I could pull myself up and glance around when I realized what had happened; Aric was standing over me with a horrified expression on his face.That was the last thing on my mind after we had done it.I felt a knot in my throat as guilt and disgust for myself overwhelmed me.I turned my head away and wiped my lips in the dark to get rid of the bloody taste.I forced myself to my feet and, with tears streaming down my cheeks, tugged my sweater as low as it would go to hide my exposed legs.Aric led me into the woods and made me beg him to take me and wonder what I had done wrong.Did it have anything to do with the fact that I bit him?In a low voice, I whispered, "Aric," and I looked at him for the first time. I apologize for biting you.Never mind, he muttered curtly, seizing my elbow and dragging me back up the hill towards the home.Tears streaming down my face, I said, "Aric?" I was perplexed and terrified.With a tight grip on my arm, he growled, "Quiet," as we strolled by the oth

As Aric forced himself to his feet and fled the room, my arms sagged to my sides.As soon as I heard the scream of his automobile coming down the driveway, I recognized him. Because of me, he left.I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong. He kissed me first, and I returned the gesture—did I not follow protocol?Where did you expect me to go with that? Did he get what he hoped for?Even though the sex had been hard, he never made it seem like he intended any harm. It wasn't like he'd tried to hurt me or strike me, but it was clear he needed me.I hugged my knees, placed my head on the floor, and cried.Before he kept me, Aric had informed me he didn't want a pet when he first caught me during a hunt.Sometimes he was kind, even friendly, and sometimes harsh, but the events in the woods were exceptional.I could sense that his kiss and touch were full of genuine emotion.Yet, why was he treating me so poorly if that were the case?After waiting an hour, it became clear that Aric wasn'

I awoke in a chilly, rigid state.When I opened my eyes, the sun had set, and the room was pitch black with no lights.To begin, I slowly straightened my legs by bending them at the hips instead of the knees.Once I could sit up straight, I waited for the prickling to subside before I attempted to stand.I had to relieve the pressure on my bladder to get my thoughts in order.As I dried my hands, I walked back into the bedroom and started flipping switches.It appeared that Aric had not yet returned, and the rumbling in my stomach had increased in volume.It was May; he was back, and I had missed it. When I walked to the window, I could see that the garage door was open and that his car had not returned.A sensation of hunger made my stomach knot up, but I forced myself to relax and focus on my breathing until it passed. It had been so long since the previous meal that I had forgotten all about it.It felt like at least a whole day had passed.As I bit my lip, I weighed the possibilit

Flora was the name of the woman who had fed me, and she was the one in charge of keeping the house in order and quiet, as was Aric's preference.It all started when I started asking her questions while eating, and she started answering them.We were now seated in the kitchen, talking and cleaning crystal candle holders. She had grown up within walking distance of mine, but we had never met because of our different life paths; hers was intended for service, while mine was destined for employment in the power plant.We discovered that we shared many mutual acquaintances and had dated several of the same men.With a grin nearly knocking me off my perch, I said, "I remember Joseph." His whole family always had mushy, rotten cloves of garlic stashed away in their pockets.Flora chuckled as she dried her eyes and said, "I know; he swore up and down that the fragrance was the reason vampires never came for any member of his family when the hunt came around."My daughter had left me gasping f

I thought Aric would punish me for leaving his room when he initially escorted me upstairs. I was sure it would be days before I was able to walk normally again if he punished me for whatever I had done to make him leave in the first place, and if he punished me for talking to Flora, then he would have to punish me for disturbing her from her job.Instead, he'd swept me in his arms and carried me off to his bed.I sighed and laid my head on his chest, enjoying the feel of his fingers on my back and the multitude of little kisses he was leaving there.Several guard uniformed guys burst through the slamming bedroom door and dragged me away from Aric.One can ask, "What does this mean?" When I was being forcibly removed, I heard him demand.A deep, furious voice muttered, "We need to talk to my kid," and the door opened.As I looked, I recognized Lothaire, the Master Vampire of the Northwest Territory, as Aric's biological father.When I saw the terror on Aric's face, my entire body went