My eyes stayed locked on his hand working his dick as I touched myself. I didn't even bother teasing myself, I just went right for it, working my clit with my fingers until I was trembling with my impending orgasm.
"Nicolas," I moaned as I brought myself to a release. My stomach muscles clenched, and my thighs tightened around my hand as I gasped for breath.
He grunted and came on his stomach and hand. My ears began ringing, and my feet felt like they had pins and needles.
If just watching him jack off gave me an orgasm that epic, what would happen if he was the one touching me?
We both laid there panting and not meeting each other’s eyes as we recovered.
I wondered if he would have still wanted to jack off knowing my dream had been about the vampire across the hall, taking my virginity hours after we met.
Probably not.
Chapter 4
Val
Samara Luna, Princess of Inferna. My heartbeat. My soul. The first and only woman I'd ever loved.
She left me. Without a word, she disappeared without a trace.
I knew it had something to do with Lilith. It was hard not to know as soon as the king and queen were murdered, and the prince was taken prisoner. But part of me thought she was dead. All this time she had been alive, and she never tried to contact me.
I thought she had loved me too.
I had searched for her for a few months and sent countless numbers of my men to look for her. She was very re
cognizable, with her long dark brown hair and fair features. And those lips, they would bring any man to his knees. She was a rare beauty any man would be lucky to have.
I was once that lucky. Now it appeared she had shacked up with a squirrel shifter. Of all demon races, why did it have to be a rodent? I admit, he wasn't the typical squirrel type, but if he hoarded nuts like one, it didn't change the fact he was a damn squirrel.
Was she really with him? That would explain his reaction in the hall. I never took her for somebody that would fall for a forager. They were weak and spent way too much time searching for and obsessing over their nuts.
Her once brunette locks were now the most beautiful shade of purple I'd ever seen. It was a shade of purple that would cost an arm, a leg, and a first-born child. Color like that didn't just appear out of nowhere. It had to be magically infused into something.
When I had looked around Amari's thick thighs, and my eyes caught sight of her, I thought my heart would stop in my chest. I was shocked that she was back and she hadn't even tried to contact me. How long had she been at the castle?
I hadn’t even wanted to come, but my father insisted that I take his place while he tended to important business back home. I should have asked more questions since he failed to mention that Samara had returned.
I stared up at the ceiling. Amari and I had mind-blowing sex an hour prior. He knew there was something wrong, but I didn’t share what was bothering me.
He knew nothing of Samara and our love affair. How I only had a few short months with her before she vanished and Inferna went to shit.
He didn't know that I'd given up women after her. She'd broken my heart into a million pieces. Amari had done a good job of putting it back together again, but there were still a few little cracks in it.
Once your heart is broken, it's never completely the same. No matter how hard you try, no matter who picks up the pieces, it's never quite the same.
I turned my head to the side and stared at the empty spot next to me. I was used to it by now, but part of me wished I could have a warm body in my bed with me instead of just during fleeting moments after sex.
