Alaric

I tried to rein in my need to sink my fangs into her. I struggled trying to retract them, but the sound of her heartbeat reminded me of the olden days when we would make the humans run which led them to believe they had a chance to escape us. I missed the savagery of the old days. Judging by the look of terror on her face, I'd not done a good job of hiding my monstrous intentions.

The sweet aroma coming from her was unlike anything I'd come across before. I looked into her eyes to mesmerise her because I needed to taste this delectable human's blood. I heard her swallow nervously as she tried to take another step back. That was when the realisation hit me. My hypnotic gaze didn't work on her. I gathered myself as I decided to change tactics.

With my eyes closed, I worked on preventing myself from inhaling her pulsating sweet blood that I could hear rushing through her veins. Her heartbeat made a resounding beating sound that reminded me of the ancient Malian Empire's djembe drums. Her trepidation had sped her heartbeat, and when I opened my eyes again, I decided that I loved the look of fear on her pretty face.

She was petite at first glance but seeing the curves on her body made my cock harden. She had dark but warm chocolate eyes with some smoky coloured dark makeup around them, but it was her plump pink lips that made me wish she knelt before me so I could choke her out with my dick.

"I'm Charon. I believe Alain said he would have my purchase ready," I said, looking around as if he would appear.

I knew we were alone because there were no other sounds from within the gallery. There was some noise from the offices above the gallery, but no one could come to her aid. When her dark eyes searched mine I knew they were back to normal because she said nothing about the brief change she surely saw.

"My painting," I said, amused when she seemed rooted to the ground.

She quickly twirled around and rushed towards the back of the gallery towards the staff entrance. This couldn't be a coincidence. After hundreds of years, Samuel found his mate, and within one day of discovering blood mates existed, I happen to come across mine in a gallery that I had been frequenting for decades. All I needed to do was exude some charm, and she would be putty in my hands. Humans of all sexes and ages fawned over me. They came to me like moths to a flame. They were our prey.

She brought the large package, which was wrapped in black paper and tied around with a gold ribbon. When she took it to the cash desk, I walked towards her, but she didn't look up at me.

"I need your identification, please," she whispered.

My eyes never left her when I reached into my pocket to get my wallet out.

"May I take you out for dinner after work?" I asked as I handed her my credit card, but I brushed my thumb over the back of her hand.

Her head shot up so fast that her hair flew up before landing over her face. I decided I liked the length it was long enough to pull on and short enough not to get in the way. She brushed it aside before nervously licking her lips. My eyes were drawn to her pink, wet lips full of succulent blood that I needed a taste of. I shook myself out of the daze she had me under. When I remembered I was trying to charm her, I forced myself to smile.

What the fuck was wrong with me? She was a mere human.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't. I have a boyfriend."

I narrowed my eyes at her and clenched my jaw tightly at the thought of her with another man taking what was mine. She took my card and looked downwards again before handing it back to me. I glared at her before snatching my card back. The need to grip her scrawny throat and guzzle her blood down was overwhelming. I could see the protruding vein, and my mouth filled with saliva, but I grabbed the painting and left the gallery.

I would be back within a few minutes. I was far from done with her. Blood mate, or not humans were beneath us in the food chain.

She was fucking prey. My Prey .

I messaged my pilot to let him know I wouldn't be flying out this afternoon as planned but to rearrange the flight for later. This human would soon discover the consequences of refusing me because I couldn't deny that the rejection stung. I would hunt her boyfriend down and drain every drop of blood from his pathetic body. I shook from the rage that consumed me at the thought of someone else touching her, kissing her, fucking her. It had been over a century since I'd cared enough about anything to risk losing control.

I needed to get this shit under control before I saw her again.

∞∞∞

I'd packed enough of her belongings to make it appear as if she left in a hurry. I could do the rest once I had access to my computer at home in order to leave an electronic trail. When I stood over her sleeping form, I paused to take her in. She lay on her back with one arm flung over her pillow towards the headboard. The sound of her breathing and heartbeat was far more relaxed than earlier in her day.

Although I had managed to maintain some semblance of control, it had been difficult to restrain myself from taking her sooner. I'd used my time productively by learning about her past and current life. She did not have a boyfriend if her phone history was anything to go by.

My deceitful little human would soon find herself on a very tight leash. The thought of bringing her to heel without using my powers was not something I'd done before because it was far easier to have a blood slave or a thrall. Every drop of blood that hummed throughout her body belonged to me and me alone.

The thought made my cock harden, and my fangs slowly extended. I knew that I would look like a monster when she woke up, but something about her tugged at the dark side of me. I wanted to punish her. I switched her lamp on to place my hand around her throat. My thumb rested on her carotid artery as her eyes flew open, and her throat began to ripple beneath my touch. Her heart began pumping the blood around her body faster, and I felt her pulse increase beneath my thumb.

"You're mine now, Gemma Bryant," I said calmly before I pressed down on her pulse.

Her hand moved over mine, but there was little struggle in the ten seconds it took to render her unconscious. I climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers down, satisfied to see she wore an oversized T-shirt.

There was no need to wait any longer. I pulled her head to one side and sunk my teeth into her flesh, piercing the vein that I'd crushed moments earlier. Her warm blood spurt into my mouth as I got my first taste of her. My eyes flew open at tasting what could be described as the gods' nectar and the instantaneous transfer of power. It supercharged me like nothing ever had. In over a millennia of consuming the blood of humans and beasts, this experience was astounding.

I continued to gulp down her ambrosial blood, ensuring her heartbeat didn't falter. My dick was leaking in anticipation, and I began to inject my venom into her bloodstream to ease any discomfort she may feel when she woke up before I reluctantly withdrew my fangs from her neck.

"Fuck," I spat out as I felt my cock jerk against my trousers.

I pushed my hand beneath her neck to pull her limp body up so I could lick the stray droplets of blood and seal the two puncture wounds, savouring the final taste of her sweet, rich blood. At first glance, she looked like any other human, but I wasn't about to disregard the gift the Gods had bestowed upon me.

I pulled the dark grey T-shirt down to cover her black-laced underwear. No one would see her with the speed I moved, but the thought of someone looking at her bare flesh sent waves of rage throughout my being. After placing her back on the bed I searched for something to cover her legs. I found a pair of sleep shorts in her drawer, which didn't cover as much as I wanted, but I needed to get her on my aircraft and secured on my island.