Page 72 of The Depraved Prince
“I’ll see you next moon,” I repeat as I close my eyes for the night.
24
MILLIE
When I wake up,it takes a minute to gather my thoughts. I blink slowly as I take in Hayden’s room. His arm is around my waist, securing me into him like he’s afraid I’ll disappear. There are no windows in here. The candles that never die out illuminate his room dimly.
I shift my legs, and soreness all over strikes back. Soreness in between my thighs, my hips, my wrists, and where I cut myself to distract the Southern King.
It’s still wrapped up perfectly.
I pull off the bandage slowly. I hold it in my other hand and inspect it. I expect to see inflammation around the wound, but it already looks well into healing.
That’s a good sign, I guess.
The memories of last night come back.
Hayden killed the Southern King.
His ultimatum if I try to escape again.
And then I surrendered myself to him…entirely.
He came inside me. I felt the evidence of it drip down my thighs. The blood from him breaking into my virginity was left on his blankets, right underneath our hips.
I’m on birth control because I get painful periods. But in just a few days, I’ll need another shot. Now that I’m actually sexually active…wait, will I even need it?
I want to wake him up. There are so many questions about how all of this works. How did he become a vampire? If biting a human isn’t enough to turn them into a vampire, what is the process like? How does the vampire royalty thing work? When can I see my parents again? My brothers? My mother? And…Cole?
I’m afraid of what he’ll do to him or any guy that comes near me.
I peek a glance at Hayden and turn my head on the pillow. There’s fluff and torn fabric everywhere on the bed. The headboard is crushed in that one spot where he gripped it violently when I didn’t tell him I loved him right away. I could tell he was holding back his vampire strength when he fucked me last night. This man could crush all my bones with a simple flick but chose to fuck me as gently as possible as he could.
Since the war is over…am I able to walk around the cathedral freely now?
I can unlock his door. He thinks he won’t try to escape since I promised him I wouldn’t. It would be perfect to take advantage now that he’s gone to sleep for the day.
I scoot away until my feet touch the floor, and his arm falls to the bed. I expect a creature-like growl to follow suit…or for him to pull me back into him. But nothing. A weight falls off my shoulders, and I wait a couple more seconds before I make my move to stand.
I watch him, and he’s still. His chest rises and falls like a human would. He’s on his back, his head tilted to the side, and all the bruises and cuts are gone from fighting vampires last night. It’s like they weren’t there in the first place.
He’s out cold, sleeping like a rock. This is my chance. I assume it’s still early in the day, so I have more time to put distance between him and me.
But then his ominous promise echoes into my mind, sending goosebumps trickling down every corner of my skin.
“You leave me, Millie…and I will burn my own damn kingdom to the ground. You deny me, and I will make everyone around you hurt for it. I will never stop. I have fallen in love with you. Don’t run from me…”
“If you try to leave me again, I will drag you back here and make sure to hold you tighter than before.”
The shivers are more robust, and I tuck that plan away.
I feel like a new person after sharing something I’ve never shared with anyone before. This was my first time being intimate…and my first time was with a vampire.
Just that thought alone has me questioning my sanity. Is this all real?
I rub my temples with my fingers as I search for clothes while naked. I blink hard as I go through Hayden’s drawers and grab the first clothes I can find.
Black sweater and sweatpants that look way too big for me, but that’ll do for now. I walk into a bathroom that looks very similar to mine and take a shower.
