Claimed By The Blood Sovereign

Chapter 3: The Golden Cage

The heavy oak door exploded inward, splintering into jagged pieces as a towering vampire stepped into the room. He wore dark leather armor stained with fresh blood, his yellow eyes scanning the room until they locked directly onto me.

“Found you, little human,” he growled, a vicious smile exposing long, curved fangs.

I backed up on my hands and knees, my heart hammering against my ribs. Pain from the Thrall Bond still seared through my chest like hot needles, making every breath a struggle. The bond punished me for the physical distance between Julian and me, but fear forced me to my feet.

“Stay back!” I yelled, reaching blindly behind me on a side table. My fingers wrapped around a heavy bronze candlestick.

The intruder laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Lord Victor pays well for pure blood. You’re coming with me.”

He lunged forward with supernatural speed. I swung the heavy bronze candlestick with all my strength, striking him across the jaw. The blow barely turned his head, but it bought me a split second. I ducked beneath his massive arm and sprinted toward the open doorway.

Before I reached the threshold, a hand clamped onto my wrist like a steel jaw.

“Cute,” the vampire hissed, yanking me backward into his hard chest. His hot, rotten breath brushed my neck as he leaned down to bite. “Let’s sample the goods first—”

A dark blur flashed through the doorway.

A sickening crunch echoed through the room as Julian’s hand punched through the vampire’s back, bursting through his chest in a spray of dark crimson. The intruder gasped, his yellow eyes widening in shock before Julian ripped his heart out and tossed the lifeless body aside like garbage.

Julian stood over the corpse, breathing heavily. Blood splattered his pale, bare chest, highlighting the ancient warrior runes carved into his muscular skin. His eyes burned a lethal, blazing crimson.

The moment he stepped within arm’s reach, the excruciating pain in my chest instantly vanished. The Thrall Bond satisfied its hunger, replacing the agonizing ache with a sudden, overwhelming wave of heat that flooded my body.

I gasped, my knees buckling under the abrupt surge of sensation.

Julian caught me before I hit the floor. He lifted me effortlessly into his arms, pulling my trembling body tight against his blood-stained chest.

“Did he touch you?” Julian’s baritone voice vibrated with raw, murderous fury. His crimson eyes scanned every inch of my face and neck.

“No,” I choked out, pressing my hands against his chest to steady myself. My skin burned everywhere it pressed against his flesh. I hated that his touch felt like a relief, that my body hungered for his proximity despite the blood dripping from his knuckles. “You... you killed him.”

“He laid a hand on what belongs to me,” Julian growled, stepping over the dead body and carrying me back toward the bed. “A death sentence.”

He dumped me onto the center of the dark silk sheets, pinning my wrists above my head before I could scramble away. He hovered over me, his massive frame blotting out the light from the fireplace. The iron scent of fresh blood mixed with his dark, intoxicating scent of cedar and rain, creating a head-spinning rush that made my thighs tremble.

“Let go of my hands!” I demanded, pulling against his grip.

“You tried to run,” Julian murmured, his face dropping lower until his lips brushed the sensitive skin beneath my jaw. His grip on my wrists was iron, but his touch was maddeningly gentle as his tongue traced the racing pulse point in my throat. “Your body was dying from the distance, yet you still tried to flee.”

“Because you’re a monster!” I spat, my voice shaking as a sharp spark of pleasure shot down my spine at the touch of his lips. “You locked me in a room while a war fought outside!”

“I locked you in here to protect you,” he countered, his voice dropping to a low, possessive purr. He released my wrists, but before I could pull away, his large hand slid down my arm, pinning my hip to the mattress. “Victor brought fifty enforcers to take you. They know what your blood can do. Do you have any idea what they would have done to you, Elena?”

My chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths. “And what are you going to do to me?”

Julian leaned down, his mouth settling over mine in a fierce, demanding kiss.

A sharp gasp escaped me, allowing his tongue to slip past my lips. Electric heat exploded through my blood, making my toes curl into the sheets. It was dominant, possessive, and completely overwhelming. I tried to keep my hands flat on his chest to push him away, but my fingers traitorously clenched into his bare shoulders, holding him close as my body surrendered to the intoxicating magic of the Thrall Bond.

Julian groaned into my mouth, his fingers digging into my waist as he pulled my hips flush against his groin. The intense heat radiating between our bodies was suffocating. His long leg slid between mine, forcing my thighs apart as he settled his weight over me.

When he finally pulled back, his crimson eyes held mine, heavy with dark desire.

“I am going to keep you alive,” Julian whispered, his fangs grazing my lower lip, drawing a faint shiver from my core. “And I am going to teach you that your body belongs to me.”

“My family...” I whispered, trying to grasp onto sanity as his hand slid beneath the hem of my dress, his cool fingers trailing fire up my thigh. “My uncle said... he said the debt was to a human loan shark.”

Julian let out a cold, dark laugh, his fingers brushing the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “Your uncle lied to you, little bird. He sold your bloodline directly to Victor three months ago. Your entire debt was a trap to bring you to the auction stage.”

The realization hit me like a slap. My uncle hadn't been trying to protect me. He had used me as livestock. Tears of anger pricked the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

“He traded you for ten million dollars,” Julian added softly, his thumb caressing the soft curve of my hip. “He didn't care who bought you.”

“And you bought me for fifty,” I rasped, my throat tight.

“Because you are priceless,” Julian said, his voice deadly serious. “And no one touches what is mine.”

He leaned down, burying his face in the crook of my neck. His sharp fangs pressed firmly against my skin, right over the heavy pulse point. The sensation sent a wave of pure, unadulterated heat straight to my lower belly. My hips arched off the bed on instinct, pressing myself harder against his solid body.

“Julian...” I gasped, my voice betraying my defiance.

“Say it,” he demanded, his hand tightening on my thigh, pulling my leg up around his hip. “Say you belong to me.”

“I...” I fought the dark haze clouding my mind, but the physical pleasure of his touch was a dark tide pulling me under. “I won't...”

Before he could push further, a sudden, sharp ringing echoed through the room.

Julian froze. His eyes flared, and he slowly lifted his head from my neck, a dark curse escaping his lips.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ancient, gold-encased pocket watch that was vibrating with a deep, hummed magic. He clicked it open, staring at the glowing crimson runes appearing across the glass face.

“The High Council,” Julian muttered, his voice cold as ice. “They have called an emergency session.”

He looked down at me, his gaze dark and unreadable. He slid his hand out from beneath my dress, stepping off the bed. The loss of his body heat made me shiver instantly, the cold air biting at my skin.

“Victor’s death will not go unanswered,” Julian said, buttoning a clean shirt from his wardrobe with rapid precision. “The Council will demand your surrender to settle the territory war.”

“Will you give me to them?” I asked, sitting up and pulling my dress down, my voice trembling.

Julian turned, his glowing silver eyes locking onto mine with a terrifying intensity.

“I would burn the entire city to ash before I hand you to another man,” he said softly. He walked back to the edge of the bed, leaning down until his face was inches from mine. “You stay in this room. My personal guard is outside.”

He reached out, his long fingers cupping the back of my neck and pulling me into a hard, sudden kiss that left me breathless.

“If you try to leave this room,” he warned, his eyes flashing crimson, “the bond will bring you to your knees before you reach the front gates.”

He turned and walked out, locking the heavy iron doors behind him.

I sat on the bed, my body still burning from his touch while my mind raced in terror. I couldn't stay here as his pet, but the Thrall Bond made escape impossible on my own.

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded from the balcony window behind me.

I spun around. Standing outside on the rain-slicked balcony was a tall figure wrapped in a dark cloak. The figure raised a hand, pressing a glowing silver medallion against the glass—the same symbol carved onto my family's old crest.