The Vampire King’s Captive

MARIA

“I’d like to go for a walk-”

“Call for your maid. I’ll have the guards-”

“-with you.”

A pause. “I don’t go for walks.”

“I gathered as much, which is why I’m asking you to give it a try. With me.”

“No.”

Maria sighed and fell forward, leaning against the chair in front of her and bracing her hands on it as she watched Bran write.

The past few days had been joyful for her. She’d never have thought that it was possible for Bran to be caring, but apparently, he was. It was new and strange, but it was joyful and it filled Maria’s days with light. And they’d been sleeping together ever since.

That morning-after he’d buried his face between her legs, just like he’d said-when she’d started to search for her discarded gown from the previous night on shaky legs, he’d asked her what she was doing and when she’d told him that she was looking for her gown so that she could leave, he traced to her, lifted her off the ground and carried her back to the bed, telling her that she would sleep in his room from then henceforth.

She’d found it to be too good of an idea for her to complain.

The thing was that even though Maria was having what she could call the best time of her life, she sensed a tension around Bran. In the mornings on most days, after giving her an orgasm, he would trace away and she wouldn’t see him until night-which meant more orgasms.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t enjoy the orgasms she was getting-of course she freaking did, Bran was completely selfless in bed-she just did not like that it was all they had. They barely spoke, other than the sweet nothings Bran whispered in her ears and when he complimented her, and it was starting to get frustrating.

She wanted to talk to him. To see him in the daylight and to know a bit about his childhood. She wanted to get to know him far more than his title, and today must be her lucky day because for once, he hadn’t gone out.

She’d asked a guard about him and he’d informed her that Bran was sitting in his court room. After being pointed in the right direction, she’d gone after him.

“You don’t want to give it a try? Not even once?”

“No.”

“But you’ll love it.”

“Doubt it.”

When she’d walked into the room, he’d lifted his head, took one look at her, did a double take, then his eyes stayed, sweeping over her from head to toe as his eyes grew hooded with want, instantly igniting hers.

Yet then he groaned from the deepest parts of him and dropped his head back down, going back to writing on the paper, even though Maria noticed that his grip on the pen was tighter and the veins in his arm now stood at attention.

It was always like that between them and she wasn’t even going to pretend like it didn’t surprise her. All they had to do was see signs that the other was horny and it would ignite theirs. But she knew that it was because they were so deeply attracted to each other.

The intensity of their attraction might terrify other people, but not her. Everything she felt about the man, she felt strongly and she had come to terms with that.

“Bran…” She decided to try again and when he lifted his head and looked at her with hard eyes, she said, “Please just this once. For me.”

She watched his hard eyes turn wary immediately. The pen fell from his hand and he dug his fingers into his eyes, massaging as he let out a sigh.

“Okay. Fuck. Fine.” He pushed his chair backward and stood, arranging the papers into a brown envelope before waving one of the guards in the room over and handing it to him. “Keep this on the desk in the library. ”

The guard’s eyes darted to Maria once before he bowed, took the envelope and left.

She would never get tired of seeing the looks of surprise on the men’s face whenever Bran spoke to her in their presence-or when she spoke back at him. They got particularly surprised whenever Maria refused Bran something.

For instance, two days ago, she’d gone in search of Bran and seen him walking down the hallway. He’d asked her why she’d come out of the room and she’d reminded him that she wasn’t a prisoner.

Next, he’d told her that she couldn’t search for him during the day because he was usually busy, to which she’d replied, “Well then, we’ll go through your busy days together. I have plenty of time on my hands, you see.”

She was positive that one of his guards had snickered.

Now, however, Bran rounded the table and came towards her, instantly sending a spike of excitement through Maria.

His steps were slow, deliberate, like that of a predator and the closer he drew to her, the more the urge to retreat gripped her. It was because of the look in his eyes-dark and hungry-like he wanted to consume her.

To feast on her.

When he reached where she was, he stopped and lifted a finger, trailing it down her face. She noticed that he liked to do that.

Maria liked it too. His touch was amazing.

“Now you’ve gone and disturbed me from work, princess,” he murmured, eyes intense on hers. “What do you plan to do with me now?”

She swallowed. “I want to take you on a walk.”

It should probably be him taking her for a walk because she didn’t know her left from her right and he would be the one to guide her. But she was the one convincing him into going for a walk with her and that was why she’d worded it that way.

“You’re serious about that?” His tone was indecipherable, the expression on his face one of curiousity… and slight disbelief.

Did he not know that she was serious?

Maybe he was doubting her because she was staring at his lips like she wanted nothing more than to be kissing them that very moment, like she wanted him to bring her body to life with them. She thought of the way he made her lose all her thoughts with his mouth and her face grew hot.

“Yes,” she croaked. “Very.”

With a resigned sigh-and a quick dip to her lips-he wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck-that, too, was one of his favourite things to do-and traced.