Aleksander's mind had been storm clouds, but when the smell of blood entered his senses, hunger overthrew his thoughts and ruled supreme, commanding himself to take what he needed – sustenance.
The bastard prince's canines turned into sharp fangs, his mouth opening wide for that inevitable first bite.
On the other hand, Elys' eyes were steady on the prince's movements. Any time now, Aleksander's sharp incisors would pierce through her; a wild animal about to feast on easy game.
Elys watched with a mixture of awe and apprehension. She had been the one to offer herself first, but she couldn't hide the fact that deep inside she had doubts in her choices.
Was it the right thing to put herself in serious danger?
The princess recalled her life for the past weeks. Her kingdom had been pillaged, her people - her family - gone. With the thought of all the suffering everyone important to her had gone through, the princess' resolve returned threefold.
If what it took for her to reach that much wanted vengeance was to put herself in the face of peril, then so be it. She had already died inside when her home fell into the hands of the enemy.
There was no need for holding back now.
The princess will throw herself into a den of lions if she had to.
"Ah!" she suddenly found herself squeak like a trapped mouse.
Lost in her thoughts, the princess didn't realize the prince had already dug in the meal in front of him. She could feel his teeth clamp on to her forearm, his fangs digging deeper from where she cut herself.
"Mmm…" Aleksander groaned.
His mouth was cold and soft, yet Elys could feel them pressing hard on her arm as if he couldn't get enough.
It perplexed the princess – it just didn't add up sensibly to her.
If they knew he was going to be this ravenous for blood, why did he even have to wait an hour to have Elys feed him again? It was just really strange. Was the blood tasting just an act to make himself seem strong despite the lack of fresh blood in his system?
If that was the case, then Elys just discovered a huge flaw in Aleksander's façade.
Once the prince was done, he straightened into his full height, wiping away a smear of blood on his lips with his fingers. Elys watched him intently, waiting for him to say something. It seemed like the earlier fit of rage was under control now.
Or so it seemed.
"Are you full?" the princess asked.
Elys withdrew her hand from the prince, but Aleksander gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her closer instead.
The princess let out a tiny gasp as her face almost fell into his chest. If she hadn't been able to find her balance at the right time, that would have called for one of the most embarrassing things I would have gone through.
"What do you want now? Haven't you got what we agreed upon?" the princess spoke as she glared at him.
Elys tried to wrestle herself from his grip, but the vampire had regained enough strength with her blood in his system. For a fraction of a second, Elys regretted that she had made him drink her blood willingly.
Aleksander leaned forward, his breathing a bit heavy still. "Don't think that just because you have satiated my hunger, I wouldn't be mad at you anymore," the prince whispered in her ear menacingly.
"If you had told me about it, I wouldn't have brought it in. You disregard me as if I forced you into this marriage. But no, I am just as much of a victim as you are, my dear husband," she replied with equal contempt.
Aleksander snorted, and then turned his attention towards Cordelia and Henry.
"Henry, you were a bit pathetic back there for letting a woman restrict you so easily," he told the old man.
Henry lowered his head in embarrassment, and Cordelia couldn't help but snicker just a bit.
"I wasn't complimenting you, maidservant," the prince snapped, to which made Cordelia stop.
"Forgive me, your highness," Henry apologized as he bowed down, "I will do my best to improve my services to you."
"As you should," Aleksander added.
Noticing Aleksander's attention had been occupied, Elys took the chance to step back and tried to wrench her arm away from the prince. She wasn't successful, for just as the moment she made a tiny movement, the prince noticed and pulled her back.
"This is ridiculous," Elys started to complain, "you are done feeding. If you don't plan on healing the wound, then you better just to let me go already so I can treat myself!"
The prince pursed his lips and contemplated upon what the slave said.
His eyes traveled curiously back at the wound where he had drunk blood from. The cut on her arm wasn't that deep, he noted. It was excellently cut up just enough for blood to flow steadily without losing too much at the same time.
Perhaps Aleksander looked like he was staring too intently at Elys that she found it funny and made a remark. "Are you perhaps in love with me?" Elys smirked. "Let me go, Prince Aleksander Ardorlean."
The prince's eyes swerved to meet her gaze, and then scoffed for himself.
"You are too conceited for your own good, slave," Aleksander countered.
The prince suddenly pulled Elys' arm and bent forward. His lips touched her arm lightly, sending prickly sensations crawl under her skin. Aleksander opened his mouth, and then the warm and sensual feel of his tongue glided over Elys' wound.
After he was done, the prince whipped Elys' arm back to her, and she took several steps back to give them ample distance. Although she had made her resolve to put herself out in danger for her mission of vengeance, there was still enough space for ensuring safety where she could.
The wound immediately started to heal, the cut where her skin separated from the sharp blade of the sword coming back to stitch themselves together.
"I take it that we can set aside our hatred for each other now? A temporary truce if you may?" Elys offered.
The prince didn't respond at first, but then waved his hand to dismiss Elys out of his chamber.
"Your mistake will not be forgotten," Aleksander muttered.