Lady Dhampir
Chapter 40

"What are you doing here?" Asked Milena, upset.

"Do you really want to ask that to a grown man? In a brothel? You're more innocent than I thought, Duchess..."

Milena rolled her eyes. She didn't believe his foolish joke one cent. A royal prince wouldn't wander downtown to visit some brothel, even a luxurious one. Pissed, Milena tried to push him off again, but the prince was tightly holding her, his hands on her wrists, his body dangerously close to hers. She was no weak woman, but the prince was three years older, a Vampire and fully trained. Milena knew she wouldn't win by force.

"Let me go," she hissed.

"Why would I let go of such a good catch? Aren't we here to entertain ourselves?"

She could hear that annoying smirk of his even with the mask still on. Milena glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked a second time.

"Probably the same thing as you..."

"You wouldn't know what I came here for!"

He tilted his head.

"What, my lady, don't you enjoy masquerades and adult parties?"

If she could, she would have slapped him already. Staying silent seemed the best weapon against Rayan, hence Milena decided not to say anything.

After a while, he sighed.

"Alright, alright. I followed a lead about the crimes going on downtown. All the factions are watching the events closely, both Vampires and Humans, nobles and aristocrats." "What have you learned?"

"Someone is definitely pulling the strings...I just don't know who and why. We caught a possible culprit earlier tonight. A grown Vampire, about fifty years old, unknown."

They had a suspect already? So fast? What was going on...

"The man was screaming like crazy and attacking everyone like an enraged beast. The Border Patrol caught him right outside the Ice Lands... beggar clothes, no jewelry, nothing to identify him. He was transferred to the Royal Prison for questioning, but I think he's already too crazy..."

"Or too poisoned," whispered Milena. "Vampires don't go on a rampage randomly like this."

He nodded.

"My opinion exactly."

While Milena was still thinking he took off his mask, revealing his disfigured face in the dark, his red eyes glowing like rubies. The young duchess was still lost in her thoughts and didn't react.

"You really aren't scared of me, are you?"

His question took her by surprise.

"I already told you, it takes a lot more than a burn to scare me...

"It's... nice..." He whispered for himself.

"What?"

"Most people avoid staring at me, or do so when they think I'm not looking. Women pretend not to see to seduce me, but it's obvious they are keeping themselves from watching. Yet you... you're the only one who really doesn't seem to give a damn." "Oh? Have you only realized that now?" Asked Milena.

"Well, at least I know the reason you like Ellias better isn't his perfect cute boy face."

"You really don't want to free my hands?"

Rayan chuckled. He knew he'd take a hit if he did, so he ignored her once again. "...Spend the night with me."

"With all due respect, I'm still trying to be as honorable as I can, Your Highness."

"Says the woman caught wandering in a brothel."

"....Says the man pinning a woman against a door and against her will in that same brothel. Are you still wondering why I don't consider you a gentleman?"

Rayan chuckled and gently let go of her hands. He was still cornering her against the door, though, and way too close as well.

"I didn't mean it that way. You owe me a date, Lady De Crescent. Since my mother kicked you out of the Capital with that stupid project for three months before we could have it, you still owe me one..."

"Her highness didn't kick me out..."

"Oh, please. You ran there as soon as you heard about the new terms of the Bridal Choice, didn't you? You knew this was the way for our mother to test you, so you made sure to take care of it before the Spring Ball. You really trust my brother that much, don't you?" Milena was a bit annoyed by his words.

"Those are two different matters," she replied.

"As if..."

Whether Rayan knew about her real feelings or not didn't matter much to Milena. Their relationship had always been hot and cold, and she couldn't trust him at all. She sighed. He was so stubborn...

"Fine. I'll date you tonight even if I must freeze to death!"

"Interesting. I don't intend to have you die outside, though. But I was thinking of taking you to the mortuary. How does that sound?"

"Creepy..." sighed Milena. "You want us to keep investigating together?"

"After the Spring Ball, the bridal candidates will be invited to reside in the Palace. It will be harder for you to investigate from there and honestly, I want to get to the end of things before then. I feel like all these events are linked together, and I do not want to be too late in unveiling the truth."

"Fair enough..."

They stayed like this for a while, but Milena got a bit impatient, wanting to walk over. Rayan barred her route, though. She glared at him, annoyed.

"Aren't we going?"

"We are alone in a bedroom. Let me enjoy this for a while longer. I don't know when the next time will be..."

She tried to push him away, but against her expectations, Rayan suddenly grabbed her wrist again. His vicious smile didn't look any good... he slowly pulled it close to his lip, and smelled her scent. Milena shivered, troubled by his closeness and the cold fingers on her skin.

"Let go..."

The Prince chuckled and his lips went higher on her arm, until he was close to her collar bone. With his other hand, he held Milena's neck, and pulled her clothing out of the way. "W... What are you..."

Before she could react, his lips were on her neck. It was a light kiss, at first, until she felt his mouth open and suddenly, the pain of a bite. She gasped under Rayan's fangs. It was the oddest sensation in the world. A slight, numb pain and that feeling of her blood being sucked. Yet, there was something else. Something terribly arousing, a spark in her stomach, firing up all the way to her chest, and her neck.

The Prince was holding her close to him, and Milena couldn't evade his bite. It was the first time she had been bitten and really, she couldn't put words to the sensations. She had never felt so hot from his touch. Her whole body was opening up to this, trembling and randy. She finally understood why a Vampire's bite was compared to s*x. Her mask fell off and Milena heard her own breathing, erratic from the mix of pain and pleasure.

Rayan stopped, licked the injury and stepped away. But Milena's legs couldn't hold it anymore. She stumbled against the door, laying against it with shivers running through her body. "What the hell..."

She had meant to sound angry, but her voice was still raspy. She was too numb and still shaking from that experience, unable to put herself back together. Rayan licked his lips, she could imagine his satisfied expression even in this darkness.

"I really couldn't forget that taste of yours..." He whispered.

"Are you insane!"

"Calm down, it was just a bite..."

Milena had bitten others a few times before, but the sensation had always been different from that. Was it because she was the biting one? Or because she had no interest in the ones feeding her? She could never have imagined this! She kept remembering all the times she had bitten others, but they had never shown any signs of being aroused like she was! Milena looked at Rayan, trying to understand. "What did you do?"

"I bit you, my lady. Don't tell me it was your first time being... bitten?"

She blushed, looking away. She didn't want to show him how much it had affected her! It was too late, though. Rayan laughed.

"Really? Who would have thought you'd enjoy it so much, my lady... Some people are more sensitive than others, I guess it can be true for Dhampirs as well..."

"Shut up!"

It was embarrassing enough as it was! Milena tried to get back on her feet, brushing her hair back, making sure to stay away from him. But those terrible sensations were lingering on her body. She could so easily get addicted to this!

Her fingers stroked the place he had bitten her, but as expected, it was healed up already, only two thin scars left... The feeling under her skin was still there, though. She could remember that sensation so clearly, as if Rayan's fangs were still in her skin. Milena took a deep breath, trying to chase it away.

She wanted to forget that incident. It shouldn't have happened in the first place! She grabbed her mask, which at least hid a bit of her confused expression at the moment, and took deep breaths.

"Let's just go," she said, trying to get her voice back to a normal tune.

"Already?" Asked Rayan, playful. "Like I said, we have a full bedroom to ourselves... Maybe we should take our time and enjoy it a bit more, my lady."

"Can you shut up and get out of here!"