As she reclined on the soft mattress, Alora discovered Magnus hovering above her. She curled her toes, fingers tightly clutching her dress. “Your Highness, I-I thought w-we are supposed to sleep,” she stammered, swallowing nervously.
“We will, after I claim your body as mine,” Magnus remarked. He captured her lips, tenderly nibbling them once again. Soon, his lips embarked on a southward journey, leaving a trail of kisses from her cheek to her jawline and down to her neck.
She shuddered with the touch of his cold lips on the part of the bodies, where Alora had not even imagined, nor did she know all this. An eliciting cry slipped past her lips the moment his teeth found the sweet spot below her ear and nipped it. His tongue made contact with her skin. Unbeknownst to her, she moaned to it.
Magnus smirked, and Alora instinctively covered her mouth in astonishment. She couldn’t believe she had just done that, unsure of what had come over her. In embarrassment, Alora closed her eyes, attempting to shield herself from the awkwardness.
When she sensed Magnus gently pulling away her hand and pinning it to the mattress, she hesitantly opened her eyes, meeting his gaze.
“Do you want more?” Magnus asked.
“There’s more?” Alora blinked her eyes rapidly.
Magnus nodded at her. He rested his head on his right hand as his elbow was now on the mattress. He reached for the knot on her silk nightgown while she widened her eyes.
“Your heart is thundering. I can hear its every beat,” Magnus whispered in her ear and he bit her earlobe.
“Ahh!” She cried in a low voice.
His fingers deftly played with the knot of her dress, eventually unfastening it. Alora, feeling a sudden surge of concern, held his hand, putting a halt to any further actions. With a swift movement, she sat up, deep frowns etched on her forehead.
Magnus, perceptive to her emotions, understood the mix of confusion, worries, and nervousness in her demeanor.
He also sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist to rest them on her belly. His chin found a place on her shoulder and he nuzzled her neck. “When you become husband and wife, you do sleep together, hug each other, and share thoughts with each other. But most importantly, you get physically connected with your other half,” he told her.
Alora tilted her head to cast a glance at him. “You never had plans to marry, nor did anyone thought you would marry one day. I believe that’s why you are unaware of all this,” Magnus stated the reason behind her innocence.
“Mother said my chief duty is to keep my husband happy,” Alora said.
“I am happy with your presence in my life,” Magnus replied. “Shall we sleep then? You must be tired,” he opined.
Alora remained silent for a moment before finally saying, “Yes, we should sleep, Your Highness,” in agreement.
“Alright,” Magnus responded. He straightened himself, removing the silk robe from his upper body. Gently pulling Alora behind him, he made her look at his half-naked form.
She gulped, her eyes tracing the lines of his broad chest and shoulders. Alora’s gaze lingered on his well-toned abdominal muscles before meeting his eyes, which held an emotion she couldn’t quite fathom.
Magnus gently guided her to lie on the bed, covering them both with the sheets. Alora turned her back toward him, her thoughts racing. She needed a moment before fully surrendering to the situation.
As his cold hand made contact with her arm, she involuntarily convulsed, the unexpected touch stirring a cascade of emotions within her. Alora couldn’t hold herself from facing him and now, they both were face-to-face.
“Can I rest my hand on His Highness’s body?” Alora asked.
“You don’t need to ask this. Just do whatever you wish to,” Magnus whispered.
Alora lifted her hand and slowly rested it on the left of his chest. She noticed the deep breath he took as if he was uncomfortable.
“Your touch is burning,” Magnus quickly responded after reading her thoughts. “It’s not the discomfort,” he clarified to her.
“My hand is warm while His Highness’s body is cold. I can feel the slow heartbeats of the prince. I heard it’s not easy for a vampire to resist a human’s blood. I’m lying so close to you, yet you are not tense at all. How?” Alora was curious to know.
“I’ve lived a long life, so I am good at controlling my thirst for blood. A newly turned vampire cannot do that,” Magnus replied.
“That means when I turn-” she was interrupted as Magnus placed his finger above her lips.
“You won’t turn. I won’t do it,” Magnus pronounced, thus ending further room of conversation on it. He couldn’t bear to see Alora undergoing the pain of getting turned into a vampire. In his eyes, she should live a human life.
Alora woke up late in the morning but didn’t find Magnus next to her. She propped on her elbows to sit and wandered her eyes around. Touching her lips, she recalled the kiss between them from the previous night and smiled.
She put her feet on the floor and put on the slippers before standing up. The blindfold could not be seen anywhere around the room. “How am I supposed to call in someone?” Alora mumbled.
“You don’t need to.” Magnus entered with a silver glass in his hand. “Good morning, Love. You had a good sleep, I suppose,” he said, smiling at her.
Alora nodded at him. “Usually it’s tough to sleep at a newer place, but I got a nice sleep,” she accepted and saw him drinking. “Is that wine, Your Highness? You should not drink wine in the morning,” she asserted.
“It’s blood, my beloved,” Magnus answered.
For a second, Alora’s smile disappeared and she got a bit scared to hear that. “Oh. I need to freshen up and bathe. Last night, the blindfold was with His Highness,” she murmured.
“Iva, take Princess Alora to the washroom,” Magnus instructed a maidservant, who entered the chamber soon with her head down.
“What about the blindfold?” Alora asked the prince again.
“I forgot where I have kept it,” Magnus replied, “See you at the breakfast, Alora,” he smiled and vanished from her sight within a blink.
Alora sighed and wondered what was in Magnus’s head.
Outside, in the dining hall, Magnus was seated at the chief seat, enjoying the blood. Lillian entered the hall, giving a curtsy to her brother. The servant pulled out a chair for Lillian to sit.
“Lily, it’s not good to enter a place without being called,” Magnus replied.
“Brother, it’s the palace. Only you got a separate residence with Alora to live. As your only sister, I can roam around without any interference,” Lillian asserted.
“Not here, Lily. Tobias, show her the way out to the carriage,” Magnus stated.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.