Aliya's POV
A nudge on my shoulder brought me out of my slumber. I opened my eyes slowly and Damien's face came into my view, with his hand resting on my shoulder.
"We're here, sleeping beauty," he said, "how you managed to sleep the whole ride here is beyond me. Such a great company you were, I almost died out of boredom."
"Excuse me, I woke up early for classes and then I was on my feet for six hours working. Not everyone gets to order people around while sitting on a mighty throne," I huffed, feeling tired.
I looked out to notice that we were parked in the long driveway right outside the main entrance of the castle. A guard ran up to open the car door for me, holding out a hand so I could step out.
It was an undoubtedly nice change, compared to the last time when I was brought here forcefully like a prisoner.
I placed my hand in his, stepping out of the car. He bowed and took a step back, keeping his eyes on the ground.
"My King," he acknowledged Damien and I noticed another guard was taking my bags out of the car without me even telling him to. A boy in his late teens who looked like a helper also appeared next to Damien.
I didn't feel any less than a princess, receiving such royal treatment. But I knew they weren't doing it for me, they were doing it out of respect for their king, I was just his acquaintance.
"Anthony, gather all the castle guards in the throne room, tomorrow morning 7 am, sharp. I want to go over increasing our security for the next few days til the wedding, and discuss other pressing matters," Damien said to the man in front of me.
"Yes, your highness," with a final bow, Anthony disappeared out of our sight.
I took a moment to take in my surroundings, the circular driveway was so big that it could probably fit 50 cars at once. But then again, the castle was the perfect venue for massive gatherings and parties.
Facing away from the castle, we were surrounded by bodies of water which was barely visible in the night but I could hear the soft waves as they crashed into each other, peaking up to kiss the shoreline.
I turned my head back to the glorified estate that the vampire king called home. Even in the darkness of the night, the building which seemed to be made out of pure gold shined in the moonlight.
My eyes fell on the golden statue of a man who had wings like the phoenix, with an unknown source of light shining on it.
The statue was enormous and truly breathtaking. I was surprised I hadn't noticed it there before, but then again I had only been outside the castle once or twice.
"Take them to the King's tower," Damien said to the guard carrying my luggage, "she will reside in one of my guest rooms."
"Forgive me, my king," the boy who was helping the guard said, "But the guest rooms are still under renovations, they are said to be ready by tomorrow evening just as the guests will arrive."
"What?" Damien's tone turned serious, "they'll barely be ready minutes before the guests arrive? What is the meaning of this, has my staff become too lazy to do anything a day prior?"
The boy grew weary and hurriedly shook his head, "no, your majesty. Princess Emma dismissed the staff early, claiming they can resume tomorrow morning and work through the day."
Damien groaned, "after I clearly told her that I would be bringing Aliya back with me tonight. Guess you're gonna have to stay with me then."
He didn't seem too happy with the idea, and neither was I.
I thought we would still keep our distance even after returning to the vampire world. My plan was to just attend his sister's wedding, and then go back home once it was safe to do so. Once Damien finds out who tried to kidnap me that is.
I was definitely not planning on staying in the same room as him, just like all those months ago, reliving those memories.
But then I realized it was only for one night. Tomorrow, the guest rooms would be open again and I could just move my stuff then.
"Not like we haven't shared the space before, roomie," I gently punched his shoulder.
He gave me an annoyed look and started walking towards the main doors.
What was up with his sudden mood change?
I felt anger rising inside me, wasn't he the one who invited me here? He definitely wasn't being the best host right now.
Or maybe I was simply irritated by his behavior because I hadn't gotten enough rest.
"But this time you sleep on the floor."
Did I just say that? It was my voice, but definitely not my words, or at least I wish they weren't.
Damien froze mid step, as did the guard and the teenage boy. It wasn't a surprise that they were taken back by what I said, nobody joked around with the king himself, let alone tell him to sleep on the floor. It was like putting one's own hand in the lion's mouth, not a smart thing to do.
I knew we were all thinking the same thing: who's going to plan my funeral.
"Haha, I'm kidding," I laughed, nervously.
Nobody else shared my humor.
Damien turned around, walking towards me.
"Oh trust me, you are going to wish they weren't your words," he said as he leaned down, making me step back in fear. But what he did next surprised me to no end; he picked me up, bridal style.
I gasped, feeling everyone's eyes on me made my cheeks turn red. I wasn't used to being in such vulnerable state.
"Damien! Put me down," I protested against him, but he just continued to walk up the stairs with me in his arms.
As I looked at the flight of stairs that he was climbing, I was suddenly glad that I wasn't walking on my own feet. I would've passed out halfway there, it was no surprise that this place was structured for vampires and not humans.
I looked up to notice how close his face actually was to mine, he gave me a quick glance before fixing his eyes on his route. His face hardened as I placed my arms around his neck to support myself, ignoring the stupid sparks.
Was it just me or they seemed to have gotten worse in the vampire world?
We finally made it to the kings tower after turning into what felt like a million different halls, which were so quiet during this time of the night. He gently pushed his foot against the door to enter his room.
We were welcomed by darkness, the only source of light was coming from the moon which hid behind the sheer curtains of his large windows. The windows were left open midway, a gentle breeze danced through the curtains as a result.
Placing my things inside the room, the guard and the boy disappeared after asking if the king needed anything else, to which he answered no.
I expected Damien to put me down once we were inside the room, but he continued to walk straight towards the windows which were on the opposite side.
"Seeing as you had a death wish earlier, I thought why not just grant it?"
My eyes widened as they landed on the view from his window, we were no doubt on one of the highest parts of the castle. I could practically see everything from here: the various towers, enchanted gardens, and terraces of the other smaller buildings.
I thought Damien would stop a few inches away from the window. But he continued to walk closer, pushing back the light curtains with the help of my legs. The opening of the window was large enough for my frame, taking advantage of that, Damien hovered me over the breathtaking view.
"Damien!" I half screamed, "what are you doing? Put me down, right now!"
He was still carrying me, keeping one of his arms under my legs and supporting my back with the other. But he pushed my legs outwards, on the verge of letting go.
I held onto him tighter as I gasped, looking up at him, I expected to find his angry expression but was surprised to see his humor filled eyes.
He looked rather like a psycho, clearly getting a kick out of this, by watching me suffer.
"You're crazy! Let me go right now or I'm going to scream and wake up the whole castle," I basically yelled at him.
"Watch it, you're in no position to be ordering me around right now. I wouldn't look down if I were you."
As if on queue, my eyes glanced down again but then they closed shut as I prayed for my life.
Damien hummed before saying, "maybe I should drop you on your head instead, more fun that way."
He switched positions and had the upper half of my body almost hanging out over the window, making me let out another scream.
"No no no, please. Damien! I'll do anything, just let me go please," I hated that I gave up and started to beg, but what other choice did I have?
Knowing him, he would probably drop me any second now.
"How about you start by saying sorry and then never disrespect me again in front of my subjects."
I couldn't believe how easily his ego was hurt.
"You say something?" He called out, pushing me further out.
I reached out to him, literally grabbing his shirt like my life depended on it.
"No, I'm sorry," I finally said, "I won't disrespect you again. Now please put me down, please!"
In an instant, I felt him pulling my body closer to him again as I let out a big sigh in relief.
He really was crazy, I thought.
If he didn't possess the strength that came with being a vampire, he would've definitely dropped me, by the way he was holding me for so long.
I didn't know if I should be glad or curse my destiny. I literally walked right back into my own version of hell.
Damien dropped me back on my feet and I looked at him, almost glaring at his face.
"What the hell was that? You brought me here just to torture me again? I am not staying here anymore, take me back to the portal," I started to walk away from him and out of the room.
I was upset and mad at him for being back to treating me like a toy.
I was halfway across the room when suddenly I felt a tug on my arm as Damien pulled me back towards him. Surprised by the movement, my body twirled back rather quickly, making me lose my balance. All of my weight fell onto Damien and he clearly wasn't expecting it, he grabbed onto me and we both ended up falling.
His body landed on the floor first, with mine following suit. I placed my hand on his chest, shielding my face on instinct. Thank goodness his body provided me with just enough cushion to not get hurt.
"You're welcome," he spoke from below me, "I practically risked my own life to save yours."
Risked his life? The fall probably felt like landing on a pillow for him based on how strong he truly was.
"Just because I am a vampire, doesn't mean I don't get hurt," he let out an ouch as he lifted his head slightly.
I couldn't even tell if he was truly hurt or just faking it to grab my attention. His features were much more visible from this position and I could help but notice his eyes piercing into mine.
"Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing his head gently with my fingers.
I wasn't cold hearted like him, I could never be.
His hand covered mine which was now tangled in his soft hair that I never wanted to retrieve from. He lifted his head some more and I noticed how close we had gotten. His eyes found mine again, curiosity playing in them. They captivated me as he continued to close the distance between us.
My mind flashed back to our kiss earlier tonight and how he had pushed himself off me abruptly, claiming he had to "take care of something". His actions always confused me while his eyes told a different story, he looked at me like I was the center of his universe and he never wanted to look away. But the way he acted, told me to run as far away from him as possible.
Who are you, Damien Knight?
Who are you... I wondered.
Just as his lips almost brushed mine, I came to my senses and pushed myself off him. Every muscle in my body was telling me to fall back on him, to let him catch me in his arms and worry about the rest later. I had to force myself to increase the distance between us as I stood up on my feet.
He couldn't just kiss me and then threaten to kill me after my one wrong move, I wouldn't allow him to toy with my feelings like that.
I heard him groan but he didn't say anything, simply got up and brushed off his clothes.
I made my way towards the bed and grabbed onto a pillow, as I turned to walk away from it, Damien stopped me.
"Where are you going?"
"To the corner that you were so gracious and kind enough to assign me," I pointed towards it. The place where I spent my first few nights when he freed me. I shuddered at the cold nights that I spent sleeping on the hard floor, covered by a thin material of a blanket that did nothing to keep me warm.
I saw Damien flinch and a hurtful expression took over his charming face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
Maybe I had just imagined it.
"You can sleep on the bed," he said, slowly as if unsure, "I.. I would be comfortable sleeping on the sofa."
He looked at the seating area on the other side of the room, grabbing the pillow from my hands. There he was acting all sweet again, I couldn't decide which side of him was real and which one was a facade.
I hold onto it tighter, "we can both sleep on the bed, if you want?"
As if debating the idea, Damien was in deep thoughts for a moment.
"Unless you know, you really can't control yourself around me or won't be able to keep your hands to yourself all night then it's understandable-"
He covered my mouth with his hand, "mind I remind you, you were the one who kissed me earlier. So I think we both know who can't keep their hands- should I say lips to themselves."
I struggled to speak behind his enclosed hand.
"Now, don't open that smart mouth of yours again or my lips won't be the only thing you'd be kissing tonight."
That made me shut up.
He slowly removed his hand from my mouth, checking to see if I would say something.
"Good," he smirked before plopping down onto the bed, right in the middle of it.
"Come now, don't just stand there gaping like you saw a ghost," he patted the bed, putting an arm behind his head.
Even though he was in the middle like the king he was, there was still enough room for me on either side on this massive bed. I pulled back the covers and slid myself in them, making sure to stay as far away from him as possible.
Laying on my back, I looked up at the ceiling but then I felt him shift as he got out of bed.
I realized he started to take his clothes off, lazily dropping them on the floor. His shirt came off first and then his hand started to unbuckle his pants, making me sit up half-way.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Did you forget I like to sleep half-naked?"
That was all he said before he opened the button of his pants, making me cover my eyes. A part of me wanted to keep staring at him but then he would think I was some creep enjoying him get undressed.
Although it was an astonishing scene indeed.
I quickly laid back down, not wanting to see any further. A part of me was afraid to admit how much he affected me, how every small gesture from him could be so tempting.
He was the king of temptations.
I turned the other way to face away from him, I felt him sliding in the bed again as I felt a dip in the mattress behind me. Which meant he was close, my thoughts were confirmed when his arm wrapped around me and shifted me closer to his body. The moment his naked flesh made contact with mine, I felt tingles run up my arm.
I silently prayed that he wasn't fully naked and managed to keep his boxers on. At least that's how he slept before, either in his boxers or a pair of sweatpants.
Not that I took notice of it every night.
His toned chest and rock hard abs were now pressed against my back, almost knocking the breath out of me. I felt his hand reach up and gently push my hair up as he rested his head close to my now exposed neck. I could feel his gentle breath on my skin which was somehow soothing.
Instead of protesting or pulling away, I let him have his way. Just this one time, I thought, because I was too tired to move at this point anyway. My eyes closed on their own, my body relaxed in his arms as a foreign, warm feeling was born in my heart.
I hated to admit it but that night, I had been lucky enough to have the best sleep in years.
The only thing concerning about that was that it was in the arms of the vampire king himself. Not to mention for the first time ever in my life, I felt it was where I belonged.
****************************************