OWNED BY THE VAMPIRE KING.

Too Close To Escape.

“The closer I got to him… the harder it became to tell if I wanted to run—or stay.”

I didn’t sleep.

Not even for a second.

I laid on the bed exactly the way I had been when he told me to sleep there—stiff, still, eyes closed… pretending.

Because there was no way I could actually sleep.

Not with him here.

Not with him in the same room.

My heart wouldn’t calm down. It kept beating fast, loud, like it was trying to betray me—like it wanted him to hear just how afraid I was.

Or maybe…

not just afraid.

I swallowed lightly, my fingers tightening against the sheets.

I could feel him.

Not touching me.

Not speaking.

But there.

Somewhere in the room.

The air itself felt different because of him.

Heavy.

Cold.

Dangerous.

I tried to slow my breathing, tried to make it seem like I was asleep, but it was useless. My body refused to relax.

Every little sound made it worse.

The faint movement of his clothes.

The soft echo of his footsteps.

Then silence.

Too much silence.

My chest rose slowly.

Did he leave?

No.

No, I would have heard the door.

So he was still here.

Just… not moving.

That somehow made it worse.

My thoughts started drifting again before I could stop them.

This is insane.

I’m in the same room… the same space… as the vampire king.

A man who could kill me in seconds.

A man who almost fed on me just minutes ago.

And yet…

My lips parted slightly as I exhaled.

He was also the one who saved me.

Twice.

My chest tightened.

And he was…

My cheeks warmed slightly.

He was really handsome.

Dangerously handsome.

The kind of face you shouldn’t stare at for too long.

The kind that makes you forget who he really is.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

What is wrong with me?

Why am I even thinking like this?

This is not normal.

I shouldn’t be thinking about how he looks.

I should be thinking about how to survive.

And yet…

a small, quiet voice whispered in my mind.

What if you start falling for him…?

My heart skipped.

No.

No, that would be the worst mistake of my life.

Because he is not human.

He is not kind.

He is not safe.

He is—

My thoughts cut off instantly.

A presence.

Close.

Too close.

My breath hitched.

He was near me.

I could feel it.

The cold.

The way the air shifted around me.

My body froze completely as I tried not to react.

Slowly…

I felt the edge of the bed dip slightly.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

He was sitting.

Right beside me.

Oh God.

My breathing almost gave me away.

Stay still.

Stay still.

Pretend you’re asleep.

Pretend—

A hand.

Cold.

Barely touching.

My arm.

My entire body tensed instantly.

I almost flinched.

But I forced myself not to move.

His touch wasn’t harsh.

It wasn’t forceful.

It was…

light.

Like he was testing something.

My breath came out slower now, uneven, shaky.

Then his hand moved.

From my arm…

up.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Until it reached my neck.

My fingers curled tightly into the sheets.

Not again…

My heart began to race faster.

Louder.

I knew he could hear it.

I knew he could feel it.

His fingers brushed lightly against my skin, moving my hair aside.

Exposing my neck again.

The exact same spot.

My lips parted slightly as my breathing grew heavier.

Then—

his face lowered.

I felt it.

That cold breath against my skin.

Closer.

Closer.

Too close.

My body trembled slightly beneath him.

This was it.

This time he wasn’t going to stop.

I just knew it.

My eyes stayed shut, but tears began to form at the corners.

I wasn’t ready.

I wasn’t ready for this.

His lips hovered just above my skin.

So close it felt like a burn.

Seconds passed.

Long.

Painful.

Endless seconds.

Then—

suddenly—

his hand tightened.

Not painfully.

Just enough to hold me in place.

My breath hitched.

“If I lose control…” his voice came out low, dangerously close to my ear,

“…you won’t survive it.”

A chill ran down my entire body.

My eyes flew open.

And I turned my head slightly.

Our faces were inches apart.

His eyes—

dark.

Intense.

Hungry.

But controlled.

Barely.

For a second…

we just stared at each other.

My breath trembled.

I couldn’t look away.

I didn’t want to.

My gaze slowly dropped.

To his lips.

My heart skipped again.

They were so close.

So close I could almost feel them.

I swallowed hard, my breath hitching slightly.

Why was I even thinking like this?

Why was my mind going there?

But I couldn’t stop.

I couldn’t look away.

They looked…

soft.

Dangerous.

Tempting.

And for a split second—just one—

a thought crossed my mind that made my chest tighten.

What would it feel like…?

My cheeks burned instantly.

What was wrong with me?

This was insane.

Completely insane.

He could kill me.

Drain me.

End me.

And here I was…

thinking about his lips.

Thinking about how they would feel against mine.

I forced myself to look away, my breathing uneven now.

This wasn’t right.

None of this was right.

And yet…

something inside me wasn’t pushing him away.

It wasn’t screaming at me to run.

It was doing the opposite.

Pulling me closer.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

Like I was falling into something I didn’t understand.

Then—

just as suddenly—

he pulled away.

Like something snapped inside him.

He stood up immediately, putting distance between us.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I pushed myself up slightly on the bed, still trying to process what just happened.

“Go back to sleep,” he said coldly, turning away from me.

Like nothing happened.

Like he wasn’t just—

I swallowed hard.

“…yes, Your Majesty,” I whispered softly.

But sleep?

There was no way I could sleep now.

I slowly laid back down, staring at the ceiling, my heart still racing.

My neck still tingled where he almost—

I shut my eyes again.

But this time…

I wasn’t pretending anymore.

I was just… overwhelmed.

Confused.

Scared.

And something else I didn’t want to name.

My thoughts drifted back to him again.

Back to the way he looked at me.

The way he stopped.

The way he didn’t hurt me… even when he could have.

My chest tightened softly.

I had not even spent a week in this castle.

Not even a week.

And yet…

I was already beginning to feel something I shouldn’t.

Something dangerous.

Something that could destroy me if I wasn’t careful.

I exhaled shakily.

I think… I’m starting to fall for him.

And that terrified me more than anything else.