Chapter 3: The Study
Rose felt her heart stop as she looked up into those dark shinning eyes, burning as they looked into hers. She had heard something about vampires having the power to control humans simply by looking at them, but she always figured it was all talk.
But now that she was standing in front of this demon king, rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch away from him, she had a creeping feeling that maybe those rumors were based on fact, and vampires did in fact have the power of psychokinesis.
Caleb rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, watching her face turn from shock to fear, back to shock and finally her features twisted with anger.
Rose slapped his hand away, glaring at the shameless man in front of her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breathing suddenly turned ragged. She had to fight to keep her body from shaking as she looked up at the smug smirk on Caleb's lips. "Don't touch me," she through clenched teeth. "I'm not your wife yet."
He chuckled. "I simply asked you a question Rose. You're the one who brought up the subject of my needs."
She swallowed hard. "I wasn't offering you any services."
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her, smile fading, face devoid of expression. "Then why did you ask?"
"I simply wanted to know if I was going to run into some poor humans being slaughtered while I'm here," she said, glaring back at him, holding her ground, though her heart and mind were trembling with fear.
He fought back the anger he felt with her words. He had to remember she didn't know anything about them, about him. He could only guess how many stories she'd been told about them. "You don't have to worry about that."
Her eyebrow lifted. "You don't feed at your house?"
He smiled. "We don't feed on humans Rose. Well not directly off of them."
She frowned. "What does that mean?"
He kept his face blank and took a seat on the chair behind his desk. "Do you really want to know?" he asked, cautiously. He knew she didn't love him and hadn't agreed to marry him of her own free will; she had been forced by her father… by him, in a way.
And knowing that made him feel guilt towards her. So, he was giving her time, to learn about them, to accept her new life, to love him.
It was hard for someone who was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted, but he knew things were different with her. He couldn't dominate her or treat her the way he treated his people. He had to be patient and calm.
Rose thought about his question for a moment. Did she want to know? If this was her new life she had to know everything he did. She had told herself that part of the reason for coming here was to see if there was any way she could help more humanity, and to possibly talk him out of the unwanted marriage. "Yes, I do."
The corners of his lips lifted into a smile. He felt a sense of relief and happiness that she was actually interested in learning something about him. Even if it was for the wrong reasons. "I have blood banks around the city. Every week, blood is distributed to everyone under my care."
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "So you don't feed on humans at all?"
"No Rose. When I took over, I banned the hunting of humans."
Her heart was racing out of her chest. She was happy, so happy to hear those words. "You really did that?"
He watched her lean against his desk and smiled, hoping it meant she was getting comfortable to have a long conversation with him. This was very good progress for the first day. "Yes, I did." That's all he said. He gave her nothing else, hoping she would ask him more on her own.
Rose gulped. "So…" She almost didn't want to ask the question, but she had to know. "How do you get the blood?"
"We pay people who donate. It makes them come back more often. You'd be surprised how many humans are willing to give a little of themselves to help humanity," he answered, chuckling.
To help humanity? She smiled at his words. They were obviously doing it for the money. But she didn't correct him. She was still shocked that he had banned hunting. "Wait, but… there have been deaths. Human deaths in the city that have been obviously done by vampires."
"Rogues. Any time there is a death, it's someone from out of the city. Eventually we catch them and give them a choice to follow our rules, or face the consequences. Some comply, others leave the city, and some…"
He didn't have to finish. She knew what he meant. She cleared her throat. "So, you do catch the bad ones?"
He chuckled. The bad ones. Things weren't as simple as black and white. But, he answered anyways. "Yes Rose."
She felt relieved with his words. She frowned as a thought popped in her head. "How long have you had these rules? The ban on feeding off of humans?"
Caleb smiled, knowingly. He stood up and looked down at her. "What are you really asking me?"
She pulled away from the desk and took a couple steps away from him nervously. "The deal…" she frowned as she looked into his eyes. "I think you know what I'm asking don't you?"
He stared at her for a few seconds, looking into her eyes as if he could find anything in that mesmerizing blue gaze. "The deal we made with your father was for protection from outsiders."
Her eyes lowered to the floor. The hope she had felt before was completely shattered.
"Let me guess, you were hoping if you ran away, the city would still be safe from vampires, since I had these rules in place before I made the deal with your father. Am I right?"
She gulped and looked up at him. "I…"
The corner of his lips lifted, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm a reasonable man Rose. I'm fair and loyal. But, when I want something, I get it. And you are not going anywhere. You cannot escape me."
She felt her eyes water as his cold gaze seemed to keep her frozen. One minute he was nice, the next he was a demon. She swallowed hard. "You treat me like I'm just a toy you're obsessed with."
His eyebrows lifted. "We haven't really interacted long enough for you to know how I treat you Rose."
"We've had more than enough time together. Don't treat me like I'm some kind of possession. I'm a person."
He chuckled at her defiance. "Person or not, you're mine and I won't let you leave. You will be my wife in a few weeks and I will not allow anything or anyone to get in the way of that."
She bit her bottom lip in anger as she looked up at him. He really was a demon. A selfish demon.
"I know, I'm an asshole. But, it comes with the job," he said calmly. "Now, do you have any other questions you'd like to ask right now?"
She frowned as she thought about the many questions in her mind, but she suddenly felt the urge to leave this man's side. So, she asked the one thing that was bothering her the most. "Do you really have the power to control humans with your eyes?"
His smile widened and he lowered his face down to hers until he could feel her breath against his lips. He looked into her eyes, noting the way she was panicking. "What do you think?"
Rose felt her heart sink. Was he saying yes? Did he really have the power to control her? And why was her body getting so hot just from having him so close? It was out of fear, it had to be. "D-Does that mean yes?" she asked, voice shaking.
Caleb didn't answer her question. Instead, he continued to stare silently at her, making her more nervous.
Rose gulped. "Have you… no, would you ever use it on me?" she asked, scared.
"Never," he said honestly.
She frowned with his answer. "You… why not?"
"My goal is not to control you Rose. My goal is to make you fall in love with me."
Her breath caught with his words and she felt her heart race. She blinked, thinking maybe she had heard wrong. "You… what?"
He smiled at her reaction. "You are my fate. I have no desire to control you. I like you very much just the way you are, angry and all."
Her mind was in chaos. Did he just say he liked her? Or were those words he said lightly to anyone? She had a sinking feeling he had meant every single word as his eyes shone darkly while he watched her.
She felt her cheeks burn as he continued to look down at her and her mind couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. She shook her head to bring it back to focus. "What do you mean you like me?"
"Do you not understand? They are simple words Rose."
She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling the temperature rising around them. He was way too close. "But, you don't know me," she argued.
"I know you. I know everything about you."
She frowned. "How?"
He smiled at her, but didn't give her an answer. "Just know that we're fated to be together."
She shook her head. "I don't believe in fate. And how would you even know that?"
"I have my ways Rose." He lifted his hand to her face, noting the way her body tensed with his touch. Her beautiful bright blue eyes looked up at him confused, curious. "You should believe in fate."
She swallowed. "I don't."
"I will help you believe," he whispered, his breath tickling her lips.
She shivered, feeling his hot breath against her lips and his body heat surrounding her. She felt like she was suffocating from the heat, but for some reason she couldn't move. She knew her breathing was getting quicker and her heart continued to race faster as that dark gaze became more intense. She felt like he was looking into her soul, she felt naked in front of him, but she couldn't move.
Her eyes suddenly widened with a gasp. She moved back, pulling away from him and glaring up at him. "You said you would never use it on me!"
Caleb chuckled at her accusation. "I didn't use anything on you," he said innocently. "Why do you think I used mind control on you Rose? What were you feeling just now?"
Her cheeks burned hotter with his words, and she glared at him. She didn't believe him. He had to have used something on her for her to have felt that way! She turned around, suddenly wanting to flee.
Caleb continued to chuckle as he watched her practically running away from him. "Where are you going?" he called after her.
"To my room!"
"Do you need me to guide you th-" the door to the study shut loudly and Caleb slumped back into his chair. His smile was wide as he thought about her reaction. Somewhere deep inside, he felt the hope he had abandoned earlier begin to flare back to life.
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lilianV I've never felt so nervous to share one of my stories with someone! >.<
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