Chapter 10

Olivia’s POV

The blood drained from my face, but I wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

Damien hummed. Lightly, he said, “Vampires have very good hearing, mine even better than most. I can hear your heartbeat from across a crowded room. Of course I can hear it flutter as you lie.”

I stiffened, realizing I was truly caught now.

Damien dropped my hair then caught my chin, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. He wasn’t gentle as he forced my gaze back up to his. “A pet could never lie to her master. This is two mistakes you’ve made so far. Two slights against me. You must be punished now, if only a little.”

“If you let me explain, I can –”

Damien did not allow me to finish my plea. Instead, in a flash, he lifted the chains high enough on my neck to expose my artery. Then, extending his fangs, he sank them into my flesh.

His fangs were so cold and the pierce so sharp that I cried out in pain. I tried to get away, but he grabbed me roughly by the shoulder, keeping me in place.

Then, he started to suck, pulling the blood straight from my veins up through the twin holes he had made and into his greedy mouth.

The more he sucked, lapping greedily at my neck, the warmer his mouth was until it was hot and wet on my skin like a lover sucking in a mark.

With that heat, a sense of pleasure stirred within me, deep down in my core. I had to squirm, eager for friction as my now-wet pussy leaked, dampening my thin panties. At the same time, I moaned, unable to stop myself as I was too surprised by the feeling.

This was so much more than holding hands, which I only rarely allowed with Jacob and nothing more.

This was the same feeling I had when I was alone in my room, after having a dream of being pinned down, my legs pushed apart. I’d wake up sweaty and aching and would only just stop myself from sneaking a hand down my panties to find relief.

The vampires wanted their tributes pure.

To please them, I didn’t even dare to touch myself.

Maybe that’s why this sudden burst of pleasure was so shocking. I had never felt anything like it before.

My nipples hardened, and I instinctively bucked my hips forward.

Damien groaned against my neck as he sucked harder.

Gods. I wasn’t going to survive.

I remembered what Lucy had said then, that a vampire’s bite could bring extreme pleasure, and even orgasm.

I hadn’t understood then, but I did now. And… it was almost too much…

I felt so weak.

Then something shifted within me, the pleasure slowly muting. Everything was going numb.

Was I dying? Had I lost too much blood?

Darkness was creeping into my vision. I didn’t know how much more I could take.

Panic set in then, destroying the last bits of pleasure.

I didn’t want to die. I had to live…

I had to see my mother again and my sister…

And Jacob…

Desperately, with my vision waning, I searched around, looking for something that might save me.

There, on the dinner plate – a knife!

In one last ditch effort for survival, I grabbed the knife and slashed at Damien.

He caught my hand by the wrist, stopping me without even looking.

He pulled off my neck and looked down at me. Though I had just tried to kill him, there was no expression in his face. He still looked like a monster, with his eyes burning red and blood dripping from the corners of his mouth down his chin.

He twisted my wrist and the knife dropped from my hand. It hurt, but he didn’t break the bones like he could have, like I had seen him do to the vampire guard who had caught me in the garden.

“Do you really think such a thing could kill me?” he asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone. He almost sounded like he was disappointed. Did he expect me not to try to fight back? Or was he truly bothered by my choice of weapon?

Either way, he flew forward and bit my neck once more, with much more force.

There was no gentleness here. No hint of pleasure.

All I could feel this time was pain.

I cried out, but he didn’t stop.

I was going to die…

I was never going to see my family again. Instead, I was just going to be food for this vampire.

Moon Goddess, spare me…

Almost like a blessing, the darkness overwhelmed me and I blacked out.

Damien’s POV

I felt the moment my pet collapsed and released her.

She slumped away from me, sliding down onto her blanket. Instinctively, I turned her so that her head was no twisted at an odd angle, and so that the blood still dripping from her neck did not damage the blanket that was to be her bed.

As the original vampire, I didn’t actually need blood to survive. After two thousand years alive, I’d mostly lost all taste for it. I’d certainly lost interest.

Yet… even with the bloodlust no longer pulling me, I still felt drawn to the blood of my tribute. This blood intrigued me in ways I hadn’t thought about for years.

Did she remind me of someone? Or something from my past?

I tried to remember, but so much of my life was lost to time. I could almost feel someone, a woman who must have been important to me once, sitting in the back of my mind just out of my reach.

The more I tried to remember her, the further she seemed to slide away from me.

Shaking away the shadow of memory, I looked down at the present in front of me.

This pet was wolfless, a lowly and fragile being even among the werewolves. She should not be able to hold my interest, but…

Here I was, kneeling on the floor, correcting her posture so that she would not awaken with a creak in her neck. Here I was, a vampire who had evolved past requiring blood, sinking his fangs into her neck, and enjoying every drop of blood I had tasted.

Had I truly bit her to punish her? Or had I actually done so because I wanted to taste her again?

Although…

Now that my taste for her blood had been sated, I felt as if I could see things more clearly.

As much fun as it might be to tame such an unyielding pet, and as much amusement as it had given me thus far, to continue to thwart her attempts would eventually grow boring.

Less obedient pets were not always likeable. Looking at her now, I considered that perhaps I didn’t truly need her as one at all.

Something stirred within me, looking at my pet.

I didn’t like that feeling. I had always been in control.

It might be better for this one to be away from me.

Deciding, I rose to my feet and walked to the door. After summoning Sofia, I told her indifferently, “I no longer have need of this one. Take her away from my sight.”