Into the Dark
4

Calypso was not aware there was an event called the Hunt that was to take place tonight and one look at her father tells her he was not aware of such a thing either. Her heart hammers in her chest as her mind bounces through possibilities of what is awaiting her at midnight.

Her husband places his hand on the small of her back as he leads her to her place beside the head of the table. Her immediate thought is to shove her chair into his spot to claim her dominance but that is not what a dutiful wife would do. She allows him to pull out her chair and help her sit before he seats himself.

The room is filled with silence as the wedding guests wait for him to speak,” you may eat.”

At his command, chatter instantly fills the room as vampire converses with vampire and knight speaks with knight. Her father is at the other end of the table speaking lowly with his advisors. The chairs near Calypso and her husband are purposely left empty in order to allow the newly weds some privacy.

She dares not to so much as glance at the Vampire King though she can feel his eyes burning holes into the side of her face. She does not touch the food on her plate but has already gulped down two glasses of champagne in an attempt to calm her nerves.

A server comes forward to refill her third empty glass and is soon waved away by the King. She does not miss that this server along with all the others seem to be human.

“Wife,” he addresses her lowly.

She takes a sip from her glass before replying,” Yes?” she keeps her voice sweet but still stares ahead of her.

“Look at me, Calypso,” his rumbling voice sends shivers down her spine.

Taking a deep breath she finally meets his eyes and has to hold in a gasp at the sight. The man who torments her sleep stares back her with indifferent gray eyes.

“You are not hungry?” he seems a bit irritated that she let her food go cold.

Her eyes search his eyes for any sign of emotion but she replaces none,” I am sorry, King,” noticing how one of his eyebrows raise when she does not acknowledge him as her king she continues,“it seems the excitement of today’s events will not allow me to eat. Though I am sure the food is nothing short of delicious.”

He narrows his eyes at her catching her lie,” Indeed it is, my love.”

She does not miss the nickname which she first heard in her sleep though she chalks this up to coincidence.

A servant appears from the double doors that lead to the ball room and bows before her husband,” The ball is ready to commence, my lord.”

Her husband stands gesturing for her to rise with him,” Make your way to the ball room and feel free to begin the dance.”

Calypso’s nerves begin to pick up again as the last person enters the ball room leaving her and her new husband alone in the dining hall. She clasps her hands together in front of her as she waits for him to lead the way.

“Calypso,” her heartbeat quickens as she meets his eye,” I will have food sent to your bedroom tonight.”

She presses her lips together trying to figure out what game he is playing before she replies,” Thank you.”

He places his hand onto the small of her back and leads her to ball. The couple makes their way to the middle of the room as the song picks up speed causing gowns of many colors to twirl around them. Her ballroom lessons did not fail her as her husband leads her through the dance.

His eyes never leave her face and his steps are filled with confidence. After all, this man has nothing to fear. Calypso still refuses to look above his chest for two reasons. Reason one is she can sense that it is causing him frustration which amuses her and two is because she does not like how her heart flutters when she meets his gaze.

He brings a hand to her shoulder and brushes his thumb across his mark causing her to bite her lip against the sensation that shoots to her core.

He moves his hand back to her waist and lowers his head this time brushing his lips over the skin causing her to suck in a breath. The sound is drowned out by the loud music but she has no doubt that he heard her reaction. It takes everything in her not to pull away from this confusing man.

His lips replace her ear once more,” Wife.”

She does not dare speak,” Hmm?”

His grip on her tightens and he pulls her closer,” As you may know, I am not known to be a very patient man. You will learn quickly that I do not like repeating myself. If I have to ask you to look at me once more I will have to deal with you in a manner I see fit.”

This snaps her out of her daze. Calypso has never been one to like being reprimanded; especially not by her husband who has only known for a few short hours.

She meets his gaze with a challenge in her eyes,” You expect me to do nothing but stare into your eyes for the rest of my days? Surely you do not think that highly of yourself.”

His jaw clenches at her tone,” Are you manners so poor that you speak to me in such a way?” when she does not reply he continues,” Do not worry my love you will learn to respect me soon enough.”

She knew she should just apologize like a good wife would but majority of her scars were a consequence from her attitude,” I replace that highly unlikely. You see King of Vampires, you are not the first to attempt to teach me such a lesson and I can assure you that you will not be the last.”

He stops their dancing causing those around them to do the same. Some look at the couple with curiosity others with worry but she does not care.

Lucky for her, the King has no time to retaliate due to the loud clanging of the clock informing those in attendance that the hour is eleven.

The King straightens himself as he once again pulls away from her,” I believe it is time for our human guests to take their leave. It is no longer safe for those who are not mated to remain in our kingdom. I want to thank you for your attendance and I look forward to our future together as allies.”

Those who traveled from her kingdom take their leave. None give her so much as a glance as they pass by her except for the head of knights who silently tips his head to her with a smirk. She gives him a genuine smile in return though she can feel her husband closely watching the encounter.

Once they have left, the King dismisses his subjects with the order for those participating in the hunt to begin their preparations.

The two are once again alone and Calypso replaces herself regretting every snide comment she has made since dinner. She did not think about how he may react once he had her alone.

Her husband does nothing but stare at her and she instantly recognizes the tactic he is using. Her father used to do it to her whenever he was angry at her. His silence was meant to make her nervous which should cause her to speak first. This would allow him to assert his dominance over her; however, her father never did scare her enough for it to be effective.

This was not the case for her new husband. His stare made her feel as though she was bare and he could read every secret she held.

Desperate to end the torment she replaces herself caving,” Is there something you require from me, King? Or may I retire to my chambers?”

“My kingdom has balls frequently,” he ignores both of her questions,” Now that your kingdom is allied with mine, your father and those of his choosing may join in. If the head knight is in attendance, you will stay away from him. Understood?”

Despite herself, she holds back the venom that wants to snake into her voice,” As you wish.”

He watches her closely trying to determine if she is lying before he continues,” I will let your attitude from tonight go without punishment as I understand you must be very stressed but know that moving forward I expect nothing but respect from you. Any more of your ill manners and there will be consequences.”

Satisfied, he relents with his speech and orders a servant to take her to her chamber and prepare her for the hunt.

Which she soon replaces out it involves her wearing nothing but black lingerie and a silk black robe.

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Unedited

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