Chapter 16

Damien’s POV

My pet was quiet on the return to my tower, but when we had entered through the door into my room, she spoke up.

“You already dislike me,” she said, “So why do you wish for me to join you at the banquet?”

I would never tell her about my dream, or about the way the woman who resembled my pet so much had stirred my heart.

She didn’t need to know those things, and I was still unsure about that new trace of feeling. It was possibly nothing, perhaps just an effect from being around my chosen blood.

Keeping my voice cold and indifferent, I told her, “Vampire King Henry has heard that I have a new pet, and he wants to meet you. I do not like disappointing the Vampire King.”

Never mind that I had been the one to turn Henry, effectively making him something like a son to me. I had also declared him to be king, asking of him to take on the day to day roles of leadership. Because he was diligently fulfilling those duties, I sometimes felt inclined to humor his indulgences.

Henry had known me for a very long time, and therefore knew I did not take blood pets as I didn’t need blood to survive. He was always a man of high curiosity.

When the slaves arrived to assist my pet, to help her become presentable for the banquet, I busied myself with other tasks.

Rose disappeared into the bathroom for a while and I could hear the shower running. Then, she was in there for a while longer as she was likely made presentable.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she was wearing a purple and black lace gown with a tight skirt and a long series of buttons up the back along her spine. Her hair was in a high bun, exposing her long neck. As she half-turned, I noticed one of the buttons at the top of the back of her dress was still undone.

At once, a slave moved in to correct this, but quickly, I said, “Stop.”

Everyone else in the room froze, including both slaves and my pet herself.

Standing from behind my desk, I approached my Rose. The slaves backed away, their gazes downcast.

Reaching up, I placed the backs of my bare fingers to the skin the unfastened button exposed, then traced upwards along her spine to the bottom of her hairline.

Leaning in, I opened my mouth, extended my teeth. Teasingly, I pressed my teeth to the back of her neck.

She trembled at once. I wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her steady. The other I moved around her neck to hold her by the base of her throat.

“When I give you pleasure,” I said, “Call out for me, your master.”

She swallowed thickly, something I could feel under my palm.

I started to salivate myself, eager to taste her blood.

Just a taste.

Without further warning, I dug my teeth into the back of her neck.

She gasped, and attempted to buck from me. I was much stronger and held her in place as I sucked some of the blood from her neck.

Moaning, she squirmed against me, provoking some interest in me below the belt, though that was easily ignored.

“Ah…” she hummed, then to my delight, cried out, “Master!”

With a satisfied smile, I retracted my teeth. Removing my hands from her, I fastened that last button at the top of her dress, and then stepped back.

The servants were still looking away, having not moved at all.

My Rose turned to face me, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. She looked slightly debauched, and it satisfied me, knowing that I had made her that way.

I licked the last of her delicious blood from my fangs, then retracting them, told her, “Now, you are ready.”

Olivia’s POV

The vampire banquet, I realized as I was following Damien, was in the same Great Hall where I had first met him. I hadn’t had a great experience on my last visit there, but Damien was unwaveringly confident. As long as I stayed closed to him, I hoped I would be safe from the hunger and bloodlust of the other vampires.

As we walked toward the stage at the back of the Hall, we passed some other vampires sitting at long tables along the way. Their human pets kneeled obediently at their feet, waiting for whatever scraps their vampires tossed toward them.

My heart went out to those slaves, and the humiliation they were enduring.

While I was being shown an idiom more respect, simply by being the blood pet of the Vampire Duke, I also felt embarrassment and shame, heavy like the collar on my neck that declared me Damien’s Rose.

As we approached the back of the Hall, the Vampire King stood from his own table and approached us. When he descended the stage and came nearer, I looked closer at the blood pet in his shadow, diligently following him.

It took me a moment to realize the blood pet was Lucy.

I must have started too openly, stricken with shock at seeing Lucy, the girl who had bullied me and stolen my identity. It wasn’t just seeing her again that surprised me though, it was also her condition.

She looked haggard.

“I see you noticing my blood pet,” Vampire King Henry said to me.

I immediately tried to shift my gaze away demurely, not wanting to cause trouble for Damien.

Henry continued though, good-naturedly. “This pet of mine was so attractive, I couldn’t let her be executed. She’s very disobedient, though. I’ve already had to whip her several times and even made her fast for a week.”

Henry turned his attention to Damien. “Your pet seems much more agreeable, Damien. You will have to share your secrets with me.”

Damien hummed but didn’t otherwise answer.

Henry inched closer to me. As he did, I could tell from the sheen in his eyes and the smell of liquor on his breath, that he was drunk.

“Yours is beautiful too,” Henry said. “But it’s more than beauty that tempted you, Damien, wasn’t it? There have been so many other beautiful ones.” Henry’s eyes never left me. “Her blood must be divine, to make you want to drink again.”

Henry reached for me then, snatched me by the wrist, and brought it up to his mouth.

“I’m a bit hungry now. You wouldn’t mind if I have a little taste…” Henry extended his fangs as he opened his mouth. His eyes on my wrist, he leaned in –

Then screamed.

Dropping my hand, he stepped back and grabbed his head with both hands.

What was happening?!

I looked to Damien, hoping he could make sense of this, but what I saw made my heart stop.

Damien’s usually blood red eyes were fully black.

Fear crept up inside of me, seeing how utterly inhuman he was. Not only that, he was so very powerful. He was clearly causing Henry pain just by looking at him, without even touching him!

“Do not touch my pet,” Damien commanded, his voice so loud, it seemed to echo in the now otherwise-silent room. “She is mine.”