~3 BURNING CRIMSON

DORIAN GRIMALDI.

     Series of murmurs accompanied me as I walked up the stairs to my chambers. My thoughts were haywire as my mind registered what had happened some minutes back. Eden Monroe was definitely hiding something. 

I closed my room door immediately and stepped foot inside. My chamber was beautiful, with bare stone walls, coffered ceiling, polished oak floor and a colossal fireplace which was decorated in a true archaic style with a canopied king sized bed, hand carved period furniture and authentic tapestries on the walls. I walked towards my nightstand and picked up a bottle of tequila. I downed it all at once, savoring the dainty taste. A certain lady couldn't leave my mind. Eden; she was beautiful, and the moment she placed her long slender fingers on my hardened chest, I felt threatened by her presence— my instincts were triggered and I had to do what I did. Which was to leave. 

I dropped the bottle of tequila on the nightstand, slamming my knuckles into the walls as a low growl escaped my lips. The impact of the hit made me feel an edging ache and a burning sensation in my knuckles, but for a moment I didn't care. That was until I looked down at my hand. It was bleeding, but I was less concerned because I knew it would close up soon.

My thoughts went back to Eden Monroe who had me swayed with her alluring physique, her tempting eyes, and her plumpy lips which were covered in a shade of scarlet red. She was a vixen and a very good one at that. Just thinking about her made me feel hot all over my body, so I had to take off my shirt, leaving my upper body bare. 

A knock interrupted my train of thoughts. Even without opening the door, I knew who it was. It was Lenora. She had a distinctive scent which could compromise anyone but definitely not me. All I needed to know was how Lenora got to know my chambers. 

She let herself in, “What are you doing in here?” she asked, shutting the door behind her as she walked closer to me, ogling right at my chest. 

"I didn't ask you to come in, did I —  Princess Lenora?" I enquired in a low tone.

Lenora looked up at me with her sharp cat eyes, “Cut the formalities, Dorian, just call me Lenora or whatever you wanna call me.” She said, twirling her finger around a strand of her hair. “And to answer your question, your mother told me where to find you.”

Her last statement got me riled up. I didn't think my mother would stoop so low to send her to my room in order to fulfill her plans of me getting married to the woman I didn't love, especially now that I had eyes on someone else. I had no interest in the woman in front of me. She was a sight to behold but I wasn't interested in her. If it wasn't for the supernatural counsel and my mother who thought it was best for me to marry Lenora so as to save the mythical creatures, she would have died in my arms a long time ago, but also that would start a war between the werewolves and the vampires, again. A war we couldn't risk since any small crevice between werewolves and vampires could cause the hunters to completely eradicate us from existence.

"Down to earth, Dorian, what were you thinking about that had you so lost?" Lenora asked.

I walked towards her and she did the same, sashaying her hips as she walked towards me. Lenora's head tilted up to look at me, her false lashes fluttering like a bird which was about to escape. 

Deciding to tease her a little, I grasped her harshly by her hips and thrusted her more forward towards me. Just the thought of her body on mine almost made me puke. I was irritated. But teasing her was more fun. I heard Lenora take in a sharp intake of breath as I held her face in my hand, caressing her cheeks softly till my hand drew closer to her neck. 

She looked at my upper body and licked her lips like a hungry animal. Her eyes dazed over with excitement about the thought of something transpiring between us. 

Lenora gasped lightly as my hands tightened around her bare neck. It was going to be so easy for me to snap her neck and leave her dead body for the wolves to eat but it seemed the princesses had other thoughts in mind, she placed her free hand on mine and said, "Choke me harder, Daddy!" Okay, she had a daddy kink. 

She moaned a bit as I decided to listen to her words. I put in a tiny bit of strength in my hand and tears welled up in her eyes and she gasped lightly, her face turning beet red but I wasn't bothered. She still had a lot of life left in her anyway. 

I closed my eyes and pictured someone else in the same position. The way she was going to be when I held her neck, her heart beating fast as she begged me. I wished it was Eden standing in front of me and not Lenora. 

Opening my eyes, I saw Lenora stare at me with lust and her face was really close to mine. She was needy and ready to be fucked thoroughly but I didn't want her, not since I found my mate. I could smell her essence as it woozed out of her. 

Moving closer, I tilted my face to her neck and scraped her neck with my fangs which made her whimper out loud, her legs buckling. Then I stopped. Moved away from her. 

I let out a low grunt. "You asked me what I was thinking about— that was it, but with your body on the floor, begging for your life to be spared." 

Lenora smiled at me, "Don't spare me, I will be waiting for that day when you devour me."

I chuckled at her actions before going to my wardrobe to pick out a new shirt. I put it on and got ready to leave the room. I saw Lenora from the corner view of my eyes as she adjusted her clothes. 

Lenora's face brightened up, "Can I use your washbasin?" She asked. 

I knew what she wanted to do but I had another plan in mind. Since my mother was trying to bring us together, why not just let her think I fucked her so she would have the perception that I had accepted her command. 

I declined her request and pushed her out of my room, slamming the large door behind me. Lenora walked beside me with her head held high up. As we went down to the banquet, I didn't miss the whispers flying around as we walked together. From a distance, I saw my mother standing by the railings, and it seemed she sighted me also because she immediately began to find her way towards me and Lenora, but I wasn't interested in saying anything to her, so I left, leaving a happy Lenora alone. 

I searched around the hall for a particular woman in a red dress but it was futile. I wanted to apologize for suddenly leaving. I wanted to ask if we could meet again and ask her some questions, but it seemed that it wasn't going to be possible to do that either.