The King's Blood Witch

9 - Release

As soon as I released myself, I rolled onto my back on the other side of the bed, panting heavily before tossing off the blankets and standing up.

I shrugged on my pants and shirt, taking a glance at the woman to see she was still basking in her afterglow. I didn't care for the women I fucked, but I did make certain they had a good time.

"Where are you going, my lord?" She asked breathily. How is that after all the rumours about me these women still believed I cared for them?

I said nothing to her, simply throwing on my shirt, leaving the top unlaced, before throwing open and the door. She was Count Johan's daughter and would be gone by the new week.

There was a part of me that hated myself for sating myself with other women when I knew I should be loyal to Rosabelle.

I reasoned to myself that she would be a child for a long while now - over a decade before I even grew attraction to her - and I still had needs. Nothing I did with these women was personal, nor had it ever been.

When Rosabelle grew into a woman, I would vow to never so much as touch as another woman.

Finally making it back to my room, I opened the door to find a lump in my bed. A smile made its way onto my face; Rosabelle.

Gently, so not to wake her, I laid in the bed and rested under the covers. It was annoying at first when she began sleeping in my bed - but then one night I didn't find her there and just simply couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned before I gave up and carried her back into my room.

I enjoyed being the thing that brought her comfort - that she knew she was safe with me. I would never admit it to anyone but myself... but it also brought me comfort that she was there with, that I knew she was safe.

This kid was making me soft.

She isn't your daughter, the voice in my head said. You can never love her like a daughter.

That was proving difficult. Rosabelle was eight years old and constantly hung around me; it was impossible to see her as anything but a child, my child.

Whenever I was fucking a woman, I felt disgust at the thought that, one day, I had intentions to... to touch Rosabelle in such a way. That, one day, when I held her it would be under different circumstances.

I knew what I was doing - I was grooming her. I also knew it was entirely wrong and disgusting; ever since she was a baby I had these plans. It was wrong and perverse and I'd never felt more like a monster.

But what I was I supposed to do?

After so many centuries I wanted to love, I wanted to be loved. I wanted to get lost in someone and give them my entire heart without worrying that they would someday leave me.

Had it been three or so centuries ago, I would kill myself rather than prey on an innocent child but I'd been alone for so long. And suddenly there was a girl who also had the curse of immortality?

It was simply a couple decades of hating myself, I could deal with that if it meant being able to have a love that never died.

It was morally wrong, but I had lived far too long to care about morality.

—-
"Lord Solomon has returned, Your Majesty."

Adonis shot up from his chair in the library, all but ignoring the maid as he made his way to the throne room.

If Solomon didn't have good news, someone would die.

When Adonis didn't find Rosabelle the previous night, three people died and the palace was thrown into chaos as the guests scrambled to leave.