"You should take a stroll around the capital," Gabriel advised fleeing to his rocking chair. He took the same book he'd been reading since Elena could remember.
"Why do you read so much?" She asked after a moment of silence.
"You should ask what I'm reading instead," he said without taking his eyes off the pages.
"What are you reading then?" She asked, nearly rolling her eyes off.
Gabriel pushed the book aside, a smirk playing on his lips. "They call it the Art of Seduction. I'm learning the steps on how to undress a woman, and I'm happy to announce I'm making progress... positive progress."
Elena's cheeks turned as red as a tomato. This husband of hers! It surprised her how he was still able to put a smile on after what he'd experienced today. Worse, he said nothing in the table. It was still bothering her.
"Why can't your father name you the crown prince. It's your right by birth!" She was already slipping her feet on her shoes.
"He thinks it might be an insult to name a bastard as a crown prince," replied Gabriel.
"Does that make you lesser of a vampire?" Elena was curious. She had not seen him drink or eat anything since she set her eyes on him, let alone drink the red liquid.
"What do you see when you look at me?" He asked instead.
Elena searched his face and when she found his eyes, her words got stuck at her throat. What she was seeing now was a god in the guise of a prince. Looking at him for too long transitioned into a natural sin, lust rooted in his very appearance.
"Do I look scary?" He asked setting his book aside. He held her in position with his golden orbs.
"No," Elena's reply barely came out as a whisper. She'd have screamed the answer if she had the chance but he seemed to curb her voice too.
"Do I look like someone who can set you up in flames?"
At this rate, she was losing it all. He had never stared at her for this long, and as much as she wanted to look away from his disturbingly spellbinding eyes, she simply couldn't. And with two swift steps, he was already standing in front of her, holding her in position with his very eyes.
Elena took a step backward involuntarily when he came too close but she ended up meeting with the solid wall. He was close now, too close she could hear his rythmic breathing.
And as if that was not enough, he bent closer, his warm breath fanning against her skin. It raised goosebumps on her flawless skin, her skin hair rising as if attracted to his nostrils.
"Do I look handsome?" He whispered the question in her ear, awakening alien feelings she had never experienced before. Her hands that were meant to push him away clutched his robes tighter as if they had a mind of their own.
"Yes," came her short reply. Her eyes fell on his slightly parted lips and she wondered what it'd feel like to have a taste of them. Her mind was completely shut by his closeness.
Gabriel tucked the strayed strands at the back of her ear, the simple action sending a wave of desire through Elena's body. He stared at her face. She was beautiful, and her eyes were blue he could see himself in her.
His thumb caressed her cheeks, her scent invading his senses like roasted meat to a street child. He closed his eyes momentarily to sniff the crazing scent and when he opened them, his orbs were glowing.
He felt her heart race when he stared at her, and he could smell fear from her.
"Your eyes," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat. "They're glowing."
"Aren't you scared?" He asked instead.
"They are..." she caressed his face, "beautiful!"
"You don't know what you're dealing with, human," he said and casted his gaze at the side.
Elena was scared yet she didn't want to leave, strangely. His eyes had gone ablaze but she found them oddly beautiful. And now he was acting strange all around her! Why?
"Look at me, Gabriel," she said, desperate for his attention. She didn't know why but she longed for his hypnotizing gaze.
He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers but the sight of him now was more scary than she had thought. His eyes were slightly redder, and a pair of fangs materialized from his lips, so sharp it grazed his own skin.
She was afraid he'd sink them in her flesh but he lowered his hands and fled from the room. Elena stood there for a while before she could process everything that had happened. The image of the scary him kept playing on his mind, a scary sight indeed for a human!
*****
Gabriel walked around the capital without heading nowhere in particular. His feet led him to a tavern.
"Long time Your Highness," the tavern keeper said when he spotted him.
"Pour me a cup," Gabriel said, his hands buried in his face. He could see her scared face everywhere, even when he closed his eyes.
"Your favorite?" The keeper enquired and Gabriel simply nodded.
From behind the counter, the keeper opened a fresh barrel of human blood and filled a mug. He placed it on the counter and Gabriel took a sip.
"I thought you'd be hiding in the walls of the castle, bastard!" Gabriel looked sideways and saw a commoner enjoying his drink with his eyes on him.
"Darion? What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you of the same?" The man named Darion walked close to where Gabriel was.
"I had a bad day," Gabriel replied without looking at him.
"Both you and I have our indifferences Bastard, but the similarities are the most. Half human half vampire they call us." He hummed.
Gabriel nodded when an idea lit his mind.
"Do you ever experience strange things when having a woman?"
"Strange things do happen. What kind of strange things specifically?"
"The urge to bite, it's like an innate hunger or power you can't resist."
"You sure you're one of us? Apart from demons, vampires are the last creatures to have such a thirst, especially on women. A mating bond they call it!" He drained his drink in one go.
"Which reminds me I have a woman to sink my balls in. See you around bastard."