MY VAMPIRE LANDLORD

Losing control

Elena’s POV

The morning air was crisp as I slipped out of the mansion, determined to get to my painting store. My mind, however, was miles away,haunted by the image of the woman in red and Silas’s sharp, unreadable expression.

I stayed up all night thinking about their relationship. They couldn't be just friends right?

As I passed the staircase leading upstairs, something caught my eye. Silas stood in his room, leaning over his desk. He looked paler than usual, the sharp lines of his face were drawn tighter than I’d ever seen. His fingers trembled slightly as they grazed the surface.

A pang of concern twisted in my chest.

I started up the stairs, hoping to check on him, but Miss Claire appeared , her voice was firm and cold.

“Elena, you’re not allowed to go into his room.”

I hesitated, mostly confused and frustrated, but Miss Claire’s stern gaze left no room for argument. I bit my lip and left, pushing the strange feeling deeper inside.

At my store, I tried to paint but I couldn’t focus. Silas’s pale face kept flashing in my mind, his usual strength was replaced by something more fragile.

What was wrong with him?

~~~~

Night fell, and the mansion felt colder than ever when I returned. Miss Claire was nowhere to be seen.

A restless impulse drove me up the stairs again, this time ignoring the usual rules of miss claire. I crept toward Silas’s door,my heart pounding.

It was slightly open.

Inside, I saw him curled on the bed, sweat glistening on his forehead, his breathing was unevenly. He looked sick, more vulnerable than I’d ever imagined.

I stepped forward, my hand trembling as I reached out to touch his forehead.

Before I could, Silas’s eyes snapped open, and in one fluid motion, he flipped me onto the bed. Now he was on top of me, his chest pressing down, his dark eyes narrowing.

“What are you doing?” he hissed, his voice was low and dangerous.

“I—I wanted to check on you,” I stammered, my heart doing marathon.

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, the silence in the room was thick and charged.

Then, suddenly, he flopped back down beside me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight, desperate hug. His mouth brushed dangerously close to my neck, raising the airs on my body.

He was trembling, seeming on the edge of losing control.

Without warning, his teeth sank into my neck, sharp and cold but I didn’t have time to react before he pulled back abruptly, his face twisted in pain.

Silas pushed himself off the bed and stalked toward the window, gripping the curtain.

“Get out,” he ordered, his voice strained, almost like a growl.

“I’m not leaving you like this!” I whispered, trying to sit up.

He growled, low and fierce, a sound I’d never heard from him before.

I froze, fear and confusion rooting me to the spot.

“Get out—Elena!,” he barked again, his voice cracking.

I scrambled off the bed,my heart pounding against my ribs in fear, and fled the room without another word.

Outside, the rain tapped slowly against the windows as I pressed my back to the cold wall, trembling with questions and the strange warmth lingering on my neck.

What had just happened?

♣♣♣

Silas’s POV

The room spun slowly around me, as if time itself had grown heavy. Each breath felt like fire in my chest. My hands which were once steady with centuries of control, now shook with starvation.

It had been two weeks. Fourteen days since I last tasted blood.

I usually waited until the last day of the month,always did, always managed. But this time, everything became different when she arrived.

Elena.

She had no idea the storm she brought with her. Her scent clung to the halls like a lingering whisper ,sweet and warm maddening. Every heartbeat she took was a cruel reminder of the hunger that was clawing inside me.

The thirst was unbearable now. My veins turned grey screaming for relief, and my vision blurred at the edges.

I leaned against the desk, barely able to stand. My skin was clammy, and sweat soaked through my shirt. My body was shutting down, punished for my stubborn restraint.

I could’ve fed. From anyone. I had options. But ever since Elena stepped into this cursed mansion, her presence infected my restraint. I didn’t want anyone else’s blood. I couldn’t take from anyone else.

Only her.

I hated myself for that truth.

When I opened my eyes again, she was there. I don’t know how long I’d blacked but her scent was what woke me up.

I reacted on instinct.

One blink and she was under me, her eyes wide in shock, her lips parted. Her warmth radiated up into me, and her pulse thundered in my ears. I asked her what she was doing, but I already knew.

She was worried.

She came for me.

She didn’t understand how dangerous that was.

I tried to hold myself back, to breathe, to not ruin everything. But her voice was soft, her eyes were concerned, and her skin so close.

I pulled her into my arms like a dying man clings to salvation. My mouth hovered near her neck. The scent of her blood hit me like wildfire, and before I could stop myself—

I bit her.

Gently. Carefully. Just enough to let the taste touch my tongue.

And it was…

Ecstasy!.

Her blood was unlike anything I’d ever tasted. It filled my senses with warmth, light, pain, desire ,everything at once. But I couldn’t take more. I wouldn’t. Not like this.

I tore myself away and stumbled toward the window, every nerve in my body lit with fire.

“Get out,” I said, unable to look at her.

She hesitated.

She was worried about me, but I couldn't risk anything. I can't risk to reveal myself to her, because I know she'll never look at me the same again.

And that was my biggest fear.

“Get out!” I snarled louder this time, pain crackling in my voice. I heard her retreat, running from the room, her fear was like a dagger in my chest.

I pressed my hands to the window, rain beating against the glass.

I’d almost lost control. I had lost control.

And for the first time in a very long time…

I was scared of myself.

The door creaked open behind me.

I didn’t have to turn. I knew it was her.

“You fed from her.” Miss Claire’s voice was low, and disappointed, but calm as ever.

I stayed facing the rain slicked window, my shoulders tense. “Barely.”

“That doesn’t make it better.”

“She came to me,” I said sharply, turning to face her. “I was sick. I didn’t want her near me.”

Claire stepped further into the room, her arms folded tightly across her chest, like she was trying to contain her anger in her bones.

“She’s human, Silas. She has no idea what you are. No idea what this house truly is. You promised you’d never bring her into this part of your world.”

“I didn’t intend to.” My voice cracked,more from guilt than rage. “You think I don’t hate myself for what I did?”

“She could’ve died.”

“I stopped!.”

“But for how long?” Claire took a breath, softer this time. “You’ve never gone this long without feeding. Never let yourself get to this point. You’re not just craving blood, Silas. You’re craving her.”

Silence settled like dust between us. She was right. And I didn’t deny it.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” I whispered.

“But you will. You already have. Whether she knows it or not.”

Miss Claire stepped closer, her eyes were filled with a rare softness. “You’re not the monster you think you are, Silas. But denying what you are,what you need will make you one.”

I looked away.

“She trusts you,” she said. “And she will keep trusting you until the moment you break her. If you care about her truly,then decide. Keep her close and tell her the truth… or let her go.”

“I can’t let her go,” I said without thinking.

That was the truth. The one that I feared the most.

Claire sighed. “Then be ready, Silas. Because once she learns what you are… there’s no turning back.”