Chapter 25

Alina

Erick was right next to me when I woke up the next morning. One of his arms was folded under his pillow while the other was draped over my waist, and my hand was placed over his. He was fast asleep. His blond hair fell onto his forehead, swaying slightly from the sea breeze coming in through the huge open windows. He looked peaceful and normal, not at all like the mean and arrogant prince of all vampires.
Keeping my hand in place so as not to wake him up, I ran the fingers of my other hand through his soft hair. My eyes went wide when the early morning sunlight caught on the diamond and was scattered into hundreds of fragments all over the room. My engagement ring!
Why doesn’t it work on you, Alina? Even Erick couldn’t escape it, so why doesn’t it work on you?
Suddenly, the reason for not being compelled by Emiel was crystal clear. Erick had given me his great grandmother’s ring especially because it helped deflect compulsion, as well as any attempt to contact mentally unless I had that particular vampire’s blood in my veins. It must’ve been really strong to cancel out even Emiel’s powers.
When I looked back at Erick, his eyes were already open. The blue of his iris was a calm, soothing ocean even though they were hazy from sleep. Sometimes, I thought it had become a habit for him to always follow my every move like he was trying to figure out when I would start throwing a tantrum again. I couldn’t blame him. I was plagued by that night for so long and yet, even when I had hated him, I haven’t been able to resist him. The pull between us was too strong to ignore.
“Good morning,” I said, removing my hands from his hair and shifting by body closer to his so that my right hand was now lying on his lower back and securely wrapped around his body. His eyes widened slightly but then he tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me even closer. I was nearly crushed to his chest.
“Morning,” he whispered in my ear, stroking his hand up and down my spine. Now, that was my Erick. You give him an inch, and he takes a mile.
Last night, I was too tired to object to the idea of sleeping in the same bed next to him, but now, I could feel the blush creeping up my face. Just as suddenly as he wrapped me up in his arms, he sprang up from the bed. He planted his legs on the floor as he sat with his back to me.
“Erick?” I asked, startled by his sudden movement.
“You’re blushing.” It came through gritted teeth.
Blushing? But what does th— oh!
“Should I bring you another bottle? Kenna did say you’d need to feed more often than usual.” I sat up too.
He shook his head. “No, other blood feels satisfying enough.”
“What?”
“Your blood.” He hunched forward, clutching his hands in front of him. “You gave me your blood when you tried to wake me up. For me, even a drop of your blood acts like a drug. It’s why I used to feed from you so often when we were younger.”
“But... you stopped feeding on me during college.” I knew I was pushing his limits, but still, I crept forward so I was sitting right behind him.
“I was strong enough by then and had better control over myself. I thought I could resist better, but the second I tasted your blood again, I couldn’t drink anything else. They all felt tasteless and without nutrition.” His shoulders shook slightly. “Alina, it would be better if you let me calm down a bit.”
Which was just a polite way of saying, get the fuck out before I drain you dry. “Or, you can feed from me.” I reached out and rested my hands on his shoulders.
“What?” He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes holding that same brightness that occurs when he goes into his vampire mode. His expression told me he clearly thought I was nuts.
“It’s okay, you can feed from me.” I didn’t know where I was getting all this courage from, but I wanted to set things right. There were too many painful memories in the past, so I wanted to make new happy ones, just like waking up in his arms this morning. “How much do you need?”
“You sure?” he asked, hesitantly turning towards me and holding up the hand I offered him.
“Yes.”
He watched me for a few long minutes and then nodded. “Only a little bit, for now. I can drink the bottles after that.”
The next instant, I was straddling him with my back to the open balcony doors. Erick’s lips were on my neck, and his arms were wrapped around my waist.
Fire scorched through my veins the instant his fangs broke skin, but it didn’t hurt. It was far from it. The first draw had me shuddering, the feeling completely new and unknown. This was different from when he drank from me in my office. This was much more vivid and intense. Words weren’t enough to describe it. A gasp escaped my lips, my eyes closed on their own accord, and my back arched in a way that had my breasts crushed to his chest.
Erick moved an arm to the arch of my back, holding me in place while he sank his fangs deeper. I winced at the sudden pain, but it was gone before I knew it to be replaced by a pleasure so strong, I felt heat pool between my legs.
Erick then pulled away and held me to him as I collapsed onto his chest, our breaths coming in hard pants.
“Are you alright?” His voice was hoarse and on the verge of a growl, but there was no mistaking the concern in it.
“Yes.” Hell no! My body was limp while my insides were on fire.
It was only when I heard him chuckle in my ear that I realized he could hear my thoughts perfectly well. I had not only drunk his blood, but he drank from me twice. That meant our mental pathway was wide open. I felt like I was going to melt away with how intensely I was blushing.
Erick laughed. This time, the sound vibrated through his chest. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one in need of a cold shower.”
“Shut up!” I scolded half-heartedly.
He gave me a light squeeze before shifting me to lie on the pillows. Then he turned his back to me once again to face the balcony. I watched for a long while as he just kept silent. I couldn’t feel anything from the mental bond. He must’ve been able to control the bond on his side because till now, I hadn’t been able to read a single thought from him. I was about to ask him about how to block the bond on my side when he started speaking. His voice, when he spoke, was filled with gravel.
“That night… right after the party at the palace, Justin, Keith, Nile, Jacob, and I went out clubbing. We were having fun and decided to hit a strip club before I headed off to start my training to become king. I didn’t know it was a trap. Nile and the others sold themselves to Emiel for mansions and money. Victor was the one who mixed a strong dose of Tangenina extract in my drink, strong enough to leave me vulnerable for a few minutes. I laid paralysed for those few minutes, and Emiel did his job. He compelled me to rape you and to make sure you were destroyed beyond repair. Then he compelled me to forget that I have seen him. After that, Nile spun a story about you and some guy I didn’t even remember. I acted on my anger. I came to question you that night, but when I arrived... Emiel’s compulsion took effect.”
I didn’t realize I stopped breathing until my lungs burned with the need for air. I gasped, placing my hands over my mouth before I started screaming. This was what I wanted to hear and what I wanted to know for so long. Yet, I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to know any further. That night had taken away so much from me and from the both of us. It nearly succeeded in destroying us both.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,Alina. I really didn’t. I stopped myself from going too far, but it was already too late. I didn’t remember what I did in those moments, but when I came back to my senses, you were unconscious and I—”
“Erick...”
“No.” He shook his head, still turned away from me. “You need to hear this.”
I nodded my head. Yes, I needed to know the whole truth. There were too many things that were left unclear. Too many questions that had haunted me till this day. Although I didn’t reply, Erick began to speak again.
“I too lost consciousness after that. Back then, I wasn’t strong enough to fight Emiel’s compulsion. I don’t know if I still am. When you woke up the next morning, I couldn’t bear to look at you. I couldn’t bear to see what I did to you, so I left. I hunted down Nile and the others, learned the whole truth from them...and killed them. I then went after Emiel and nearly beat him to death as the pathetic wimp stood there and kept on laughing. In the end, I did defeat him and became the rightful heir to the throne, but the damage was already done.”
He looked at me, his expression unreadable. It said something I had never heard from him before.
“I’m sorry, Alina. I’m really sorry.”
That was when I threw my arms around him and cried till I ran out of tears.