Chapter 83 Chapter Eighty-three

Chapter 83 Chapter Eighty-three
Ivy laid her head on Severin's chest, snuggling closer to him. They had just had their second round and her body had a low thrum to it. She hadn't felt this good in…ages. He took his time with her, learning all the places that made her squirm with pleasure. Things she had only read in books came alive in her body through his touch. Ivy didn't think she could ever get tired of the feeling of his tongue between her thighs. 

“How do you feel?” He asked. 

“Amazing. I don't even think I could move even if I wanted to.”

“Well, don't. Just stay here. After all, princesses shouldn't do any work.”

She scoffed.  “I'm sure you'd like that.”

He turned his head to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“Me not doing anything. Staying here till God knows when, allowing you to fuck me.”

Severin's eyes shuttered. “Do you even know the horrors that are out there?” He sat up, still maintaining eye contact. “Vampires can walk in the sun now. Which means they are everywhere on earth, feeding on any human they can get their hands on. You already know Amara wants you dead but did you know she put a bounty on your head? Oh sorry I skipped that part. Anyone that can find you will get a hundred diamonds. And that includes the people of your kingdom that you're so eager to protect. There's nothing out there for you. Stay here. With me.”

Ivy looked away from the earnest look in his eyes. She knew exactly what those eyes could do. “Why don't you just compel me to stay and quit nagging? You've certainly done that before.”

“What exactly do you take me for? It was necessary at the time.”

Ivy sat up,hands on either side of her face, trying to think. A bounty on her head. Would she be right to listen to Severin? To just abandon it all? 

“Taking advice from you would be right as well as wrong considering you worked for her before. You don't even want to think about the possibility that she could be stopped.”

“That's because I know what she's fucking capable of. She's…pure evil. Getting entangled with her was the worst thing to ever happen to me. I was better off dead.” He said, his hands curling into fists. He didn't look at her as he spoke, his eyes going distant, looking almost…haunted. What exactly had he suffered at her hands? 

“Please, Ivy. Let's just leave this place. We're not very secure here. It's only a matter of time before they find you, find us. This kingdom is not worth your life.Is that what you want? To die?”

“Leaving this kingdom behind will be no less than dying. Don't you get it? I can't leave. I just can't.”

Severin stood abruptly and grabbed his clothes from the floor, putting them on hastily. His movements were jerky, his anger permeating through them. 

“Where are you going?” Ivy asked. 

He didn't answer, didn't even look at her till he was done. He took his dagger from the edge of the bedside table, sheathed it and left the room, slamming the door behind him so hard the ceilings rattled. Ivy flinched. 

She heard the door to the lock, a small beeping sound, the apartment’s security system effectively keeping her inside. Apparently princess was just another word for a glorified prisoner. 

Ivy willed herself not to cry but the tears came anyway, falling freely. Her kingdom was in ruins, Severin hated her and nearly everyone was seeking to kill her. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should leave. She lay in bed unable to move partly because of her earlier activities and partly because she couldn't muster the will too. She stared at the night sky through the window, the moon a bright crescent. 

She must have slept off because when she woke, it was to a creaking sound. She heard the door to the apartment creak open slowly. Severin was back. Ivy closed her eyes back, not wanting to interact with him. 

Beep…beep…beep…

She sat up immediately, eyes wide. The security system. Someone had broken into the apartment. Muffled footsteps moved around the house slowly. The sound of a vase crashing on the floor had her flinching. The beeping sound had already stopped meaning the alarm would go to Severin's device that she knew he always carried everywhere. He would be here soon. She just had to wait. 

The door to her room opened and a man stumbled in. No, not a man. Blood dripped down his chin and his mouth was slightly parted to reveal sharpened teeth. The light in her room was dim but there was no mistaking the colour of his irises. Bloodred. A vampire. Just like Severin. 

Ivy screamed, scrambling back to the other side of the bed. The vampire had a smirk on his face as he followed her, climbing the bed, his body hovering above hers. 

“I could smell you all the way from the other apartment.”he said, sniffing the side of her neck deeply. His voice had a rasp to it and the front of his shirt was stained with so much blood. How many humans had this vampire fed from? The iron tang emanating from him nearly suffocated her. 

“So fucking sweet. I'm full already but I think I can have one more.” He tore the blanket she was using to cover herself away from her hands, revealing her nakedness. 

The vampire’s eyes gleamed. 

“Or maybe I'll have a different kind of treat.”

“Don't you dare touch me.”she said, trying to muster all the courage she could even though her voice trembled. 

The vampire gave her a bloody smile and used one of his hands to cup her left breast. His claws dug in, drawing blood. Ivy whimpered. 

“Fight me if you want. I like it when they struggle.”

With that, he brought his face to her neck, fangs elongated, ready to bite her. Suddenly the vampire was ripped off her and thrown back. His back hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Severin was here. His eyes were wild and panicked as he took her in. 

The vampire groaned, trying to stand but Severin didn't give him the chance. He stalked over, grabbed him by the throat and hauled him up. 

“How did you get in?”he snarled. 

“Did you really think that little lock would keep out a vampire?” The vampire said, choking. 

“I guess not.” 

Ivy watched, horrified, as Severin plunged his free hand into the vampire's chest and ripped out his still-beating heart from his body. The vampire still had a smile on his face even as he slid to the floor, going limp. Severin dropped the heart to the floor like it meant nothing and turned to her. 

“Are you alright? Did he feed from you? I'm sorry I didn't come quickly enough.”

Instinctively, she moved back as he came closer. 

Severin stopped in his tracks. “What? Don't be like that, I'm not going to hurt you.”

“You just ripped out his heart!”

“It's one of the only ways to kill a vampire. Now stay still so I can look at your injuries.”

Ivy forced herself to keep still as he came closer. His other hand was still dripping black blood, staining the sheets. She grimaced. His hand, held her bleeding breast, his thumb running smooth circles over the skin. 

“Can I?” 

She nodded, too stunned to say anything. Severin's mouth latched onto her breast, licking and sucking on the blood there. Pleasure tingled at the spot making both her nipples peak. 

When the bleeding stopped, he pulled back, wiping his mouth. 

“Do you see now why we have to leave? This place isn't safe anymore.”

Ivy didn't want to admit he was right but the truth was staring her right in the face. It felt real now, the prospect of death. If she continued to stay in this Diamond Ridge, there was doubt about it. She would die and as much as it pained her to do this, it had to be done.

She gave a resigned sigh and nodded glumly. “Fine. I'll leave Diamond Ridge with you.”

Severin already had a smile forming on his face. 

“But,” she continued, “First, I'll relinquish my claim to the throne.”