The Crown's Obsession

When Calhoun's fangs sunk into Madeline's neck, she felt the pain as if two pins pricking in her neck and her hand that was on her lap instantly moved up on his chest out of reflex, ready to push him but she remembered his words in the back of her mind.

Her body turned red because it wasn't just his fangs that had touched her neck. She could also feel his lips, and they were not exactly still as she felt him suck the skin while drinking her blood. The feeling of pinpricking pain faded away, and all she could feel was his lips that were pressed on to her skin. Her body started to heat up as it had never done before. Calhoun held her intimately in his arms and the faint thought about how things would get more difficult to escape passed by her mind.

Every nerve in her body felt aware of him and his touch. His hands, the closeness they shared, his lips and the breath that fell on her neck as he continued to drink.

She was under his mercy.

While Madeline was a nervous wreck under Calhoun's touch, he savoured every single drop that reached his tongue. She tasted even sweeter than the last time. And the more he sucked, the more he wanted to have her, his fingers curled at the need to consume her very soul. It was a taste that was addicting, and it might have been because it was Madeline and not some other woman.

The single thought of someone trying to take away something this precious from him, which he had only found, boiled his blood. And his eyes snapped open and narrowed to look nowhere in particular. It seemed like he would have to leave a warning so that there wouldn't be a second time for it to happen again.

As he retracted his fangs back from her neck, Madeline finally felt relieved that he was going to let her go, but her hopes were short-lived. She felt Calhoun's coarse tongue running on the spot where he had bitten with one single stroke, and that was enough for Madeline to push Calhoun away from her. She looked utterly mortified.

There was something in those red eyes now that looked darker than before, and his tongue licked his lips, "It was the most wonderful meal that I have had the pleasure of having," he said. The hand that was in her hair slid down to fall back to his side, while the other hand that was behind her back felt the pettiness as he moved it around to let her go finally.

Madeline's eyebrows had furrowed because of his licking her which she had not expected him to do and when he took a step back as if wanting to admire her, she realised her chest was heaving gently. She could only hope this would not turn out to be a routine-

"I think I am addicted to your blood. I will need to take a couple of sips every now and then," stated Calhoun and Madeline paled hearing this.

"All blood tastes the same," at Madeline's words, she saw him cock his head to the side.

"Are you the vampire or I, here?" he questioned her.

Madeline pursed her lips, getting down from the table, she straightened her dress, "I would like to take my leave," she bowed her head, her eyes closing praying to God that he would not stop her with something else.

Calhoun stared at Madeline, his eyes as if ready to eat her up. He finally hummed for an answer, "Have a goodnight sleep, Maddie," he wished her.

"Goodnight, milord," she finally raised her head, her footsteps slow while being wary and she pulled open the door. Once she stepped out of the room, Calhoun heard her footsteps pick up speed, and he couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his lips.

Madeline didn't stop walking until she finally reached the quarters of her room. She pushed the door to step in and shut it close behind her. She took a large breath of air and leaned her back against the door.

After her heart stopped racing, she finally took to walk towards the bath where the mirror hung on the wall. Leaning forward, she turned her head to the side, and she saw small red dots on her neck. Bending down, she washed her face, trying to get her mind sorted as it felt too messy to think anything. After splashing water a couple of times, she finally stood straight to see the water drops slide from her skin and fell down.

Remembering Calhoun's tongue running up her skin, she shivered and bent down again to splash some more water on her face.

On the other side of the castle, where the night continued to prevail in Devon, Calhoun was in a better mood than he was in the noon after finding what was written in the note by Madeline's mother. He stood in the open tower, his eyes steady staring at the horizon. He heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

"How was Sophie doing?" asked Calhoun.

"Angry but more upset," answered Theodore, who stopped walking, "She might complain to Senior lady Wilmot about it."

"And when did we start caring about what the little girl does?" Calhoun had kept Sophie around for his reasons, because of the so-called family connections.

Theodore then said, "She wanted to offer me a higher position here."

Calhoun chuckled, "What a naive girl to think she can get her way around the castle," and he then said, "Madeline's food reminds me of something from the past."

"It does, milord," agreed Theodore, "Did you have a good meal?"

A content smile appeared on his lips, "The best."

Though it was only two hours since he had taken a bite from Madeline in the dining room, he could barely wait to take another bite from her.