Her Devious King

Thought so tempting

At this, her head snapped up. She was deeply offended, but not hurt by his words.

"And unfortunately, that includes me," he said.

Her brows tugged together in confusion. Did this mean he cared for her or not? "W-what are you talking about?"

Elias's lips twisted into his usual, taunting smile. The world could be burning before him, and he'd still laugh. Amusement twinkled in his eyes—as if every word was a joke.

"When did you become this demure?" he asked her.

Under the pale moonlight, Adeline was breathtaking. Her shoulders were illuminated, as her body glowed ethereally. Her cascading locks of hair were bright, like droplets of the sun. In this entire ballroom of women, none could compare to her. Though, many would argue differently. But he'd just yank their tongues out of their mouth and ensure a mysterious demise.

"Did you k-know me as a child?" she asked in a small voice.

Elias's smirk deepened. She was eying him with skepticism. "From all the books you've read, I expected you to be smarter than this, dear Adeline."

Adeline scoffed. His eyes flickered at the small movement. "I know pure-breds live longer than usual. They do not die unless it is with a silver knife."

"Or so everyone wants humans to believe."

Adeline's head snapped in his direction. He had her full attention now. "What… do you mean?"

If Adeline needed to kill the pure-bred King, she'd need to know the tactic of murdering him. What was the point of walking around with a silver dagger strapped to her thigh, if it wasn't put to good use?

"What do you mean what did I mean?"

Adeline narrowed her eyes. Was he purposely trying to be this annoying? His wording was confusing, even to someone as smart as her.

Seeing her visibly irritated, his smile widened. He enjoyed taunting people. She had realized that within their first encounter. Even the night she had spent with him, he had teased her to no avail.

She blinked once, and suddenly, he was in front of her. She was startled and leaned back, but his hand effortlessly brought her close. It pressed against her back, until their chests brushed against each other.

"W-what are you doing?" she demanded in a lowered whisper. In the corner of her eyes, she noticed the curtains had been drawn. Was this his doing?

Elias Luxton towered over her. He was tall with an impeccable body. The tip of her head barely brushed upon his shoulders. With his large hand, he could crush her in a second.

She gulped, knowing he could easily hurt her. Slowly and gingerly, he brought his hand to the side of her face. Her spine went rigid. She held her breath, as he gently fanned the top of her hair. He smelled of sweet mint… and she knew he tasted like it too.

"My necklace," she suddenly said. "Can I have it back?"

Elias softly chuckled. She tried her best to not shiver. Even when her stomach churned and her heart skipped. The sound was like the low growl of a lion. He was caressing her right cheek with the back of his hand.

Her eyes momentarily caught sight of a large, ruby ring. The stone was cut into a sharp rectangle, with coiling white gold spun around it, like thorns of a rose.

"Sometimes you stutter, sometimes you don't. Why is that?"

Adeline blinked. She rarely realized the times she didn't stutter. Unless, it was around Asher, to whom she felt most safe with.

"I recall you didn't stammer around your lover boy," he gently said. His voice sends sparks down her body. It was low like a lullaby, and sweet as one. But she sensed the underlying threat. It was concealed, but she could sense his frustration.

He was in an unpleasant mood, but his caress was still gentle. She had never met this type of man before— the kind to suppress their rage to this much of an extent.

Peering up at him, she saw the storm brewing in his darkened stare. The color of his eyes was like that of a bloodbath. He was so intimidating, but never rough with her. What did all of this mean?

"Am I so handsome, that you're captivated by me?" he teased.

Adeline blinked back to reality. She shoved him away, but he didn't even budge. Pushing him was like pushing a wall. Her hand came into firm contact with his stone-hard chest.

"Would you like me to leave?"

Adeline nodded.

"It's a shame."

She looked back up, showing her evident disapproval.

"I don't care about what you like."

Adeline gasped at his words. This time, she shoved him harder. Without hesitation, he caught both of her wrists. She yelped in protest. He brought her impossibly closer and bent his head. Her breath was caught in her throat. She heard the tremor of her heart and the blood that drowned out the outside world.

"A-are you going to eat me?" she squeaked out, like a mouse caught in a trap.

Elias let out a burst of loud, taunting laughter. She cowered back, her face warming in embarrassment. "I don't know."

Adeline looked back up at him. She was at his mercy. He was standing too close for comfort. His long thighs were pressed into her dress, straddling one of her own. It took the raise of her leg to have him bent his knee and apologize. She could kick him right where it hurt, in between his legs.

The thought was tempting.

"You do taste incredibly sweet…"

Adeline gasped. Her heat shot up faster than an unloaded bullet. Did… did he drink from her that night?!

"You didn't—"

"No, of course not," he mused. "I only drink from willing women that beg me to take their blood."

Adeline's face paled. She chided herself for forgetting how dangerous his kind was. In the war, Vampires were known to rip the heads off of people. They drank the blood of their enemies.

"I'd appreciate it if you l-leave me alone."

"Now, now, how can I do that when we've consummated our relationship?"

Adeline nearly fainted on the spot. Her knees buckled. "No we didn't!" she yelled out, startling him.

"Unless you did it w-when I was unconscious—"

"It was a joke, darling," he reassured her. Though, there was a dark glint in his eyes. Was his little prey repulsed by the idea of him deflowering her?

"We never went further than what you were comfortable with," he gently said