Alaric

When I heard the shower turn on, I smiled. When she passed out earlier, I had been too busy emptying another load inside of her, but damn, did her blood pack a punch. I could have fucked her another few times had she not passed out. I did lock up the villa and her bedroom door before I paid my brothers a quick visit to let them know in person what Samuel had told me and that I would be on the island until Gemma was pregnant.

Damien was eager to meet Gemma, but Christian shrugged his shoulders until I told him how powerful and mouth-watering a mate's blood was. Their initial response was disbelief until I assured them by telling them of my first-hand experience. The helicopter round trip didn't take me long, and by the time I got back, Gemma was still out of it, but her heartbeat remained strong.

Once I began to consume her blood, it became difficult to restrain myself. It was comparable to a feeding frenzy. I needed to control myself when I fed her. The next time I fucked her, I needed to ensure she ingested some of my blood so she wouldn't be as weak. It was the final act of confirming that she was my blood mate. If she didn't turn into a vampire, then she was mine for eternity.

I pulled all the ingredients out of the freshly stocked fridge, but since I didn't know how to cook, I left everything for her on the counter. She had spent most of her life in England, so I didn't know what kind of food she ate. I scratched my head when I looked at the coffee machine. The villa had been decorated by a human because we need our homes to appear normal—most of the kitchen items we'd never used.

My ears pricked up when I heard Gemma turn the shower off. I was looking forward to taking her into the lower-ground playroom. She shuffled around, and I heard her rummaging somewhere. I wasn't concerned about her trying to attack escape or attack me. The sound of a hairdryer began its droning noise. I raised my eyebrows because I wasn't aware there was one in the house.

It wasn't long until I heard her footsteps on the wooden stairs. I saw her looking fresh and perky because she resembled a wilted flower after she woke up. She pushed her dark brown back with her fingers. It was lighter than mine, and it sat past her shoulders. My eyes fell on the bite marks on either side of her neck. My dick began to stir when I thought of the bite I'd left on her breast. The blood flow from the smaller mammary artery wasn't as generous but extremely enjoyable to sink my fangs into.

She paused when she saw the food on the countertop. Her eyes swung towards me with a puzzled look on her face. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know how to cook," I said.

"So you thought that yoghurt, pineapple, mushrooms and bacon would make a meal?" she asked with a frown.

Her belly rumbled loudly.

"There is more food in the refrigerator," I said as I sat so she would feel comfortable preparing her food. It was for my selfish reasons.

She walked towards the refrigerator, and my eyes roved over her. I should have given her a shorter T-shirt because I couldn't see her lovely globes of flesh when she bent over. She moved around the kitchen swiftly before she began to cook. I used the time to study her while she ignored me. She found some ground coffee beans and seemed competent in using the coffee machine. The bitter scent filled the air while the coffee brewed. The various scents in the kitchen weren't unpleasant, but I wasn't used to them being in my home.

She made two sandwiches stuffed with tomatoes, bacon, eggs and hot sauce, which I thought was a weird combination, but what did I know?

"Will you manage to eat all that?" I asked sceptically.

"I'm starving, and someone tried to suck all the blood out of me," she snapped at me.

I stood up, and her snarky attitude vanished. Her heartbeat sped up, but I took her plate and cup from her and walked outside towards the shaded patio area. She followed behind me, and I could feel her eyes on me as I placed her food on the table. The padded three-seater had enough room for us both. I sat down, but she walked towards the garden, with stairs leading to the pool on a lower level. She stood close to the wall, looking at the sea before turning towards me.

"Does the sun burn you?"

I smirked at her words and decided to let her know she didn't stand a chance against me.

"The sun doesn't burn me. I have a reflection, I can eat garlic, and holy water or a cross won't help you. A wooden stake through my dead black heart won't kill me," I drawled out.

She pursed her lips and sniffed.

"Pity," she said before she sat down as far away from me as she could.

She didn't speak as she wolfed her food down before she picked up the remaining coffee and seemed to savour it.

"Where are we?" she finally asked, but her eyes were on the scenic views.

"We are on my island off the coast of Greece."

Her eyes flicked towards me and I could see the discomfort and some hesitation on her face. She began to fidget nervously before rubbing her arms.

"Ask me," I said.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked softly, but her eyes moved towards her empty plate on the table.

I watched as a breeze caught her hair and lifted the strands in the air before my eyes skimmed her body and bare legs. The thought of never tasting her blood again or fucking her pretty tight little cunt was not a pleasant one. I heard the sound of her gulp, and I realised I hadn't answered her yet.

"No," I said before I decided it was best to keep her in check. "Follow my command, and there won't be any problems."

"You expect me to be your—slave?" she asked as she hesitated to say the word.

"Do you want to live?"

Her head snapped towards me. Her dark brown eyes were so expressive. When I looked at mine, they looked cold, black and dead. Christian was the only one who had some fucked up colour of eyes. He was also often perceived as a threat to other vampires because he was different. We don't know how we came to exist, and no matter how hard we tried to think back, blinding headaches were the result of trying.

"Yes," she said with a frown.

"Then I expect you to be obedient," I said with finality to end the discussion.

Blood mate or not, she was a mere human. Our coven had several high-ranking female vampires who would be deemed as suitable partners. As much as my past vampire and human orgies had been pleasant, the temptation of Gemma's blood was too great. Damien's fuck buddy would take issue if he found his blood mate.

"What's a blood mate?" she asked, pulling me away from my thoughts.

I remembered divulging that little nugget of information while finger fucking her asshole. My dick strained against my shorts, and Gemma's eyes dropped to my dick. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"It simply means your blood is especially delicious to me," I said, standing up.

I walked around the table and held my hand out for her.

"The dishes—"

"Are inconsequential," I said, finishing her sentence for her.

She put her hand into mine, and I pulled her up before leading her inside the house. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips when I heard her heart beat erratically. I had a feeling it would increase again when she saw my playroom. She was fed and watered and would be able to take what was coming to her.