Primal Desires

Chapter 19

Rose's POV –two weeks later

A slight movement next to me as I lay in bed jolted me from my sleep, and I rolled over with a smile on my face ready to greet my Russian God for the first time that morning. But my smile faded when I realised the person I came face to face with was in fact not Dimitri. I had been dreaming about him, as I often did, and for a small moment I had forgotten where I was. I wasn't lying in bed with the love of my life – I was being held captive in a room by a monster.

"Morning Gorgeous!" Nathan greeted me, brushing my hair out of my face as he gazed down at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, sitting up quickly and shuffling away from his touch. His smile dropped when I didn't return his greeting, and I was met with a sharp sting as a hand collided with my cheek, punishment for ignoring him.

"Answer when you're spoken to."

I mumbled some sort of response in the form of a grunt, unwilling to give him the gratification of a verbal reply.

"I thought we could have breakfast together this morning? Breakfast in bed, would you like that?"

After ignoring him again, he reached out and ferociously grabbed a fistful of my hair behind my head, pulling in a downward motion, forcing me to look up and meet his harsh stare.

"I just said – you answer me when I speak to you. Haven't you learned yet?" He tugged harder, causing me to wince in pain. "Now, how about breakfast in bed?"

"I guess," I replied through gritted teeth.

Nathan's grin returned and his eyes softened as he released his hold, smoothing my hair down to neaten where it had just been tangled in his fist. "Of course, I won't be eating, but I've asked Oleg to whip you up something nice," he informed me and, as if on cue, the door opened as Oleg hurried into the room.

He made his way over to me and handed me a plate, on which sat a bagel topped with cream cheese and salmon. As usual, something that didn't involve the use of utensils. Nathan was obviously paranoid that I would try something if I had the opportunity to get my hands on a weapon. Huh, what a crazy thought.

"Oleg? Bring my meal down so that Rose and I can have breakfast together," Nathan ordered. Oleg didn't look into his eyes but nodded his acknowledgement of his order before scurrying out of the room to fetch Nathan's 'breakfast'. I could feel a lump form in the back of my throat and my chest became very heavy, knowing what would be walking in through that door.

He never fed from me for more than 3 days in a row, choosing to hunt elsewhere on those days – whether the 'feeders' came to him or he ventured out to look for his next fix. Either way, it was a welcome break, despite the sickening feeling that it was another person losing their life.

"This is sick!" I exclaimed, automatically recoiling back as Nathan spun to glare at me.

"Sick?" He asked. "I'm just having my breakfast, same as you."

"My breakfast doesn't involve me taking someone's life," I stated, hatred clear on my tongue.

Nathan chortled. "You'll see one day. That meagre fact won't even cross your mind once you've tasted blood."

Not two minutes later, Oleg scuttled back into the room, a young human woman with long brown hair trailing behind him. The similarities between our appearances didn't escape my attention. Subtle. The spaced-out look across her face and glaze across her eyes told me that she was here by choice – she craved the bite.