Chapter 31

Alina

“Papa?” I looked at Erick, visibly stunned. “B-But... how?”
“Humans are not allowed inside the Constantium unless you’re the bride.” He tapped my nose with his index finger. “But no one said he can’t come to the castle.”
I turned around and threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you!” I gasped out. You have no idea what this means to me!
Anything for my lovely wife. He chuckled.
It struck me anew that we were married now, something I had never thought possible right from the beginning and an idea I had always thought repulsive, especially after that incident. Now, here I am, married to the Vampire Prince on my own accord. I had no idea when I had come to trust him and to like him. But I knew now that I would never leave him, just like I knew that he would never leave me.
I broke away from him and rushed over to my father. I fell to my knees before him, placed my head in his lap, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I heard the door closing an instant later and knew that Erick and Kendrick had gone outside to give us some space.
“How are you, my little Princess? Why is there blood on your sleeve?” He sounded worried.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry. This was a vampire wedding, remember?” I raised my head and looked at the red stain on the sleeve of my right hand. “I had anaesthetics, and Erick’s blood healed me. See?” I pulled down the sleeve to expose clear, unscathed skin. “Everything’s fine.”
“Thank goodness!” He exhaled while looking exhausted. Somehow, he looked older than I had last seen him.
“Papa, you should really go back to the hospital. You don’t look so well.” I took his hand in mine. They were now forming wrinkles all over, and he was only forty-nine.
“I will, honey. I really wished I could’ve been at your wedding and handed you over to Erick myself, but I still got to see you today, all thanks to your husband. Now, I’m at peace.” He cupped my face with his hands and kissed my forehead then my cheeks.
A knock sounded at the door, and Kendrick entered a second later. I wiped the moisture that had gathered at the corner of my eyes. “Mr. Deluca, it’s time to take you back to the hospital,” Kendrick told my father.
“Yes, I’m ready,” he answered Kendrick and then turned to me. “Thank you for respecting your mother’s last wish, honey. I wish that you have a long and happy life ahead.”
With that, Kendrick moved his wheelchair out the room and left the door open on his way out, but not before handing me what I asked him to get this morning. Safely tucking the thing away in the folds of my dress, I turned to wave my father goodbye.
It was only after that I had a proper look at the room. It was huge, grand actually, but this appeared to be a bedroom. There was a huge king-sized bed and a large chandelier on the ceiling which illuminated the whole room, casting a golden hue. Several doors were placed all over, and there were magnificent paintings all over the walls. Some showed battle scenes while others held beautiful landscapes. There was one painting of Kenna with a little child held in her arms, but I was unable to tell if it was Athena, Susan, or Erick. There were also some beautiful flowers placed in ornate vases all over the room. Their fragrance was something I had never smelled before though the flowers looked like roses.
“Thank you,” I whispered, knowing that he would be able to hear me.
“I think you already did thank me.” His voice came from right behind me.
I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes tightly as I felt Erick’s hands trail up my arms and stop at the sleeves of my dress where my shoulders flowed into my arms. “Relax,” he murmured into my ear, his breath a hot whisper against my cheeks.
Taking another deep breath, I fed this wild hunger deep inside of me that had always been aware of Erick’s presence even when I had hated him. I leaned my back against his chest and rested the back of my head on his shoulders. I gave into him. Erick’s arms came around me almost instantly.
We didn’t speak for a long while, just letting the silence engulf us into a silent, private cocoon. It was Erick who finally broke the comfortable silence. “I have something to show you.”
“What?”
“Not yet.” I frowned but let him continue. “You should change first. I’ve got some clothes for you in the bathroom.”
“Okay.” What could he possibly want to show me now?
By now, I was used to Erick setting up clothes for me. Entering the bathroom after Erick had given me directions, I locked the door after me and leaned against it for a bit. It was late in the evening, and the entire castle was illuminated by thousands of candles and whale-sized chandeliers. Electricity didn’t seem to exist here. Then again, in a world ruled by magic, who needs electricity when you could do far cooler things with just a thought?
I walked over to the counter half-expecting to find some outrageous lingerie, but instead, there was a simple red dress that reached up to my knees and a white jacket to go with it. I changed into them, placing my wedding dress and veil neatly folded on the counter. I decided to let my hair down and remove all makeup from my face. I wasn’t really a makeup person, and I got rashes if I had it on for too long, my skin being really sensitive. I decided to ditch the jacket as well since it was warm outside.
I got out of the bathroom after throwing some water on my face and found that Erick too had changed into a black full-sleeved shirt and white dress pants. He looked intensely gorgeous, and the dark colour of his shirt lent his eyes a sharp contrast. He walked over to me as I walked further into the room.
“You remember the time when Emiel showed up at your apartment?” he asked, referring to the time when I had nearly lost him. It was still hard to believe it was only a few days ago.
“I’m very sure I never want to remember that night ever again.” I placed my hand on his chest, reminding myself that he was still here. I had never been more scared of anything than I was of losing him that night.
“Okay.” He tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear and wrapped his arms around my waist. “But you do remember how fast I got there, right? I came right after you called for me.”
I blinked. He was right! In all the confusions of that night, I failed to comprehend how fast he had actually come to save me. I had been unconscious for a while, enough that Erick’s skin had begun to heal over the stake. Even the doctor who came to check on Erick later on confirmed that the stake was embedded into his chest for at least three hours. “You’re right! How did you get there so fast? Were you in the area?”
“No,” he chuckled. “I got there so fast because of this.”

****

I blinked my eyes several times to clear my vision and began to panic when I still saw only darkness. “Erick?”
“Relax. Just keep your eyes closed. It’ll be fine in a few seconds.”
I did as he told. His arms were around my waist, acting as my anchor. This time, when I opened my eyes, I saw that we were no longer in the castle but in Erick’s beach house back in Canada.
“Wha— how? We were supposed to be in another dimension!” I looked around once again to confirm that I wasn’t hallucinating. Nope. I was still on Erick’s beach house. How did we— “You can teleport?”
Erick’s chest vibrated with suppressed laughter under my palms as he took in my gaping form. I would’ve been mad if I wasn’t awestruck by the sudden knowledge. Erick can teleport!
“Yes. I can, but that’s only half of it,” he chuckled.
My eyes widened further if that was even possible. “What?”
“Shhh.” Erick placed his index finger on my lips to silence me. “We’ll talk about me tomorrow. Tonight is ours.”
The possessiveness in his voice made a shiver run down my spine, the good kind of shiver.
“I think, we need a dip,” he said, letting go of me and moving a couple steps backwards. Pulling the end of his shirt out of his pants, he started to unbutton it. I turned my head to the side immediately, trying to avoid looking at him. Erick didn’t seem fazed by it, though.
I kept my eyes on the pool behind him. Then they wandered on the scenery surrounding us: on the thousands of red and white candles alit on several huge candle stands, on a gazebo on the other side of the pool which had a table with a champagne bottle and glasses and… a bed. Rose petals surrounded the gazebo itself and the steps that led up to it.
An instant later, his discarded shirt landed by my feet, and his hand appeared in front of my face. Startled, I looked up at his face and found him smiling down at me. “Your turn.” He urged.
I put my hand on his hesitantly, and he pulled me forward all of a sudden, making me bump into his naked chest. Erick took his time steadying me and then turned me around so that my back was against his chest.
I closed my eyes tightly as I felt his hands trail up my arms again. This time, he didn’t stop at my shoulders. His hands trailed down my back and reached for the zipper of my dress. I sucked in a breath as I felt him tug and lower the zipper all the way down to my lower back.
Erick didn’t give me time to think, probably because he knew I would chicken out if he did. He hooked his fingers on the fabric and started pulling them down inch by slow inch. Then he yanked down the rest of the fabric and let it gather around my waist, earning a surprised gasp from me and leaving me in only my underwear.
He then pulled me back against his bare chest. The sensation of his warm, bare skin against mine made my stomach clench. Instead of undressing me further, he kissed my shoulder and trailed kisses up and down my neck. I felt my back instinctively arch into him. Was this supposed to feel so good? I thought breathlessly.
He started to take slow steps backwards at first as I stood still with my back stiff. A moment later, I heard a belt unbuckle, a zipper being pulled down, and then his pants hitting the tiled floor.
The next thing I knew, I was being hauled back and thrown into the pool. I shut my mouth tight, trying not to swallow any water as I spread my arms around me and let buoyancy lift me back to the surface. My head broke the water surface an instant later.
“Erick!” The first thing I did was snap at his laughing form not more than three feet away from me. “It’s not funny!” I said, removing hair from my face. “What if I couldn’t swim?”
He was in front of me in a blink of an eye. “I would’ve never let you drown.” His voice was utterly sincere.
A few days ago, I wouldn’t have believed him, but now, I’d seen the real Erick. Now, I knew. Placing my feet firmly on the floor of the pool with the water slightly warm against my exposed flesh, I took a step forward and intertwined my hands at the nape of his neck. I yanked him forward and crashed my lips to his.
Erick didn’t need any more invitation. His hand came around my waist in the next instant. He cradled my face with his other hand, pulling me further into him so that there was no space between us.
Today, he didn’t leash his desire. It was like a red-hot brand against my lips as he trailed his fangs on my lower lip. He made the slightest bite that made me gasp, and the next thing I knew, his tongue was inside my mouth, tasting and exploring every nook and cranny. My back hit the walls of the pool, but Erick’s hand softened the blow.
Erick’s mouth left mine with a gasp, and he trailed tiny kisses down my neck, only stopping at my pulse.
My back arched in anticipation as heat pooled between my legs. Even I could feel my pulse throb as if all the blood in my veins had only two destinations. Erick licked over the staccato beat, causing me to shiver. I tightened my hold on his neck and pulled him even closer to my body.
But Erick didn’t bite. Giving one last scrape of his fangs over my pulse but not hard enough to break skin, he spun me around to face the pool walls. Water sloshed over the edge of the pool by my sudden movement as Erick removed my hair from my back and pulled it over my shoulder. I sucked in a breath as I felt him unhook the bra clasp on my back and pull the straps down my arm. My arms instinctively went to cover my chest as soon as he had removed the bra and thrown it out of the pool to the pile where my own clothes lay.
The cool night air on my exposed flesh made me shiver as goose bumps appeared all over my skin. I felt my face heat up with a blush even though I was turned away from Erick. A second later, another piece of fabric was thrown out of the pool to join the growing pile. It was Erick’s briefs.
“Alina.” I hadn’t realized I closed my eyes until Erick whispered into my ear. “Are you feeling uncomfortable?” he asked. There wasa gentleness to his voice that I’ve never heard before.
I reflected upon his words. No, I wasn’t uncomfortable. Shy maybe? But not uncomfortable. This wasn’t four years ago. This wasn’t the Erick who stumbled into my house under Emiel’s compulsion and hurt me. No, he was not that Erick anymore. He would never again be that vulnerable. Then I realized something with startling clarity: I wanted to be with him. Not just because he had made so much effort into making me comfortable tonight. It was not just because I’m now his wife either. I wanted this for myself. I wanted to feel his skin on mine. I wanted him to mark me so deep that no one can separate our scents. I wanted him.
Turning towards him with my eyes closed, I dropped my hands to my side slowly once I was sure I was facing him. Erick had pushed us towards the shallow end of the pool, so the water here was only a few inches above my waist. I was baring it all to him. Gathering enough strength and fighting the urge to cover my breasts again, I opened my eyes to meet his intense blue ones that seemed to glow from within. He was looking straight at my face with an unreadable expression. He seemed to have seen something in my eyes that made the expression disappear, only to be replaced by a hunger so intense, it seemed to consume even me.
“Alina, I can’t hold back.” It was a warning and a plea.
“I don’t care.” The words felt right.
Erick was on me the next instant with my back against the pool wall and his lips on mine. He trailed down my throat again, licking and sucking as his hands went to my breast. He pinched a nipple as they budded achingly, making a moan escape my lips. However, his hands didn’t stop at my breasts. They moved down my body to my waist and then my hips. The next thing I knew, he had torn my panties to shreds and had pulled me flat against him so that the rigid length of him brushed against my lower abdomen, the warm water cool against the heated flesh of my womanhood.
I was already drenched, and the aching made me rub against him shamelessly to get closer. I wanted him inside me. I’d denied my urges for too long. After that night with Erick, I’ve never taken a lover and have never lain with anyone. Erick was my first and has been until this day, and he would certainly be my last.
“Are you sure?” Erick’s voice had gone rough guttural. It was like he had to fight very hard to restrain himself.
“Yes.” I breathed out. My hands went to his shoulders and my nails dug into his flesh.
“Scream if I hurt you, and I’ll stop. Tell me, damn it!” A growl was in his voice as he guided himself to my entrance and rubbed the blunt head of his cock against me.
I could only nod for my voice stuck in my throat as he entered one slow inch. I grabbed onto his shoulders for support and lifted up one leg after the other to hook them around his waist. One of his hands came around to support me while the other he placed beside my head, on the edge of the pool.
One deep, hard thrust and he was buried to the hilt inside me. My inner muscles stretched in pleasure and pain to accommodate him as my head fell back to push forward my breasts in offering. Unable to hold it in, I screamed. For a split second, my mind went back to what he told me, and I clutched at him desperately to signal him not to stop. Somehow, he got the message.
“So tight,” Erick gritted out through clenched teeth, and I heard the crunching sound of the cement and tile cracking under his hold. However, his hold on me remained firm but gentle.
He withdrew almost fully, only to thrust it back to the hilt, making us both moan the others name. He did it slowly at first, but he picked up pace when my hips bucked to meet his thrust for thrust. Soon, he was pounding into me like an unleashed beast, his eyes an incandescent blue I’ve never seen before. And even though he was being more than a little rough, I felt no pain. If anything, I could already feel the start of my orgasm. I felt the swirl of pleasure in my womb as Erick continued to turn my blood into honey, making me a little insane with pleasure with each thrust.
I didn’t know if I was screaming or not for the rush of blood was a wild roar in my ear as I closed my eyes and clutched Erick for more. I’ve never felt so violently alive before, and I wanted more.
If possible, Erick increased his thrusts until I could no longer keep up, until I was lost in the heat of his skin, in the scent of dark chocolate, and in something so masculine that was entirely Erick’s that filled my senses. He was relentless at it until I saw stars.
We came with one final thrust, screaming each other’s name and holding onto each other so close that even air didn’t exist between us. The world was exploding into a million pieces of passion around us.
Quivering in the aftermath of the orgasm that racked through me and turned my bones to honey, I felt a strange sense of belonging for the first time in my mind. Erick was mine, just as much as I was his.