Damian quietly opened the door to his clean and lavish room. The only possible explanation would be that he couldn't stand a messy room and anything out of place would be returned to where they once were. There was a gramophone in one corner of the room with a couple vinyl discs containing music that he favoured, a shelf made of mahogany wood filled with books, a desk and chair, as well as a large poster bed. Unlike common belief, he didn't sleep in a coffin. It's not comfortable, after all. He closed the door with a gentle nudge of his foot as he reminded himself to wipe her lips and neck of blood. He chuckled quietly when she shifted closer to him, but when her skin came in contact with him, the vampire shivered from the chill seeping through the thin fabric of his suit and dress shirt. He looked down at her sleeping face, and down to the two bite marks on her neck, to the dried blood that trickled down to her breasts. He was being considerate about whether the blood will stain her shirt. Well, in his own mind, that is. How ironic, the vampire was a vicious hunter who never shows mercy. One would think it would be odd for him to show mercy to the woman in his arms, who was the hunter of his kind, no less!
Needless to say, he was surprised by Skylar's speed of regeneration. He was even more impressed by how quickly the ice worked to seal her wounds. With a couple strides, Damian carried her to his bed and gently laid her down after flipping over the covers. Once he set her down, he took off her boots and properly tucked her in. He gently rubbed circles along the area where he had bit her. All that's left is a small mark that showed the previous wounds were nearly fully recovered. He licked his lips and went to wet his handkerchief to wipe her of the dried blood he got on her. The last thing he wanted was for her to panic from the blood, but that would be inevitable. He grunted and decided continue cleaning her up, then he buttoned up her shirt again, not before giving a butterfly kiss to her neck where the scar was. He was proud to have made his mark on her and could care less about how she felt. Damian looked back up at her pale face and stroked it gently with his thumb. Primus, she was so beautiful even when she was asleep. Once he decided he had spent enough time in her presence, he left her alone.
Hours later, Skylar woke up with a headache and a soft groan. But, when she opened her eyes to bleary colours, she quickly noticed that she was not at home, despite how comfortable the purple four poster bed she was sleeping in was. Her senses were on high alert when she realised that she was sleeping in a bed in a room that was definitely not hers. Skylar looked around to get any hints on whose bedroom she was in when the door creaked open to reveal Damian's tall frame. She tensed and scooted back against the headboard when he began to approach her. When he noticed her backing away from him, Damian chuckled and sat by her on the bed. "Do you fear me, huntress? I had come to believe that you were fearless, in comparison to most." he mocked and trailed a finger down the side of her face. Skylar flinched away from his touch and glared at him angrily. This earned a chuckle from the count as he decided to stop teasing her, for now. Still, Skylar was still shrunk back against the headboard like a frightened child, while her eyes were lit with anger and fury. Needless to say, Damian found those eyes the most captivating. It was the only part of her that would show her true emotions to him, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Also, because her eyes were full of emotion, to him, they were the most beautiful gems to have come from the darkest depths of the ocean.
Skylar just sat there until she found herself pinned down onto the bed with Damian hovering above her. She let out a shaky breath as his face was suddenly very, very close to hers. She had to hide a wince because when he suddenly pinned her down like that, it actually put a bit of pressure on the decaying wound she had under her shirt. All she could do was look at him with wide ocean blue eyes in hopes that her pain was not shown. He whispered with that deadly voice of his, "Skylar, my dear Skylar, when will you learn? You now are mine and mine alone. Do you not understand that?"
The huntress let out a scoff and glared at him pointedly, "I don't understand because your lunacy has gone far enough. I don't believe in a single word you say. But what I truly don't understand is the logic behind choosing a human like me as your future wife!" In truth, she just wanted to know what he wanted to do with her. Unlike the count, she was human, despite being on the same level in the hierarchy. Her ocean blues narrowed at his glowing bloody crimson orbs in the midst of their suspenseful silence. For once, she wished that she was able to read his mind, but the risk of a backfire was very likely, so it was dangerous to wish for such power.
However, he seemed to be quite aware of what she was thinking and spoke with amusement, "You are correct, the idea will most likely backfire on you. I already have the ability to read your mind." The sly smile on his face never ceased to unnerve the baroness beneath him as she lowered her widened eyes. Skylar had expected him to react that way but she was still taken aback by it. Perhaps it was the way he looked at her? Or was it the way he spoke? Skylar was confused and had no idea what to say to make a comeback at him. She opened then closed her mouth like a goldfish gulping for air to breathe. Only, she was not struggling to breathe, she was struggling to find the words to retort against the count, but found none that could piece together the proper sentence that would take him aback. Of course, he was a vampire who lived twice or three times as long as she had, so she doubts any comeback would surprise him by this point.
Damian chuckled down at her as he noticed her conflicted look and listened into her equally conflicted thoughts. He stroked her cheek with a thumb gently, doing his best to not scratch it, drawing blood from her delicate, porcelain skin. He nuzzled her, stopping her thoughts short. The count hummed in amusement, "What will the huntress do while she is at the mercy of the vampire who will become king?"
This caught her by surprise. Said emotion could be seen on her face and widened eyes as he moved off of her. A smirk stretched across his face when she asked, "King? You will be king of the vampires? How?" That's when she remembered that he was the adopted son of Marcus Bergmann, the vampire King. Actually, former since he had stepped down, leaving the space open for anyone to take. However, in truth, the proper descendant would be Damian. She had heard of the count looking for a bride, but that must have slipped her mind when she had volunteered to hunt him down. A light gasp came from her when she remembered and she grew pale. She had made a big mistake by coming here.
"I assume your memory has served you well?" he taunted and waited for her reply, eyes gleaming with glee when her expression contorted to that of a cold glare up at the ceiling. Damian could tell that she was not in a good mood, now that she was aware of his intentions with her. He chuckled and continued to gently stroke her face in a loving manner that made her flinch away in disgust. She harboured no such desire for a relationship when her maternal family valued feminine power so much, especially for the next heir to the throne of the vampire race. To be fair, she didn't know how to properly react to the situation without potentially ruining her life forever.
The devil in disguise- I mean the count, or should I say prince, got up from her and finally let her go to leave her in a state of shock. She could barely comprehend what had just happened as she realised that the prince had selected her to be his future wife. Then, barely a whisper, she asked him while staring at the canopy of the four-poster bed she laid in, "Why? Why me?"
"Why you, you ask? I believe the answer is quite simple," replied the vampire with his trademark silky voice that was capable of alluring even the most strong-minded human being alive into his trap, but it only induced fear and apprehension in the woman before him, so he continued, "You enrapture me, Skylar Morozov. Your eyes, position in society, willpower, oh, your sweet blood, and last yet not least, your very apparent devotion to your family."
She could say nothing as she gently prodded the spots where her flesh was replaced by blocks of ice, so she does not bleed profusely and died. To say her icy powers was a contingency was an understatement, it saved her life, but it allowed her to be in this unfortunate situation. However, there was nothing she can do until she gained enough strength to escape her prison. She could have done that until Damian had decided to choose her as his bride, a bride to the King of Darkness. She glanced down at herself and sighed. It would probably be best that she submitted to her fate, since she heard that escape from the count was pretty much impossible. She then sat up and began to unbutton her trench coat. Damian, valuing her pride and honour, decided to go elsewhere, dropping the glamour he had on, revealing that the manor was well-maintained, contrary to what he made it appear. He was not that much of a brute, while he may seem like it.
She only took off her socks and coat before she went to see how much of a wreck she looked. Skylar winced when she saw the blood along her throat and had to clean it all off with a bit of magic. At least the wound healed. The baroness sighed and took her blades off to relax a bit. She created a comb of ice to straighten out her hair. Once she decided she looked somewhat decent, she decided to take her stuff, sneak out and find another room to sleep in. She will not sleep in the same bed as the count-technically-prince.
Quietly, she opened the oaken door and tip toed out in her bare feet, not before gently closing the door behind her, while hoping that Damian won't hear that, to give the illusion that she was still inside. A small smile crossed her face while she continued to walk around the suddenly beautiful interior of the home of the vampire who she thought was a brute and an absolute filth. She continued to sneak around, half exploring the castle while trying to find a place she could possibly stay in, considering how her powers were very much limited and she cannot escape, seeing as this place is the home of the vampire she was supposed to kill and whom had selected her as his bride. Skylar could only marvel at the true beauty of this place.
It was painfully obvious that she would not just submit to her fate to be the future queen of the vampires should it arise. However, she will not be making the process of falling for the vampire prince easy. No, in fact, she will definitely give him a hard time whenever she could. There was no way she will submit to a creature who believed that they were better than she was because he was a man and a vampire no less. Skylar Morozov of the O'Byrne and Morozov families will prove Prince Damian Bergmann of the Vampires that not all women were easy to woo. In fact, his looks will not be able to reel in his prey so easily. This woman will fall for the bait so easily and will continue to fight against his advances no matter. There was no way that she will fall so easily! She was the reincarnation of the Ice Queen.
As she got lost in her train of thought of how of maul Damian the next time she saw him, Skylar bumped against something and stumbled back. When she looked up and saw a purple suit and a sole amber eye staring down at her while a familiar eyepatch covered the eye of the person in front of her, she scowled and hissed, "Sevastian Walkowskii. What are the odds that we will meet each other here of all places?"
The one-eyed man bore scars near the eye under the pitch-black eyepatch. Actually, he lost his eye. Ah, poor soul. Even so, that will not earn any sympathy from the Morozov who stood before him. He simply returned, "I am here on diplomatic matters with the prince. I would enquire the same question, my Lady. What brings you to the manor, or dare I say a getaway home, of his royal Highness Prince Damian Bergmann?"
She sneered and looked away from him out of her own shame, "To be fair, I came out of my own forgetfulness that he was searching for a woman. There was an irresistible bounty posted out by the town mayor. Since no one was able to take him out of commission, then I thought that I'd volunteer. Who would have thought that my fate was to be here? I am to be stuck within these walls, trapped by an enamoured vampire who wishes for my misery. I tried to kill him, but alas, I failed miserably."
This earned her a certain look from the Russian man. It looked as if he was...looking at her in disdain. "You do not have the amount of intelligence in that brain of yours to defeat pureblood vampires, Lady Morozov. Why, you shouldn't have the right to kill any of us now, if you are to be the future princess of vampires, if not, then the queen."
Skylar snapped at him, "You dare speak to me when I have killed a handful of purebloods in the past few months! You act as if my accomplishments were not the proof of my superiority!" It was no doubt that his words had pricked her pride. It actually hurt to be told the truth that there will always be some purebloods who will always be smarter than the smartest hunter there is. While it was the truth, she had almost outwitted Damian were it not for the field advantage he had with his powers and that this was his home, for crying out loud!
Sevastian seemed to detect her distress over the fact that she sorely lost against the prince. He couldn't help but let amusement come to his eyes when he told her with much hidden glee, "Many of us have a higher intelligence than humans or the vampires that you have eliminated in the past, as you may already know. Our superior intellect allowed our families to live for so long, while yours, well, I cannot say the same."
A sullen look crossed the baroness's face as she frowned. He just had to mention her family in the worst possible moment. She closed her eyes as she tried to erase the images of her family being murdered in front of her eyes as she stood there, no, sat there as she was powerless to do anything. She hated it more than anything. Eventually, once the screams have significantly subsided in her mind, she asked Sevastian to take her to a spare guest room this place may have because she was in no mood to be living in the same room as that damned vampire prince.
A glint of amusement crossed the vampire lord's amber eye before he agreed to bring the rather disgruntled baroness to another room. And, per her request, somewhere far away from Damian so that he will take his time finding her. Plus, she wanted to get some decent shut eye before she was ready for another bout of sexual harassment from her apparent future husband. That, and she would prefer not to see him any time sooner. Besides, whoever liked him should marry him! Of all the women he could pick, he did not pick some vampire mistress who would do anything to be with him.
Once Sevastian had left her alone in a rather spacious room, the baroness was starting to feel faint from the blood loss and the fact that her body was still decaying from the power bestowed upon her. She groaned and staggered her way to the bed. She dropped what she had in her hands on the floor before she pulled herself onto the bed, then planned to sleep for a, preferably, long time so that she will not have to wake up to this nightmare of a reality. Queen of the vampires? Blasphemy! She was the best hunter there was and will refuse to be reduced to being a ruler over these leeches. To be fair, all she wanted was to have Damian's head when she came here. However, she was not anticipating to be captured alive instead and to become the future wife.
Unconventional, she thought angrily as she slowly lost conscious to the Sandman, down to the very lettering. Who would pick their wife like this? I am what they call worthless and unattractive. I am the last one that could be worthy of being a ruler of the race I despised the most with my whole life! What was he thinking?
However, she was unaware of the angry roar from a few halls down when Damian came back to his room to see that his human bride has escaped without his notice. He had demanded a full search to find her. Guards scoured the entire manor until one of them found her asleep in one of the guest rooms. Once Damian was made aware of this, he thanked the guards with venom dripping from his words. But, it was not for the guard, rather, it was for his bride. Punishment will be dealt accordingly.