The Consort's Will 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Bogdan's POV

His breathing pattern reaches a point of consistency where I know he's in a deep sleep. The warmth of his human body presses against me, and his light snores stretch into the silence of the night. His fingertips brush against my lower abdomen, and I flex slightly as I move away from him. Even in slumber his touch is vibrant.

A deep bruise is forming around the bite mark at the nape of his neck. I drank more than I intended to. My eyes slide up his neck and focus on two additional bite marks. From the looks of it, I was too aggressive as well. I start to back away from the bed, but as my eyes lift from the marred markings, they become fixated on the soft contours of his face.

His eyelashes rest against the tips of his high cheekbones. His lips are slightly parted, each breath moving between them in a gentle caress. A muted pink color stains his cheeks, and his hair is still in disarray from our moment of intimacy.

Without thinking I reach forward to touch his face. The backs of my knuckles slide down his warm cheek. His skin is like velvet, every inch of him pulsing with life. His scent is all around us. It's not just his blood, either. My human has a scent about him – an earthy scent that encompasses all the elements of life.

The sudden desire to kiss him prickles across my frozen skin, luring me forward until I'm just an inch away from his lips. I've never felt compelled to kiss a human. Since I became an immortal, any physical act of romance I've ever shown has been rooted in my lust for blood. As I stare down at him now, though, feeling his warm breath fan across my face, my need for blood is muted.

I blink slowly. As a vampire, I can't experience what he feels. Human emotion is an enigmatic concept, ever evolving and yet flowing as one, fluid motion. I sometimes wonder if I ever felt that strongly before I became immortal. Surely if I did, some of that emotion would have stuck around after the change?

The elusive hand of Time seems to grin as it holds itself suspended waiting for my decision. My eyes dance around his face before I lean forward, pressing my lips against his as softly as I can manage. It's gentle, nothing more than a whisper. The heat of his lips spreads over mine, and another wave of sensation tickles the surface of my skin before I pull away. The stolen moment slips into the shadows of Time.

My human lets out a sigh of contentment but otherwise doesn't stir. I swallow hard and back away from the bed, confused for the first time in over a century.

What's happening to me?

I soundlessly make my way to the door and unlock the hinge. My thoughts are still with him, consumed in the feel of his lips and the fragility of his existence. I close my eyes until the foreign thoughts are pushed aside. The continual nagging hunger returns to the front of my mind, and my shoulders sag in acknowledgement. This is what I am now. This is the way it should be.

_____________________________

The door whines in slight protest as I push it ajar and move into the hallway. No guards are awaiting my exit. I'm no longer a prisoner. Just as he promised. I slip my hands into my pockets and silently move down the hallway, following the faint remnants of my human's scent.

Flames flicker against the weathered rock of the uneven walls. A ghost of a smile spreads across my lips. I remember the days that torches and candles were used as light. Seeing them again is a bitter reminder of my first memories as a vampire. My eyes focus on the door at the end of the hallway. Both of the torches on either side of the door have been extinguished. Recently.

Smoke slithers around the entrance, beckoning me closer. I tilt my head to the side as I approach the door to the Learning Center. It's left open a hair, not enough for a passing guard to notice, but enough for me to know he's followed through with his word.