Claimed By The Blood Sovereign

Chapter 2: The Binding Room

The smooth leather seats of the moving car vibrated against my back as Julian’s hand gripped my thigh. His heavy body pressed me deeper into the plush velvet cushions. Up close, his dark scent filled my nose—rain, cedar, and the sharp metallic tang of raw vampire power.

His fangs grazed the soft spot beneath my ear. A sharp shiver shot straight down my spine, pulling a soft gasp from my lips. My hands slammed against his chest, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his suit. He felt like solid ice, yet the skin where his mouth touched burned like an open flame.

“Get off me,” I rasped, my throat raw. “You bought my debt, not my body.”

A low chuckle vibrated deep inside his chest. He did not pull away. Instead, his thumb rubbed small circles against my hipbone, his touch leaving a trail of electric heat across my skin.

“In my world, Elena, buying your debt means buying every breath you take,” Julian whispered against my pulse. “Every beat of your heart belongs to me now.”

He shifted his weight, his large body completely trapping me against the seat. Every subtle movement of the car rubbed my bare leg against his trousers, fanning a dark, unwanted heat low in my stomach. It terrified me how fast my body reacted to his presence. I hated him. I hated the arrogant smile playing on his lips and the absolute authority in his red eyes. Yet my pulse raced out of control every time his skin touched mine.

The luxury car pulled to an abrupt halt, the heavy tires crunching over gravel. The dark tinted windows revealed the looming silhouette of a massive stone castle surrounded by tall iron gates.

Before I could process the sight, Julian unlocked the car door and scooped me into his arms in one fluid motion.

“Put me down!” I yelled, striking his chest with my fist. “I can walk!”

“You could,” he agreed smoothly, stepping out into the pouring rain. “Or you could run, and I would enjoy hunting you down in the dark far too much.”

The heavy rain soaked us instantly, plastering my thin dress to my body. Julian’s eyes darkened as his gaze dropped to my chest. He tightened his grip around my legs, pulling me closer against his broad chest to shield me from the downpour as he strode through the arched stone entrance of the castle.

The front doors slammed shut behind us with a deafening boom.

The grand foyer was lit by flickering wall torches. High ceilings stretched into darkness, and cold stone walls echoed with the sound of my ragged breathing. Servant vampires dressed in black formal wear stood in perfect lines along the marble hall, bowing their heads in silent terror as Julian carried me past them.

He did not stop in the main hall. He carried me straight up a winding spiral staircase, his long strides effortless despite my weight.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, grabbing his collar to keep my balance. “If you think I’m going to sit quietly in some dungeon—”

“This isn't a dungeon, little bird,” he interrupted, kicking open a set of reinforced double doors at the end of the long hallway.

He carried me into a massive master suite. A giant four-poster bed draped in dark silk sat in the center of the room. A crackling fireplace threw warm orange light across polished wooden floors, but the air felt heavy with an invisible, suffocating pressure.

Julian dumped me onto the center of the soft mattress.

I scrambled backward instantly, my damp knees digging into the silk sheets as I reached the carved wooden headboard. I pulled my legs to my chest, staring at him like a cornered animal.

Julian stood at the foot of the bed. He unbuttoned his soaked suit jacket and tossed it onto a velvet armchair, revealing the dark dress shirt clinging to his wide shoulders and defined chest. He slowly unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows. The dark veins along his forearms pulsed with a faint, crimson light.

“Why did you pay fifty million for me?” I asked, my voice tight as I kept my eyes locked on his every move. “My uncle’s debt was half a million. You could have bought ten human servants for that price.”

Julian walked around the edge of the bed with slow, predatory steps. “You still don't understand what you are, do you?”

“I’m human,” I snapped.

“You are Sanguis Purus,” he corrected, leaning over the bed. He planted one knee on the mattress, the bed dipping under his weight as he crawled toward me. “The pure bloodline was wiped out three centuries ago during the Great Rebellion. Your blood carries no diluted human traits. It is a concentrated life force.”

He reached out, his long fingers catching a lock of my wet hair and tucking it behind my ear. His cool knuckles brushed my hot cheek, and I winced, trying to pull away. He grabbed my jaw firmly, forcing me to look straight into his glowing silver-red eyes.

“To an ordinary vampire, your blood is a sweet delicacy,” Julian said, his voice dropping into a dangerous hush. “To a Sovereign, it is the only substance in existence that restores real physical feeling to our dead nerves. It gives us warmth. It gives us pleasure.”

My heart stopped. The horror of his words sank in. I wasn't just a servant or a trophy. I was a literal drug to him.

“I will never let you feed on me,” I growled through clenched teeth. “You’ll have to drain every drop by force.”

Julian’s lips curved into a dark, sinful smirk. He slid his hand down from my jaw, his palm resting flat against the base of my throat where my heart hammered like crazy.

“Force is so messy, Elena,” he murmured, his face coming closer until I could feel his icy breath on my lips. “I prefer willingness. And you will give it to me voluntarily.”

“Never.”

“We will see.” Julian suddenly leaned down, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin right above my collarbone.

A sharp gasp burst from my lungs as an intense, shocking heat flared at the point of contact. It wasn't pain. It felt like a liquid spark shooting through my veins, making my hips lift off the bed toward him on pure instinct. My fingers knotted into his shirt, my nails digging through the fabric into his hard back.

Julian groaned against my skin—a low, primal sound that made the hair on my arms stand up. His mouth trailed up my neck, his lips pressing firm, hot kisses along my jawline until his mouth sat a hair’s breadth from mine.

“Your body already craves mine, little bird,” he whispered, his thumb pressing into the soft skin of my waist, pulling my hips flush against his thighs. “You feel it, don't you? The Thrall Bond is already taking root.”

The Thrall Bond.

My mind raced. The Thrall Bond was ancient blood magic that tied a human's nervous system directly to a Sovereign vampire. Once it formed, separation caused intense physical agony, while his touch produced overwhelming pleasure.

“No,” I breathed, trying to push his massive chest away, but my arms felt heavy, drained of all strength by the sheer heat radiating between us. “Stop... stop doing that.”

“You are mine now, Elena,” he said, his voice possessive and thick with raw hunger. His hand slid beneath the hem of my damp dress, his cold fingers trailing up my inner thigh, making my skin goosebump instantly. “Your body knows it. Your blood knows it.”

Before I could scream, the heavy iron doors of the master suite burst open with a loud crash.

A tall vampire guard clad in silver armor rushed into the room, his face pale with panic. “My Lord Sovereign! Forgive the intrusion, but the Eastern Council has crossed the river! Lord Victor has brought fifty armed enforcers—they demand the human girl!”

Julian did not flinch. His red eyes slowly turned toward the doorway, burning with a lethal, icy wrath. He didn't remove his hand from my thigh. Instead, his fingers dug deeper into my flesh, marking me as his in front of his guard.

“Victor dares to enter my territory?” Julian whispered, his voice dangerously calm.

“He claims she was stolen from his private auction list, My Lord!” the guard panicked. “They are breaking through the courtyard gates right now!”

Julian turned his head back to me. A ruthless smile crossed his face. He leaned down, biting my lower lip just hard enough to draw a single, tiny drop of blood.

The moment the metallic taste hit his tongue, his eyes flashed a terrifying crimson. He licked the blood off my lip, his thumb caressing my cheek.

“Stay on this bed,” Julian commanded, his voice carrying an absolute power that locked my muscles in place. “I am going to tear Victor’s head from his shoulders. And when I return, Elena... we will finish what we started.”

He stood up, tearing off his wet shirt to reveal a muscular torso covered in ancient warrior runes, and pulled a dark heavy blade from the wall mount. He walked out of the room, slamming the heavy iron doors shut behind him.

A second later, the loud sound of a heavy lock clicking into place echoed through the room.

I was trapped. Downstairs, screaming and the sound of tearing metal erupted as a violent battle broke out in the courtyard. I scrambled off the bed, my knees shaking as I ran toward the high glass windows overlooking the front gates.

Outside, under the flashing lightning, dozens of dark figures fought violently in the rain. But as I pressed my hands against the glass, my chest suddenly tightened with a sharp, blinding pain.

My breathing cut off. My stomach twisted into knots, and a feverish heat rushed through my head.

The Thrall Bond. Julian was moving too far away from me, and my body was already reacting to the distance. I fell to my knees on the cold floor, gasping for air as my vision blurred, my hands clutching my heart as the pain tore through my ribs.

Then, from the hallway outside my locked door, I heard heavy, unfamiliar footsteps approaching.

The door handle rattled violently, followed by the sound of wood splintering under immense force.