13.

Letting the warm water rinse my body, I rested my forehead against the cold tiles, my heart beating fast as two very different emotions swarmed inside of me.

Both anxiety and excitement swirled deep within me as I feared of the unknown, for I have never been to a party before -since my dearest mother always kept me locked inside the house, even back in The Citadel- but I also wanted to discover what it would be like...despite the constant fear that I could hurt someone, or even worse; get hurt.

Turning off the water I then stepped out and proceeded to dry myself up, letting my damp curls fall over my back and dry on their own.
Not even wasting a single second I then hurried to take out the clothes Raphael had brought me from that fancy bag, only to notice how different they looked compared to the ones I used to wear.

Black laced underwear, way too small and revealing for my liking, matching with a same colour and fabric bra covered way too less as I put them on, awkwardly staring at my own reflection in the large mirror.

My breasts are popping out...and so is my bum!

I weirdly looked at myself as I slowly turned around, inspecting.

What kind of garments are these?

Lightly shaking my head with disapproval, I then took the last clothing article left in the bag, stretching out the black leathery fabric.

Is this supposed to be a dress?

I weirdly stared at it for a few moments, trying to figure out how to put it on before I finally found the zipper and clumsily dragged it on, ultimately noticing how tight and short it actually was. And on top of all that, I couldn’t even pull the zipper back up.

Great.

Since I didn’t have any other clothes at hand, I timidly exited the bathroom, carefully peering around until I’ve finally noticed him standing just a few steps away, hands shoved deep in his dark jeans pockets.

The moment those dark eyes finally landed on me, it felt like the time stopped for a few seconds as we silently stared at each other, his burning gaze slowly measuring every inch of my being.

Awkwardly clearing my throat, I quickly blurted out,
“I...I think you got the wrong measure.”

Noticing how his gaze leisurely trailed over my bare legs, I stupidly tried to drag the tiny skirt a little further down, though I definitely knew there was no way I could cover myself some more since the fabric clung so tightly against my skin.

“No. It’s perfect.”

My mouth fell open, widely staring at him as he quickly approached.

“Turn around,” He demanded and I silently obeyed, only to feel those warm fingers gingerly touch the bare skin on my back as he slowly dragged the zipper up, leaving a trail of small tingles in their wake.

Feeling his body heat still seeping through my skin, I ultimately realized he hadn’t moved an inch, still standing right behind me, his warm breath lightly fanning over my bare shoulder. So without a second thought, I quickly walked towards the floor-length window, creating that so-much needed distance between us, grimacing at my own reflection as I complained,
“This is way too revealing, do I really have to wear this?”

“Yes. Otherwise you won’t be able to blend in,” He casually answered, my own features contorting into a frown as I wondered...exactly what kind of party were we going to attend?

“Hold your hair up,” His firm tone reached my ears, instantly bringing me back to reality, only now realizing how close he was as I could once again feel that powerful heat radiating off his body right behind mine, his constantly fast and silent moves starting to already scare me.

Doing as told, I gathered my unruly curls with one hand, holding them up at the back of my head, staring at his reflection through the glass, noticing how his gaze ultimately landed on the back of my neck, right where my birth mark was supposed to be. Something undecipherable flashed in his eyes, faster than Zeus’ lightning bolts, disappearing just as quick as it came, his index finger lightly touching the said spot in a small caress, right before he gently placed what looked like a leathered collar around my neck.

“What’s this?” I frowned, feeling a little bothered and confused at the same time.

“Just a small protection...to keep those filthy leeches away from temptation.”

“Leeches?” I weirdly stared back at him through the glass.

“Vampires,” He spat the word out like it was the most disgusting thing in the world as he gingerly closed the collar, my body giving away the lightest shiver as I could only imagine what those said creatures could be like, for I have never actually seen one in real life, and only have read about them in one of mother’s many grimoires.

Noticing how he suddenly placed his big palms on the clear glass, either side of my body my heart-rate instantly quickened, suddenly feeling so apprehensive as I heard him whisper right behind my ear,
“Turn around.”

With a slow, trembling move I did as told as I really didn’t wish to see how he reacted when angered and turned around, like a helpless prey feeling practically caged as I lowered my sight, too scared to even dare look into his eyes.

“Stand still,” With those last words, he didn’t even give me the time to take a second breath as his head suddenly dipped lower, his strong arms firmly wrapping around my waist, feeling every inch of his body as he held me so tight against him.

The sudden, unexpected sensation of his hot mouth latching on the tender skin right above my breast forced out a strange, unusual sound escape my lips, my hands grabbing fistfuls of his dark t-shirt as I struggled to contain the light tremble my body gave away.
Small tremors crawled up my spine as he kept torturing my skin, sucking and biting on the same spot, to the point where it almost hurt, forcing out a small whimper escape my lips, torn between two very different impulses; to push him away or pull him even closer.

But before I could even decide he suddenly pulled back, quickly taking a few steps away, breathing fast and hard as he intensely stared at me.

Still feeling the small sting, I took a glance at my chest, only to notice the relatively big and dark purple bruise bravely standing out right over my left breast.

“What was that for?” I widely stared back at him, still lightly trembling in the aftershock, protectively holding a hand over the bruised skin.

“My mark,” He breathlessly answered, my cheeks instantly turning a deep shade of red as I watched how he uncomfortably adjusted his pants, a noticeable bulge now visible right through his dark jeans.

Way too embarrassed, I quickly placed a hand over my eyes as I blurted out,
“M-mark? What are you talking about?”

“Vampires and werewolves believe in things like marking and claiming, this way keeping away all the other males willing to touch what’s theirs.”

“What? I’m not yours!
I’m not an object you know!?!”

“I’m not an object you could claim as yours, just like that!”

“No! You can’t just-”

Before I could finish my angry ranting, he was already right in front of me, lightly touching my cheek as he calmly explained,
“Calm down. I didn’t do it to actually claim you or anything like that. Angels- fallen angels don’t believe in such things.
I did it only for your protection.
It will heal in a day or so.”

Too stunned to even say anything more, my mouth instantly closed shut, blankly staring up at him.