Page 77 of The Depraved Prince
“Right.” I take his hand, and he pulls me up from the bed.
“I spoke to my father.”
“About what?”
He smiles, and it takes me aback. It’s a pure, genuine one without malice attached to it.
He gets down on one knee, pulls out a box, and presents a ginormous glistening ruby ring. His muscles pull taut as he gazes into my soul.
“Marry me.”
My mouth falls open, and my shoulders slant. My thoughts are delayed by a landslide. Still, he looks as hopeful and handsome as ever on his one knee, watching my stunned gaze, with his rugged good looks and glowing blue sharpened eyes. I can’t handle it when he looks at me like this. His majestic features are out of this world.
“Marry me. I have to ascend the throne immediately, and I want you to be by my side as I take reign.”
I can’t speak. His question is rocking my brain. Marriage? To a vampire?
“It’s a little fast, I know. But…it feels right. Nothing has ever felt right to me before. You’re the first person to make me feel like my disarrayed life makes sense. My purpose in life isn’t to rule, little Bambi.My purpose in life is to keep you…and I want to prove that to you every day.”
His eyes flash red. But they’re not from fury, wrath, or lust. I swear it’s from solace. I do that to him. He’s said it time and time again.
“I love you…all the time. I knew you were mine even before we met. Your soul has always belonged to me. I just had to find you. Everything about you, Millie…everythingmakes me want to fall to my knees. I never want to blink, and I never want toleave you for the next moon because I don’t want to miss one second where I can’t show you how much I love you.”
“Can I think about it?” I ask. I sink my front teeth into my bottom lip with trepidation.
His eyes squint, indicating enrage, or maybe he’s genuinely hurt at my response. I’m afraid he might let his demons take over after my rejection, so I think quickly.
“It’s just that…moments ago, you were promising to end my life, and now you’re asking me to be your wife.”
He softens his intense gaze.
It’s not a lie.
He stands, closes the box, puts it into his pocket, and kisses me roughly.
“You’re mine, baby. Even if you can’t say it. Your heart, body, and soul do. And that’s enough for me.” He breathes against my lips, and my heart jolts. Electrical desire pumps through my veins every time he touches me. I can feel his body speak to me. It tells me the honest, raw truth. His actions reciprocate his words. Everything pulls together perfectly whenever he confesses his twisted love for me. He gets a hold of my hips and pushes his hard bulge on the front of my stomach.
“As much as I want to bend you over this bed, lift this pretty dress up, and fuck you in it, I have plans for us tonight.”
His tongue grazes my bottom lip, begging for entry, and I welcome him.
“Why not?” I dare him and grind against his hard cock.
“Fuck. Don’t do that. If I fuck you, we’ll never leave this room…”
I groan as he thrusts back into my waist, forcing me to feel what I do to him. “You’re going to make me cum in my pants like this…” he groans.
“What plans?” I complain as I kiss him back harder. The chemistry between us is palpable, and my body obeys withoutthinking twice about it. It’s dark and disturbing, but I can’t stop myself from being embraced by someone who haunts me like a shadow. I welcome his ghosts. I’m scared of him, yes, but I’m scared of how my soul comes alive and begs for him to hold me even more.
“I want you to meet my close friends, something I’ve never done with a woman. They want to meet the girl who’s been keeping the Depraved Prince so busy and all to herself…wrapped around her wings.”
He pulls my hair back, and I gasp at the quick maneuver. He hovers over my neck; his fangs brush my neck, but he doesn’t sink into me.
He feels guilty for almost draining me the first time we had sex. He doesn’t want to bite me again. At least not yet.
“Because you are my angel. And I am your demon.”
Hayden is drunk.He smiles and laughs with his friends while I sit on his lap. Everywhere I go tonight, he’s right by my side, holding my hand or hip. His grasp doesn’t falter. He’s turned into my shadow knight. Ever since he almost bled me dry, it’s like he’s afraid to let the cravings take over, along with the lust. He made sure I ate at least one more time before he introduced me to his friends, along with hydration all day.
