Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

IVY

M y mind was a hazy mess. The aftershocks of pleasure rendered my legs weak and unreliable. Honestly, if it wasn't for Kael holding me, I'd probably crumple to the floor. I struggled to catch my breath as I tried to piece together what had just happened. Kael had bitten me. When the realization hit, anger surged through me like a tidal wave, momentarily drowning out all other sensations. That asshole. How dare he?

"Get your fucking hands off me!" I shrieked, shoving at his chest with every ounce of strength I could muster. He didn't budge an inch. His grip on my hair tightened, and his other hand remained buried inside me. Furious, I unleashed another torrent of words. "You bit me! I never agreed to that!"

"Listen, Ivy—" he began, but I cut him off.

"No, you listen! I don't belong to anyone, especially not some ancient vampire with a God complex! If I could, I'd walk out of this place right now!"

His dark eyes narrowed at my outburst, but he said nothing. In that moment, I didn't care about the consequences or the danger I was in. All that mattered was asserting my independence. I couldn't keep the tremor from my voice as I continued to berate him.

"You're keeping me against my will. It was stupid of me to agree to anything intimate, but I told you not to bite me. And you fucking did it anyway."

His expression hardened, and he cupped my pubic mound with a possessive grip. "You belong to me, Ivy," Kael growled, his voice dark and dangerous. "Your cunt belongs to me. I don't fucking share, and if you think you can walk out of here, you're sorely mistaken."

With that, he pulled his hand from my pussy and released my hair, stepping back to give me some space. I was still struggling to process what had just happened. When he let go, my legs trembled more, struggling to hold my weight.

"Kael—" I started, but my knees suddenly buckled, unable to support the weight of my body any longer.

In an instant, Kael caught me before I could hit the floor. His strong arms cradled me against his chest, but the protective gesture only fueled my anger.

"Put me down!" I yelled at him, my face burning with humiliation and fury. "Just because you fingerfucked me so hard I can't even walk doesn't mean you have the right to treat me like this!"

"Is that so?" he retorted, his tone mocking. "Would you rather be on the floor?"

"Yes!" I snapped, too incensed to consider the consequences of my words.

"Very well," he said coolly, then dropped me unceremoniously onto the bed. I squealed as I landed, my outrage momentarily forgotten.

My thoughts spiraled, trying to make sense of the situation. I had to figure out what I could possibly do to regain control. The thought of being owned by this ancient vampire crime lord terrified me. But deep down, there was also a part of me that couldn't deny the raw, primal attraction I felt for him. It was infuriating, and I refused to accept it willingly.

"You're an asshole." I snarled as I sat up and glared at him.

Kael's laughter echoed through the room, further fueling my anger. "What's your problem?" he asked between chuckles. "I only did what you wanted."

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my pants and pulled them on before sitting on the edge of the bed. My legs still felt like jelly, so I wasn't about to risk standing just yet. "You can't just decide I belong to you," I spat out, fixing him with a heated glare.

"Really? And why is that?"

"Because people aren't property! You don't get to claim someone as your own just because you have some sick obsession with power and control!"

Kael watched me as I went through my tirade, his expression unreadable. When I finally finished, he shook his head slowly. "That might be true in your world, Ivy, but in the vampire world, it's different. It does, in fact, work exactly that way."

"Even if that's true, there's no way I'm going along with it!" I realized my breast was still hanging out of my bra and tucked it back into place. When I went to button my shirt up, I realized none of the buttons were still attached. "Seriously?"

"Listen," he continued, his voice firm. "If I were to let you leave, regardless of Lucien, any vampire who had an issue with me would use you against me. And if that doesn't sound bad enough, your blood... it's the rarest type in the world."

Fear twisted in my gut at his words. Why did I have to have special blood that vampires found extra yummy? Because my luck was quickly running out. But I refused to let him see how much his revelation affected me. Instead, I crossed my arms stubbornly. "And what do you expect me to do? Just accept this and let you control my life?"

"Think of it more as protection," Kael countered. "With me, you'll be safe from any vampire who would want to exploit you for your blood."

"Protection? Is that what you call it?" I scoffed, my anger returning full force. "Sounds like you're just trying to justify your own desire to control and possess me."

"Believe what you want, Ivy," he replied, his tone cold. "But the fact remains that I'm the only one who can keep you safe from the dangers lurking out there. I'm feared enough that most vampires won't dare cross me. Not to mention that I have enough powerful connections through my line that most other supernatural creatures wouldn't take the risk. In this instance, Lucien is a rare enemy."

I stared at him, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a solution that didn't involve surrendering to this infuriating vampire. But as much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. If my rare blood made me a target, and Kael's protection might be the only thing standing between me and a fate worse than death. If what he said was true. It would be hard to discover if it was or not while confined here.

Still, that didn't mean I was going to make it easy for him.

Then something he said stuck out to me. I had a coveted blood type. Which meant that vampires wanted it more. My thoughts spiraled until a lightbulb went off. The human trafficking was for blood slaves. Oh shit, did Kael want to make me his blood slave? Keep me locked in here where I could never leave just so he could feed on me and fuck me whenever he wanted? If vampire venom worked the way I thought it did, then that became a sobering possibility.

The silence in the room became heavy, weighted with the dangerous undertone of our conversation. I tried to swallow the fear building up inside me, but it stuck in my throat. My blood, something so intrinsic to who I was, made me more vulnerable than I could have ever imagined.

"Are you saying," I began, my voice wavering despite my best efforts to keep it steady, "that you want to do the same thing to me? Make me your blood slave? Is that why you bit me? Why you're claiming me?"

Kael scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at me. "If I wanted you to be a mere blood slave, I would have sold you off already," he stated plainly, each word dripping with condescension. "Or send you to any one of my blood clubs for vampires to dine from the source for a fee."

He moved toward me, crawling onto the bed as I retreated until there was no space left between us. His face was mere inches from mine, and I felt the coldness of his breath on my skin. "I am one of the most powerful vampires in this world, Ivy. I don't need to enslave you for your blood."

His words made my heart race even faster, but I refused to look away. If he thought I'd let him intimidate me into submission, he didn't know me very well. The fire in my soul wouldn't allow me to give in so easily, even if it meant facing a fate worse than death.

"Then what do you want from me?" I demanded, struggling to keep my voice steady. "Why claim me at all?"

"Because," Kael whispered, his voice low and dangerous, "you are a prize worth possessing. You are more than just your rare blood, Ivy. You are strong, spirited, and unyielding. That alone is enough to make me desire you."

My pulse thundered in my ears, part fury and part something else entirely that I refused to acknowledge. I couldn't believe this arrogant vampire, claiming me as if I were some sort of trophy. But even as my anger flared, I knew I had to be smart. If I wanted any chance at getting through this alive, I needed to play my cards right.

"Fine," I said, gritting my teeth, "but don't think for a second that I'll just roll over and submit to you. You may think you own me, but I won't let you control my life."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied, his eyes never leaving mine. And in that dangerous gaze, I saw the truth. He would fight to keep me, but he wouldn't break me. "I know you'll be worth the challenge."

For now, that would have to be enough.

I stared up into Kael's dark, predatory eyes. The intensity of his gaze was terrifying, but even more unsettling was the heat it stirred within me. "You know," he said, his voice a silky threat, "I could erase your very existence with a single command. No one would miss you. No one would even remember to look for you."

"Is that supposed to turn me on?" I snapped, trying to mask my fear and growing arousal. "Because if so, it's not working."

Also, the fact that a vampire was powerful enough to do something like that was terrifying. But it also made me realize that Lucien was purposely not covering his tracks. Stop it. Focus on Kael. Solving his problems shouldn't be my priority right this second.

"Isn't it?" He scoffed, a wicked grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "Tell me, Ivy, when did you first feel this pull between us?"

"Never," I lied.

"Really?" Kael raised an eyebrow. "Not even before I sank my teeth into your flesh and tasted your delicious blood? Because I saw the way you looked at me, the way your pulse raced when our eyes met."

"Your vampiric nature must be affecting me," I insisted, refusing to admit the truth. "That's all it is."

"Is it?" Kael challenged. "Or are you just unwilling to take responsibility for your own desires?"

"Fine," I hissed. "You must have done something to me. There's no way I could be attracted to a vampire blood slaver, crime lord like you."

His expression darkened, and in a flash, I found myself face down and bent over his knees, my cheek pressed against the cold bedspread. Panic surged through me as I tried to push away from him, but his hand between my shoulder blades held me firmly in place. Even if I could wiggle around, which I couldn't, my human strength was nothing compared to his supernatural hold.

"Let me go," I snarled.

"Admit that you want me, Ivy," he growled, applying more pressure to my back. "Admit that your attraction to me has nothing to do with some supernatural trickery, and I'll release you."

I gritted my teeth, torn between the truth and my stubborn pride. Did I want him? Yes, but accepting that meant giving him power over me. And yet, even as my mind screamed to deny him, my body ached for his touch.

"I'll never submit to you." I whispered, my voice shaking. "Because. Fuck. You. Kael."